New executive chef joins The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh has appointed Esat Akyildiz as the property’s executive chef.

In his new role, Akyildiz will be in charge of the culinary and stewarding teams overseeing kitchens and operations in all food and beverage outlets, including restaurants, lounges, in-room dining and banquet areas.

He started his culinary career at age of 15 as a cook in a seafood restaurant in Turkey. After he graduated from local culinary school, Akyildiz attended the Culinary Institute in Bolu, Turkey. He then joined Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel in Istanbul.

He worked in the Middle East and Central Asia with Hyatt and Intercontinental Hotels Group. He also led the culinary team for the gala dinner at the OSCE Summit which hosted more than 50 presidents and head of states in Astana in 2010.

Akyildiz went back to Almaty to lead The Ritz Carlton, Almaty’s culinary team before he joined The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh.