ANDREW VAUGHAN

EXECUTIVE CHEF, TERRANEA RESORT

At Terranea Resort, Executive Sous Chef Andrew Vaughan brings exemplary leadership skills and culinary creativity gained through more than 27 years of experience. One of Vaughan’s passions is highlighting the property’s sustainability philosophies and local farmer collaborations. “Terranea is a culinary gem in this locale, always ahead of the trends, food-focused, and continuously evolving—we’re a driving culinary force in the region,” he explains. “As chefs here, we have a responsibility to know our farms, so my personal passion for teaching and developing my staff extends to sourcing, beyond just proper techniques and recipes.”

Brought up in Louisiana, Vaughan spent countless hours cooking in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother, and playing in the family gardens with his sister. Those early experiences eventually translated his adolescent knack for creative arts—painting, writing, and photography, specifically—into a culinary trajectory rooted in the philosophy of nurturing others through food. After completing an 18-month culinary training program at Sowela Technical College in New Orleans, Vaughan trekked to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America in 1998. While in school, he gained on-the-job training at Chateau Nouveau, a classical French restaurant in New Orleans from Master Chef Fernando Oca; L’Etoile, chef Odessa Piper’s seasonal, locally sourced eatery in Madison, WI; and Restaurant Daniel in New York City, working alongside renowned chef Daniel Boulud. Following graduation, he settled into the role of sous chef at celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s NOLA Restaurant, honing his skills in the acclaimed high-volume kitchen for nearly five years—until Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.