Alila Marea Beach Resort In Encinitas Names New Executive Chef

ENCINITAS, CA — Ananda Bareño was appointed executive chef of Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas, taking over for Chef Claudette Zepeda, who launched the coastal hotel eatery in 2021.

Bareño will oversee culinary operations at VAGA Restaurant & Bar, menu selections at The Pocket Pool & Bar and Coffee Box, in-room dining and catering, management announced this week.

Bareño began her 25-year career in the kitchen as sous chef at Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, later moving on to such positions as executive chef at a Rancho Santa Fe restaurant and chef de cuisine of Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in Jordan.

“Ananda’s passion for unique gastronomic experiences, local food partnerships and connecting with people through comforting and nourishing food make her a natural fit for our culture and our team,” said Zepeda, a James Beard Foundation Best Chef West semifinalist who will assume the role of VAGA's creative director and chef consultant.

Zepeda, a Chula Vista native, a two-season "Top Chef" competitor and El Jardín's former executive chef and partner in San Diego, garnered an industry reputation as a recognized chef and a champion of regional Mexican cuisine.

“Claudette’s fearless culinary style and bold approach have positioned VAGA and Alila Marea Beach Resort up against some of the very best in the world, capturing the attention of the nation’s top critics and bringing national acclaim to San Diego,” said the resort's general manager, Benjamin Thiele.

VAGA serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a seasonal focus and such dishes as a breakfast rice pot with seaweed salad, Baja sea bass, octopus carnitas and lamb shank with pasilla curry, plus bites nd specialty cocktails in the lounge. The bluffside, 130-room Alila Marea, part of the Hyatt Hotels chain, opened in 2021 along North Coast Highway 101.

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