Journey From Chef to Future Hospitality Leader

For Mekhael Estephane, hospitality has never been only about what reaches the guest’s table. It began with food, discipline and the desire to become a better chef, but more than two decades in the industry have gradually changed the way he sees the profession.

Today, after building an international career across Lebanon, Nigeria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Mekhael is looking beyond the kitchen. His ambition is clear. He wants to move into broader hospitality operations, first as an Operations Manager and eventually as a General Manager responsible for an entire property.

It is a natural next step for a professional whose career has increasingly expanded from culinary execution into people leadership, financial management, pre-opening operations, procurement, guest experience and commercial performance.

A Career That Started From the Bottom

Mekhael’s hospitality story began in Lebanon in 2000, when he joined La Muscade Restaurant in Ehden as a Commis 3.

There was nothing glamorous about starting at the bottom, but that experience gave him something that would remain valuable throughout his career: an understanding of the importance of fundamentals.

Preparation, discipline, consistency, teamwork and respect for the craft became part of his professional foundation.

His early career took him through several culinary environments in Lebanon, including Patisserie Sayed, Regency Palace Hotel, Phoenicia Hotel Beirut and La Bouffe Restaurant. Each position brought new responsibilities and exposed him to different standards of hospitality.

Instead of rushing toward senior titles, Mekhael gradually built his knowledge from the ground up.

That foundation would later allow him to understand hospitality from both sides, as a chef responsible for culinary excellence and as a leader responsible for the wider operation.

Nigeria Became a Defining Chapter

In 2005, Mekhael moved to Nigeria, where he joined Rosie Hotel in Port Harcourt as Head Chef.

The international move was an important turning point. It challenged him to adapt to a new market, new teams and new operating environments while continuing to maintain professional standards.

His next major chapter came at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, where he spent almost eight years and progressed to Junior Executive Sous Chef.

For Mekhael, Eko was much more than another position on his CV. It became a place where his understanding of F&B began to move beyond cooking.

Working within a large hospitality environment exposed him to major F&B transformations and refurbishment projects. He learned that successful restaurants are built through much more than good recipes.

Concept development, equipment, procurement, menu engineering, staffing, service standards, financial controls and guest expectations all have to work together.

This was also when Mekhael began developing a stronger understanding of the commercial side of hospitality, including budgeting, forecasting, food cost, purchasing, productivity and operational controls.

The chef was becoming a business-minded hospitality professional.

A Major Leadership Opportunity at Transcorp Hilton Abuja

In 2016, Mekhael joined Transcorp Hilton Abuja as Executive Sous Chef and later took on Acting Executive Chef responsibilities.

The opportunity represented a significant step forward.

Being trusted with executive-level responsibilities meant that his role was no longer limited to the quality of food. He had to think about people, procurement, financial performance, food safety, guest satisfaction, forecasting and consistency across a complex operation.

This period helped shape one of the most important lessons in his career.

An Executive Chef is not simply responsible for food.

An Executive Chef is responsible for an operation.

That mindset would continue to influence his career long after he moved beyond Nigeria.

Learning the Art of Pre-Opening Hospitality

In 2018, Mekhael joined the pre-opening team at Legend Hotel Lagos Airport, Curio Collection by Hilton, as Head Chef.

Pre-opening work introduced another dimension of hospitality leadership.

Before the first guest arrives, a property has to be built from the ground up operationally. Menus have to be developed, teams recruited, suppliers identified, equipment commissioned, systems established and standards communicated.

There is little room for improvisation once the doors open.

Mekhael later carried this experience into Qatar, where he worked as Cluster Executive Chef and F&B Operations Lead during the pre-opening of Aleph Doha Residence by Curio Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton Al Sadd.

Managing responsibilities across multiple properties strengthened his ability to think in terms of systems, consistency and alignment rather than focusing only on individual outlets.

His career was increasingly becoming about connecting different parts of hospitality.

From Culinary Leadership to F&B Operations

At Crowne Plaza Doha, West Bay, Mekhael continued moving deeper into F&B leadership.

