Executive Chef Sebastian La Rocca shares his story as Hilton prepares to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15-Oct. 15. This period is seen in the US as an opportunity to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic citizens from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Sebastian La Rocca, executive chef at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, has a lot to celebrate this month. La Rocca, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was used earlier this year “cook” three new food and beverage dining concepts as part of the hotel’s major expansion, with the new tower set to debut later this month.
La Rocca’s love of cooking began when he was just 6 years old, finding inspiration in his grandmother’s cooking. What started as delicious family fun later translated into a career with La Rocca training in London alongside celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Michael Roux. He later migrated to Costa Rica, where he waited “Fragrances”, a popular cooking show and ran several of his own restaurants to garner accolades.
He joined Hilton earlier this year to lead the opening of FYR, Stories on High and Spark at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. According to La Rocca, his Argentinian background and international training have played a major influence on the menus found in each.
“For a chef, it’s key to travel and enjoy all kinds of foods and cultures.” he said. “Food is culture. When you try the food of a certain country, you understand and learn. I always say if you want to know me, try my food. Food speaks to us, to our feelings and to our lives – it speaks to our roots. This experience affects my eating 100%. I am a nomad. I cook with my heart and love to express myself with food. I want our guests to have a real experience.”
“I cook with my heart and I love to express myself with food. I want our guests to have a real experience.” – Sebastian La Rocca, executive chef, Hilton Columbus Downtown.
La Rocca had a great time imagining what these new restaurants’ menus and overall dining experiences would be like. For him, opening a new restaurant from scratch requires imagination and teamwork.
“Everything starts with a dream or a vision.” he said. “Then we need it to materialize and that’s the fun part. We focus on vision and [then] work on different tasks at the same time, such as kitchen design, decor, menu, uniforms, staff, marketing, procurement, etc. We have long days and really intense months, but it’s so satisfying to see the final product come to life after months of hard work – it’s teamwork. For me, every opening is unique, not only for the place or the people, but it’s a new concept… a new baby being born and seeing a dream come true is my main motivator.”
The results are three must-try destinations:
- boy will serve Latin American dishes prepared over a wood-fired oven that can be paired with specialty cocktails.
- Stories in High will feature a small-plate food and beverage menu with a Japanese-influenced cocktail (think yakitori, fresh sushi rolls and wagyu sliders)
- Lobby level spark will offer a Midwest-driven menu of classic cocktails and local brews.
Apart from the menu, it’s about everything the experience of eating.
“As a chef, I believe we don’t just ‘sell’ food – we offer an experience.” he said. “We want our guests to have a genuine experience from the moment they arrive through our doors, and that includes all sorts of different elements from the music, to the lighting, the service, the food and ingredients we use, and the vibe of our staff. . All of this combined will create memories for our guests – and that is our main focus.”
About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with one portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties and more than 1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the list of best places to work in the world 2021 and has been recognized as a global leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel per day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to enhance the guest experience, including digital key sharing, automated room upgrades and the ability to reserve confirmed rooms. of connection. Through the award-winning Hilton Honors guest loyalty program, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn points for hotel stays and experiences that money can’t buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, open their door with a digital key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information and connect with Hilton on Facebook, I tweetLinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
