Encinitas’ beautiful Alila Marea Beach Resort has some new and exciting changes to their team.
Ananda Bareño was announced as executive chef of Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas by the semifinalist of the James Beard Foundation, Chef Claudette Zepeda. Ananda Bareño will oversee the day-to-day culinary execution of VAGA, in addition to overseeing the menus at The Pocket Pool & Bar, Coffee Box, special events catering, and in-room dining. Chef Zepeda will assume the role of chef consultant and will continue to be the creative visionary behind the bespoke culinary experiences at Alila Marea Beach Resort while furthering her work as champion regional Mexican cuisine within the global culinary community.
“Claudette’s fearless culinary style and bold approach have positioned VAGA and Alila Marea Beach Resort up against some of the very best in the world, capturing the attention of the nation’s top critics and bringing national acclaim to San Diego,” said Benjamin Thiele, general manager of Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas. “We will be forever grateful for Chef Zepeda’s fierce passion, hard work, and dedication she has brought to our culinary program and are thrilled to support her in this exciting evolution of her culinary journey as we welcome Chef Bareño to our Alila family.”
Bareño’s impressive culinary resume began as a Sous Chef at Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego which eventually led her to become Chef de Cuisine at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. Since then, Bareño’s more than 25-year career has taken her around the world including posts in France, Costa Rica, Damascus, Syria, and Amman, Jordan, where she spent several years working as Chef de Cuisine for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. In 2014, Bareño made her way back to San Diego where she used her passion for nutrition and quality food in her role as executive chef of The Kitchen Table in Rancho Santa Fe.
“Chef Bareño is an outstanding chef who I wholeheartedly trust to help continue our special culinary story at Alila Marea, bringing our guests on a journey of exploration that celebrates both our hometown of San Diego while reflecting a spirit of curiosity and wanderlust throughout the property,” said Claudette Zepeda. “Ananda’s passion for unique gastronomic experiences, local food partnerships, and connecting with people through comforting and
When Bareño is not in the kitchen, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 11-year-old son enjoying the outdoors, camping, hiking, cycling, and working with horses on a rescue farm. Always up for a new adventure, Bareño has rappelled off bridges and even rode her bike from San Francisco to Canada.
For more information on Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas, please visit the hotel’s website.
About Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas
Located in one of Southern California’s most iconic coastal towns, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas is a crafted luxury resort, delivering authentic and bespoke experiences in a world-class beachfront setting. Defining barefoot luxury, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas opened in March 2021 and features 130 coastal and garden view rooms and suites, using innovative design to showcase the breathtaking coastal views and natural elements of the coastline featuring wood, stone, and sophisticated lines resulting in a stylish yet artisanal understated environment. The resort is committed to locally inspired programming and also features an oceanfront pool, a signature restaurant showcasing the finest sustainably sourced ingredients, more than 28,500 square feet of expansive, distinctive indoor-outdoor meetings and event spaces, and Spa Alila, a world-class spa and wellness experience that infuses the ocean’s healing attributes throughout. Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas opened as the third Alila property in the U.S. and the first new build in the U.S. for the brand, delivering transformative experiences, mindfulness, and cultural immersion.
About Alila Hotels
The hallmark of Alila hotels is the combination of innovative design and luxury in unique locations, set apart by an unprecedented level of private space, crafted artisanship, personalized hospitality, and bespoke journeys. Alila means “Surprise” in Sanskrit, which suitably describes the refreshing character of our properties and the impressions of our guests when they stay with us. In support of sustainable tourism, Alila hotels adopt EarthCheck operating standards, integrating the natural, physical and cultural elements of their environments. To stay at any Alila hotel or resort is to embark on a destination experience – be it in recreating the flavors of the local cuisine, enhancing your well-being through ancient healing arts, or the thrill of adventure sports, you will re-discover the luxury of living at Alila.
For more information visit, alilahotels.com, follow us on Instagram @AlilaHotels, or like us on Facebook.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As of September 30, 2021, Hyatt’s portfolio included more than 1,000 hotel and all-inclusive properties in 69 countries across six continents, and the acquisition of Apple Leisure Group added 96 properties in 10 countries as of November 1, 2021. Hyatt’s offerings include the Park Hyatt®, Miraval®, Grand Hyatt®, Alila®, Andaz®, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination by Hyatt™, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Zilara™, Thompson Hotels®, Hyatt Centric®, Caption by Hyatt, JdV by Hyatt™, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Place®, UrCove, and Hyatt Residence Club® brands, as well as resort and hotel brands under the AMR™ Collection, including Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Breathless® Resorts & Spas, Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Alua® Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas. Hyatt’s subsidiaries operate the World of Hyatt® loyalty program, ALG Vacations®, Unlimited Vacation Club®, Amstar DMC destination management services, and the Trisept Solutions® travel technology platform. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
About JMI Realty
JMI Realty is a vertically integrated real estate company focused on lifestyle hotels with a deep acquisition, development, and ownership experience. JMI Realty has a current portfolio of nine hospitality assets, including the nearby Inn at Rancho Santa Fe and Omni San Diego, as well as the Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, and the Curio Marquette in Minneapolis. In 1998, JMI Realty was appointed by the City of San Diego and the San Diego Padres to act as the Master Developer of the Ballpark District. JMI Realty’s successful planning and implementation of the Ballpark District Master Plan resulted in over $3.0 billion of redevelopment and is viewed nationally as a template for successful urban revitalization. Over the last two decades, JMI Realty has also been active in developing and acquiring hotel projects. JMI Realty is led by John Kratzer and its construction efforts are headed by Jim Chatfield.
About Fenway Capital Advisors
Fenway Capital Advisors’ (FCA) disciplined approach to investing focuses on creating value through acquiring and repositioning assets in markets with strong fundamentals and positive growth characteristics across the Western U.S. Collectively, FCA principals have more than 50 years of industry experience, spanning multiple cycles, across all disciplines of the real estate industry, including acquisitions, asset management, and development. The company’s aggregate transactions total over $335 million with nearly 2 million square feet currently owned. FCA is owned and led by Larry Jackel and Patrick Tribolet, both native San Diegans.
About Suffolk Construction
Suffolk is a national enterprise that invests, innovates, and builds. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start-up investment, and innovation research/development. Suffolk is a national company with $4.0 billion in annual revenue, 2,500 employees, and main offices in Boston (headquarters), New York, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Suffolk serves clients in every major industry sector, including healthcare, science and technology, education, gaming, transportation/aviation, and commercial. Suffolk is privately held and is led by founder, chairman, and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #23 on the Engineering News-Record list of “Top 400 Contractors.” For more information, visit www.suffolk.com and follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram
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