Jerry Helminski

Executive Complex Chef

Hotel Galvez & Spa, The Tremont House, Harbor House

Managed by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

Part of Mitchell Historic Properties

Galveston, TX

 

Jerry Helminski joined the Hotel Galvez staff as executive chef in March 2007. In June 2009, he was named executive complex chef and now oversees dining and banquet operations at Hotel Galvez, The Tremont House and Harbor House. While Harbor House does not have an in-house restaurant, it does offer a complimentary continental breakfast for guests.

 

Under his leadership, Bernardo’s in Hotel Galvez revamped its menu to offer items with a Spanish, Cuban and Louisiana flair inspired by the hotel’s namesake, Bernardo de Gálvez. He also introduce a spa-inspired menu to coincide with the opening of the Spa at the Hotel Galvez in 2008. Jerry is responsible for the creation of the menu at the newest addition to Mitchell Historic Properties’ hotel dining, the Tremont Café inside the historic Tremont House Hotel.

 

Prior to joining the Hotel Galvez, Jerry worked for hotels in Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando including Orlando World Center Marriott, Omni ChampionsGate Resort in Orlando, Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Atlanta Perimeter Center Marriott, and Deerfield Suites in Chicago.

 

Jerry was trained under ChampionsGate Chef Bernd Mueller in Orlando and he studied at Elgin Culinary School in Illinois and Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in California. He grew up on the west side of Chicago. He originally went to school to study architecture and worked at a restaurant as a dishwasher to support himself. He eventually began helping the chef prepare food and it piqued his interest in culinary arts. He comes from a family whose creativity is expressed in both in the arts and design.

 

For more than 20 years, his passion has been driven by one simple rule: “Learn something new every day.” Jerry is responsible for preparing meals for more than 130 weddings each year, numerous meetings and private functions in the hotel, room service, and the pool grill at Hotel Galvez. He also has taken on the responsibility to oversee staff for this function at The Tremont House.

His Sunday Brunch at Hotel Galvez has consistently been voted as the “Best Brunch” in Galveston County by readers of The Galveston County Daily News and his braised short ribs were awarded “Judges’ Top Choice” during the recent Galveston Restaurant Association Epicurean Evening.