Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort has announced Jose Gomez its new Executive Chef.

Gomez joins the team on the Eastern Caribbean Island of St Lucia to further enhance the resorts culinary offering and pioneer the resorts 2021 sustainability incentive through food and beverage.

The chef joins Windjammer Landing with over 30 years’ experience, having begun his career in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and refining his skill set at The Culinary Institute of America.

Having received training from several world-renowned chefs, including Roland Passot and Jean Georges Vongerichten, Gomez held Executive Chef positions at The Waldorf Astoria Panama and the Waldorf Astoria the Reach in Key West, Florida. Most recently, Gomez transformed the food and beverage programmes at The Hyatt Ziva and The Hyatt Zilara in Jamaica – placing them in the top five for Hyatt properties throughout the US.

On his new position as Executive Chef, Jose Gomez comments, “I am extremely excited to join the impressive food and beverage team at Windjammer Landing. In my new role I will be sharing knowledge with a selection of very talented chefs alongside training and mentoring younger cooks, a process I always find extremely rewarding.”

Adding: “This year, I plan to build on the already impressive culinary offering to create consistency throughout the resort and I will use local ingredients to create stronger vegan, nutrition-focused and healthier menus. I also want to play on what we already have available to us here through offering carefully tailored private dining experiences and cooking classes for kids.”

As an islander himself, Gomez describes Windjammer as “The perfect canvas to paint all his ideas” with visions to bring on a new expert mixologist and rebrand the resort’s fine dining option to offer an Asian-Fusion cuisine. This will encompass Peruvian, Mexican, Japanese ingredients all with a Caribbean twist, boasting innovative and fresh sharing platters.

Windjammer Landing is continually looking to push boundaries in the F&B industry to make its daily work more sustainable. Gomez and his team will spearhead the resort’s ‘Farm to Table’ initiative, building and nurturing relationships with local farmers, fishermen and livestock and poultry breeders. This will ensure the resort’s produce remains local and fresh, which in turn continues to support the island’s local economy.

New to 2021, Windjammer Landing plans to utilise technology to drive their sustainability focus by using agricultural robots such as seeders and irrigation systems and food waste control applications to minimise food waste. The resort is also planning to fade out buffets completely, implement smart packaging options and ensure that private chefs are only available to guests on a high demand basis. This will ensure their carbon footprint is reduced, they support the local community and preserve the resort’s tranquil surrounding.

The resort features five restaurant and bars, with culinary choices ranging from casual to fine dining, all with the added flair of St Lucian hospitality. Offering an all-inclusive option, private dining experiences and room service, the restaurants all provide the option of a locally sourced menu using the finest, freshest ingredients and are accompanied with a selection of tropical cocktails and premium wines.