(ANAHEIM, CA; December 9, 2020)—Radisson Blu, the upper-upscale brand, synonymous with meaningful experiences, stylish spaces and thoughtful details from Radisson Hotel Group, announces its executive food and beverage team: Director of Food & Beverage Daniel Rivera, General Manager of Restaurants & Bars Derek J. Downing, and Executive Chef Edgar Beas. The hotel is home to three restaurants and two bars – FireLake Grillhouse & Cocktail Bar, the marquee restaurant centered around live fire cooking; Blu SkyBar, a rooftop bar and lounge; and Marketplace, a grab-and-go stop for convenient snacks, artisan coffee from Lavazza, and cold drinks.
From FireLake’s hearth-centric, internationally-influenced, and locally-sourced menu to Blu SkyBar’s Spanish and Southeast Asian dishes paired with skyline views, both concepts craft cuisine that speaks to the richness of California’s culinary influences. With over a decade of combined experience at award-winning properties across the country, Rivera, Downing, and Beas bring extensive luxury hospitality chops and a deep understanding of the California hospitality landscape to Radisson Blu Anaheim.
Executive Chef Edgar Beas grew up in a large, close-knit Mexican family in San Diego-Tijuana where the kitchen was the center of family life. He attended the San Diego Culinary Institute and began his career in 2006 as a line cook at the acclaimed five-star, five-diamond Addison Restaurant in San Diego. Driven by a respect for tradition along with a complementary desire to innovate, he slowly made his way up north to prestigious establishments in Los Angeles and then on to the San Francisco area. Seeking a change and hungry to learn more, Beas left the U.S. for Spain in 2010 to work at three Michelin-starred Martin Berasategui in the Basque Country, where the simplistic culinary style of the region greatly influenced his approach to hospitality. He returned to San Francisco in 2014 as chef de cuisine at luxury Menlo Park hotel Rosewood Sand Hill where, under his tenure, the restaurant received a coveted one Michelin star rating. As executive chef at Rosewood’s Santa Fe boutique property, Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, he received the Best Local Chef award from Local Flavor Magazine. His next executive chef position took him to DUNE at the upscale Auberge Beach Residences and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, FL. When presented the opportunity to launch the dining concepts at Radisson Blu Anaheim in 2020, Beas eagerly accepted the challenge—ready to return to his California roots and embrace everything Orange County brings to the culinary table while overseeing all of the hotel’s food and beverage concepts.
General Manager of Restaurants and Bars Derek J. Downing has a strong background in the Orange County market, allowing him to blend local flavors and experiences with Radisson Blu’s upper-upscale philosophy under his management of the property’s food and beverage outlets. A certified Cicerone, he has curated the beverage program with a strong emphasis on showcasing Southern California’s homegrown breweries. In 2015 as general manager of Cask ‘n Cleaver Steakhouse in Rancho Cucamonga, CA he developed a live music program and a beverage program that help lead to a 28% increase in sales. During his tenure as assistant manager of TAPS Fish House and Brewery from 2017-2019 he worked alongside the brewery team and implemented standardized operations procedures across all TAPs locations. In 2019 Downing was brought on as Restaurant General Manager at South Coast Winery where he curated a new beverage program with an emphasis on local craft beers and introduced a revamped bar design.
Director of Food and Beverage Daniel Rivera knows how to develop and implement one of a kind hotel dining experiences, crafting crave-able dishes for Radisson Blu’s dining concepts through curation of the best California ingredients from land and sea. In his new role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of all of Radisson Blu Anaehim’s food and beverage concepts, including the hotel’s in-room dining, banquets, and catering programs. While senior food & beverage manager / general manager of restaurants for The Mansion on Turtlecreek—the first Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Property—the restaurant and bar received numerous accolades including Texas lifestyle magazine D Magazine’s “Distinguished Drinker” award, D Magazine’s “Best Hotel Bar” 5, and received a nomination by the James Beard Foundation for “Outstanding Service.” Upon transitioning to operations manager for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in 2015, Rivera led the re-conceptualization and renovation of all restaurants, bars and banquets and catering for the Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe, NM. In 2018, Rivera established and led O&A Hospitality Group for Two Michelin Star Chef Josiah Citrin as director of operations. He oversaw the full transition of The LINE Hotel (LA) in Koreatown’s food and beverage partnership from 10K Hospitality by Chef Roy Choi and led the re-concept & renovation for all restaurants, bars, and banquets and catering on property. Prior to the transition he also served as director of operations for 10K Hospitality Group. As the Managing Partner for K2 Restaurant Group in 2019, Rivera launched and opened Social Eats, a next generation food hall with a collection of nine unique food & beverage concepts that features celebrity and rising star chefs, such as David Chang, Graham Elliot, Michael & Bryan Voltaggio.
Radisson Hotel Group currently operates 324 Blu hotels worldwide – Radisson Blu Anaheim is the fourth property for the brand in the United States. Before the end of 2020, Radisson Hotel Group expects to open additional Radisson Blu properties in the Americas including: Aruba; Fargo, North Dakota; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Toronto.
Radisson Blu Anaheim is located at 1601 S. Anaheim Blvd. For more information, visit https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-anaheim.