His responsibilities expanded across multiple outlets, financial performance, procurement, compliance, manpower and guest satisfaction.

This period reinforced a philosophy that now sits at the heart of his leadership approach.

Every operational decision needs to answer two questions.

Does it improve the guest experience?

And does it make commercial sense?

For Mekhael, hospitality leadership exists at the intersection of both.

A beautiful dining experience cannot be sustainable without financial discipline. At the same time, strong numbers mean little if guests leave without feeling valued.

The ability to balance both is one of the qualities he now wants to carry into broader hotel operations.

Innovation, R&D and Large Scale Events

His role as Executive Chef R&D at Al Manal Food in Doha added another layer to his professional development.

Moving into research and development allowed him to explore culinary innovation, product development and commercial scalability.

His experience also extended into major event operations. During the AFC Asian Cup 2024, he was involved in VIP catering operations across Lusail, Ahmed Bin Ali and Al Bayt Stadiums.

Large-scale events bring their own pressures. Timelines are strict, guest expectations are high and multiple teams must operate as one.

For Mekhael, these experiences reinforced a lesson that has followed him throughout his career: preparation and communication can determine whether a complex operation succeeds.

Mekhael Estephane Building New Experiences in Saudi Arabia

Since 2024, Saudi Arabia has become another important chapter in Mekhael’s journey.

Working in Jeddah within the Silver Sands Beach Resort environment, his responsibilities have extended across F&B operations and the development of new hospitality experiences.

The work has included areas such as recruitment, procurement, kitchen design, SOP development, budgeting, forecasting, food cost, waste control, food safety and operational readiness.

The scale of responsibility reflects how far his career has evolved.

He is no longer looking at hospitality only through the eyes of a chef. He is looking at how an entire operation comes together.

Recent professional activity has also reflected his involvement in guest experiences at Silver Sands, including major hospitality moments involving international sporting personalities. Such occasions demonstrate how modern resort operations increasingly combine food, service, entertainment, events and memorable guest interactions.

The Next Goal Is Bigger Than the Kitchen

Mekhael’s next ambition is not simply another culinary title.

He wants to become an Operations Manager and, over time, a General Manager.

That goal is rooted in the experience he has accumulated rather than a desire to move away from his culinary background.

He wants to use what he has learned from F&B and apply it across the wider hotel operation.

That means understanding rooms, guest experience, finance, sales, engineering, people development and commercial strategy, while continuing to use his culinary and F&B knowledge as one of his strongest foundations.

His long-term vision is to lead a property where people feel supported, guests receive memorable experiences and the business performs sustainably.

Leadership Built Through People and Experience

For Mekhael, one of the biggest lessons from more than 20 years in hospitality is that success is never created by one person.

It is created by teams.

Technical ability may help someone enter the industry, but leadership requires emotional intelligence, adaptability, communication and the willingness to keep learning.

That belief has become increasingly important as Mekhael moves toward the next stage of his career.

He understands that becoming a General Manager requires more than knowing how to run a kitchen or an F&B department. It requires understanding how every department contributes to the guest journey and the commercial health of a property.

This is why his journey feels less like a change of direction and more like an evolution.

Looking Beyond the Plate

Mekhael Estephane began his career with a chef’s ambition.

More than 20 years later, he carries something much broader with him.

He has experienced the pressure of large hotel operations, the complexity of pre-openings, the demands of financial management, the challenge of developing teams and the satisfaction of creating experiences that guests remember.

His journey across four countries has given him a global perspective, while his beginnings in Lebanon have kept him connected to the fundamentals of hospitality.

Today, he still considers himself a chef at heart.

But his vision has grown.

The kitchen was where Mekhael learned his craft. F&B leadership taught him how to manage an operation. His international experience taught him how to adapt and lead.

Now, he is preparing for the next chapter.

From Commis 3 to Executive Chef, from culinary leadership to broader F&B operations, and eventually toward Operations Manager and General Manager, Mekhael’s story is about growth through experience.

And perhaps the most interesting part of his journey is that he is not finished yet.

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