Steven Peterson considers himself a foodie. If you ask Hilton’s new corporate chef what his specialty or preferred style of cooking is, he doesn’t have an answer. His only goal is preparing it right. That focus, with his experience in the hotel industry as a chef, is what made him the perfect choice to become Hilton Hotels’ first corporate chef of the Americas.

“One of the things I’ve seen in my travels during my career is chefs who over-create and under-execute,” says Peterson, who most recently was executive chef for the MGM Grand Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and prior to that was Starwood’s corporate chef. “They create a plate that looks really good, but it doesn’t taste right or isn’t seasoned right. My focus is quality of product, executing it and applying the right techniques to validate the product. There’s nothing worse than buying foie gras or Kobe beef and not cooking it right.”

As Hilton’s corporate chef, Peterson will oversee the culinary programs at all the full-service hotels—976 hotels and 303,855 rooms in the Hilton, Doubletree, Waldorf=Astoria, Embassy Suites and Conrad brands. He’ll be tasked with menu development, creating operational efficiencies and quality control while working for Doug Zeif, the VP of food & beverage.

Peterson still lives in Vegas, but plans on relocating to McLean, VA later this year. He’s working at the Hilton New York today and will be at properties in Phoenix and Orlando next week. He took time out from his busy schedule to chat about his new job and what he’s already working on.

What is your role as Hilton’s corporate chef?

Prior to this position, there really wasn’t someone driving the culinary identity. So first and foremost is to identify the culinary identity of our brands, from the types of food, to the way we cook, to our culinarians and their roles in kitchens. That will probably evolve over time, but that will be the first thing: to identify Hilton’s culinary identity. What will we do that is different? How do we approach breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, room service and banquet foods? That’s the exciting part of the job: there’s a clear slate. That’s the big picture. What goes with that is opening hotels, transitioning properties we take over or purchase, seminars and workshops, working with Doug Zeif.

Is there one area that provides the most opportunity?

There can be a big impact in banquet and room service. It’s the most predictable area you go into. People sit down in banquets with 1,000 other people and expect rubber chicken or salmon. We have a huge opportunity to change that to become the brand of choice in customers’ eyes.

What have you been up to so far?

I’m still based in Las Vegas, so I’ve been back and forth to McLean, VA. I’ve been traveling around and reviewing properties and working on hiring new executive chefs and working with GMs at properties.

How do hotel restaurants differ from freestanding ones?

We tend to build a restaurant and then figure out later what its identity is. When you look at a freestanding restaurant, it’s creating a brand first and building a menu around it. We build the room and then put the food into it. That’s a big focus we have over the next 24 months…to focus on creating brands within our restaurants.

Does the chef’s job differ in a hotel restaurant?

In some respects it’s the same thing; you’re focusing on food and the quality of it, but being a hotel chef is much more diverse. You’re dealing with the restaurant, room service, conventions and banquets. Plus you’re dealing with a much larger organization. Most freestanding restaurants don’t have an HR department, an engineering department…there’s a lot more you’re managing. But you have a tremendous amount of resources. If you’re at a freestanding restaurant and the deep fryer goes out on a Sunday, you can’t call engineering. The other part you have is to embody the culture and be an ambassador of the company (at a hotel).

Can the same outlet provide a great breakfast service and dinner service?

It’s very much a challenge. In the past hotels have developed a room that tries to fit everything. It’s hard to serve breakfast, when the speed of service is very important, where lighting is so much different and then the atmosphere is so much different for dinner. Someone wants breakfast in 30-40 minutes and dinner in an hour and a half. It’s definitely a challenge from an operations standpoint. We believe the Urban Tavern can make that happen.

What’s the Urban Tavern?

That is the name (of a restaurant) we have that exists at the Hilton San Francisco (Union Square). It’s very well received and it’s sparked interest of those in the organization. It seems to have an independent restaurant feel. It doesn’t feel like a hotel branded restaurant. It has some legs and we’re taking the time to develop the concept. It is something that could work (at other locations) because of its price point and the nature of its food—salads, burgers, pizza…very approachable food. It’s not going to intimidate someone in McLean (at the Hilton next door to the new corporate headquarters). It’s not going to feel like you’re in a hotel restaurant—it has some atmosphere, some culture.

So we could see that outside of San Francisco?

We’re looking at it. It is something we’re trying to develop and do a beta test at (the Hilton  McLean). We have these suburban hotels like McLean, where normally it’s not a dining destination, but there’s an opportunity for creating a brand for those types of hotels.