Four Seasons Hotel Doha

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2022
• First Four Seasons Position: Executive Chef, Curiosa by Jean Georges, Four Seasons Hotel Doha

Employment History

• Aleph Doha Residences; Toro Toro, Doha; Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, Dubai; JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai; Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Dubai; Carnival Cruise Line; El Buey, Madrid; Dalmacia, Lima, Peru; La Rosa Náutica, Lima; Pearl Harbor Luxor Hotels, Florida; Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo; Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan

Education

• Culinary Certificate, Le Cordon Bleu Institute, Lima; Restaurant Administration, Iberoamericana Hospitality School, Mexico City; Johnson & Wales University, Dominican Republic

Birthplace

• Lima, Peru

Languages Spoken

• Spanish, English, some Italian and Arabic

Building on the two decades he spent as chef of one restaurant after another across the globe, Edgar Hurtado is now right where he wants to be contributing creatively to nearly a dozen outlets at once as Culinary Director of Four Seasons Hotel Doha. “We have a reputation as the best dining destination in town, and I’m bound to make sure our menus, quality, and experiences keep us that way,” he says of the far-reaching responsibilities of the role that was created just for him in 2024.

Like Hurtado’s career prior to Four Seasons, the 11 restaurants and lounges he works with are all over the map. They include the signatures Curiosa by Jean-Georges serving Michelin-starred Latin American cuisine by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Nobu Doha, a culinary and architectural landmark in Doha for Peruvian-influenced Japanese cuisine by Nobu Matsuhisa. There is also newly refurbished Elements, beachside Makani, local favorite Seasons Tea Lounge, Le Deli Robuchon serving casual café fare by Joël Robuchon, and more.

Hurtado oversees culinary operations for all the above, plus banqueting for gatherings and weddings through the 23,000 sq ft of event space. His input covers quite a range, from menu development to culinary promotions, special treatments for VIPs to sourcing the finest ingredients from Qatar and abroad. “It’s a lot of work and it never stops,” he says with a laugh. “I’m in meetings every morning, connecting with guests to plan events, sketching out holiday celebrations. Fortunately, we have great teams and leadership throughout Food and Beverage.”  

Hurtado got his start half a world away in Lima, Peru. Raised on good cooking, he still vividly recalls the aroma of coffee and apple pies made fresh by his grandmother at a cafeteria-style restaurant. “That memory has just grown inside me.” So, too, has his appreciation for cuisines of many cultures found in Peru, such as the fusion of Peruvian and Japanese that drives the Nikkei cuisine at the heart of Nobu, as well as pairings with Chinese and African.

After getting his start at local restaurants and studying culinary at Le Cordon Bleu Institute, Hurtado landed a dream apprenticeship under Chef Hanz Burtscher at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island off the Lake Huron coast of Michigan. Then he kept going with experiences at esteemed restaurants worldwide including Ocean Reef Resorts and Pearl Harbor Luxor Hotels in Florida, Rosa Nautica in Lima, El Buey in Madrid, and various vessels of Carnival Cruise Line.

The progress he made was challenging but rewarding. “I’ll never forget my first kitchen, with a big chef, fire everywhere, and the smell of cooking in the air,” he remembers. “Being a chef isn’t easy; it’s a long journey filled with mistakes, sacrifice and learning. But I always felt comfortable in the kitchen and gained experience and built connections along the way.”

That way eventually took Hurtado to the Middle East, where his success leading the Latin American restaurant of a luxury property along the main drag of Dubai led to a collaboration with the Trade Office of Peru to organize events celebrating the inventiveness of Peruvian cuisine. His reputation grew leading other luxury hotel restaurants in Dubai and Frankfurt, Germany, as it did locally in Doha at Toro Toro, a Richard Sandoval Latin American concept, followed by a two-year turn as Executive Chef of Curiosa by Jean Georges for Four Seasons.

All that experience is now paying off for junior talent on the rise among the 160 chefs Hurtado works with throughout the Hotel. “They have their whole careers ahead of them. The more I can help them grow polish their skills, the more they’ll shine.” Meanwhile, his turn as Culinary Director got off to a great start with both Curiosa by Jean-Georges and Nobu Doha featured in the inaugural Michelin Guide Doha 2025.

Now in a groove in Doha, Hurtado is never far from home – at least at the table. “Ceviche is still my favorite dish. It’s in my DNA; I can’t go a week without it.” Nor, it seems, can he spend much time away from the kitchen, whether preparing dinners at home for his wife and children or whipping up something to share with friends over a bottle of wine. “I have the best career ever, because I never feel like I’m at work. Food makes people happy. I can see it in the faces of our guests and those of the team who are proud of what they create. That’s the value for me.”