Executive Chef Richard Dupere of The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix brings a unique blend of creativity, vision and entrepreneurship to Arizona’s top-ranked business hotel, where he oversees all culinary operations.
As a young student growing up in Alaska, Dupere launched his own food distribution business, taking a career track considered unusual for some chefs. Selling fish and fish products to retail stores brought him early tuition income, and within a year of starting his distribution business he had met so many culinary standouts that he decided to embrace the field himself. He relocated to Arizona while still running his business and earned a degree in Culinary Arts.
Chef Dupere honed his post-graduate cooking skills at two well-known Scottsdale resorts and then moved to Seattle to work as a banquet chef for the prestigious Columbia Tower Club. In 1999 he joined The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix, transferring in 2001 to the newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common.
An exciting change in 2002 brought Dupere back to Arizona and to the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge resort, where he worked closely with catering and event managers to design programs for special events. Always ready for the next challenge, in 2006 was recruited as Executive Chef for Aventura, the catering company for the new Phoenix Convention Center.
In 2007, Rick Dupere rejoined The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix as Executive Chef. Nationally acclaimed for his visionary style, Dupere oversees the contemporary cuisine of popular bistro 24 restaurant as well as the hotel’s meetings, banquet and special event cuisine.
Dupere’s specialty, and a passion for him since he first entered the kitchen, is seafood; he still returns to Alaska twice each year to fish with his family. Dupere also takes joy in customizing cuisine for individual guests, helping to bring new delight and innovation to the dining experience. “Showing guests a new twist on something they already enjoy makes me happy,” says Dupere. “I love the challenge it brings, especially with the diverse clientele that The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix attracts. We have specific guests who eat in a range from healthy to comfort food to extravagant. People come here every day for a meal or for over-the-top special occasions, meetings and events. It is a good feeling to be able to exceed their expectations in all instances. It is all about being engaged with the guest…and making lasting connections.”