Cooking

THORSTEN LEIGHTY

Executive Chef

New Orleans Marriott

Thorsten Leighty was born to be the Executive Chef of the New Orleans Marriott.

Throughout his childhood, Chef Leighty was the self-appointed head of organizing family barbecues and in charge of preparation for large family meals and gatherings in his native Wiesbaden, Germany. So it comes as no surprise that today he finds himself at the helm of an award-winning culinary team of 100 for a 1,350-room convention hotel in the French Quarter, which, at times, serves more than 3500 meals per day.

“I was drawn to this industry — and I know that many chefs say this,” notes Leighty, “but it truly was my destiny. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” In fact, one summer he decided to forego the family vacation and enroll in a cooking class at a community college. “People probably thought I was the biggest nerd for missing out on vacation for a cooking class,” adds Leighty.

Beginning with culinary..