The historic Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H., has announced the appointment of Jacky Francois as executive chef. An integral member of the Omni Hotels & Resorts brand for 17 years, Francois oversees kitchen operations and menu creation at the historic, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort including 13 food and beverage outlets, in-room dining and banqueting for onsite special events and more. Francois started working with the resort on Sept. 1, 2014.
Francois arrived at Omni Mount Washington Resort from Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, where he had been executive chef since 1997, overseeing on-site dining and drinking venues, including the Terrace Room and The Speakeasy. His talent for “New Traditional” cuisine created from fresh, natural, local ingredients earned the Terrace Room honors as “Best Hotel Dining” from readers of Pittsburgh City Paper since 2008.
Previously, Francois held the position of executive chef at a number of hotels and independent restaurants across the country, including InterContinental Hotels in Montreal; Westin Hotels & Resorts in Atlanta and Dallas; and La Reserve, a French restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He also spent time as executive sous chef for InterContinental Hotels in New York and San Diego, and served as sous chef and chef saucier for restaurants including Le Relais and L’Hermitage in New York, and hotels such as Hotel Méridien in Paris and Hotel Domaine de Beauvois in Luynes, France. Francois was also a chef and instructor at the New England Culinary Institute in Essex, Vt.
Born and raised in France, Francois earned a degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of Gerardmer in France. He is excited to be surrounded by the beauty of the White Mountain National Forest and is looking forward to enjoying the region through all the seasons ahead.
