Leadership
Andrew Hebert
Executive Chef
Hailing from Yorktown, Virginia, Andrew attended Johnson and Wales where he played Soccer and graduated with a Degree in Culinary Arts. Andrew spent his early career working with Boston’s Jody Adams at all of her concepts and training in James Beard Award winning kitchens in South Carolina. In 2017, Andrew joined Coda Restaurant Group and has worked in all 4 of the groups restaurant holding the position of Executive Chef at The Salty Pig and most recently at Gufo.
Andrew fell in love with Portuguese food after a trip to the Algarve and Lisbon just over 7 years ago. He fell in love with the simplicity of the cuisine - fresh ingredients, elegantly balanced flavors, and lacking pretense. Andrew is excited for this opportunity to showcase his take on Portuguese cuisine at Baleia.
Meg Warner
Director of Events, Coda Restaurant Group
Meg moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University where she graduated with a BS in International Business. Having worked in restaurants since 16, Meg had her first experience in fine dining at L'Espalier on Boylston Street for several years. After working in other fine dining restaurants in New York and Washington state, she decided to move back to Boston in 2019. Meg has been working at SRV since that time and as the Events Manager since 2021.
toni maiorino
Director of Service, Coda Restaurant Group
Deirdre Auld
CEO/Partner, Coda Restaurant Group
Like many in hospitality, Deirdre began as a host at a neighborhood restaurant and a cashier at Panera, eventually moving into serving and bartending roles where she honed her service skills and product knowledge. After seeing how poor leadership could drive even the most talented people away, she was inspired to become the kind of leader others would want to follow. Over the next decade, Deirdre managed restaurants across fine dining and casual full-service, developed award-winning concepts, and helped turn around struggling businesses -spending seven of those years as Director of Operations at Coda Group. After stepping away in 2021 to earn a master’s degree and leadership coaching certification from Northwestern University, she consulted in higher education and private equity before returning to help restaurants build stronger leaders and operations. In January 2025, Deirdre rejoined Coda Group as CEO and partner, focused on growing the company and their brand.
ted hawkins
Managing Partner, Coda Restaurant Group
Hailing from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and attending high school in Honolulu, Ted has found his home here in Boston. Earlier in his career, Ted worked for Barbara Lynch at Menton and No. 9 Park. Ted was the opening General Manager and Wine Director at SRV, received an MBA from BU and worked as the Director of Operations for Cushman Concepts. Ted is passionate about the importance of team service, offering genuine hospitality and creating small moments that keep guests coming back.
“Baleia” means “whale” in Portuguese and here, it’s an homage to the Mediterranean’s sun-kissed coast which, teeming with sardines, tuna, mackerel and other marine life, provides the perfect habitat for some of the world’s largest mammals, and a bountiful catch for fishermen. Baleia’s seafood-forward menu is Portuguese inspired, but influenced by the global travels of Portugal’s sailors, fishermen, and whalers over generations, with nods to the culinary treasures they brought home from North Africa, China, and the Caribbean.
CODA RESTAURANT GROUP
Coda Restaurant Group was first established in 2008 with the opening of CODA, the group’s eventual namesake. Since then the Group has added The Salty Pig and SRV both located in Boston’s South End and Back Bay communities, and gufo, in Cambridge. Coda Restaurant Group is focused on value-driven dining experiences that over deliver and delight our guests. We are first and foremost focused on our community and relish in the ability to serve the communities we live in. Coda Restaurant Group’s concepts are all different but the uniting factor is the team’s buy in and obsession with genuine hospitality, exciting food and thoughtful beverage programs.