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Inspired by the ingredients and cooking styles found in Charleston residences during the late 1800s that combined English, French and Caribbean influences, Circa 1886 Executive Chef Marc Collins brings a modern and innovative approach to traditional Southern cuisine.
Chef Collins began his career working on the Paradise II, a private yacht that was the sister ship of the Presidential yacht, Sequoia, in Erie, Penn., starting as a dishwasher and working his way up through many different positions. While attending a vocational culinary school in Erie, he took a job at the Erie Country Club, serving under Executive Chef David Spadafore, a Gold Medal Winner in the Culinary Olympics. His education continued at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, and after graduation, he headed south to Texas to learn more about their food traditions.
It was in San Antonio where Chef Collins’ honed his skills in French culinary technique, beginning with a stint at La Mansion Del Rio under French Chef Guy Collinet and later at to La Louisiane, a restaurant specializing in both fine French cuisine and Cajun Creole cooking. Afterward, he moved on to the Fairmount Hotel, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of America and a AAA Four Diamond Award winner, where he became executive chef in 1996.
In 2001, Chef Collins moved to Charleston, S.C., and was named executive chef of the Wentworth Mansion’s restaurant Circa 1886. Since then, the restaurant has earned many accolades, including becoming a AAA Four Diamond Award winner, a Mobil Four Star award winner, a recipient of the DiRoNA Award for Fine Dining and earning Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Chef Collins has also received numerous honors that include being named a Chef to Watch by Esquire magazine in 2001.
Chef Collins helped found the BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival, which was held for the first time in 2006 and which has grown into a nationally-recognized event that brings some of the best chefs to the Charleston area.
The son of an artist, Chef Collins brings a penchant for creativity to the preparation and presentation of every dish he serves. A dedicated family man himself, he makes his home in Summerville, S.C., with his wife, Jennifer, the breakfast manager for the restaurant, and their two young sons. www.circa1886.com
Kyle Ketchum, Executive Chef
The Chanler at Cliff Walk, Spiced Pear Restaurant, Newport, RI
Renowned creative chef brings his wide-ranging culinary sensibilities east to
The Spiced Pear and Terrazza at ocean-side hotel --
– The Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island has announced the appointment of Kyle Ketchum as Executive Chef. Ketchum, whose experience includes upscale boutique restaurants and resorts throughout the Midwest, will be responsible for all culinary operations at the luxury ocean-side hotel, including menu creation at Spiced Pear, its Veranda lounge, and the outdoor Terrace restaurant, as well as hotel room service and special events.
One of New England’s most engaging culinary experiences, Spiced Pear is an exquisite setting, featuring an open “silent” kitchen, dramatic Atlantic views, and a quintessential Continental atmosphere. The Terrace, meanwhile, has the coolest dining and the hottest views in Newport, offering relaxed New England fare in a kick-back atmosphere before an endless, cliff-side overlook on the Atlantic.
“Kyle is an inspired talent capable of spectacular culinary creativity, and we look forward to seeing him work his magic with local ingredients in the kitchen at Spiced Pear and Terrazza,” said Tim Thuell, General Manager of The Chanler.
At The Chanler, Ketchum will unleash his culinary talents on locally grown provisions as well as New England’s renowned bounty of fresh seafood. Among signature dishes he has crafted for Spiced Pear are Nova Scotia Halibut with Santa Barbara Langostines served with marinated Artichoke and Heirloom Tomato Salad;Veal loin with Foie Gras, organic mushrooms, sauce Madeira; Kobe Beef Rib-Eye, with saba, Froume d’ Ambert cheese; Noisette of Kobe Tenderloin, escargot fricassee, veal sweetbreads, and aged sherry sauce. Dressed-down diners can look forward to Ketchum’s creative take on Lobster with Sweet Corn Succotash, which has already found an enthusiastic following with the just-off-the-beach crowd at Terrazza.
Ketchum brings 18 years of highly rated experience to The Chanler. Prior to his arrival, he spent three years at The Lark in West Bloomfield, Michigan – Detroit’s only Mobil Four Star restaurant. There, he was voted Best Chef in Michigan in 2005 by Hour Detroit Magazine and improved the restaurant’s Zagat food rating by two points to a stellar 28.
Previously, Ketchum held an array of culinary positions at upscale restaurants and resorts throughout the Southwest and Midwest, including Chef de Cuisine at the AAA Four Diamond rated Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colorado Sous Chef at The American Restaurant, Kansas City’s only Mobil Four Star restaurant; Sous Chef at Gold Lake Mountain Resort and Spa in Ward, Colorado; Executive Sous Chef at Polo’s at the Fairmount Hotel in San Antonio, Texas and more.
