Emmanuel CALDERON

Chef Emmanuel Calderon was born and raised in the Mexican peninsula of Yucatan. He spent most of his childhood in his mother’s and grandmother´s kitchens, where he discovered his passion for food, flavours, textures and aromas.

Emmanuel began his career as a kitchen apprentice, which was not as glamorous as it sounds. “My main responsibility was to wash glasses,” muses Calderon. “So I made the most of my extra time in the kitchen by learning from the Chef about cooking.” Little did he know that this was the beginning of an international career that would eventually land him at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle as Executive Chef. His experience on cruise ships was instrumental in his career growth, learning along the way to Italy, Greece, and Istanbul throughout the Mediterranean Sea, where he led a multicultural team from Indonesia, the Philippines and India. Those experiences helped further develop his understanding of not only different cooking styles, but also how different cultures come together to eat and the social importance of dining.

Prior to making his way to Seattle, Emmanuel worked at Four Seasons properties in Santa Barbara, Dallas, Mexico City and Scottsdale, in addition to “task force” roles at the Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Baltimore and Costa Rica hotels. “Everywhere I have been influences who I am as a person and as a Chef – I feel incredible lucky, and I love to share these experiences with our guests, through the flavours and presentation of my food”.