Bio

Merrilee Olson-Axtell calls herself a “restaurant evangelist”…believing leaders in the hospitality industry today must know how to capture the transcendent genius of teams to be competitive. Her involvement in the hospitality industry spans twenty five years and includes experience in restaurants, catering, wine sales, hotels, and on-site foodservice. While at Bon Appetit Management Company, she led opening teams for operations across the United States and in Japan , and was responsible for concept development at the San Francisco Giant’s home stadium, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and for the Getty Museum in Los Angeles .  These experiences inform her coaching practice today and provide her with a unique perspective when working with clients facing operational, organizational, and personal job-related challenges. Sometimes described as gutsy, bold and daring, she thinks big and works with clients who are willing to do the same.

She is a co-founder of C4 – Culinary Coaches and Consultants Collaborative. On fair Friday afternoons you will find her riding her white steed, Mel somewhere in Sonoma County .