For the 474-room Naples Grande Beach Resort, overseeing the property’s numerous food and beverage venues is a big responsibility. As the new executive chef, Jim O’Connor now oversees all of the resort’s culinary offerings, including The Catch of the Pelican, Mantra Lounge, Rhode’s End, Aura, Gulf Coast Oasis, Spressi Marketplace, The Sunset Veranda, in-room dining and all banquets. Chef O’Connor leads Naples Grande Beach Resort culinary teams, their creative conceptions and all culinary programming.

© Naples Grande Beach Resort

Originally from Long Island, New York, O’Connor attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. While still a student, he worked in New York City at the iconic David Burke and Donatella on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. After graduating from the Culinary Institute, O’Connor left his home state to get a more hands-on experience with new ideas, cultures and cuisines, working his way through the country one plate at a time, beginning his culinary journey in Colorado, before heading to California, Nashville and Montana, where he served as executive chef in multiple establishments.

From starting a farm-to-table program using ingredients grown on property and harvesting honey from on-site beehives while working at The Grove in Tennessee, to his frequent visits to local California farmers markets early in his career, O’Connor has always valued sourcing the freshest ingredients in the community.  These days, as a first-time resident of Florida, he is already exploring all the local culinary offerings while supporting the Naples culinary community. “Chef Jim” also appreciates Naples’ proximity to waterways in paradise and looks forward to kayaking throughout Southwest Florida.

© Naples Grande Beach Resort

The resort offers 29 gulf-view suites and 50 Garden Villas, plus more than 83,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Every tower guestroom features a private balcony with direct views of the Gulf of Mexico. Guests of the hotel have access to seven on-site restaurants and bars, three heated outdoor pools, a full-service luxury spa, golf course, an 8,000-square-foot fitness center, a business center and an award-winning tennis facility with 15 courts.

The property is surrounded by 200 acres of a protected mangrove estuary intertwined with a system of bridges and elevated walking paths, affording access to 3 miles of beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico. The property is also a two-minute drive, or 12-minute walk, from the renowned Waterside Shops, Southwest Florida’s most luxurious shopping mall.