When Jeffrey Szombaty took over as executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in November, it was a homecoming of sorts: He served as executive sous chef there from 2010 to 2014.
So without needing to familiarize himself with the island, he immediately set to work developing the menu and concept for the property's newest dining option, the Buffet at Hyatt, which he describes as an "enhanced" seafood buffet.
"While some chefs focus on a singular cuisine, like Italian, Spanish or Japanese, I've been privileged to work in a lot of different cultures and I've absorbed a lot of different cuisines," said Szombaty, who was previously executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. "My philosophy at its core is emphasizing what I have around me, really having a strong relationship with local farmers, making sure we're using sustainable seafood, and having a connection with the community."
Jeffrey Szombaty
Szombaty has spent the majority of his professional career in hotel food and beverage service, but his passion for cooking goes back to childhood. One of his first jobs in high school was at a seafood restaurant in New Jersey, where he mopped floors and washed dishes before working his way up to peeling vegetables and breading fish fillets.
Despite his affinity for cooking, he still thought he was on track for an office job when he graduated high school and began studying civil engineering at Burlington County Community College.
"I was in class and was daydreaming, and had an epiphany," Szombaty said. "It kind of hit me that I love cooking and wanted to be a chef. I basically bit the bullet, dropped out of college and enrolled in culinary school."
He went to the restaurant school at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia and interviewed for a job with Hyatt as he readied to finish the program.
"I saw hotels as an opportunity to expand my repertoire and get exposure to how big operations run. They were getting ready to open a brand new hotel on Penn's Landing on the Philadelphia river, and an alumnus of my school interviewed me. So, that helped me get my foot in the door as an entry-level cook."
He has been with Hyatt ever since, serving on the team at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago and assisting with the opening of properties in the Caribbean. He set a goal to rise to executive chef, which he completed with his Vancouver appointment in 2015.
"I learned a lot in Vancouver," he said. "Most notably how to allow people to showcase their talents while still giving direction and having influence. I learned a lot about how to evaluate and emphasize people's talents, and not always thinking I know the best way to do something."
His first assignment upon taking the reins of food and beverage at Hyatt Regency Waikiki was creating the slate of options for the Buffet at Hyatt, which opened in February.
"I don't like to overemphasize dishes," Szombaty said. "You won't see 12 different ingredients on a plate. I like to let the ingredients speak for themselves."
Prime rib at the Buffet at Hyatt, the new dining option at Hyatt Regency Waikiki.
The Buffet, open from 5:30 to 9:30 nightly, is organized into several stations, and guests are encouraged to roam and explore rather than file into a cafeteria-style line. Dishes include made-to-order poke and sushi, kiawe smoked prime rib, southern king crab legs, and certified angus grilled beef in addition to traditional Hawaiian items.
"The portions are smaller and more focused on presentation than a normal buffet," he said. "The dessert station is set up in a way to let people sample a lot of different things."
Szombaty keeps things fresh by rotating through three menus during the week, cycling dishes in and out of the lineup.
"The poke station is a highlight and one of the signature offerings," Szombaty said. "Preparing poke in a traditional way while making sure it's done in a way that highlights the fish. We are using tuna that we purchased at the auction block this morning, and we'll use that tonight. Freshness is key."
Now that the buffet has opened, Szombaty can start to turn his focus to other dining options at the Waikiki property, including casual lounge Swim and breakfast spot Shor. In the coming months he'll be working on revamping the offerings at both establishments with more of a focus on local, fresh ingredients and Hawaiian flavors.
"Some of our classic dishes the guests really love, so they aren't going anywhere," Szombaty said. "We have this great garlic chicken, it's one of the signature dishes and it's absolutely mouthwatering. You can't have just one."