APRIL 2026 16 In the Kitchen with Chef Jennifer Mikhaiel of Ora Café at Camelback Inn 5402 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale • camelbackspa.com In the Kitchen A t the brand-new, fully remodeled Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, Chef Jennifer Mikhaiel brings her family’s heritage and a passion for fresh ingredients to the kitchen at Ora Café. Raised in a restaurant and inspired by her parent’s cooking, Mikhaiel spent years honing her craft, and now leads a health- forward menu that’s focused on feeding people well. Tell us about your upbringing. I was 12 years old when we moved from Chicago to Arizona. My father owned restaurants in Chicago and in the Valley, so I grew up in the kitchen. I loved it, the vibes, the energy, seeing how happy my dad was when he was cooking and making food for guests…I knew from the beginning that this was where I’d end up. What kind of food was your dad cooking? Mediterranean. I’m Assyrian, so we cooked a lot of biryani (a rice dish with spiced meat, herbs, and layered flavors) and dolmas (stuffed vegetables and grape leaves with rice, herbs, and spices). I started off as a cashier, and I’d always peek into the kitchen and see what was going on. I knew then that I wanted to be in the back, and my dad saw how curious I was. When I turned 15 he pulled me into the kitchen, like, ‘Hey, come see how this works and see if you like it.’ And from the get-go it was like, ‘Yes, this is what I want.’ My younger sister worked in hospitality for a while but I’m the only one still in the industry. I’ll never forget when his restaurant was featured in a newspaper article. We got so busy and I was helping him on the line, and he had the biggest smile on his face. It felt so good that he was so proud of me. Do the Mediterranean and Assyrian flavors you grew up with influence dishes you create today? Yes, definitely. I’m very proud of my background and culture and I try to put it in my menus as much as possible! The new menu revision at Hoppin’ Jacks will have that Mediterranean twist and flavor profile. Ora Café already has those influences in the fattoush salad and shakshuka dish – poached eggs, spiced tomato and pepper stew, goat cheese, focaccia. Delicious! What is the first thing you remember cooking on your own? My mom’s biryani. She taught me the basic recipe but she still holds on to hers! I try to follow hers as much as possible but now I put my own twist on it. Mom’s cooking is the best. Did you attend culinary school? I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale. My favorite class was baking, actually, and at one point I thought I would work in pastry, but once I started sauteing and making fresh pasta and doing things like that, I realized that it was more my vibe. Before Camelback Inn, where did you work? I worked in my dad’s restaurants and then worked for a catering company called Creations and Cuisine. I’ve been with Marriott for 14 years. I started in the banquet kitchen and made my way up to Rita’s Cantina. Now I oversee Hoppin’ Jacks and the new Ora Café in the spa. Ora is health conscious, so we created the menu to match the spa offerings. If you’re having a detox, we have items on the menu that compliment the detox. Where do you get inspiration for menu items? My executive chef, Kunal Sharma, has so much experience that I will usually ask his opinion on things. He helped me with the new menu at Ora. My favorite item is the edamame hummus and the chicken bahn mi sandwich. Besides the size, what are the differences between working in catering and working at a standalone restaurant? In catering, you know exactly what you’re going to have, what the menu is going to be, like three days in advance. At a restaurant, you don’t know what the day is going to give you. Where have your food adventures taken you? Chicago, California, Ohio, Florida… Ohio? Yes! I did a Taskforce, which is when Marriott sends you to another resort so you can see how things are done. You get to stage with the restaurant and see how it runs. You get guidance from their professionals to help better your own restaurants. I saw a lot of Mediterranean food and chicken wings there – actually the spiciest chicken wings I’ve ever had were from a restaurant in Ohio. [ laughs ] I couldn’t even finish them! I was also impressed with their Thai food but unfortunately their tacos were not up to Arizona standards. Do you have a process for coming up with new menu items? I do a lot of research! I pick a recipe and ingredients, and I adjust, and adjust again, and once I finalize it, I give it to the team to try out to see if it’s consistent and what I was looking for. It takes around three weeks for a dish to be approved. What’s a typical day like at Ora Café and Hoppin’ Jacks? I’m running both kitchens and checking on both teams right when I get in and making sure they have everything they need for success and prep. We try to change our menu every six months, so I start planning with the team and getting them ready for a new menu and development, teaching them and showing them how things will be plated. Getting their opinions is important to me, too!

17 APRIL 2026 What’s the inspiration behind the dishes at Ora Café and Hoppin’ Jacks? I’m currently switching up the menu at Hoppin’ Jacks, but I’d say a good chunk of inspiration comes from other hotels. I like to see what my competition is doing [ laughs ]. What’s your favorite ingredient to work with? I am obsessed with pistachios right now. They have the perfect crunch and fit with the Ora menu in that they’re good for your gut. What is one item in the kitchen you find yourself using all the time? My chef’s knife! I take her everywhere with me. You’ll see me with my little backpack and my chef’s knife is always in my hand [ laughs ]. Who are some other chefs who inspire you? My father, of course, who was a chef for 20 years. Right now – well, no, always – Gordon Ramsay. I’ve been a big fan of his forever. Gordon came to our property once and I made eye contact with him, but I never got to sit and talk to him. I was so nervous and so excited. Kitchen Nightmares got me through the pandemic. I remember thinking, ‘I miss the kitchen so much!’ When you’re not working, what are you doing? Hanging out with my family – I’m a big family person. I’m also getting married in May so I’m planning my wedding, and I’m also constantly developing myself because I want to be the best I can be. I’m looking at what I can do to make these menus better. What can I change? What’s not working? Every six months there are training sessions so we can see how others do things. It’s been super helpful in my career. Are you involved in the wedding menu? It has been very hard to not be [ laughs ]. I have changed caterers three times! I finally found someone to make our vision come to life and we couldn’t be happier about it. How do you stay calm when things get crazy in the kitchen? I’m very calm by nature, but when I start stressing, I sing to myself in my head that line from Dori from Finding Nemo … just keep swimming, just keep swimming! What restaurant would you recommend to someone who is new to the Valley? Persian Room in Scottsdale is really good. Anything sushi related – but there are so many different restaurants, it’s hard to pick just one. Mom and pop taco shops – Tacos Calafia has the best hot sauce in town. What’s next for Chef Mikhaiel? I want to keep growing and developing. I would love to be an executive chef or food and beverage director one day! I would love to open a catering business, but I also know I want to stay with Marriott. It’s my home. We’ll see what the future brings! How is Ora different from the other healthy places in the neighborhood? Health is such a trend now. We use all natural ingredients, fresh market ingredients, and we do not shortcut. If we say there’s no sugar in a menu item, we mean there is no sugar. We take pride in what we make and what we put on the menu. Our dishes are so colorful and everything is picture perfect. There are no plain salads here! What advice would you give to young chefs who are just starting out? Master the basics (knife skills, seasoning, cooking temperatures). Always be willing to learn and stay humble. A clean working station is very important. Be ready to work hard and always respect your team – from dishwashers to servers and fellow line cooks and prep cooks. You can’t do it solo. One team, one dream! Keep learning outside the kitchen; pick up some cooking books. The more you expose yourself the more creative you’ll become! We take pride in what we make and what we put on the menu. Our dishes are so colorful and everything is picture perfect. There are no plain salads here!