Chef Samuel Peery found his way to food early, in his grandmother’s kitchen, where family recipes were made slowly and by hand, and where he first understood that cooking was a form of care. Born in Southwest Virginia and raised in rural East Tennessee, he grew up paying attention to where food came from and whose hands had made it. By the time he was working in local kitchens during college, the pull was undeniable: he loved the adrenaline of a busy service and the craft of composing a plate, and he never really looked back.

That instinct carried him a long way from the hills of Tennessee: through a scratch kitchen in Knoxville, culinary school in Denver, and advanced training in the Piedmont region of Italy, where he cooked some of the freshest seafood on the Adriatic coast in Salento. But it was New Orleans that captured him. In 2019, he arrived at Restaurant R’evolution as Chef de Cuisine, cooking reimagined Cajun and Creole dishes under the legendary Chef John Folse, and fell hard for the region and its cuisine. Today, he’s back where that love took root, returning to Restaurant R’evolution as Executive Chef, now leading the kitchen that first drew him to Louisiana.

Peery’s food reflects the long, winding path that shaped it. Rooted in the Cajun and Creole traditions of South Louisiana, it carries the seasonal, product-driven sensibility he developed early alongside the European technique he honed in Italy and beyond. He cooks by sourcing exceptional ingredients and treating them with restraint, backed by the kind of consistency and attention to detail that keeps guests coming back. A Level 1 Sommelier, he builds multi-course experiences where each plate and pour belong together. And he leads with integrity, holding high standards and building kitchen teams that take real pride and accountability for their work, several of whom have gone on to executive roles of their own.

That work has earned recognition. In 2024, Peery was named IHG Visionary Chef of the Year and nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Chef: South. With more than fifteen years of kitchen leadership across luxury hotels, fine dining, and private clubs, his path has run through some distinctive rooms: the historic Denver Country Club, where he became the first Chef de Cuisine in the club’s 185-year history; Martis Camp Club in Truckee, California, where he oversaw culinary operations across seven outlets; and the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans, where as Executive Chef he led the property’s restaurant and bar concepts and opened the French Mediterranean restaurant King. He holds a Culinary Arts degree from Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, an Advanced Culinary Arts degree from the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina, and a Bachelor of Science from East Tennessee State University.

When he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find him out enjoying the local dining scene of New Orleans or outdoors fishing and exploring the bayous of his adopted Louisiana home.

Jeremy Gulledge brings nearly three decades of hospitality expertise, operational excellence, and a passion for exceptional guest experiences to his role as General Manager of Restaurant R’evolution at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans.

Originally born in Michigan and raised in Chicago, Jeremy attended the University of Michigan, where he studied Sales and Marketing before pursuing his true passion in the restaurant industry. His belief that success is rooted in how experiences are thoughtfully presented and genuinely received has shaped his leadership philosophy throughout his career.

Jeremy’s love for hospitality began with his grandmother, an accomplished Southern cook who once owned a restaurant in Michigan. Inspired by her passion for bringing people together through food, he entered the restaurant industry in 1996 and has since built an impressive career spanning some of the nation’s most acclaimed dining establishments.

Throughout his career, Jeremy has held leadership and service roles with renowned restaurants including Charlie Trotter’s, Trio, L20, Zealous, Emeril’s, Atchafalaya, Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, and several distinguished hospitality organizations across Chicago, Michigan, and New Orleans. His extensive experience also includes serving as Food & Beverage Director, restaurant consultant, and General Manager, giving him a well-rounded perspective on every facet of hospitality operations.

In addition to leading award-winning dining teams, Jeremy has owned his own wine company and, as a hospitality consultant, has helped successfully open more than 20 coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues. He has had the privilege of working alongside several Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chefs, experiences that have further refined his commitment to culinary excellence and elevated service.

Outside of Restaurant R’evolution, Jeremy is involved with Upturn Arts in New Orleans and enjoys traveling, discovering new cultures, and exploring exceptional restaurants around the world. A self-proclaimed avid diner, he believes continually learning and improving the guest experience is both his profession and his favorite hobby.

Clayton Fox did not grow up drinking wine. Nor did he plan on spending his life working with it. But time and again, wine kept knocking at the door. After learning fine dining service from the team at Chicago’s Pump Room by Jean-Georges, Fox ended up in Los Angeles at Norah Restaurant in West Hollywood, where he was mentored by Daniel Veit (Wine Director, Wally’s Santa Monica.) Under Veit’s tutelage, Fox received his Certified Sommelier diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2017. Lucky for Fox, he also fell into a tasting group of Los Angeles’ best sommeliers who became his friends and mentors, while working as the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills sales representative for Winebow. In 2019, Fox received the distinction of being named Best Salesperson (Imports) for Winebow in Southern California.

 Finally his path led him to New Orleans, where he worked and studied under Advanced Sommelier and Wine Director Sam Bortugno at Brennan’s. Fox has written about wine at JancisRobinson.com and in Decanter Magazine; has been part of the sommelier teams at TexSom and La Fête du Champagne; and was selected as one of only four sommeliers in the nation to go on the Sommelier Scholarship Fund trip to Burgundy in 2025. 

 Restaurant R’evolution is a natural fit for Fox, where he is very much in alignment with Chef Folse’s vision of creating a place that honors the best of Louisiana tradition while also pushing forward. Descending from Louisiana (and in fact the French Quarter) on his mother’s side, being in New Orleans and especially at R’evolution feels like a homecoming and also an opportunity for Fox. He hopes to make R’evolution an essential place to drink wine in New Orleans, and to help connect guests even more deeply to wines of place and soul.