Chef David Hollands Melds the Flavors of San Francisco at the Marriott Marquis

David Hollands is a man who loves his city and treasures his job.

Having lived in San Francisco since the age of 2, the executive chef of the San Francisco Marriott Marquis is practically a native of a city known globally for a lofty dining scene that excels in the cuisine of myriad cultures and fusions thereof.

A more than 35-year Marriott veteran (with only a 10-month stint early on that brought him away from the brand), Hollands rose from being an expeditor/line cook as part of the opening team of the downtown convention hotel in 1989.

Hollands has travel, hospitality and a love of multicultural cuisine styles in his blood, with a mom—who he gained his love of cooking from—of Portuguese descent from Hong Kong and a British dad who worked for Pan Am airlines as well as in the hotel business.

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On his way to the downtown Marriott and a career at the global hotel leader, Hollands also worked at two other top Bay Area properties, Berkeley’s Claremont Resort & Club and the Four Seasons Clift Hotel (now The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel) in San Francisco.

It was while working across the Bay at the Claremont where fate, in the form of an early ’80s Buick Regal, drove him to what would be his career home.

“It was 1988 and I’m a 20-year-old kid having a lot of fun in life, not really worried about work, but I was driving an old Buick Regal and it only drove in low, and I used to commute across the Bay Bridge every day,” he said. “I was watching them build this hotel and I kept telling myself, ‘This car ain’t gonna make it much longer. You’re gonna need to get a job in the City.’ Ironically, I wanted to work for Marriott because in my mind as a kid, Marriott owned Great America amusement park and I was like, ‘Oh, I really want to work for Marriott.’

“My mom was in the travel business and my dad was in the hotel business,” he continued. “So, when this hotel was going up, I came over here and decided to apply for a job and luckily, I got it.”

The ride has so far lasted more than 35 years, with only a brief stint away from the brand sandwiched in early on, along with a stay at the San Francisco Marriott Union Square before he returned to the 1,500-room Marquis as its executive chef in 2011.

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Group Offerings

One of the city’s major convention hotels, the Marriott Marquis has handled up to 7,000 for a banquet, with some of its other larger efforts coming in at around 3,000. In recent years, Hollands said, the property most frequently tops out at around 1,500 for its largest banquets.

Hands-on is an apt descriptor for Hollands, who prides himself on personally working with planners in addition to running the property’s three dining venues, The View Lounge (international tapas), B55 Craft House & Kitchen and The Mission Pantry, as well as all banquet efforts.

“I spend most of my time working with actual meeting planners,” he said. “I really want to focus in on local [ingredients] and I’m so passionate about what we have here from growing up here and watching the evolution of food in our area. I try to write all our menus with each meeting planner to bring in local and seasonality and organics and farmers. I work with every single large-meeting guest for the most part, from the site inspection process through the menu development through the menu tasting.”

This personal attention and focus on one of San Francisco’s biggest attractions—its food from storied neighborhoods such as Chinatown, North Beach and the Mission—adds up to earning a lot of repeat business.

“I get to see those planners year after year after year,” he said. “Once they’re on multi-year contracts and I get to know them really well, that’s probably the best part of my job. And I always tell them, ‘Yeah, we have banquet menus, but let’s work on what’s local, what’s in season.’ And that’s good for my team, too, because they’re always cooking different food that’s new to them and we get to develop those recipes together.”

Hollands said the most important information he requests from planners is the profile of their group, what San Francisco neighborhood cuisine they would like to feature and detailed information about any food allergies or other requirements.

Hollands said the property is also a leader in sustainable food operations—diverting up to 90% of its waste from landfills—as well as having a longtime policy of donating leftover food to local homeless shelters and working with sustainability-focused vendors such as non-profit Vesta Foodservice’s Chefs to End Hunger food donation program.

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Top Banquet Cuisine Trends

Major meetings F&B trends include plant-based cuisine, and not focused on mimicking meat but full-blown vegetarian and vegan fare that’s made to impress. In fact, the property doesn’t make any sauce that isn’t gluten-free.

“We just basically got rid of gluten other than bread,” Hollands said. “We have gluten-free bread if people want it, but we have so many great bakeries in the Bay Area, there’s no point in us making our own.”

Like in other destinations that are known for their cuisine, the biggest trend will always be bringing that authentic experience to a large group on a personal level.

[Related: 5 Quick Tips for Vegan and Gluten-Free Catering for Successful Events]

“If you want to do big events and banquets really well, you have to make them feel like they’re eating in a restaurant,” Hollands summed up. “They want the restaurant-quality food but they have to have it in a banquet setting. But when they come here, they also want a taste of San Francisco—what the Mission District has, what Chinatown has, Japan Town, North Beach, the Ferry Building and the Farmers Market—that’s what we try to incorporate into their menus.” 

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Chef David Hollands' Tuna Tartare San Francisco-Style

Makes 4 each (4 oz. portions)

Ingredients
1 lb. No. 1 grade (sushi grade) yellowfin ahi tuna
1 tbsp. diced yellow onion
1 tbsp. sliced green onions
1 tbsp. diced jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp. toasted black sesame seeds
2 tbsp. soy sauce (tamari if you want gluten-free)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. micro wasabi greens
1 oz. avocado, cubed
8 wonton chips
Alaea Hawaiian sea salt (to taste)

Preparation
Dice tuna fine, into very small cubes; do not use blood line (the dark portion). Place in stainless steel bowl and add remaining ingredients and mix well to coat all tuna. 

Fry wontons that have been cut into four until crisp and golden brown; drain on paper towels.

Plating
Place in a small bowl, top with micro wasabi greens and avocado cubes, sprinkle with Hawaiian sea salt and masago arare, surround with wonton chips.

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