Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2024
• First Four Seasons Position: Current

Employment History

• Kitchen Door Napa Wai Kai, Oahu; Trump International Hotel Waikiki, Oahu; Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu; Baku Waikiki, Oahu; Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, Oahu; The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago; Hotel Arista, Naperville, Illinois; Lockwood Restaurant & Bar, Hilton Worldwide, Chicago; Sixteen, Trump International Hotel & Tower, Chicago; West Paces Hotel Group, Chicago; Westin Hotels & Resorts, Chicago

Education

• AAS, Culinary Arts, Elgin Community College, Illinois

Birthplace

• Simi Valley, California, USA

Languages Spoken

• English

It takes all sorts of culinary talent to set the table for creative dining at Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, but also a knack for making that talent click. Fortunately, Joseph Rose possesses both. “There’s a natural flow of organization in the kitchen that I’ve always enjoyed, and a lot of our success comes from getting things to run smoothly,” he says of the central thrust of his wide-ranging role as Executive Chef of the oceanside retreat. “When people on the team know they can rely on each other, it generates respect and heightens the experiences we create for guests.”

Those experiences include fashioning the menus of eight restaurants and lounges, with cuisines ranging from American with Hawaiian twists at La Hiki, to Southern Italian at Noe, and seafood – fresh caught and locally inspired – at Mina’s Fish House with Four Seasons partner Michael Mina. Rose also oversees in-room dining, banqueting for 72,000 sq. ft. (6,700 m2) of indoor and outdoor event space, and the employee canteen.

It takes inspiring management of his team of 100, including more than a dozen managers, to put all the above together. Rose endeavours to “let my managers manage,” and then manages with them instead of at them. “I like to sit down and say, ‘This is who we are, and this is what we want to be – so, how do we get there?’” he says, noting that the approach has worked well for years. “I still have people from previous jobs who want to work with me, and that’s a big compliment.”

He also likes to spark creativity, the better to further the skills of team members while spreading the workload around. “We have a tremendous amount to accomplish here, and every dish we create not only has to sell, but also has to make money,” he explains. “Giving my opinion on taste and making my standards clear give people things to expand upon with new ingredients.” And when those dishes prove to be hits with guests? “We all share in the success.”  

Rose’s introduction to the kitchen came out of youthful need. Born near Los Angeles but raised in Chicago, his parents’ work often left him home alone with no one to cook. After subsisting for a while on “cartoons, Hot Pockets and Pop-Tarts,” he began watching cooking shows – notably, Julia Child and the Frugal Gourmet – and got the hang of basic techniques in home economics classes in high school.

His first job was at a grocery store; his second was washing dishes at a nursing home. Then he began as a prep cook, rising in responsibility at local restaurants and learning more with each new gig. Along the way, his interest in culinary grew into a fascination with scientific aspects of food and the camaraderie of the kitchen.

After earning a diploma in culinary arts, Rose dove into the Chicago scene, working his way up at dining outlets of international hotel brands, including as chef de cuisine of a restaurant that earned a Michelin star. Yet in 2016, not long after the birth of his daughter, he did serious soul searching about the hours he was pulling at work. Realization? “Being a dad is important, too.” So, with his family’s support, he pulled up his Midwestern roots and replanted them in Oahu, where the change of scene and opportunities at hotels and resorts eventually led him to Four Seasons.

While Rose’s day-to-day responsibilities can be all-consuming, he feels right at home at the Resort, especially when teaming with food and beverage management on modernizing the kitchen. “We have some milestones we want to reach, and I know we’ll get there. At this point in my career, it’s all about what’s best for the team I work with, not my personal satisfaction.”

That comes elsewhere for Rose who, along with focusing attention on his family and their beloved pooches Kiowa the husky and Kuma the malamute, maintains a strict workout schedule that includes cross-fit, scuba diving, running half marathons and Spartan Races, and more. “I’ve just never been able to spend time on the couch,” he says with a laugh, adding, “When my daughter and the dogs train along with me, I enjoy it even more.”