Jaime Montes de Oca, Jr. is the chef de cuisine of Zentan, Susur Lee’s newest global Asian restaurant located in Donovan House-a Thompson Hotel. As chef de cuisine, Montes de Oca leads the culinary team in turning out imaginative standouts such as the Singapore Slaw with salted plum dressing, Szechwan Style Half Duck with bean djan and lotus crepes, as well as a wide selection of Asian crudos, sushi, and sashimi.
Montes de Oca brings to the Donovan House a long history of hotel experience, having worked at prestigious institutions such as The Plaza, The Ritz Carlton and The Waldorf-Astoria.
Before opening Zentan in 2009, Montes de Oca collaborated with Chef Lee in opening Susur’s New York hot spot, Shang. He has also held posts at many New York Times rated establishments, such as Vong, La Grenuille, and Tocqueville, at which his focus was creating Modern American cuisine driven by Green Market produce. Throughout his culinary career Montes de Oca has learned from celebrated chefs such as Laurent Manrique, George Mendes and Jean-Geoges Vongerichten. Montes De Oca, Jr. is a 1990 graduate of New York Restaurant School.