Chef Catherine Medrano’s love of cooking extends well beyond professional kitchens. She says feeding the people she cares about is one of her greatest pleasures, a passion rooted in her upbringing in a large New Jersey family that experimented with a wide variety of cuisines around the dinner table. Those early influences shape her approach today as executive chef of The Regency Bar & Grill at Park Avenue’s Loews Regency New York. She emphasizes local, seasonal ingredients and keeps an eye on minimizing the kitchen’s carbon footprint, principles that inform the menu at The Regency Bar & Grill, home of the well-known “Power Breakfast.” The restaurant’s updated offerings highlight ingredient-forward dishes prepared with clarity and care.
In her role, Medrano leads menu development, trains kitchen staff, and oversees culinary presentations as well as in-room dining service. Her career began at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., and continued with The Greenbrier Culinary Apprenticeship Program. She later moved into hotel kitchens, starting at The Stanhope Park Hyatt New York, then serving as executive sous chef at Park Hyatt Chicago. Medrano returned to the East Coast as executive chef of The Hyatt Regency Jersey City in 2007 and joined Loews Regency New York in 2016.
Her dedication to food carries into her home life. She and her husband raise three children and enjoy time with two grandchildren. At their New Jersey home she gardens extensively, growing melons, squash and fruit trees including peach, fig and olive, which feed into her seasonal approach to cooking. Travel is another passion—she enjoys visiting Key West, Florida, and spending time with extended family in Ireland and the Dominican Republic—while keeping current with food trends through blogs and cookbooks.
What three go-to ingredients are always in your home kitchen?
Vinegars of all kinds for bright acidity; kosher salt for its versatility; and fresh vegetables and aromatics, since much of our cooking is made from scratch.
What’s your favorite season for cooking, and why?
Autumn. It’s a season of root vegetables, slow cooking, comforting aromas and deeply satisfying meals.
Aside from your current position, what’s the best job you’ve ever had?
Long ago I worked as a lifeguard. It was a lot of fun and a memorable experience.
What’s the first meal you ever cooked?
I made steak and potatoes for my siblings. I remember wanting to “change things up” and introduce flavors they weren’t used to. They liked it, and I kept cooking for them after that. Cooking for loved ones has always been one of life’s greatest joys for me.
Loews Regency New York
540 Park Ave. New York, NY 10065 tel 212 759 4100 loewshotels.com