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Neil
Castaldi
General Manager
With his wealth of
hospitality experience, ranging from the luxury cruise
ship industry to resorts and hotels, Neil Castaldi brings
to Nottoway Plantation not only a long history of significantly
enhanced sales and ratings, but also an impressive
talent for securing once-in-a-lifetime experiences
for his venues.
Neil's creativity and enthusiasm have attracted both
celebrities and presidents. Not only has he furnished
luxury accommodations for stars such as Tony Bennett,
Cher, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, but he has also hosted
presidential banquets for Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan,
George H. Bush and Bill Clinton. In addition to
this, Neil created a popular chain of upscale Italian
restaurants, Castaldi's Market & Grill, located in 6
states and featuring opera-trained singing servers.
His last assignment before joining Nottoway was as the
VP of Hotel Operations for a NYC-based hotel company,
overseeing 10 hotels, from Hiltons to Sheratons, in 4
states.
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Susanne
Romig
Director of Sales & Marketing
Susanne joined the
Nottoway family when she moved back to Louisiana, after
owning and operating a small resort in the Florida Keys
with her husband. Her creative sales and marketing skills
enabled them to elevate their niche income property into
a successful resort business, attracting tourists from
around the world.
A savvy business woman with years of experience in
advertising, corporate and public relations,
Susanne applies effective business to business
strategies in promoting Nottoway’s resort amenities to
executives and corporate meeting planners. She has
hand-picked her sales team to ensure top expertise in
the key areas of catering as well as event design,
planning and execution. Susanne’s goal is to elevate
Nottoway Plantation to a new level of distinction, and
to establish the “American Treasure” as the South’s
premier destination resort.
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Daniel
Thompson
Executive Chef
Chef Daniel graduated from the prestigious Culinary
Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1999 and has
been a rising star in the culinary world ever since. He
has held key culinary positions at some of the top
restaurants in New Orleans, including the Commanders
Palace and the Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel.
Daniel then
landed the position of Executive Sous Chef at the highly
regarded Baton Rouge Country Club. It was here that he
was discovered by world-renowned Chef John Folse.
Under Chef Folse's tutelage, Daniel became the Executive
Chef at White Oak Plantation, where he worked for the
last five years, fine-tuning his passion for classical
Louisiana cooking.
Daniel
was spotlighted on the cover of Louisiana Cooking
Magazine as one of the “Chefs to Watch” and has also
been featured in many other magazines as well as on TV
shows. Nottoway is very proud to have him leading
our talented culinary team.
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Alicia
Dufour
Operations Manager
Alicia Dufour joined Nottoway as a desk clerk when she
was only 16 years old. She has now been with us for over
15 years, and throughout the years she has held every
imaginable job at Nottoway, including tour guide,
server, bartender, sales and catering, and assistant
controller.
In her position as the Operations Manager, Alicia
oversees the operation of the Front Desk, Gift Shop,
Housekeeping and Tour Guides. She skillfully leads her
team through the operational challenges of running a
resort that is much more than a Plantation, while at the
same time establishing brand new policies and procedures
applying to every segment of her department.
Alicia's commitment is to set higher standards for
customer service and hospitality, transforming Nottoway
from an ordinary bed and breakfast into the premiere
historical resort of the South.
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Mary
Dixon
Controller
Mary Dixon has over
23 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She
was personally involved in the opening of over 34 full
service restaurant locations across the country and has
worked for a variety of large chains and local
restaurants alike. Mary’s career began in 1987 with
Chili’s in Baton Rouge as the Quality Assurance
Director. She then spent over eight years with Outback
Steakhouse, including five years as the Regional
Director of Administration for franchisee Tedesco-KPH
Partnership, which opened 21 locations in five years.
For the last five years, Mary was the Controller for
Burtons Grill, LLC, a Massachusetts based start-up
restaurant company with five locations in three states.
She was personally responsible for financial operations,
human resources, administration and systems management,
as well as a shareholder in the concept. Mary’s years of
experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry
makes her a valuable addition to the Nottoway team.
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Randy
LaPrairie
Director of Maintenance & Facilities
For 25 years Randy
has been the go-to person for all things related to
utilities, maintenance and construction. He joined
Nottoway’s staff in 1986 as an accomplished finish
carpenter, and has played an active role in past
renovations to the plantation, as well as in the most
recent improvements and additions. Randy’s knowledge and
commitment are invaluable, as he knows every pipe, wire,
drain, nook and cranny throughout the property.
Randy is also a talented artist and painter, and works
in oils, charcoals, watercolor and pen and ink. His work
is popular among the locals and beyond and adorns the
walls of the restaurant and the mansion. It is also for
sale in Nottoway’s gift shop. Another hobby,
taxidermy, brings together Randy's love for the outdoors and
his talent for creating art from nature.
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