valentin corral
General Manager, CRE Lodges
[email protected]

Chef Valentin is from Valencia, Spain, and came to Costa Rica Expeditions in 2005 with nearly 20 years cooking experience in his native country and France. His talent in the kitchen, however, doesn't stop at the dining room door. In the last couple of years he has revolutionized the menus at all three of our lodges, managed inventory and staff, streamlined the supply chain, and made other general improvements – outside the kitchen - at each of our lodges.

Valentin's efforts led us to promote him to General Manager of our lodges in early 2007. For someone who has been dedicated to haute cuisine and the study of enology (wine making), hotel management has proven to be a challenge, but one worth undertaking, according to him. “New challenges are exciting,” he says. “Essentially I'm a creative person who enjoys experimenting and trying new directions. Life isn’t static and since arriving in this beautiful country I haven't stopped growing, learning and being creative in and out of the kitchen.”

Before pursuing a career as chef, Valentin worked in the ready-to-wear fashion industry for Cristian Lacroix Paris. He speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and a bit of Japanese, and loves the opera and art films. Valentin, born on March 30, 1964, is single.