On February 17, the Sahara Las Vegas announced the promotion of Candace Ochoa to executive chef of Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, where she will oversee all culinary operations for the award-winning restaurant. Ochoa has been with ThinkFoodGroup, the company behind Andrés’ group of restaurants, for 10 years, and is the only executive chef to have worked at all of Andrés’ Bazaar locations.
Ochoa has served as executive sous chef at Bazaar Meat since 2018, and also assisted with the restaurant’s grand opening in 2014. Additionally, she helped open the Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in South Beach as sous chef, and served as a line cook at the Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. She assisted with the grand openings of Andrés restaurants at SLS Brickell in Miami Beach and Mercado Little Spain in Hudson Yards in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, Ochoa earned her associate degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of California.
“We are delighted to promote Candace to executive chef,” said Anthony Olheiser, Sahara Las Vegas vice president of food and beverage. “Candace has been a strong leader on our team for several years, and we look forward to seeing her shine in this new role.”
Since its opening, the restaurant has received numerous awards and accolades, including “Best Restaurant in Nevada” by Business Insider.
