Sandals’ first female executive chef, Rochelle Grindley’s passion for satisfying palates and changing moods through food has resulted in her dream career.

Her culinary skills have earned her top honours in numerous local and international competitions such as Worldskills to Taste of Jamaica and Taste of the Caribbean. However, one of her most significant achievements in her career is her appointment as the first-ever female Executive Chef for the world’s leading Sandals and Beaches Resorts.

After leaving Sandals, she returned as a senior sous chef, in 2014, marking the start of a fulfilling and impactful journey with the brand. Now assigned to oversee the food preparation operations at Beaches Ocho Rios, Grindley assumed her new post as executive chef in December 2023.

“I am where I’ve always wanted to be in my career. My focus now is on doing my best in the role, but
also realigning my professional direction to incorporate mentorship into the mix and possibly food and
beverage finance,” Said Grindley, “It’s about breaking the barriers in an often male-dominated role and showing other females that it can be done and they can do it as many times as they want.”

Grindley pursued a career in food and beverage due to her love for cooking and her passion for food. She defied her parents’ dream of entering the medical field and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality and Tourism.

“I am a very picky eater, so I had to learn how to make my own food or be forced to eat what was
prepared. I started cooking from I was seven which included baking birthday cakes for friends and
family,” she remarked.

Grindley also played a key role in developing franchise documents for top restaurants in both London and Jamaica, handling recipe development, menu costing and team member training.

She exited the limelight for a while, following the passing of her mom in 2013. She mentioned avoiding companies that would not allow her to be creative and those who would respect her need for privacy during that time.

“Being an executive chef was the big life goal for me and I am finally there. But I believe that to be a leader, no matter the title, it is important to bring along persons with you. I want to leave a legacy of training as many persons as possible to get to the highest level they want to get. I want to see more females being executive chefs, but also more persons overall seeing their dreams being realized,” she said.

Ricky Duquesnay, corporate director for food and beverage at Sandals Resorts International, stated: “Rochelle has consistently shown grit, talent, admirable leadership skills and a passion for her job that
makes her such an amazing and inspiring chef. I am excited to have her on our team and I am even more excited to see her grow and make an even bigger impact in her new role,”

A creative chef, who creates dishes based on people’s preferences and combines different styles, Grindley enjoys experimenting with traditional methods. As a chef, she aims to bring more people into her fold and transition into finance in food and beverage to focus on managing money.