Chef Sean O'Connell

Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa Hires International Chef Sean O’Connell

Read the Resort Blog about why Chef Sean wanted to come to Rancho!

Former Executive Chef from Mandarin Oriental, Fontainebleau Resorts and Banyan Tree Resort Tapped to Lead Culinary Team  

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (January 19, 2011) – International star Chef Sean O’Connell, with executive chef experience spanning the globe at some of the most impressive properties in the industry, has been appointed executive chef at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. In this role, O’Connell will lead the property’s 70-person kitchen staff and oversee the dining venues, including the resort’s signature restaurant, bluEmber, as well as R Bar, Splash Grill, Palms Café and Spa Café. O’Connell will also oversee the property’s banquet facilities.

An international chef, O’Connell brings his diverse culinary experience to the desert. First and foremost, Chef will take a new approach to the property’s current culinary offerings to provide a tour of the world through the palate, presenting guests unique experiences at each dining venue. O’Connell will incorporate indigenous ingredients of the region and introduce a Southwestern flare to the cuisine. He also plans to imbue the meeting experience with an immersion of international influences to the catering menu. Additionally, guests will enjoy the cool pools of the desert while sampling Mediterranean cuisine at Splash Grill. At bluEmber, Chef has added his signature dish: a miso-glazed Chilean sea bass, which is served with sesame-wilted spinach and sake-ginger broth.

“A chef of this caliber has created a stir among the entire property,” said April Shute, vice president and general manager of Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. “We are excited for the culinary experiences that await our guests.”

O’Connell joins Rancho Las Palmas from his most recent position as executive chef at Sandals Emerald Bay. Prior to working in the Bahamas, O’Connell was the vice president of culinary operations at Fontainebleau Resorts, executive chef of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, executive chef at The Banyan Tree Resort in Thailand, among other positions at luxury resorts around the world.

O’Connell cultivated his culinary skills at the American Culinary Federation at the Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. He also completed apprenticeship training with National Maritime Union in San Francisco, California.

About Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

The 444-room Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa is classic Rancho Mirage re-imagined for the 21st-century traveler. The resort’s new offerings include stylish new guest rooms, the signature bluEmber restaurant, the stylish R Bar lounge, and Splashtopia, an exciting water playground complete with water slides, lazy river and sandy beach. The resort also features a 20,000-square-foot spa and salon, a 27-hole Ted Robinson-designed golf course, a 25-court Peter Burwash International tennis center, four pools, and 41,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. For more information on Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, call (866) 423-1195 or visit www.rancholaspalmas.com.

About KSL Resorts

Founded in 1992, KSL Resorts manages seven time-honored resorts with outstanding recreational amenities, including spa, golf, tennis and ski. Each is refined yet unpretentious, rich in legacy, and genuine in service. Properties within the KSL portfolio consist of:

• Hotel del Coronado (San Diego)
• Beach Village at The Del (San Diego)
• La Costa Resort and Spa (Carlsbad, Calif.)
• Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa (Rancho Mirage, Calif.)
• Vail Mountain Lodge & Spa (Vail, Colo.)
• Barton Creek Resort & Spa (Austin, Texas)
• The Homestead (Hot Springs, Va.)

For more information, call (866) KSL-7727 or visit www.kslresorts.com.

Media Contact: 

Leah Goldstein / Heidi Baldwin   

Murphy O’Brien, Inc.  

(310) 586-7124 / (310) 586-7129 

lgoldstein@murphyobrien.com / hbaldwin@murphyobrien.com