Vice President, Food & Beverage, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations
Brian Stapleton joined The Ritz-Carlton Company as Sous Chef at the Atlanta Ritz Carlton, AAA four-diamond, Mobil four-star hotel, in 1987. Over the next 10 years, he held a series of Chef Positions at Ritz-Carlton properties as his talents continued to be recognized and rewarded. He became Executive Chef at the four-star, four-diamond Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis in 1991, and two years later was honored as the St. Louis Chef of the Year. In 1994 he was named Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach, Florida, an AAA five-diamond, Mobil Five-Star hotel. Brian turned his career in a slightly different direction in 1995, leaving the world of large, national hotel organizations for The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. As Executive Chef, he quickly made the AAA four-diamond hotel restaurant, Il Palio, one of the most popular fine dining venues in the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) area. Along with receiving recognition in regional and national magazines, Il Palio in 1999 was named Restaurant of the Year, and Brian was honored as Chef of the Year in the Triangle. Brian then took over Executive Chef, Food and Beverage Director Responsibilities at Carolina Crossroads, Carolina Inn's AAA Four-Diamond Award, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and Forbes Four-Star restaurant. Brian has received prestigious national attention over his career. He was showcased in August 2003 and September 2005 as guest chef at the James Beard House; he represented the state of North Carolina at the 2004 National Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans, which has aired on The Food Network; he was selected to represent AAA of North Carolina on a chef's cruise in October 2006, and has been recognized for his participation on the Chef's Advisory Board for the NC Sweet Potato Commission and NC Seafood Commission. Brian continues to appear on local and national television and for countless charity events in North Carolina, as well as traveling throughout the country performing demonstration cooking and representing North Carolina in various food and wine events. He is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.