Business & Tech
Day In The Life: Executive Chef at Westwood's W Hotel
Dakota Weiss gives Patch a behind-the-scenes look at a typical day in the kitchens of the W Hotel.
When 22 hungry basketball players crowded into the Nine Thirty restaurant in , executive chef Dakota Weiss felt the adrenaline rush that any top chef would feel.
"They were starving," she said. "And it was like, if I don't make them good food, it could really ruin their day."
That passion for food may be why New York Magazine called it "a huge coup" when the W snagged Weiss from Santa Monica's Hotel Shangri-La last January. Known for grilled delicacies like tangerine and white asparagus tartare and what Weiss calls "comfort food with a twist," she oversees the hotel's two restaurants plus banquets, room service, and feeding employees. All of that work can add up to 14-hour days ─ before she tackles the e-mails and placing orders.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
"There was a day when chefs never went on a computer," she explains, "but now it's absolutely necessary."
Born in Lancaster, Calif., Weiss grew up "surrounded by food," with frequent visits to her grandparents' pheasant farm in the Antelope Valley. But it wasn't until her mother moved the family to Mexico that she felt called to the culinary life. She recalls walking up a hill one day in Cuernavaca where the aroma of sweet, simmering tamales from a vendor's cart suddenly flooded her senses.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
"And I said, 'What is that? It's amazing! That's what I've got to do!'" Weiss said.
Weiss graduated at the top of her class from Scottsdale Culinary Institute, then studied in Atlanta with famed chef Bruno Menard, who taught her to use all her senses ─ "eyes, nose and heart" ─ when developing a menu. He also introduced her to cutting-edge innovations like molecular gastronomy. After working at Ritz Carlton hotels and upscale restaurants, Weiss returned to Southern California. She admits she thrives on pressure and the adrenaline rush that's tied to being a chef.
"I love the hustle and bustle, and I work better under stress," Weiss said. "As chefs, we're allowed to express our creativity through food, so we love both the cooking and the creative side of it. That's why we got into the business."
