Jose Sanchez, CEC, CHE is currently Director of Culinary at IHG in Osaka-Japan. Prior to his current position, he was executive chef at The Peninsula Hotel in New York City, a Forbes Five-Star hotel and AAA Five Diamond Award(R) winner. Previously, he was responsible for overseeing culinary operations at the Conrad hotel in Tokyo, famed for its two Michelin-starred restaurants. He also held the same position at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC. A certified executive chef, and member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and half a dozen additional well-respected culinary associations, Jose was also an instructor at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he taught culinary arts. He served as executive chef at New York’s Morimoto restaurant with acclaimed “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto. While in Japan, he was de chef de cuisine at the well-known Hotel de Mikuni, Tokyo, with chef and owner, Kiyomi Mikuni, widely renowned for his classic French cuisine with a Japanese touch. Jose's fresh approach to cooking and his innovative gastronomic style was developed through his global experience in Japan, the United States, Egypt, Switzerland, France, Mexico, and elsewhere.