Meet the Team
Jen Burgess
President & Founder
With over a decade working for two of New York City’s top restaurateurs – Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Danny Meyer – Jen’s skills reflect a wide range of knowledge developed through years of on-the-job experience. Having worked all front of house service team and management positions across a diverse portfolio of concepts, and in both domestic and international markets, she is able to leverage that experience into a passion for both training and operations.
Through Plus One Hospitality, she has continued to expand her expertise through a long-standing relationship with the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, for whom she has been the preferred Food & Beverage trainer in North & South America for over 12 years.
In addition to the Four Seasons, she has worked with an array of premier private clubs in both the US and Canada, including Congressional Country Club, Granite Club, and Carmel Country Club. In the luxury and lifestyle sectors her clients have included Banyan Tree, Auberge Resorts Collection, Fairmont Hotels, Thompson Hotels, The Atlantis Dubai, and Sandy Lane Resort.
Her areas of focus include leadership training & coaching; systems implementation & training; product & service training; operational evaluations; beverage program creation & audits; restaurant, bar & kitchen design consultation; and management development.
Most of Jen's free time is spent much like her work life – traveling, eating, drinking, and exploring new cities. When home with her family in Nashville, Tennessee, she enjoys watching sports, cooking dinner for friends, and exploring both the local and regional cuisine.
Richard Ampudia
Director of Operations
As both an owner-operator and as an employee, Richard has 30+ years of boutique restaurant and hotel experience, domestically and abroad. He has worked alongside some of New York City’s most respected chefs, operators, and restaurateurs, including Keith McNally, Serge Becker, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and he has participated in the opening of 40+ restaurants across the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia.
Using his passion for design, architecture, operations, and technology, he has been instrumental in leading and training top culinary and service teams in both the luxury and casual markets. He has an innate understanding of people, and he is driven by the importance of making personal connections with both guests and team members to create memorable experiences and inspirational work environments.
Since joining Plus One Hospitality in 2022, his clients and projects have included Raffles Hotel Boston, Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, Fairmont Hotel San Francisco, Kauai Beach Resort, Anvil Hotel & Glorietta Restaurant, and Auberge Collection’s Bowie House Fort Worth.
His areas of expertise include culinary & concept development; recipe development, documentation & management; cost of goods analysis; business planning; kitchen design; FF&E selection & procurement; OS&E design & sourcing; pre-opening management support; training manual & P&P creation; software programming & implementation (POS, time & attendance, payroll, HR, inventory management); and financial & bookkeeping system integrations.
Richard currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his family, and he enjoys paddle boarding, walking on the beach with his dog Molly, and playing music loudly on his Hi-Fi at home.
Helene Zucker
Operations Coordinator
Helene began her career in early childhood education, spending 7 years as a preschool teacher after earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
While new to the world of hospitality, Helene has been pleased to find that many of the skills she developed while teaching – patience, organization, planning, clear communication – are highly applicable beyond the preschool classroom, and throughout the hospitality industry. She also enjoys the opportunity to learn new things about dining, luxury service, and the guest experience.
In her role as Operations Coordinator, Helene focuses on administrative duties, social media management, and executive support.
Helene lives in Los Angeles, California and in her free time she enjoys doing Pilates, crafting, and going to Dodger games.