A native of San Antonio, TX; Ketchum, earned an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and an Associate Degree in Restaurant Management from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute at Le Cordon Bleu Campus, 1998-2000.
A cliffside mansion overlooking the Atlantic, The Chanler is a legacy of Newport Gilded Age. Built in 1865 as a summer home for New York Congressman John Winthrop Chanler and his wife Margaret Astor Ward, it was the first mansion to be built on the famed Cliff Walk and has hosted numerous dignitaries including the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and President Theodore Roosevelt. History is manifest in the hotel’s twenty rooms - each reflecting a different sophisticated historic theme and appointed with authentic furnishings, art and décor. From the New England cliff-side charm of cozy ocean villas to opulent period rooms set within the mansion, each claims spectacular oceanfront or garden views. The Chanler’s on-site restaurant, Spiced Pear, was the Winner of the 2005 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and deemed a “Splurge-Worthy” Restaurant by Bon Appetit in 2004. It offers seasonally-inspired, gourmet New England seafood in an indoor/outdoor setting on a dramatic oceanfront terrace. www.thechanler.com www.spicedpear.com
Hunter Morton, Executive Chef
Max Downtown, Hartford
Hunter Morton entered his first kitchen at the age of 18, an apprenticeship of sorts, at the Breckenridge Inn in Breckenridge, Colorado, and was introduced to a culinary world that captivated him. After three years of touring a variety of kitchens and learning from his peers, Hunter’s aspiration to learn more guided him to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. During his schooling, he worked an externship at The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado, working under renowned Chef George Mahaffey. At this luxury resort, Hunter cooked with regional meats and produce to create the restaurant’s Alpine-style cuisine.
Upon graduation in 1995, Hunter signed on with celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse at his NOLA Restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. At NOLA, working with some of the country’s finest chefs, Hunter learned how to prepare top-notch food in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
With the rising popularity of Northwest cuisine and a yearning to learn more about American wines, Hunter moved west to Oregon. As the executive chef at the award-winning McCully House Inn in Jacksonville, Hunter earned accolades for his cooking in both Gourmet and Sunset.
After two years, Hunter’s desire to work with fine wines and prominent chefs drove him south to Napa Valley, where he worked as a line cook under Chef Robert Curry at Domaine Chandon. Shortly thereafter, Hunter was promoted to chef de cuisine and helped Curry create one of the Napa Valley’s most opulent menus. Working with some of the finest ingredients in the country, Hunter was constantly challenged to create a menu that would achieve harmony with Chandon’s portfolio of still and sparkling wines. Upon Chef Curry’s departure in April 2002, Hunter stepped up as the interim chef for Domaine Chandon, successfully maintaining the high standards of excellence for which Chandon has always been known.
Next, Hunter worked for one of Napa Valley’s most demanding chefs, Richard Reddington, at the highly-acclaimed Auberge de Soleil. He worked at this Relais & Chateaux property for a brief time while anticipating the opening of Angèle, a new bistro by restaurateur Claude Rouas. Hunter gained the invaluable experience of seeing what it takes to open a restaurant from kitchen design to menu execution.
With this experience under his belt, Hunter was called by one of his old Chandon teammates to help revitalize the kitchen at Brix Restaurant in Yountville. Once renowned for its Asian-style cuisine, Brix was ready for a transformation. Hunter played the lead role in creating a menu that was more reflective of the relationship of food and wine in Napa Valley. In addition to his philosophy of integrating seasonal and indigenous food into the menu, he worked to raise the overall quality of kitchen standards. As a result, food sales remained consistently high and Brix experienced several record-breaking months of sales. www.maxrestaurantgroup.com
Daniel Chong-Jimenez, Executive Chef
The Spa at Norwich Inn, Norwich, CT
Daniel Chong Jiménez believes in expressing his personal and professional dedication to health and wellness through great-tasting food. He doesn’t think you can have one without the other. Healthy living is made healthier when food feeds the soul. Exciting food is made with locally-grown (or caught), fresh ingredients sprinkled with a dash of the best and most exotic ingredients from around the globe. This is how you add the 'secret' flavor and maximize the nourishment and happiness potential of every meal.
Daniel is Executive Chef at The Spa at Norwich Inn, Connecticut, where people can enjoy dining in Kensington's restaurant and the Ascot's Pub, both venues which are open to the pubic as well as spa guests; or in larger scale wedding and social celebrations. His team makes sure that each meal, whether presented for one or one hundred is made tasty and flavorful. They also work to make it fit for a food magazine photo. The eyes have to eat too!
