FORT MCDOWELL, AZ – Willard Thompson has been appointed Executive Chef of the resort’s highly acclaimed food and beverage department with a focus on menu innovation and enhancing guests’ experiences at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort’s six dining venues.
In his new role, Thompson will utilize his vast expertise at creating innovative menus, overseeing operations, maximizing team performance, and managing multi-million-dollar annual sales to lead the culinary vision for the property. Thompson plans to continually develop new menus that are fresh, on trend, and appeal to all palates and budgets – creating memories with food that all can enjoy.
Prior to joining the We-Ko-Pa culinary team, Thompson served as National Director of Culinary for Drive Shack, where he led back-of-house operations for 17 golf entertainment venues and oversaw culinary operations for 40 traditional golf courses under the American Golf Corporation. Before that, he was promoted from Executive Chef to Regional Chef for Topgolf USA, where he created menus and achieved approximately $60 million in annual food sales while overseeing procurement, inventory and relationship management at their seven venues.
Thompson also served as Executive Chef for Kona Grill, where he led a team of 35 employees and played an integral role in the implementation of quarterly specials that maximized customer satisfaction and profitability. Prior to that, he was an Executive Chef for Peohe’s in Coronado, CA; Executive Chef/F&B Director for the Holiday Inn-Stadium in San Diego; and Executive Sous Chef for Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
“Will brings a fresh perspective and passion for cooking and for cultivating a high-performance team that will take the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort to the next level of culinary excellence,” said Zac Gallo, Executive Director of Food and Beverage at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort. “Over the past three decades, he has honed his craft by working with – and learning from – highly respected chefs across the country. That expertise, along with Will’s natural ability to motivate his team, will allow him to push the envelope at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort. In his new role, he will oversee operations for Ember, our fine dining restaurant; WKP Sports & Entertainment; The Buffet @ WCR; Ahnala; The Market; and Daubs, in addition to our banquet and catering operations.”
