Press Releases

Monterey, Calif. -Donald H. Serrano, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), of the Embassy Suites Monterey Bay was recently named "Chef of the Year" by The Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) at its 30^th annual dinner and president's ball held at the Ferrante Room of the Marriott Hotel in Monterey.

Bert P. Cutino, CEC, American Academy of Chefs (AAC) of The Sardine Factory presented the award to Chef Serrano. Cutino, a past national chair of the AAC, the 800-member honor society of the ACF, received the distinction locally in 1983 and nationally in 1988.

Chef Serrano is the current secretary of the American Culinary Federation's Monterey Bay Chapter. He has been a member of the organization since 1996 and a national member of the American Culinary Federation since 1986. Chef Serrano has dedicated the last 30 years of his career to the culinary arts.

A California native born in Madera, Chef Serrano began his career in the kitchen of the Holiday Day Inn, Fresno Airport in 1974. After four years at the hotel, he was offered the position of kitchen supervisor. With his enthusiasm and quick learning ability, Chef Serrano was soon transferred to the Holiday Inn in Dayton, Ohio where he held the Executive Chef position until the property sold one year later. Serrano also served as Executive Chef in the kitchens of the Holiday Inn Covington, Ky., and the Cincinnati Holiday Inn where he worked for three years beginning in 1981.

When Holiday Inn, a John Q. Hammons property, announced its plans to build another hotel in Serrano's home town of Fresno, Calif., he applied and was accepted for the position of Sous Chef, as the Executive Chef position has already been filled. During this time, Serrano furthered his experience, learning the skills of ice carving, cheese carving, and tallow and butter molding. He also perfected his banquet volume cooking procedures, frequently preparing four hundred to six hundred person dinners. In April of 1986, Serrano accepted the position of Executive Chef at the Sacramento Holiday Inn, where he oversaw both the high volume banquet business and one casual Mexican cuisine restaurant. In 1988, he returned to the Holiday Inn, Fresno Airport as Executive Chef, where his responsibilities extended to scheduling, teaching sanitation, and writing new menus for all outlets including room service.

It was in the summer of 1995 that Chef Serrano was offered a position at the brand new Embassy Suites Monterey Bay, where he opened the hotel in October of that year. After four years as Sous Chef at this property, Chef Serrano accepted the Executive Chef position where he has happily remained to date. Chef Serrano received the President's Award from the Chef's Association of the San Joaquin Valley in 1994. He has participated in events on the Monterey Peninsula such as the Big Sur Marathon's ACF Food Booth and the Cherries Jubilee ACF Food Booth. He is an annual participant in the "Oscar Night" benefit for breast cancer.