Josh Thomsen
GROVE PARK INN
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
While some young boys dream of becoming astronauts or baseball players, Josh Thomsen’s 6th grade yearbook listed “Chef” as his career of choice. This New Jersey native credits his ambitions to his father Jerry, an accomplished amateur chef.
Thomsen is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York and honed his skills with some of the most prominent chefs in the country kicking off his career at the Hotel Bel-Air, Pinot Bistro & Patina in Southern California. He then relocated to Aspen, Colorado to work at the Little Nell Hotel, a Relais Chateau property as Chef de Cuisine before moving to Napa Valley Wine Country to work at the French Laundry under Thomas Keller. Then after spending two years in Napa Valley, Thomsen was drawn to Las Vegas where he continued to build his resume at the exclusive “Mansion” at the MGM Grand Hotel as well as being the opening Executive Sous Chef at Michael Mina’s Nobhill Tavern. An opportunity as Executive Sous Chef at The Lodge at Pebble Beach lured him back to the California coast and in a few years he was back on the strip as a jet setting Corporate Executive Chef for Innovative Dining Group overseeing the opening of three restaurants – two in Las Vegas and a third in Los Angeles. Before returning to California, he opened the 400-seat Tao restaurant at the Venetian Resort. During his two-year tenure it became the highest grossing restaurant in the country. Now Thomsen and his family are happy to call Asheville, North Carolina their home. Close to family and raising their own two boys as Josh is the Executive Chef of the historic Grove Park Inn.
