Chef Of The Month November: Philippe Haddad

Philippe Haddad brings 38 years of global, culinary and hospitality experience to Cape Dutch, offering his innovative cooking techniques and recipe creations along with his life-of-the-party character.

Prior to joining the Cape Dutch team, Haddad starred as guest chef of a different concept from restaurateur Justin Anthony, Yebo, for the restaurant’s Sunday brunch series, in addition to leading the kitchen at F&B Atlanta as executive chef for three years.

A Bruges, Belgium native, Haddad began his culinary journey as a teenager, when he exhibited more than a passing interest in the culinary arts. At a young age, Haddad was accepted to the most renowned hotel institute in Belgium, Hotel School Ter Duinen after enrolling in a preliminary cooking school at age 14. Haddad’s passion and elite training allowed him to find work in a myriad of regions and countries such as Belgium, the south of France, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, the West Indies, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United States. Along the way, Haddad gained insight into the many customs and cultures that surround each country’s culinary traditions.

For the past 33 years, Haddad has worked in a variety of environments such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, private clubs and private yachts. His impressive career includes Merv Griffin’s L’Escoffier in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, The St. James Club in Antigua and Paris, as well as many top country clubs throughout the U.S. In Atlanta, he was the executive chef at the Occidental Grand, now the Four Seasons, the Abbey and the four-star, five-diamond Nikolai’s Roof. By 1999, chef Haddad broke away from hotel and resort work and opened his own Zagat-rated Buckhead hot spot, Philippe’s Bistro. After six successful years in business, Philippe’s Bistro closed their doors and Haddad left Atlanta and spent the next two years working in the food and beverage division of two luxury brand hotels destination resorts.

A James Beard Award and DiRona Award recipient, when not in the kitchen, chef Haddad commits himself to a handful of charities and local volunteer opportunities. From being nominated as a candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Man of the Year” campaign in 2015 to working with Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE), Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation and Give Me Five events, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Meals on Wheels, Haddad enjoys giving back to the community which has given so much to him.