Aiming to continue enhancing the dining services at John Knox Village of Florida in Pompano Beach, Lance Sanson has been appointed Vice President of Campus Dining, while Frederic Delaire has been named the Campus Executive Chef. Sanson began his career in hospitality at the Chanterelle restaurant in Eugene, OR. Chef Frederic learned the ropes while working with his grandfather, a well-known baker in southwest France. Sanson’s professional experience includes working at prestigious restaurants such as Pepi’s Restaurant and Bar in Vail Village, Colorado, where he offered tableside cuisine and fine wine decanting services. He also worked with Bill Anton at Anton Airfood, where he opened the first wine bar in JFK Airport’s International Terminal One. Before joining John Knox Village, Sanson was responsible for the Guest Services at Life-Plan Continuing Care Retirement Community at Moorings Park in Naples, FL.
“I created a Hospitality Training Platform called Diamond Dining, which combined compassionate care, values with resident understanding and table service to individuals who had not worked in dining before,” Sanson says of his previous experience.
He also partnered with his Certified Executive Chefs to create the first senior living accredited campus for training culinarians who could not afford school to be trained as chefs.
After completing his studies at the La Palme School for Culinary Arts in France, Chef Frederic began his culinary journey at L’Aubergade, a 2-star Michelin restaurant in Puymirol, southwest France. After four years, he traveled to Germany and worked with German Chef Christian Lohse at the restaurant Die Windmule in Westphalia. In 1997, Chef Frederic returned to France to join the team at the world-renowned Michelin Star restaurant Jules Verne on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In 1999, he moved to South Florida, where he was Executive Chef at various establishments, including the Historic National Hotel on South Beach and Loews Miami Beach. Chef Frederic has also regularly participated in the South Beach Wine & Food Festival for the past 13 years, collaborating on special dining events.
“The reason I am at JKV is because of Sanson,” Chef Frederic says. “He has a vision for John Knox Village, and I want to be a part of that. It is an exciting time to be here, and I look forward to making positive changes to the dining experience.”
