Hyatt brings in new talents for its restaurants

Hyatt Regency Saipan introduced to the community last week the newest addition to its family—Executive Chef Gabriele Colombo and Executive Pastry Chef Tom La Pierre—whose expertise are expected to jazz things up at the hotel’s restaurants.

The hotel’s management held a grand cocktail party at the Hyatt Garden Friday night, treating guests to great food and ambiance to celebrate the occasion.

Colombo has been with the Hyatt International family for 15 years now. He said he started working for the internationally renowned hotel in 1990 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. He started with “Grissini,” an Italian restaurant in Hong Kong, which became one of the best Italian restaurants in Asia.

He stayed in Hong Kong for six years then went to another Hyatt hotel in Japan where he became the executive sous chef. He worked in Japan for two and half years.

He said he learned a lot from the Japanese culture where great food and excellent presentation is of great importance.

Colombo then moved to the tallest hotel in the world, Grand Hyatt Shanghai, which is located on the 53rd to 87th floors of the Jin Mao Tower in Pudong, Shanghai. He said he managed the On Fifty-Six, a collection of outlets that featured Italian to Japanese dishes.

“It was very challenging but interesting,” he said.

He stayed in Shanghai for two and a half years too.

He transferred to another Hyatt hotel in Bali, Indonesia, as an executive sous chef where he worked for 15 months. He was then called to share his expertise at the Hyatt Regency Manila, where he worked for two years and three months. Hyatt International had also sought him out to help in the opening of an Italian restaurant in London.

Colombo, a native of Milan, said he has been in the profession for 25 years now. At 42, he said his wide traveling experiences have contributed tremendously to his craft.

He expressed hope of bringing new ideas to Hyatt Regency Saipan for the community to enjoy, while making sure that it carries on its tradition of gastronomic excellence.

On cakes and pastries

Despite his Gallic-sounding name, Executive Pastry Chef Tom La Pierre is not from France. He was born in Chicago and is an all-time American food expert, particularly cakes and pastries.

La Pierre, 37, went to culinary school in Illinois. He took several courses in pastry schools in Chicago, concentrating on wedding cakes and sugar art.

His credentials include work experiences as pastry chef at St. Thomas in the Caribbean, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He currently owns a business in North Carolina, a bakeshop focusing on wedding cakes and specialty cakes of any kind.

La Pierre said he has been in the pastries profession for 12 years now and working with a Hyatt hotel would be his first time. He has been working for Hyatt Regency Saipan for three months only but he has been on Saipan for five months already.

“I enjoy Saipan, I have a great job,” he said.

La Pierre said that, so far, customers have been very appreciative of his work.

La Pierre said he hopes to impart to the hotel and to the CNMI community his expertise on wedding cakes, cake decorations, sugar works, sugar art and French pastries. “Hopefully I would incorporate local flavors in the desserts and bring new flavors and add some new presentations.”