Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2018
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Executive Sous Chef, Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca
  

Employment History

• Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano; Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca; Kempinski Saint Petersburg; Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace Versailles; Restaurant Azimut, Courchevel, France; Auberge de la Poutre, Bonlieu, France; La Table de Stéphane, Cap d’Agde, France; Lameloise, Chagny, France; Restaurant Jean Paul Jeunet, Arbois, France; Royale Palace, Evian Led Bains, France; Eduard Hirsinger, Arbois, France; Chateau de Rigny, France; Restaurant du Casino, Niederbroon le Bains, France

Education

• BTS and BAC Hôtellerie & Restauration, Culinary Arts, Lycée Hotelier Hyacinthe Friant Poligny, France

Birthplace

• Gray, France

Languages Spoken

• French, Spanish, English

“Our aim is for diners to travel the world from the comfort of their table,” says Christophe Laplaza of his role shaping an array of international dining experiences as Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh. From inspiring the front- and back-of-the-house team of artisans at a dozen outlets, to sourcing fine local ingredients, and dreaming up interactive atmospheres immersed in our desert to sea culture, Laplaza touches every aspect of culinary programming across the property.

Key to the dining success of the seafront address is Laplaza’s strong focus on elevating this luxurious culinary destination. The Resort guests are primarily international, so he strives to stay on trend to ensure that diners look forward to what is coming up next. “I’m always exploring creative ways to re-define the dining scene for the many guests who visit us year after year, whether first time visitors or travellers exploring Sharm El Sheikh,” he says, adding that everything is a team effort. “It’s important for our chefs to be conscious of the dishes they create and our service team to be knowledgeable of what they serve. Guests respond to authenticity.”

The Resort’s restaurants and lounges were conceived to transport diners around the world; with artistic Mediterranean at Bullona and elegant Italian at Il Frantoio; traditional Lebanese at Zitouni, grilled meats and seafood specialties at Reef Grill, and upscale Asian street food at Yatai.

There are 320 on the food-and-beverage team, with 50% providing Four Seasons-style service at restaurants and the Resort’s banqueting operation, and the rest creating Four Seasons-level cuisine. Laplaza is very comfortable with operations because he comes from a culinary background with extensive work at restaurants across France. “Whether I’m in the kitchen, on the floor, or consulting on fairy-tale weddings and other events, the important thing is that we are all aiming for excellence together, as a team.”

Laplaza grew up in Gray, a small village near Dijon in the Burgundy region of France. His parents worked at a local museum, where he spent a good part of his youth. Another part was spent with his grandmother in the kitchen, where she inspired him with her apple pie. “I fell for cooking immediately: The more I learned, the more I loved it.”

Surely inspired by his grandmother’s desserts, Laplaza started off making the same, following a mentor’s advice that one can’t progress to executive chef without pastry. He spent a decade and a half working his way up the management ladder, including a turn at a hotel restaurant at the Palace of Versailles that tapped celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey as a consultant. The early focus on pastry later paid off at a five-star address in Saint Petersburg.

Laplaza found his way to Four Seasons in Casablanca, where he became Executive Chef in 2019 and added oversight of the Hotel’s food-and-beverage operation in 2020. His last stop before heading to Sharm El Sheikh was a Four Seasons address along the Mediterranean in Alexandria.

Now in the groove overlooking the Red Sea, Laplaza is focusing on personal goals as well as his career. The destination has inspired him to rearrange his lifestyle to become more positive, he says, including eating healthy, participating in sports, and spending as much time as possible with his wife and young children. “This has been a great step for me to validate my objective of moving up in food and beverage.”