Willis Loughhead, Executive Chef, The Plaza

Willis Loughhead comes to The Plaza after having worked in a variety of renowned restaurants and hotels in Florida and New York. Willis was the Executive Chef at the Palm Grill restaurants in Key West and Miami, both which received “Best New Restaurant” in Florida by the Miami Metro.  Willis subsequently became the Executive Chef at Tantra Restaurant and Lounge in South Beach where he was voted Rising Star Chef by Ocean Drive Magazine. 

In 2002, Willis joined Ritz Carlton Hotels and opened the fine dining restaurant at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove, Florida, which was recognized as “The Best New hotel restaurant in the World” by Conde Nast. In 2004, Willis relocated back to New York and collaborated with acclaimed restaurateur Danny Meyer to open The Modern’s Bar Room at the Museum of Modern Art, which was awarded “One Star” by Michelin Guide and “Three Stars” by the New York Times. Willis next teamed with Andre Balazs and became the Executive Chef for Hotels A.B. where he oversaw the culinary operations for The Raleigh Hotel, South Beach, Florida as well as Sunset Beach, Long Island, New York. In October 2007, along with acclaimed Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Willis opened Country Restaurant in The Carlton Hotel which was awarded “One Star” by Michelin Guide. In October 2008, Willis joined forces with Chef Govind Armstrong from California to open “Table 8” in The Coopers Square Hotel.

Willis has been recognized as ‘Rising Star Chef” by StarChefs.com and holds a Bachelor of Science from Boston University.