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Chef Andrew Cooper
At La Quinta Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, Executive Chef Andrew Cooper leads a culinary team of over 100 culinary professionals, overseeing the resort’s seven dining destinations as well as the resort’s in-room and catering programs. His global palette and worldly culinary flair is balanced by a
passion for local and sustainable ingredients sourced from the abundant fertile lands of Coachella Valley and Southern California and reflected in the menus found across the resort’s 45-acre footprint.
Cooper’s impressive career spans more than fifteen years and includes distinguished culinary posts which have led him from his native East Coast to Hawaii, New Mexico and California. Prior to joining La Quinta Resort & Club, Chef Cooper spent nearly four years overseeing the food and beverage program at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe. His fourth Four Seasons property, Cooper had previously served as the Executive Sous Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Hualalai and Senior Sous Chef at
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. Cooper began his culinary career at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, where he worked for six years.
Prior to Four Seasons, Cooper developed his well-rounded and exquisite culinary repertoire at places such as The Woodcrest Country Club in Syosset, New York, as a guest lecturer at the Alpina International School of Hotel Management in Illanz, Switzerland and also cooking at the award winning Chef Allan’s Restaurant in Miami, Florida. He apprenticed to be an executive chef at Bretts Wharf Restaurant in Brisbane, Australia as well, providing him with authentic experience in world cuisine. In addition to his
culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America, Andrew also holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and a master’s degree in food service management, both from Florida
International University.
Outside the kitchen, Cooper enjoys spending time with his wife and kids and exploring the dining scene and Farmer’s markets in Coachella Valley. He is also an avid biker.
