The Westin The Woodlands hires Richard Mendoza as executive chef

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Richard Mendoza is a nearly three decade veteran of the culinary arts and has spent more than 12 years in an Executive Chef capacity. As Executive Chef of The Westin The Woodlands, which debuts in late February 2016, he oversees culinary operations, ranging from staffing and cost controls to sourcing and quality levels, for room service, banquets and food and beverage outlets, including CURRENT, SideBar and the Lobby Bar. A Florida native, who honed his skills around the Sunshine State, Mendoza contributes three prior hotel openings to his experience.

Before joining The Westin The Woodlands, Mendoza was the Clubhouse Executive Chef at Streamsong, an acclaimed golf and spa resort in Central Florida. In his role, he managed Restaurant 59, a prime steakhouse servicing two golf courses and a ballroom. Prior to that, as the Executive Chef for The Westin Orlando Universal Boulevard, he was part of a team that conceptualized the highly-regarded Fiorella’s Cucina Toscana restaurant.

Mendoza was employed by Marriott International for 13 years. He joined the company in 1992 with the opening of The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, where he earned gold and silver medals from the American Culinary Federation and rose to the position of Executive Sous Chef. His early career, which was primarily devoted to private restaurants and clubs in Tallahassee and Atlanta, included a pivotal appointment under a Michelin Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, where he sharpened his fine dining abilities.

Recognized for his ability to develop culinarians, Mendoza has also fed his entrepreneurial spirit and love of fresh seafood as the former owner of a catering and restaurant consulting firm and as a captain for a commercial fishing company.