Antonio Soriano

Four Seasons Tenure

• Originally 2003; now since 2025
• First Four Seasons Position: Chef de Partie, Four Season Hotel George V, Paris

Employment History

• Andaz Miami Beach, Florida; Park Hyatt Toronto; Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires; Astor Manduque Porteño, Buenos Aires; Algodon Mansion, Buenos Aires; Prodeo Hotel, Buenos Aires; Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris; Hotel de Crillon, Paris; Lucas Carton, Paris

Education

• Le Grande Diploma, Gastronomy, Ecole de Cuisine Le Cordon Bleu, Paris; Tecnico Superior en Gastronomy, Escuela Superior de Hoteleria, Buenos Aires; University of Buenos Aires

Birthplace

• Lima, Peru

Languages Spoken

• Spanish, French, English

“The great thing about this city is how it makes you feel like you belong as soon as you step in,” says Antonio Soriano, who timed his latest step in the capital of Spain with his start as Executive Chef of Four Seasons Hotel Madrid. A world traveller who has cooked creatively at luxury hotels and restaurants on three continents, Antonio welcomes locals and international travellers with dishes fashioned from the finest products and peppered with the values at the heart of Four Seasons hospitality. “Essentially, we want to give every customer what they desire in the moment and a reason return.”

A Four Seasons alum from back at the start of his career, Antonio embraces responsibility for “everything that is culinary” throughout the property in the heart of Madrid. He has much on his plate, including working with kitchen teams creating Spanish and international dishes by Michelin-starred Chef Dani Garcia at Dani Brasserie; modern Asian fare to pair with award-winning cocktails at Isa Restaurant & Cocktail Bar; and traditional dishes and melt-in-the-mouth pastries at El Patio. He also oversees in-room dining, banqueting for meetings and social occasions, the staff canteen, and offsite catering. “We’re on 24/7/365 meeting the demands of guests and the city.”

Antonio has more than 100 cooks working to keep on top of those demands – the largest team he has ever managed and, with 45 nationalities and a heavy Spanish presence, the most diverse. He prides himself on handling stress and keeping the temperature cool in the kitchen. “I look at life is a game and I try to have fun and win,” he explains, noting that victory includes having the team look up to him. “I’ve been through every step of this career, so I know the challenges. We have daily and weekly meetings to see where people are going and consider their ideas, because that’s how you learn and grow.”

Born in Lima, Peru, to a French mother and Argentinian father, Antonio grew up “in exile” – actually, traveling quite a bit – as his family relocated from Bogota to Lausanne, Paris to Buenos Aires. He became something of a nomad along the way, embracing a multicultural lifestyle and building a flare for hospitality inspired by frequent dinner parties thrown by his parents. “We’d go to the market on Saturdays and entertain on Sundays. Nearly every weekend was like that.”

While in Lima and Buenos Aires, his parents owned a large house and would often rent rooms to French travellers intrigued by life on the other side of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, he attended a French school initially intent on becoming lawyer. “Justice always intrigued me,” he notes, adding wryly, “so I studied law until I realized it had nothing to do with justice.”

He also frequently cooked for friends and, recognizing the joy his dishes brought, secured an internship at a local restaurant. Advised by a teacher that he could learn a lot in France, he pursued a culinary education in Paris, and afterwards launched his career at Lucas Carton, a three-Michelin-starred, mythical restaurant, to experience the challenges of a Michelin-starred kitchen. He then followed with more of the same at a historic Palace hotel.

Timing turned out to be everything: The hotel turned out to be losing a star as another nearby Palace property, Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, was gaining its third. After “a whole day of interviews,” he landed a job offer as well as an appreciation for the Golden Rule that guides interactions at every Four Seasons address. “Coming from a rigid, bad-mood kind of kitchen background, it was something I could really appreciate, and it has guided me ever since.”

Though his turn at the George V lasted just a year, it incentivized him to keep going. And go he did, starting with a return to Buenos Aires, where he began leading kitchens at luxury hotels and independent restaurants, including one of his own. He went on to become executive chef at a major international hotel in Toronto, and then in Miami where he led restaurants conceived by Chef José Andrés. While he cooked for world leaders and hobnobbed with celebrities, Antonio’s proudest accomplishment was seeing the #2 chef promoted to #1 at every property he departed.

Now in a groove in Madrid, Antonio is excited to be back with the brand and looking forward to where he can take it. “This city is night and day compared to what I visited 25 years ago, with the neighbourhood completely transformed by Four Seasons. The Hotel is the reason a lot of people are traveling here now. I love being able to reward their loyalty and welcome others to discover what we’re all about.”