MICHAEL ZACHMAN
Executive Chef
"With its distinct neighbourhoods maintaining their ethnic flair, Chicago attracts some of the leading talent in the culinary world, and I am thrilled to collaborate with them."
Four Seasons Tenure
Originally since 2002, now since 2018
First Four Seasons Assignment: Cook 1, Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale
Employment History
Waldorf Astoria Park City; Fairmont Orchid Hawaii; Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach; The Nines Hotel Portland; Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole; Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire; Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
Birthplace
Roswell, Georgia, USA
Education
Western Culinary Institute, Portland, Oregon
Languages Spoken
English
From deserts to mountains to oceans, Chef Michael Zachman has lived in all kinds of climates across his culinary journey, starting in 2002. After graduating from Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Chef Zachman began his career at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale. Soon thereafter, he was hired as Chef de Partie at Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, a restored historic Georgian manor outside London, where he served on the property's opening team.
"Working in the English countryside at Hampshire was such an education for me. At the property's modern French restaurant, I was the only American chef and learned "Old World" cooking styles, especially the art of butchery."
In 2006, the United States called him back - to Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, where he began as Sous Chef and ended as Restaurant Chef in this famous ski town. When the opportunity came to return to Portland, he accepted a position as executive sous chef a the Nines Hotel, overseeing banquets, stewarding and two restaurants. After the Pacific Northwest, his island adventures began with the Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico, followed by Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island of Hawaii, where he lived for nearly three years.
"With its Spanish roots, Puerto Rican cuisine introduced me to vibrant flavours and dishes, such as mamposteao, a traditional side dish that is still one of the best tasting dishes I have ever had, with its layering of flavours. Hawaii introduced me to the most exotic fruits, dynamic condiments and the freshest ingredients in gardens or markets, such as galangal, lemon grass and turmeric," Zachman remarked.
The mainland lured him back in early 2017, and Zachman returned to mountain living in Park City at Waldorf Astoria. There, as executive chef, he oversaw banquet operations and its on-site restaurant Powder.
Now in the Second City, Chicago, Zachman is excited to join the ranks of some of the top chefs in the nation. With a self-described cooking style as contemporary American and incorporating classic methods of brining, smoking and pickling, Zachman says: "It's no wonder Chicago was named 'best restaurant city' by both Condé Nast Traveler and Bon Appétit in 2017. With its distinct neighbourhoods maintaining their ethnic flair, the city attracts some of the leading talent in the culinary world, and I am thrilled to collaborate with them."
On his days off, he and his wife Irene can be found walking with their two well-traveled labrador retrievers Rocky and Casper, along the city's expansive 18-mile (29 kilometre) Lakefront Trail, at a farmer's market or trying out one of the many new restaurants in Chicago.