ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – David Hackett has spent most of his professional career working in resorts across the country and around the world, but he said Caribe Royale Orlando is his “home.”
“I’m staying there. I mean, I love the property. I love the culture that we have there,” he said.
Hackett has been at the boutique resort for about four years now. Before that, he had done stints at resorts such as the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Trump National Doral in Miami and even spent a few years working at a resort in Dubai, among other locations. In all, Hackett said he has been an executive chef at various resorts for about 25 years.
Of course, his culinary career started well before that.
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“I started the business when I was 12 — at a ripe young age just by pure accident,” he said.
His brother was supposed to go into a restaurant for a job interview, but couldn’t make it due to a broken ankle. So his mom offered up his services instead.
“I went and washed bar glasses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at the age of 12. You know, shagging ice and booze and things like that,” Hackett said.
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Despite his early exposure, Hackett said he really wanted to be an architect when he was younger.
“Then I realized, ‘Wow, food has so many different mediums besides pen and paper. Why not go be a chef?” he said.
His first exposure to working at a resort was at Walt Disney World.
“Disney was — it was a great opportunity for me especially to open MGM Studios,” Hackett said. “When I got there in ‘88, Disney was strong in their culinary program.”
The “great opportunity” led Hackett down a path that eventually led to Caribe Royale.
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As the executive chef of Caribe Royale, Hackett is in charge of eight different dining options at the resort, including a brand-new, two-story sports bar, Stadium Club. Hackett said he tries to make sure each dining option is unique.
“We don’t like menu bleed. So granted a burger we have to have in a couple different areas,” he said. “But it’s all about what’s on the burger.”
Hackett said he prefers to buy his ingredients from Central Florida farmers and producers whenever possible.
“I think great food comes with a great start — a great product to work with — then we do minimal to it,” he said. “I think a lot of chefs have lost their way where they’re trying to do so much to food. I think that food needs to speak for itself, you know, salt and pepper, basic preparation to kind of bring you back to how we all grew up.”
On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Hackett shares some of the challenges of managing all of the venues at the resort. He also shares more of his travels in the industry, as well as a bounty of food for Candace Campos and Lisa Bell to sample.
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