SANTA BARBARA, CA – April 4, 2022 – Mar Monte Hotel, a boutique luxury lifestyle hotel in Santa Barbara, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand, is pleased to announce the appointment of Executive Chef Gunnar Planter. In his new role, Planter will oversee the hotel’s two restaurants, costa Kitchen & Bar and Café Lido, and debut new menus with fresh seasonal dishes and rich local flavors.
“We are so excited to welcome Chef Gunnar Planter to Mar Monte Hotel,” said Aliya Kritzler, Vice President of Food and Beverage, Luxury and Lifestyle Brands at HEI Hotels & Resorts. “With his impressive background, enthusiasm and passion for culinary excellence, we look forward to elevating our signature restaurant costa Kitchen & Bar to an even higher level, positioning us as the go-to dining destination for discerning travelers and locals alike.”
With over a decade of culinary experience, Planter is dedicated to serving the highest quality food with an emphasis on local ingredients and purveyors. Before joining the team at Mar Monte Hotel, Planter opened Ebullition Gastronomy, a fine dining gastropub in Carlsbad, Calif. specializing in dry aged meats and charcuterie, and served as Executive Chef. Prior to that, he opened Viewpoint, a restaurant in Del Mar, Calif., and developed a menu based on coastal Californian cuisine as the Executive Chef, sourcing his ingredients from local farmers and fisherman. He previously served as Executive Sous Chef at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, and before that worked at several private social clubs, hotels and restaurants where he honed his experience in fine dining and banquets. Planter first began his training in 2006 at French restaurant Mill Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe, under the mentorship of James Beard Award-winning Chef Martine Woesle, who remains his mentor and friend to this day. He worked there for six years and advanced to Sous Chef, while obtaining his Bachelor’s in Culinary Science from the Art Institute of San Diego.
For more information, visit www.marmontehotel.com or call (805) 882-1234.
