GENE E KALESTI
PALMER LAKE,United States
Summary
Seasoned Chef with a strong background in culinary arts, specializing in menu development, food preparation, and kitchen management. Recognized for innovative recipe creation, staff training and development, and maintaining high-quality standards. Achievements include enhancing customer satisfaction through culinary excellence and efficient service delivery.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Chef Owner, Founder
Gene's Pure Colorado LLC ®
Palmer Lake, CO
01.2010 - Current
- USPTO Registered TRADEMARK Bottling Company, Dec. 24, 2013, to 2033 (our next 10-year registration renewal)
- Marketed and sold products to 37 local retail stores in Colorado, including a San Francisco coop grocery and Wyoming.
- Gene's Pure Colorado company is now providing Private Chef Services along the front range and Aspen, CO. The sauces are made privately for individual clients for their home use.
Executive Private Chef
Humanscale Healthcare
Larkspur, CO
01.2019 - 01.2021
- Personal Chef responsible for preparing specialized meals for clients in clients' kitchen 5 days a week
- Responsible for all supplies for main house, guest rooms and guest house kitchen for other estate worker's needs
- Plan meals according to clients' preferences, and healthy dietary needs, shop for best quality meal ingredients, create relationships with local organic farmers, organic poultry and fresh caught fish suppliers
- Package lunch meals daily and for trips accordingly
- Elegant fresh flowers daily for dinners indoor and outdoor cocktail, appetizer and dinner for family and frequent guest parties
- Errands include multiple pet's needs, household furniture shopping installation purchase and pick up, dry cleaners, pharmacy, Pet Clinic pick up, garden supplies, holiday Decor shopping and pick up for household accouterments
- Arrange maintenance, repair and care of all kitchen appliances
- Choosing, tasting, ordering and picking up and maintaining large Wine list and liquor stock
- Traveling for out of state business events with specific food presentation.
Managing Owner
40 West Farmers Market LLC
Lakewood, CO
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Community outreach as business owners and investors in our Arts District.
Managing Owner
Pure Colorado Pros Kitchen LLC
Lakewood, CO
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Designed and built from cement up Colorado's FIRST 15,000 sq-ft Commercial Commissary Kitchen, FDA Bottling Kitchen, Event Center and Food Truck Commissary and secure Parking.
Executive Chef
Green Gables Country Club
Lakewood, CO
11.2007 - 04.2010
- Executive Chef of Fine Dining, All Member Dining Functions, Pool Restaurant, Golf Club House Restaurant
- The staff of 25 cooks and stewards.
Chef De Cuisine
Antler Hilton Hotel
Colorado Springs, CO
02.2004 - 07.2007
- Managed successful revival of Antlers Grille after decades and garnered sustained recognition through media coverage, including featured reviews in food magazines.
Executive Chef
Destination Hotels and Resorts
Vail, CO
12.2003 - 09.2004
- Developed and implemented menus for multiple restaurants, catering events, private cooking classes at vacation homes owned by DR&R, and private parties. Was the transition Executive Chef for the incoming New Executive Chef. A contracted, 9-month stint. While still working for Sonnenalp of Vail as a Banquet Chef.
Education
Food Management -
Pikes Peak State College
Colorado Springs, COSkills
- Dedicated classically apprenticed trained Chef with four decades of experience in the most acclaimed cuisines especially Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Persian, Greek and French centered on healthful pure ingredients
- Executive level for three decades, mature, educated, energetic kind and respectful directing manager
- Focused on each dining life experience to ensure team success and effectively achieve challenging goals
- Passionate and motivated leader with focused organizational and prioritization abilities
- 40 years of written, oral and interpersonal communication skills in both English and some Spanish
- A success in building, teaching and motivating dynamic culinary teams
- Private Chef Services, Culinary Educator and Executive Chef beginning 1984
- New Property / Hotel Install Preopening
- Private New Vacation Home for UHNW families Chef Kitchen Installations
- Experienced in discretion with service to UHNW families, their friends and guests
- Imperative, creative problem-solving
- Preopening Menu Creation and Tastings prior to soft opening
- Extensive background, decades in French, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Greek, Persian, German, Polish, Californian, New Infused quick healthful home preparation cuisine
- Proficient in Google Docs & Microsoft Office to interact with whole team instantly
- Leadership by on site team execution and motivational skills
- Multiple projects happening at the same time, manage well under pressure
- Create strategic planning for goals attainment
- Create and maintain a fond relationship with customers
- Work hard toward meeting or exceeding challenging profit and cost goals
- Monitor employee's productivity and optimize procedures to reduce labor costs
- Identified inefficiencies and made recommendations for process improvements
- Fantastic time-management and administration skills a must in this field
- Solution-oriented with exceptional critical thinking
- Learn and quickly adapt to situations and surrounding
- Expert proficiency with Quick-books owning a business for 30 years
- Brief focused written and verbal communication with purveyors, contractors, employees, and clients requirements
- Consultant to clients for healthful organic food supplements and organic food sources based on an active sport lifestyle
Hobbies and Interests
- Hiking every day with labradoodle
- Outdoor Sports: high mountain trail hiking, alpine skiing, mountain biking, professional trail building and education of new volunteers, mushroom foraging.
- Felled pine tree bench building
- Home Herb Gardening
- Canning and preserving
- Teaching friends and family to cook more healthy like making their own cashew or other nut milk
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Executive Private Chef
Humanscale Healthcare
01.2019 - 01.2021
Managing Owner
40 West Farmers Market LLC
01.2016 - 01.2019
Managing Owner
Pure Colorado Pros Kitchen LLC
01.2016 - 01.2018
Chef Owner, Founder
Gene's Pure Colorado LLC ®
01.2010 - Current
Executive Chef
Green Gables Country Club
11.2007 - 04.2010
Chef De Cuisine
Antler Hilton Hotel
02.2004 - 07.2007
Executive Chef
Destination Hotels and Resorts
12.2003 - 09.2004
Food Management -
Pikes Peak State College