Executive Chef Molly De Mers

Delaware North at Climate Pledge Arena

As a kid, Molly realized that food brings people together. From that moment, she was in. At 15, she was involved in cooking competitions. She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, Arizona, and also studied molecular gastronomy there. She then spent 10 years on the West Coast and in Europe "chasing the Michelin star dream."

While working in San Diego, she was approached by her mentor who wanted her to consider a different track: sports and leisure. To her, it sounded horrible - rubber hot dogs. Once he brought her in, her entire perception changed. Orchestrating food for a whole stadium and challenging the norm became her goal.

She was the Senior Executive Chef at the San Diego Convention Center/San Diego Chargers (6 years), Executive Chef at the Colorado Convention Center/Denver Performing Arts/Limelight Supper Club (1 year), and Executive Chef at the Seattle Aquarium (3 years), all under the Centerplate umbrella.

Until she worked at the Aquarium, she thought she knew what sustainability was. "Working with marine biologists and scientists made me realize how much we have to do. We put pressure on consumers to be better, but more needs to be done on the part of corporations and those that sell products."

In December of 2019, she started interviewing for the job of Executive Chef for Delaware North at Climate Pledge Arena. The pandemic slowed everything down. She started the job in April of 2021. "Starting a job like this in an Arena that will be the greenest in the world during a pandemic is something. You think you know what you're getting into, but you really don't! So many people have left the industry that you're without that guidance."

Challenging yes, but an opportunity of a lifetime.

October 2021