Scott Simpson Appointed Executive Chef at JW Marriott Desert Ridge

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. October 14, 2008

PHOENIX, AZ, April 26, 2006. Scott Simpson's culinary career spans more 20 years. In March 2006, he was appointed as the new Executive Chef for the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. As executive chef, Simpson oversees the culinary operations for eight restaurant and lounge dining venues at the luxurious 316-acre resort in the Sonoran Desert (not including the banquet operations for the more than 200,000-square-feet of meeting space and in-room dining.)

In 1982, Chef Simpson began his career as a chef at Vicorp Specialty Restaurants in San Diego, CA, for the company's highest volume establishment and as corporate training chef for the region. In 1989, he joined Mille Fleurs in Sante Fe, NM., which ranked as one of the top 10 French restaurants in the United States. Subsequently, he opened Mille Fleurs Brasserie in Palm Desert, CA as executive chef, where he received first place in the U.S. Chef Open Competition in 1990.

That same year, Chef Simpson became part of the Marriott team when he joined JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa as specialty chef responsible for the development Ristorante Tuscany, which became a flagship restaurant at Marriott properties around the world. In 1999 he moved on to open the ninth JW Marriott Hotel in Quito, Ecuador, where he worked as executive chef and director of restaurants. In this capacity, he helped train Marriott chefs from Buenos Aires, Lima and Panama, and performed as in international judge in the Culinary Olympics in Santiago, Chile.

Prior to joining JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, Chef Simpson was executive chef at the Renaissance Hotel & Marriott Lake Chalet Apartments in Mumbai, India, the largest convention center hotel in the country. Chef Simpson lead a kitchen staff of more than 150 associates, allowing him the opportunity to task force abroad in Thailand and other areas of Asia during his tenure through 2003.

Chef Simpson's education and background include training in Florence, Italy at the Guilliano Bugiallis Professional Culinary School and at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, CA, where he trained under such prestigious chefs as Rick Bayless, Roberto Donna, Michael Chiarello, Terri Sanderson and Karen McNeil. He was actively involved in Mesa de los Chefs culinary organization in Ecuador and in 2002, helped create WICA, the Western India Culinary Association in Mumbay, India. In addition, he is a member of the Cha^ine des Rotisseurs.