The Norwich Inn is a versatile venue for any chef, but more so for one also focused on healthy cooking. Daniel can fix any food in the classical way with cream and butter as some of the guests demand, but many others want meals prepared not so richly. Because of this, he creates the menus and recipes in satisfying portions based on the use of ingredients and cooking techniques that enhance the nutritional value of the total meal without sacrificing the satiety of luxury and flavor.
Before coming to New England, Daniel was Executive Chef at Red Mountain Resort and Spa in St. George, Utah. Prior to Red Mountain, Miraval Life in Balance became the place where he was formally introduced to “spa cuisine.” This spa has frequently been rated the best in the country. The chef there at the time was Cary Neff, now a well-know cookbook author and personality that has appeared on Oprah numerous times. It was there that Daniel decided to focus his career on healthy cooking in and for the world of spa.
Daniel has given his culinary-nutrition style and philosophy a name: Powerful Nourishment. In a few words, it is all about making food more nourishing by utilizing ingredients for their nutrient and antioxidant contribution to the total meal. In his forthcoming book, he will describe in detail what Powerful Nourishment is and how to use these techniques to eat better, feel better and look better – stay tuned.
Daniel was classically French trained at The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. He had some excellent teachers there, one of whom was chef Bo Friberg, author of The Professional Pastry Chef and Jean-Michel Jeudy who is currently president of Association des anciens élèves de l'École hôtelière de Strasbourg.
He studied his other passion, animal science, at the University of California at Davis. He took a special focus in aquaculture – the farming of aquatic species. This career gave him the ability to understand human nutrition and to move from the world of food preparation into the world of culinary nutrition seamlessly. More than the standard application of nutritional parameters, calorie counts, food exchanges and portion sizes, UC taught him to think critically and expand into concepts far beyond the textbooks.
In San Francisco, I worked at restaurants one of which was Aqua. He also spent time in Spain at one of the best-known restaurants: El Meson De Candido in Segovia. After Spain, he was the executive chef at a cozy 70-seat, eclectic restaurant called “La Papa” which means, literally, “the potato.” In the vernacular, it means “out to lunch.” www.thespaatnorwichinn.com
Jeremy Martindale, Executive Chef
Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, New Haven, CT
Chef Jeremy Martindale has cooked his way through some of the world’s finest hotels and resort properties, so he is an expert at melding worldly sophistication with the best of local fare.
In 1997, Chef Jeremy found his way to the stunning Little Dix Bay Resort located in British Virgin Islands as Executive Chef. At Little Dix Bay Chef Jeremy received many awards including Hotels magazine “1998 Great Hotel Restaurants of the World.” Chef Jeremy also joined his fellow chefs on two occasions at The James Beard House in New York City.
Chef Jeremy then took the helm in Broomfield, Colorado at the famed Omni Interlocken Resort a Mobil Four Star and AAA Four Diamond property. After four years at the Omni Interlocken Resort Chef Jeremy was promoted to Corporate Task Force Chef for Omni Hotels.
Now Chef Jeremy has settled down at the Omni New Haven at Yale with their stunning 19th floor views of Yale and Long Island Sound. Restaurant John Davenport’s is a mix of contemporary flair and old world class.
For more information about Jeremy, visit www.itchef.com.
www.omnihotels.com
www.the19thfloor.com
Noel Jones, Executive Chef
the restaurant ON20, Hartford, CT
Noel Jones started working in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant at the age of 14 and realized early that he had a love for the craft. Inspired by his mother, who was the maitre d', he responded well to the high standards that were expected of him and the rest of the staff. He credits his uncles, who were both executive chefs at leading restaurants, with taking him under their wings at a young age and guiding him through his early career. In fact, one uncle was a lecturer for hotel management whose counsel was sought after throughout Europe. "They were my mentors, and taught me that the most important aspects of cooking were respect for ingredients, integrity, and discipline," he says.
Having graduated at the top of his class in culinary school in Ireland, Noel has worked on both sides of the Atlantic. He worked his way up through the ranks to become chef tournant at the Hotel Europe. In addition, he was executive chef of the Limetree in Kenmare, which earned a Michelin rating during his tenure. He was also a member of the Panel of Chefs Ireland. In 2005, he was inducted into the Les Amis d'Escoffier Society.
Prior to joining ON20, Noel was corporate executive chef at the United Technologies Companies. A firm believer in using his talents to support the community, Noel has represented ON20 at a number of charity events such as The Celebration of Connecticut Farms, Hartford's Taste of the Nation for Share Our Strength, and Artworks' 30th anniversary celebration.
