Sandhill Cove’s executive chef, Aron Spector has received the coveted LCS “Chef of The Year 2024” (COTY) title and $10,000 grand prize after battling through a three-round, “chopped-style” cook-off on Aug. 1 at the Sysco Test Kitchens in Houston, Texas. The annual competition celebrates the hospitality and culinary talents of chefs located in senior living communities owned or managed by Life Care Services, An LCS Company.   

As one of five finalists, Spector came out on top with a winning dish featuring Akaushi beef, purple sticky rice, and Chinese okra. Spector graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando.  The event runner-up, Eric Woodall, is the executive chef at Danberry at Inverness in Hoover, AL.

This year’s event featured two celebrity chefs: Christian Gill, who rose to culinary fame for his numerous executive chef roles and culinary competitions including a victory on time on Beat Bobby Flay, and Chef Jean-Luc Royere, executive chef at The Post Oak in Houston. Royere holds the title of Master Chef of France, and earlier this year was honored with the Order of Agricultural Merit for his outstanding contributions to agriculture and the culinary arts. 

The other 2024 Chef of the Year finalists included:   

• Jaime Simoes Jr. – Freedom Plaza  (Sun City Center, FL)
• Jacob Kruse – Clarendale of Algonquin (Algonquin, IL)
• Matthew Eichstaedt – Capital Manor (Salem, OR) 

Missed the live competition?  CLICK HERE to watch the event recording.