Get to Know Executive Chef Andrew Alcid

The Cincinnati Open offers a smorgasbord of flavors for fans and players to enjoy while on-site. This year, we’re excited to introduce Chef Andrew Alcid as the tournament’s new Executive Chef to help take the tournament’s culinary experience to the next level.

With more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Chef Andrew will lead all culinary operations for Levy, the hospitality partner at Lindner Family Tennis Center and the Cincinnati Open. Chef Andrew’s responsibilities will range from fueling world-class athletes and guests in the tournament’s premium spaces to leading food service operations for other on-site events throughout the year and in the year-round restaurant that will open on-site in 2026.

Get to know Chef Andrew in the exclusive Q&A below.

Tell us about your culinary journey. What sparked this interest? How did you get started?

My parents are both doctors, so they worked a lot growing up and I have three older brothers. Instead of waiting for my parents to come home, usually late at night, I kind of just took the initiative for my family and started making dinner. My brothers are much older than me, so getting favor with them and getting their respect was huge and I found at an early age that I could connect with them through food. But cooking was my niche in with my family and it was a way to impress my friends and early girlfriends. Food was a way to connect with people immediately. So, probably since the age of 12 I was dead set that this was going to be my journey and this was going to be my career.

Is there anyone who has been particularly influential in your culinary career?

Definitely both of my parents. When they saw a lot of passion for cooking from me, they did a really great job of feeding that. If I wanted a Chinese cleaver, they would get that for me. They let me make a lot of noise. My dad would bring me to the hospital with him so I could hang out in the cafeteria. They got me a silly, floppy chef hat, a bunch of cookbooks, Food & Wine Magazines home from work. If I wanted to try to make a tuna tartare or use puff pastry, they let me. They really fed that fire for me, so I got exposed to so much even before culinary school.

How would you describe your style or approach to cooking?

I think it’s come full circle. When it started, it was all about reaching people. I had friends that were Croatian and they were like, “Hey, come over and watch my mom make this or that.” And I’m Filipino, so we would always go to a lot of Filipino parties and kind of connect through food with people. When I went to culinary school, everything was French. Then, I was in Chicago and farm-to-table was really on fire at that point. New American was a big focus for me in my early career. But it kind of falls back to what you love. I started by cooking with what people like and what they’re familiar with and what makes them happy. Then I got really serious about fine dining and being French, but I realized that’s not the way people really eat – that’s not what makes people happy. What makes people happy is food that is associated with people’s memories. So as far as style, it’s all about making people happy. It’s come back full circle now because now it’s all about connecting with people.

Tell us about how you’ve worked with up-and-coming culinarians.

What really fuels my passion right now is giving back and working with the younger generation. Before COVID, there was a shortage of people who were really dedicated and passionate about the business. There were a lot of shortcuts and vendors who were buying pre-made food. So, there’s been a big push in my career to help show and echo all the things that I learned early in my career into the younger generation in a positive way. I’ve gotten more involved with schools and teaching and reaching people that are culinarians. I feel like that’s part of my job – to share my back story, how being a culinarian has evolved, and passing on my experiences and learnings from the last 20 years.

What stands out to you about the Greater Cincinnati community / culinary scene compared to other places you’ve lived and worked?

Cincinnati is a melting pot, but it’s also very straight forward. Being close to so many great cities – like Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Louisville and Pittsburgh – all of that kind of blends together to make Cincinnati its own scene. Cincinnati is getting the recognition for what’s happening in this region – it’s a really cool blend that I think really surprises people.

What attracted you to the Executive Chef position at the Cincinnati Open?

In my career, I’ve worked with so many different styles, so many different chefs I wanted to work under, so many different places I wanted to go, but I was naturally drawn to Cincinnati. At the Cincinnati Open, I was just blown away by the diverse crowd, how upscale food is done really quickly at scale and the variety of flavors and ethnicities being represented. I can’t express how I excited I am. This will be one of the largest events I’ve been in charge of, so that’s where the excitement is for me. I’m well-traveled and have a diverse background, so I feel I can bring a little of that here.

What will your role as Executive Chef entail?

As lead culinarian, my job is to bring multiple chefs together. We’re partnering with a celebrity chef from the Food Network and we’ll be bringing around 100 sous chefs from other properties to make this event happen. My job is to orchestrate an army of chefs to curate the menus and make it all happen for the players and fans.

What should fans expect from the culinary experience at the Cincinnati Open this year?

We’re going to give fans an elevated food experience. With the three brand-new kitchens we have on-site we’re going to provide more diverse, upscale food and the quality will be unmatched. This is like a festival – there will be so many options – but it’s taking the experience of a ballpark, stadium or another event and leveling it up.

How are you approaching the task of nourishing the world-class players who will compete?

Most of my career has been catering to high-end people with very specific needs and that’s the way I’m treating this. These are the people who are making the event happen. There are a lot of rules to consider and we have a lot of experience around us to be well-guided and in good position to provide the exceptional experience these world-class players deserve.

What are you most looking forward to as you prepare for this year’s tournament?

I’m most excited about all of the partners who are working together to deliver the tournament’s culinary experience. We will have several local restaurants and partners who are coming together to step things up at this year’s tournament. I’m excited for people to come in and spend time here and see all the diverse options at every turn. They’ll be blown away by the different foods they’ll be able to get.