In keeping with ON20's credo of excellence, Chef Noel provides the Hartford area with stellar cuisine, the likes of which is generally found in New York City and other cosmopolitan areas. Through training and experience, he is grounded in the classic technique of European cooking. With this important foundation, Noel works with modern culinary technology to present artful and delicious dishes.
A true professional, Noel is also a gastronomic explorer, continuously experimenting with new flavors and new techniques to bring excitement to each dish he presents before his guests. His passion for culinary creativity is neatly summed up in his philosophy: "Take classic cuisine and use it as a springboard for the imagination to create new dishes." www.ontwenty.com
Lynn Mansel, Executive Pastry Chef
Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT
Chef Lynn Mansel was born and raised in Llanelli, England and began his culinary career in 1969, serving as an apprentice at the Seabank Hotel in Porthcaw, Wales, England.
While earning his culinary degree in pastry from the City & Guild of London Institute, a cooperate education offered in conjunction with the Hotel Catering and Institutional Management Association of England, Mansel served as the third Pastry Chef at the five-star London Tara Hotel. It was here that Rene Schubert taught Mansel the art of sugar work and wedding cakes, an experience that continues to drive his interest in training up-and-coming pastry chefs at Mohegan Sun.
During the first ten years of his professional career, Chef Mansel focused on show work, plated desserts and developing fine pastries that are artistically attractive and exceptionally tasteful. While creating special event culinary masterpieces for high profile clients at Skyline Park Tower and Sheraton Park Tower in London, and organizing and producing daily pastries for four hotels and country clubs throughout Bermuda, Mansel drew inspiration from a variety of environments and mentors.
In 1981, Mansel came to the United States and served as the pre-opening Executive Pastry Chef for the Hotel Meridian in Boston. Mansel opened the five-star restaurant Julien, and working alongside Master Chefs Paul Bocuse and Gerard Vie. This provided Mansel an opportunity to further develop his culinary style, which he describes as European and regional American.
The challenge of creating a new environment and building a team is an aspect that brought Mansel to the pre-opening at the Westin Hotel, Copley Place in Boston in 1983. Here he continued to develop his nouvelle cuisine style and won several local awards.
Before joining Mohegan Sun in 1996, Mansel opened retail and commercial businesses, Mansel’s Patisserie & Bakery in Avon, Connecticut, and Desserts International, in Woburn, Mass. in 1989. Both outlets delivered high end pastries, signature cakes for restaurants and wedding cakes.
Chef Mansel has won many awards in pastry including: Just Desserts, Alliance Francaise Award in 1986, 1997 and 1998; the Bailey’s Irish Cream Contest in 1998; the Mystic, Connecticut Easter Seals’ Chocolate Contest in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996; and “Best of Show and Most Creative” at the First Annual Christmas Gingerbread House Competition in Hartford in 1999.
Professional Idols: Edwald Nottre
Signature Dessert: Anything With Chocolate
www.mohegansun.com
Chris Eddy, Executive Chef
Winvian, Morris, CT
Chris Eddy is Executive Chef at Winvian, the luxury resort that opened this spring in the Litchfield Hills of CT. Here he performs in a kitchen that caters to a highly-sophisticated clientele who expect flawless presentations of the freshest possible ingredients. Eddy calls his style “a la minute” which translates into cooking as little as possible until the last minute, thus capturing the freshness of the ultra high end ingredients that he uses.
It is possible that his Barcelona-born mother enhanced his southern Mediterranean sensibilities. When these are coupled with the pragmatism of his Vermont-born father, the result is culinary sophistication that is consistently sustained, day in and day out.
His exposure to the international palate came early to Eddy whose family traveled variously in Africa, the Caribbean, India, the Middle East and South America. Before attending the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, he saw the other side of the dining room, as a waiter. His sensitivity to his patrons reinforced his belief that every guest deserves to have meals prepared with what he calls “integrity, craftsmanship and a whole lot of love.” If a chef takes this path,” says Eddy, “nobody ever leaves the table hungry or dissatisfied.”
Before taking leadership of Winvian’s culinary team of 10, he was a sous chef for both Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud; he also worked for Jean Michel Bergounoux. From these masters, and his French Culinary Institute training, his technique, he says, “is heavily engrained with classic and southern French,” with an emphasis on using local ingredients and artisanal products.
Chef Eddy has recently been featured in national press outlets including Town & Country Travel, Forbestravel.com and Luxury Spa Finder, among many others. www.winvian.com
More chefs to follow... please check back.
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