Michael Beck Named New Executive Chef for Orange County's Hotel Irvine
IRVINE, CA. March 9, 2016 - Michael Beck, a highly experienced chef who has excelled at menu and culinary development and implementation at prestigious award-winning resorts in California, Colorado and Hawaii, has been announced as the new executive chef of Hotel Irvine, the recently repositioned 536-room Orange County lifestyle hotel, owned and operated by the Irvine Company.
Beck will oversee the revision of private events menus including those for weddings, social entertaining and community group and business meetings, as well as be responsible for product sourcing and procurement. He will head operations for the hotel's innovative “Everyday Breakfast” program for hotel guests and for its popular “grab and go” 24/7 The Marketplace. In addition, he will manage the culinary operations for the property's executive lounge, Club 12. Beck's cheffing background has been mainly centered on French, Moroccan and Italian cuisine; but now he calls his food New American and is thrilled with the California bounty of pristine products he can access for Hotel Irvine's culinary outlets.
“We are delighted to welcome Michael to the Hotel Irvine team,” said Jeroen Quint, recently appointed general manager of the property. “He is a dynamic leader and exemplary mentor with impressive credentials and achievements in the luxury hotel and club arenas. His expertise and vision for our culinary programs and outlets will be invaluable as we continue to position Hotel Irvine as the top Orange County destination and community hub for meetings and events, as well for business and leisure travel.”
In his new position, Beck is looking forward to introducing new chef-driven private event menus that will focus on food quality, freshness and, most importantly, flavor. He intends to design a roster of options for events and meetings to include uncomplicated, yet appealing European- and American-style breakfast choices such as hot sandwiches, frittatas and skillets. His goal for private events lunch and dinner menus is to present contemporary restaurant-oriented choices to planners and hosts and then deliver restaurant quality food at all functions. Another goal is to make morning, mid-day and afternoon food and beverage breaks fun and exciting by focusing on themes and providing up-to-date interactive action stations manned by chefs. In addition, developing a new down-to-earth dessert menu for private events is part of Beck's overall plan - featuring housemade, mouthwatering classics such as sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch pots de crème and strawberry rhubarb polenta crisp.
“The hotel's 'It's all about the guest' mantra and its dedication to personalized, flexible service gives me the opportunity to develop innovative lifestyle dining offerings certain to appeal to our guests and local businesspeople,” says Beck.
Originally from Austria., Beck has worked at upscale award-winning clubs and properties for over 20 years since living in the U.S, including serving as executive chef at The Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, Calif., and holding the same position at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. In Colorado, he helmed the kitchen at The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver and at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. Prior to that, Beck was the top chef at The Grand Wailea in Maui, Hawaii, and at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in culinary arts in Austria and is fluent in English and German.
About Hotel Irvine
Hotel Irvine, a Lifestyle Hotel is the Irvine Company's new spin on hospitality that puts the focus on the consumer. The hotel is designed to feel like a home away from home, a place where staff anticipates the needs of guests at every opportunity. Hotel Irvine's “HI” experience is personal at every touch point with all the usual offerings found in a typical hotel yet in an entirely new way that is anything but typical for Orange County, California. Updated rooms offer ample space, and a refreshing sleek and modern decor combined with current technology, relevant books, magazines and updated amenities. Fresh communal spaces abound with a gastropub inspired restaurant, a chic and modern bar and a Marketplace featuring hundreds of products reasonably priced combined with a variety of hot and cold options for those on the go. Hotel Irvine is one of three hotels in the world-class portfolio of Irvine Company Resort Properties® including Pelican Hill Resort and Island Hotel Newport Beach. Just minutes from John Wayne Airport, Hotel Irvine features 520 guest rooms, 16 suites, and the thoroughly updated and transformed collection of venues includes more than 50,000 square feet of event space with indoor and outdoor rooms and the largest ballroom in Orange County. A member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Lifestyle Collection™, guests at Hotel Irvine are eligible to enroll in the iPrefer® guest loyalty program to earn points, status and special benefits upon every stay.
About the Irvine Company
The Irvine Company® is an internationally renowned real estate development company known for its award-winning master-planned communities, its vast portfolio of high-quality investment properties and its leadership in conservation and natural resource management. The growing real estate portfolio encompasses office, apartment, retail and resort holdings located throughout California's premier markets, including assets in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and holdings in Northern California. As a steward of some of America's most beautiful and scientifically important open space and parklands, the company has donated more than half of the historic 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch® in Orange County — 50,000 acres — to permanently preserve these lands. The U.S. Department of Interior and the State of California have designated these parklands as “Natural Landmarks,” one of the most prestigious land preservation designations. The privately held, diversified company traces its roots to the 1860s with the formation of The Irvine Ranch® from Mexican and Spanish land grants.
Contact:
Marguarite Clark
[email protected]
(949) 295-2801
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