Andre Cote - At the helm of a staff of more than 60 cooks and a 23,210 square-foot kitchen, Executive Chef Andre Cote has an impressive culinary resume spanning three decades of preparing exquisite dishes coast to coast, from Boston's Back Bay to The Beverly Hilton.

His regional experiences have been on showcase at Washington Hilton since 2005, where he has been honored to create menus for numerous galas, luncheons and meetings attended by foreign dignitaries, world leaders and the U.S. President, Vice President and First Lady. Notable events Cote annually prepares menus for include the White House Correspondents' Dinner, First Lady's Luncheon, National Prayer Breakfast, National Italian American Foundation Dinner, and Fight for Children's, Inc. Fight Night - named the best benefit event in Washington, D.C. by BizBash Magazine.

In 2009, Cote was featured on The Rachael Ray Show, giving viewers an inside look at how he and his staff prepared lobster bisque en croute and porcini-dusted petit filet for a gathering of 1,100 Washington notables, and the U.S. President and Vice President-Elect the night before the historic 2009 Inauguration. The backdrop to the episode was the Official Candlelight Dinner honoring Sen. John McCain held at Hilton Washington.

Whether in front of a hot pan or behind the hot lights of TV cameras, Cote keeps his cool managing one of DC's largest kitchens, which includes a Butcher Shop, Garde Manger, Saucier, Bakery, and a separate Kosher kitchen.

Cote graduated from Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts School in 1978, and launched his culinary career as a pantry prep at Hilton San Diego Mission Bay, where he rose to become Banquet Chef. Over the years, his promotions took him to the epicenter of regional culinary trends, helping to expand his cooking repertoire. He was Executive Sous-Chef at Hilton Portland during the explosion of Pacific Northwest cuisine. Later, Cote found himself opening a Hilton Hotel in New Orleans during the craze of Cajun, Creole and southern foods.

From the Big Easy, Cote went on to serve up what was voted as the "Best Brunch" in the D.C. area, as Executive Chef at Hilton McLean-Tysons Corner, then Executive Chef at a Hilton Boutique Hotel in Boston and then came to Washington Hilton in 2005. Cote has also worked at Hilton Hotels in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Anaheim; Irving, Calif. and the Los Angeles and Seattle airports.