Will Guidara keynote speaker

Will Guidara is restaurateur and author of the NY Times Bestseller "Unreasonable Hospitality," shares his insights on service and leadership gathered from his extensive career in the restaurant industry. Formerly, he co-owned Eleven Madison Park, which, under his guidance, achieved four stars from the New York Times, earned three Michelin stars, and was ranked the number one restaurant on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. He also hosts the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that fosters idea exchange, inspiration, and community building. A Cornell University hospitality school graduate, Guidara has coauthored four cookbooks, earned a spot on Crain’s New York Business’s 40 Under 40 list, and received WSJ Magazine’s Innovator Award.

Will Guidara never envisioned himself as a fine dining restaurateur. Despite graduating from the prestigious School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, he initially viewed fine dining as boring and stuffy. However, his journey in the restaurant industry, which began at the age of thirteen and included culinary training in northern Spain, led him to redefine his perspective. His career path took him to Spago in Beverly Hills, where he honed his skills, eventually becoming a leader in modern luxury dining.

Will spent six years with the Union Square Hospitality Group before partnering with Daniel Humm in 2011 to acquire Eleven Madison Park, where he served as General Manager. Their collaboration flourished, launching the food and beverage spaces at The NoMad Hotel in early 2012, and then the NoMad Bar in 2014, which ranked among the World's Best Bars. They further expanded their ventures with Made Nice, a counter-service restaurant, in 2017, and a second location of The NoMad in Los Angeles in 2018.

Under their leadership, Eleven Madison Park earned four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. The restaurant also received seven James Beard awards, including accolades for Outstanding Service and Outstanding Restaurant in America.

Guidara and Humm co-authored four cookbooks: "Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook," "I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes," "The NoMad Cookbook," and "Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter," a deluxe edition with hand-signed copies, recipes, illustrations, and photography.

Will believes in elevating fine dining by adding a personal touch, aiming for best-in-class restaurants and highlighting the nobility of service. He values the connection between dining room and kitchen, ensuring guest comfort and instilling in his staff the notion that service goes beyond serving meals. By understanding guests and making interactions informal, Will transforms dining experiences into magical moments, moving away from outdated, overly serious service.