MEET CHRISTIAN CLAIR FOOD AND BEVERAGE DIRECTOR
“A
lways reimagine yourself,” says Christian Clair, Food and Beverage Director at The
Vinoy® Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. Working as a chef for 30 years, the challenges always changed, especially as you can imagine with the pandemic, so I found it best to be flexible and always try to reach perfection to keep on top.” He has gathered a team of cooks,
bartenders, bakers, and kitchen staff who share his philosophy about hospitality. “It’s like sports. It takes a team to win and when you get your best team together and work in trust, the results are just amazing.”
The supportive culinary
team is happy to accommodate any dietary needs, incorporating requests for gluten-free and other requirements into every menu. They are delighted to create a specialized dish for anyone who asks for something that is not listed on the menu. Spending much of his early
career in France, Clair arrived in the United States in 1997 and worked in Birmingham with Novotel, Sofitel Minneapolis, Ritz Carlton Resorts in Laguna Niguel and Fort Lauderdale, Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, and most
recently, Dorado Beach A Ritz Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico. Those experiences widened his
network allowing him to search globally for the right people to work at The Vinoy. “I started working in a different country, but the connections I made there and in the U.S. with other coworkers and guests definitely drove my passion to work in this industry. I look for that same passion when hiring associates for The Vinoy’s restaurants and cocktail lounges.” Clair’s greatest culinary influences
include Pierre Gagnaire and Thomas Keller, but he says he learned the most from all of the chefs he worked with during his career, too many to name. He and his family are embracing
St. Petersburg and its amazing culinary offerings, as well as the history of food and beverage excellence at The Vinoy. His goal is to be involved in the community and to bring food and beverage to the next level in conjunction with the renovations the hotel will undertake, not only in the restaurants, but also in the guest rooms and amenities. Clair added that he is pleased with the well-equipped existing kitchens at The Vinoy and the availability of products from regional vendors. “When you move here from an island like Puerto Rico, it is like heaven in terms of access to a wide variety of food and beverage resources.”
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