Restaurants Care is a nonprofit fund that provides direct relief grants to food and beverage workers in California. Grants cover basic needs like groceries and rent while people recover from illness, injury, natural disaster, death in the family, and more. Restaurants Care provides up to $2,500 directly to F+B workers experiencing illness, injury, natural disaster, […]
Leading employers guide local Rancho Cielo, high school and college culinary students to explore careers in hospitality. More than twenty leading hospitality employers welcomed Rancho Cielo and local area students on May 16 for Monterey County Hospitality Association’s (MCHA) Hospitality Career Fair at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. The Career Fair marked the culmination […]
For more than two decades, Franco Vásquez has made career moves that might surprise his teenage self. He’d considered working in digital design, but a high school dishwashing job led to bussing and serving opportunities. Those roles sparked a management interest. Vásquez steadily climbed the ranks, diversifying with restaurant and housekeeping leadership positions before landing […]
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our 2023 Annual Awards Gala and Auction. We are incredibly grateful to our members, sponsors and community for making the evening such a success. We look forward to next year!
More than 21,600 people work in Monterey County's hospitality industry, creating unforgettable experiences for the guests who make a $2.5 billion annual economic impact. And each year, the Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA) honors one outstanding industry member as its Hospitality Professional of the Year. For four decades, the honor has recognized ongoing service and […]
We are taking a portion of our auction virtual this year, please enjoy this special sneak peek. Mark your calendar — bidding is live March 24th! Click here to register in advance. Lot #1Pasadera Dine, Play Stay!Exclusive Package for 8 Enjoy a luxurious getaway at The Club at Pasadera. This magnificent package includes a private three-course dinner, wine pairing, private rooms at the […]
Monterey County Hospitality Association (MCHA) will honor the Hospitality Professional of the Year on Friday, March 31st at their Annual Awards Gala at Portola Hotel & Spa. This year’s honoree, Chef Bert Cutino, CMC, Cofounder/C.O.O. of The Sardine Factory Restaurant will be recognized for his on-going service and commitment to the local hospitality industry.
Kris Markus launched Illusions of Grandeur, her Monterey Peninsula event design and custom rental business, 38 years ago. She’s employed several team members for 15 years or more, and one has been with the company for nearly three decades. In addition to a overseeing a full-time staff of 10, Markus engages a network of part-time […]
The hospitality industry offers unexpected opportunities at every turn. Just ask Chef Bert Cutino, who earned 30 cents an hour washing dishes as a teenager. “I didn’t know, at the time, if I would go into the culinary profession. I just knew that someday I wanted to own something,” he says. That job set Cutino […]
The MCHA Government Affairs Committee goals have been updated to reflect relevant current issues and needs of our industry, including: water, workforce housing, childcare and ongoing relationships with MCCVB and local officials/organizations. Click below for an overview of how MCHA will advocate to support the industry throughout 2023.
Congratulations to our 2022 Volunteer of the Year and HOSPY Award Winner:Marc Kelley, Private Public Strategic Solutions Pictured above with 2022 Board Chair Mark Watson and 2021 HOSPY Winner Kaitlin Ford.
Monterey County Hospitality Association - 2022 Papa Vince Award Recipient Once in a great while, tragic circumstances present us with a challenge for which we cannot prepare. In these unthinkable moments, one of the most powerful roles a leader can play is in helping people to find their own resilience and building a culture of encouragement. That […]
Congressman Jimmy Panetta, the U.S. House of Representatives member for California’s 20th district, landed his first hospitality job in the seventh grade. Panetta rode his BMX bike to work at the Velvet Fox, a former Carmel Valley restaurant where he bussed tables. “I was a busboy until I spilled tartar sauce on a lady's dress, […]
Susanna Hoffman’s journey to a tourism degree began at Noodle Bar, in her hometown of Marina. The restaurant job she started at age 16 sparked an interest in hospitality, and she gained additional industry experience as a Monterey Bay Aquarium volunteer. Then, a high school counselor told Hoffman about hospitality and event planning courses at […]
Congratulations to our Hospitality Recognition Lunch Award Recipients! PAPA VINCE AWARD Miguel Lopez - Bernardus Lodge & Spa FOCUS ON GUEST EXPERIENCE Miguel Lopez - Bernardus Lodge & Spa Rocio Diaz - Inns-by-the-Sea, Candle Light Inn Nick Subedi - Coastal Roots Hospitality, Tarpy’s Roadhouse Jay Holland - Monterey Bay Aquarium HEART OF THE HOUSE Donaji […]
In a region known for vineyards and vegetable fields, only hospitality approaches the economic impact of agriculture. Monterey County recorded $2.5 billion in travel spending last year. Visitors generated $264 million in state and local taxes that paid for city services and neighborhood projects. While that’s down from a $3.24 billion impact in 2019, before […]
The Monterey County Hospitality Association, the organization that serves the industry including hotels, inns, restaurants, visitor attractions, and hospitality-related businesses, has launched an updated website and unveiled a new logo. (www.mcha.net) The Monterey County Hospitality Association has rolled out an updated website and new logo “to better serve the local hospitality industry and MCHA members,” […]
