Jeff Kreisel is the Executive Chef at Hotel Chantelle and Ravel Patel’s Penthouse808. His unique culinary approach is driven by his classic French training and is inspired by the colorful gastronomical backdrop of lower Manhattan and beyond. In this dual role, Kreisel brings his Lower East Side approach and new Asian-Fusion culinary technique to a trendy outer-borough neighborhood.

Kreisel’s love affair with the culinary arts started at an early age. If Jeff wasn’t learning how to make the perfect tomato sauce at his local pizzeria in Suffern, NY, he was experimenting at home with his Grandma Fanny’s stuffed cabbage recipe. At boarding school, Jeff’s classmates elected him as catering hall supervisor – a designation that further fueled his love for cooking.

After Johnson & Wales University, Chef Kreisel was recruited as the opening chef at Mercadito and Mercadito Grove, where he excelled at preparing the fast-paced, no-frills cevicheria and taqueria chain’s unique dishes. Following his stint at Mercadito, Jeff landed a sous-chef position at Maloney & Porcelli, one of Manhattan’s premier steakhouses.

In 2007, Kreisel’s tasting menu audition – prepared during the busy lunch service in the restaurant’s kitchen – earned him an apprentice position at Porterhouse New York, under the tutelage of celebrity chef Michael Lamonoco. During his tenure at Porterhouse, Kreisel helped create a critically-acclaimed menu and was eventually appointed Chef de Cuisine.

When Ravi Patel, owner of Hotel Chantelle, asked Jeff to join his team as Executive Chef, he realized it was a unique opportunity and was encouraged by Chef Michael Lomonaco to further his creative interests by accepting the offer. By this time Kreisel had gained much experience and decided that diving into the burgeoning younger, edgier downtown dining scene was the next logical step. Chef Lomonaco even quipped that since he was going to be working downtown, Jeff should show off his tattoos!

At Hotel Chantelle, Kriesel’s signature brand of New American cuisine has attracted the likes of celebrities Michael Meyers, Whitney Port, John Legend and Charlotte Ronson. Under Kreisel’s direction, the restaurant became one of the first culinary destinations south of Delancey. Kreisel has also created signature dishes such as the grilled baby octopus and whole branzino which have become staples.

Ravi Patel then asked Kreisel to assist him in re-launching the menu at Penthouse808, a rooftop restaurant perched atop the Ravel Hotel in Long Island City. Eager to help establish that neighborhood as a dining destination, Kreisel took on the task. He developed a lineup of original dishes that fused Asian cuisine with classic French technique. Among his signature dishes is Szechuan peppercorn wok-charred octopus.

On his days off, Kreisel still makes time to grab his favorite dish, the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich on nearby Grand Street in the Lower East Side.