Chef Andrew Roenbeck, Vice President of Culinary Operations and Group Executive Chef

"The most rewarding thing is to enjoy what you do and who you do it with."

You could say that Chef Andrew Roenbeck’s career has two time frames, BTBR and ATBR: Before The Boca Raton and After The Boca Raton. Before joining The Boca Raton, Roenbeck was an emerging culinary savant who completed a stage at the world-famous Café and Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, working with renowned Chef Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV restaurant and with Chef Roger Cuisinier at Café de Paris.

When he arrived at the property in 1991, Roenbeck had little idea that he would be an integral part of its culinary team for the next 31 years and counting. Today, he leads hundreds of culinary team members into a new era that is described as A World of Flavor to create 14 distinct drink and dine concepts, including signature restaurants in collaboration with Major Food Group.

Why go back to the drawing board to offer new restaurants and dining options?

The guest expectations and their knowledge level is better today than, say, 15 years ago, thanks to the internet, culinary TV shows and just an overall more educated food community. It was the right time to adjust to their expectations and give not just a great menu, but also a memorable experience around food and beverage.

How does this new generation of culinary concepts add to the member and guest experience?

The most intriguing thing about culinary, food and beverage is that it’s always evolving. Today it is much more about the experience, especially the emotional experience. When we’re doing menu research and development, we always think about a high level concept that we can perform that doesn’t hinder the dining experience. We call it “a move.”

[“The Move” is a concept coined by Major Food Group partners Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi to describe “unique service style moments.”— Ed.] We invented a move at Marisol for our Thousand Layer Crème Brûlée Cake. The dessert has an orange essence to it, creating a sense of place in our tropical setting. At the table, in front of the guests, we have sugar that goes on top, plus a special rum alcohol that’s spritzed over it. Right before the dessert is presented to the diner, the server comes with a torch in hand to light up the top layer. That’s our “move.” It makes for a great conversation piece, not only at the table but with other nearby guests experiencing the moment.

You’ve been doing this for 31 years with The Boca Raton. How are today’s diners different from past years?

Our guests’ preferences are evolving, and I think it’s very important to listen to them. Farm-to-table dining may have been the start of things, but now it has progressed to creating a sense of place. We want you to be able to close your eyes and still feel that you’re dining in a South Florida restaurant, and we do that by incorporating the different cultures and flavor profiles that we have in Florida.

From a guest perspective, there is an expectation for that.

How have your kitchens evolved to mirror diners’ preferences to offer alternative options?

We’re looking to position more vegetarian and plant-based foods to center-of-the-plate dishes, not just side items. We’ve also been more conscious of diners who prefer a gluten-free meal. Our kitchens now use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs across the property.

How do you keep the energy moving after 31 years at The Boca Raton?

There are a lot of moving pieces to making a restaurant and concept successful. The most rewarding thing is to enjoy what you do and who you do it with. It’s that balance between finding enjoyment and laughter and fun, but there is a very intense business side of things to make 14 restaurant concepts work.