Benchmark Hospitality Chefs to be Featured at James Beard House for Sixth Consecutive Year

Seven-course “Benchmark Holiday Dinner” Set for December 16th, 2010

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. November 02, 2010

New York, NY - November 2010 - For the sixth consecutive year, chefs from Benchmark Hospitality International's fine dining restaurants, luxury hotels and resorts have been invited to cook at the legendary James Beard House in New York City. The seven-course “Benchmark Holiday Dinner” will take place Thursday, December 16th, 2010. Featured Benchmark Hospitality chefs will be Brian West, executive chef, Hotel Contessa and its signature restaurant Las Ramblas on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas; Alan Gould, executive chef of Nine18, the restaurant located at the Villas of Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida; Peter Csikos, executive chef, The Heldrich and its signature restaurant, Christopher's, in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Francisco Aceves, executive chef of Stonewall Resort and Stillwaters Restaurant, located in Weston, West Virginia.

Mary Watson, Benchmark Hospitality's chief sommelier, has paired each course with fine wines. She will be present at the James Beard House to discuss her wine selections and pairings, doing so in partnership with the Benchmark chefs.

The Benchmark Holiday Dinner will begin at 7:00 pm on December 16th with an hors d'oeuvres and wine reception. A seven-course chefs tasting menu will be served starting at 8:00 pm. Reservations can be arranged by calling the James Beard House at 212-627-2308 and are $130 per person for members of the James Beard Foundation and $170 per person for the general public.

"Cooking at the James Beard House is such an honor for Benchmark Hospitality's chefs, and offers us the opportunity to showcase the immense culinary talent within our company,” said Giorgi Di Lemis, vice president food & beverage. “To be invited back by the James Beard Foundation for the sixth consecutive year is an honor of the highest order. We're deeply appreciative and look forward to an extraordinary evening.”

"Having the Benchmark Holiday Dinner at the James Beard House in December has become a tradition,” said Izabela Wojcik, director of house programming for the James Beard Foundation. “We're thrilled to welcome Benchmark's chefs for another delectable holiday dining experience for the public and the members of the James Beard Foundation.”

The James Beard House was home to the storied James Beard, America's first celebrity chef who is celebrated today as the dean of American Cookery. Mr. Beard lived in his Greenwich Village townhouse from 1976 until his passing 1985. A gifted impresario who along with his great friend, Julia Child, led the way for many of today's celebrity chefs, James Beard established cooking schools and published over 20 important cookbooks, many of which are still in print. As important, he left a legacy of culinary excellence and integrity for generations of America's home cooks and professional chefs. The name, James Beard, remains today synonymous with American cuisine.