Thorsten Leighty

About Thorsten Leighty

Currently serving as Director of Food and Beverage | Executive Chef at the New Orleans Marriott, I’m a hospitality executive with over 20 years of experience leading high-volume food and beverage operations in luxury hotels and resorts. I oversee all F&B functions across eight outlets and large-scale banquets, managing a team of 100+ across front and back of house.I’m passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences, building strong, engaged teams, and driving both service excellence and financial performance. My leadership style is hands-on and collaborative, with a focus on quality, consistency, and continuous improvement.

Experience

1. Director of Food & Beverage Executive Chef

   New Orleans Marriott

   Nov 2024 — Present

   Executive Food & Beverage leader overseeing all F&B operations at a convention hotel generating $33M+ in annual revenue. • Lead strategic and operational performance across 7 outlets and sq. ft. of event space, aligning culinary, beverage, and service execution with profitability targets and brand standards. • Direct a leadership team of 18 managers and 100+ associates, building accountability, succession planning, and a high-performance service culture. • Drive revenue activation, cost optimization, and labor performance in a complex, high-volume convention environment. • Oversee large-scale banquet and catering operations, ensuring seamless execution for citywide events and major group business. • Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Revenue Management, and Rooms leadership to maximize capture, elevate guest satisfaction, and strengthen overall asset performance. • Champion guest experience strategy, operational efficiency, and financial discipline across all food and beverage platforms.

Education

• Culinary Apprenticeship, 4-year: European and International Cuisine

  Hotel Nassauer Hof (Wiesbaden / Germany), Leading Hotels of the World, 5-star, Culinary Arts/Chef Training

  1991 — 1994

Skills

• Food Safety
• Catering
• Culinary Management
• Food & Beverage
• Gourmet
• Hotel Management
• Chef
• Mediterranean
• Culinary Skills
• Recipes
• Hotels
• Food
• Pastry
• Banquet Operations
• Fine Dining
• Pre-Opening Experience
• Menu Engineering
• Restaurants
• Mediterranean Cuisine
• Cuisine
• Restaurant Management
• Micros
• Hospitality Management
• Hospitality
• Banquets
• Cooking
• Hospitality Industry
• Revenue Analysis
• Menu Development
• Sanitation
• Resorts
• Pre-Opening