J’can executive chef, Rohan Leach, serves up excellence in Atlanta
How he’s leading one of Georgia’s largest hotel kitchens
Published:Thursday | October 23, 2025 | 12:09 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
When guests walk into the grand atrium of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, few realise that behind the scenes of its bustling restaurants, banquet halls, and 5,000-seat ballroom is a Jamaican at the helm: Executive Chef Rohan Leach.
His journey from a farm in Port Antonio to leading the kitchen in one of Georgia’s largest hotels reads like a master class in perseverance, passion, and purpose.
Leach’s love for food began in the hills of Port Antonio, where his grandmother’s cooking, grounded in fresh, homegrown ingredients, inspired his approach to the kitchen. “She made everything from scratch,” he told Food. “It taught me to respect food, to treat ingredients as if they were alive.”
After moving to Ocho Rios for high school, a hospitality internship at a local resort introduced him to the structured world of hotel kitchens. By the time he graduated, he already knew his life’s path. “They hired me straight out of school,” he said. “From then, I knew this was what I was meant to do.”
Leach migrated to the United States in 1987, armed with ambition and a deep belief that a Jamaican could rise to the top of any kitchen. His early days in New York City were spent learning the foundations of fine dining under Tom Valenti at Café Greco, before working with culinary greats like Terrance Brennan and Jean-Louis Palladin.
By age 24, he had become acting executive chef at The Westbury Hotel in Manhattan – a meteoric rise that set the tone for a career defined by excellence. He later joined Hyatt Hotels, spending two decades as executive chef at the Hyatt Grand Central New York and Hyatt Regency Greenwich, and later leading the kitchens of the Hilton Stamford and the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel, before joining Marriott International.
Today, Chef Leach commands the culinary operations of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, one of the largest hotels in the state of Georgia, with 1,650 rooms, seven revenue centres, and a banquet facility capable of serving over 5,000 guests at once, including the prestigious Mayor’s Ball.
“I manage 13 chefs and about 210 team members,” he explained proudly. “It’s a massive undertaking, but I love it. This isn’t work for me, it’s my playground.”
BUSINESS ACUMEN
Under his leadership, the hotel’s food operations boast some of the best food-cost efficiency in the Marriott brand, a testament to his business acumen and creative discipline. “For every 15 cents I spend, I make a dollar for the company,” he said. “That balance between creativity and cost, that’s where real success lies.”
Despite his global career, Leach has never strayed far from his roots. He brings Jamaica to the plate through subtle, signature touches: Scotch bonnet peppers, fresh thyme, coconut, and garlic, all infused with classical French foundations.
“When I write a menu, I start from a French standpoint, then add the Jamaican layer – the flavour that gives food life,” he said. “People can always tell there’s something special in it, something they can’t quite name. That’s the Jamaica they’re tasting.”
Just last weekend, Chef Leach showcased his island artistry at the Jamaicans Caring for Jamaicans All Schools Jamm2 held at the Marriott Marquis. Guests were treated to an unforgettable Jamaican feast, featuring escoveitch fish, oxtail, rice and peas, and jerk chicken – dishes that transported diners straight back to the Caribbean. It was a proud celebration of Jamaica’s culinary excellence and a reminder of why the island’s cuisine remains among the crème de la crème of world gastronomy.
ACROSS THE WORLD
Leach’s career has taken him across the world, from Bangkok and Hong Kong to Malaysia and Japan, experiences that have shaped his palate and leadership philosophy. “You learn discipline from the Asian kitchens,” he noted. “And when you combine that with Jamaican resilience, you can thrive anywhere.”
He now channels that philosophy into mentorship, helping other Caribbean cooks enter the US hospitality industry. “I always bring my people in,” he laughed. “We Jamaicans are the original hard workers, before the Mexicans, it was us doing five jobs at once!”
Away from the kitchen, Chef Leach finds balance with his wife of nearly 30 years, Marcia Graham-Leach, a talented cook in her own right. Their children, Dylan and Luigi, are both pursuing ambitious paths, behavioural science and cybersecurity, while working part-time in hospitality.
“The most rewarding part of this journey,” Leach reflected, “is showing my kids that dreams don’t have borders. Whether you’re from Port Antonio or New York, excellence is possible.”
As the only Jamaican executive chef in the Marriott system across Atlanta, Leach carries his heritage like a badge of honour. “When we do bad, people talk,” he noted. “So when we do good, it’s good to ensure others know [that] Jamaicans are leading, creating, excelling,” he acknowledged in sync with the comment made by the Food team.
From the farms of Portland to the banquet halls of Atlanta, Chef Leach embodies what it means to rise, serve, and inspire, proof that the taste of Jamaica can flourish anywhere in the world.