A Preview of the Conversation

The Questions

Ten things we wanted to know

When they called your name as the Head of Department of the Year, what was the first thought that crossed your mind?:

Humbling doesn't cover it. This wasn't my department voting, it was everyone else. People from teams I don't manage, who had no obligation to choose my name. That told me what we'd built in F&B wasn't just felt inside our walls, it was felt across the whole house. You can't manufacture that. You either earn it or you don't. Apparently we did.

If your leadership style was a movie, what movie would it be?:

Ocean's Eleven. Everyone in the room has a role only they can play. The plan is airtight, until it isn't. Then you improvise beautifully, and nobody in the dining room ever knows. We always pull it off. With style.

What are some of the things you have had to unlearn to become a better leader?:

That being the hardest worker in the room was the point. It's not. I also had to unlearn that feedback is something you give reluctantly — it's oxygen, withhold it and things die quietly. And the biggest one: certainty. The best call I've made more than once is "I don't know, let's figure it out together."

What is an underrated skill — something people call "soft," but is actually a superpower in disguise?:

Knowing when to say nothing. The ability to sit in a room and not fill every silence with your own voice is a discipline. I've gotten more from listening than from most strategies I've ever built. Silence at the right moment isn't weakness. It's precision.

What is something guests think is easy, but is actually an Olympic sport behind the scenes?:

Reading a guest before they say a word and getting it right. Someone walks in and something's off — maybe it's a difficult day, a celebration carrying some weight, a table with tension underneath the smiles. You have seconds to read that, adjust the entire approach and deliver an experience that meets them exactly where they are. No script covers it. That's instinct trained over thousands of interactions, and we do it dozens of times a night, invisibly, without a single guest knowing it happened.

If your team had a group chat, what would it be called and why?:

The Usual Suspects. We all know things. We've all seen things. And somehow, every weekend, we look completely innocent by the time the last guest walks out. Tight, talented, slightly chaotic, and I wouldn't trade a single one of them.

What is a ritual you have before a big event or a high-occupancy weekend?:

I walk the property. Every outlet, before anyone arrives. Not an inspection, a conversation with the space. Then I find my people. Not to run the checklist, to check the energy. We laugh about something, and then we go to work.

What is it about working at The Social House that keeps you showing up with the same energy, even on the long days?:

The place has a soul. We're not just moving food and drink, we're in the memory business. Anniversaries, reunions, first dates that clearly went well. The Social House trusts me to run that with creativity and conviction. I don't take that lightly.

What is something your team does that makes you quietly proud?:

They cover for each other without being asked. Someone's having an off day, without a word, the team redistributes the load. No drama. That's culture. Not what you say in a briefing. What people do when you're not looking.

When you think about legacy, not just performance, what do you hope to leave behind?:

I want someone five years from now to be training a new team member and say "we do it this way because someone here set a standard and we kept it." I don't need a plaque. I need the standard to outlive my tenure. The rest is noise.