At the beginning of April 2018, McCamly Plaza Hotel welcomed its new executive chef, John Stovall. Chef Stovall was previously the executive sous chef at McCamly Plaza from 2002-2003, so this is somewhat of a homecoming for him. However, the property is now currently under a new management team, Innisfree Hotels.

“I am very excited about joining the team at Innisfree for many reasons,” says Chef Stovall. “I am at the point in my career where I am ready to stay in one place, and I could not be happier to do it in Battle Creek. I also feel that the timing is great with all of the changes coming to the hotel.”

Chef Stovall feels that a simple menu will give him a chance to focus on other areas of the kitchen, where he feels like he can use his talents to shine.

“I have been conducting many interviews over the last few days looking for a strong sous chef,” he says. “I have found some good candidates. The current restaurant menu is very simple, and I am going to focus on just making the food better while I build the staff.”

As a competitor in the Signature Chef Auction at the March of Dimes 2017, Chef Stovall took Third Place for Best Taste and Second Place for Best Plate. Chef Stovall, while noticing his personal accolades, thinks that McCamly Plaza Hotel will eventually be the beneficiary.

“I still have connections with the organizer from the March of Dimes event,” he says. “After speaking with Ryan, the general manager at McCamly Plaza Hotel, we are planning to enter the hotel in the event. It will be a good event to promote the hotel and what we can do.”

Even though Chef Stovall has only been on the property for a short time, he is already enjoying his new post.

“I am very impressed with all of my interactions with managers and the culture that is being developed,” he says. “I recognize the challenges, but could not be happier, and I consider myself very fortunate to be part of this team.”

Welcome back to Battle Creek, Chef!