Hai Hospitality today announced the appointment of Ariana Quant to Executive Pastry Chef of all Uchi restaurants, a new position for the company, effective immediately. In this new role, Quant will lead pastry recipe development and oversee the pastry departments of all Uchi locations, collaborating with each market’s Chef de Cuisine.
“Ariana is a superb pastry chef and an unlimited source of talent and creativity,” commented Founding Chef and Partner Tyson Cole. “Ariana’s desserts have become part of the Uchi lexicon; a dish like Jasmine Cream is perfection on its own, but the way it complements the menu illustrates Ariana’s immense talent, sense of nuance and attention to detail. We look forward to seeing her creative impact on all the Uchi restaurants.”
Austin, TX-based Hai Hospitality, which last week announced a significant investment from an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners, is opening Uchi Miami, its fifth location, in early 2021. Ariana will oversee the pasty department there, as well as existing Uchi locations in Austin, Dallas, Denver and Houston.
Quant has been entrenched in the restaurant industry since she was a child, helping out at her family’s Chinese restaurant in Lubbock, Texas. Realizing at a young age that pastry was her passion, Quant moved to New York to study the pastry arts at the Culinary Institute of America. While in school, Quant did her externship at Farallon in San Francisco, with the James Beard Award-winning Chef Emily Luchetti. Later, Quant planted her roots in Las Vegas, where she worked at the Maccioni family’s Le Cirque, Hubert Keller’s Fleur de Lys, Alain Ducasse’s miX, 3 Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon, and 1 Michelin-starred L’Atelier Joël Robuchon, where she became the lead Pastry Sous Chef.
Missing Texas, Quant made her move to Austin in 2015 and earned a spot on the Uchiko team. Now, as the current pastry chef at Uchi Austin, Uchiko, and Uchi Denver, she continues to elevate the dessert menus across all three restaurants with her originality.
“When I joined Hai Hospitality in 2015 I immediately sensed a difference from other companies I’ve worked with. There is a culture that breeds growth and innovation that has been incredibly meaningful to me,” said Ariana Quant, Executive Pastry Chef, Hai Hospitality. “I am so excited to continue to evolve with this group and collaborate with all of the talented people that make our group unique.”
