Chef Peter Timmins Joins The Gasparilla Inn & Club

Boca Raton, FL

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. October 06, 2009

BOCA GRANDE, FL, October 5, 2009 - The Gasparilla Inn & Club, a National Historic Landmark resort, has offered travelers a true taste of Old World Florida for nearly a century. When the resort opens for its 96th season this October, guests can savor exciting new tastes - the flavorful cuisine of The Inn's new top toque, Master Chef Peter Timmins.

Most recently the executive chef at the revered Greenbrier resort, Timmins will offer fresh interpretations of The Gasparilla Inn's signature cuisine.

"The Inn is very pleased to welcome Peter Timmins, an incredibly accomplished chef whose creative cuisine is pleasing to both the eye and palate," said Jack G. Damioli, president and general manager of The Gasparilla Inn & Club. "Peter brings decades of experience working in the luxury resort industry. He's an expert at devising interesting, flavorful dishes for both casual and fine dining."

Timmins will oversee The Gasparilla Inn & Club's multiple restaurants, with a particular focus on the menus at the resort's Main Dining Room.

His culinary vision complements The Inn's graceful, traditional style, but also includes modern preparations and presentations, with a particular focus on showcasing local ingredients.

New menu items include appetizers like Atlantic Smoked Salmon served with an asparagus and citrus salad with fresh oysters, and a white asparagus ice cream. Entrees will include a Potato-crusted Snapper with creamed spinach, white asparagus, black trumpets and a lobster sauce; as well as Roasted Free Range Chicken with fava beans, and a pressed terrine of chicken and foie gras.

"The Gasparilla Inn is one of the last few places that can evoke the feeling of 'Florida as it was meant to be,'" said Timmins. "As a chef, it's wonderful to be cooking in a new region- the Gulf Coast offers an abundance of fresh catches, like pompano, grouper and snapper. New menu items at the resort will incorporate local fish, fruits and vegetables whenever seasonably available."

During his culinary career, Peter Timmins has had the opportunity to prepare meals for U.S. presidents, actors, politicians and rock stars.

For the past decade, Chef Timmins has overseen the menus at the world-renowned Greenbrier resort in W.Va., during which he achieved status of Certified Master Chef, the highest and most demanding level of culinary achievement. He also received a fellowship from the Epicurean World Master Chefs Society; a Doctorate from Johnson & Wales University for his successes and contribution to the Culinary Arts; and numerous gold metals at culinary Olympics and competitions around the world. Chef Timmins began his career in 1973 in his native Dublin, after graduating from St. Mary's College of Catering in Dublin, Ireland.

The Gasparilla Inn & Club offers guests a variety of dining options, including the Main Dining Room, the Pink Elephant and the Beach Club.

The Main Dining Room entices guests with an elegant and traditional fine-dining experience in a picturesque setting for breakfast and dinner. For a charming, casual lunch or dinner, guests enjoy the Pink Elephant for its menu of signature seafood and American classics. The Beach Club offers lighter fare for lunch, an extensive drink menu, as well as fantastic views of the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.