George Meza

A key member of our Food & Nutrition team at Canyon Ranch Woodside, George oversees the culinary team at the Hearth, which includes creating menus, ordering food and supplies, managing scheduling, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Food and Beverage team. No matter how busy, George makes himself available to guests to discuss food preferences and to share recipe and cooking tips for healthy living. Guests love to hear him discuss where certain herbs, mushrooms, and vegetables are sourced throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Born in California, he spent his teen years in Chile where he initially fell in love with cooking. Afterwards, George moved back to Northern California and began working in the restaurant industry—first as a dishwasher, then attending culinary school in Napa Valley. His extensive culinary experience began with Terra Restaurant in Napa, where he worked as a chef for 4.5 years. From there, he moved to Los Angeles to work with Michael Voltaggio (a winner of Top Chef) at his renowned restaurant, INK. George also had the opportunity to work with Akasha Richmond at her iconic LA restaurant, Akasha.

In 2015 he was hired by Victor Arguinzoniz at Asador Etxebarri in Spain, which is ranked #3 in the country, and ranked yearly as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. There he learned the complex art of grilling before moving back to the Bay Area in 2017 to help open Onsen Restaurant and Bathhouse, a Japanese fusion eatery, which garnered star reviews in Food & Wine magazine.

George’s cuisine combines a wonderful fusion of cooking techniques culled from his years of experience to deliver a diverse plates to guests at Woodside.

When not at Canyon Ranch, George enjoys working out, going to the steam and sauna rooms, and hiking with his girlfriend and her “cool hound dog.” His words of wisdom? “Workout, eat plenty of veggies, and steam.”