CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH AMERICA
Viceroy Anguilla Resorts & Residences opened last month, the first luxury property to land on this British Virgin Island in nine years. It's also the brand's first international opening. Viceroy Anguilla is set on 35 beachfront acres along Barnes Bay and Meads Bay. The 166 accommodations include freestanding villas, townhomes, penthouses, and single-story resort residences, all with interiors by Kelly Wearstler. Exec chef Michael Rauter came from the Renaissance Yangtze Hotel, a five-star in Shanghai; he worked previously in the Caribbean at Little Dix Bay. His chef de cuisine, Patrick Dang, is a Viceroy veteran who came from the Tides South Beach. GM Jan Tibaldi calls Rauter and Dang "a culinary tag team of the highest order."
Sandy Lane on Barbados has a new exec chef and exec pastry chef. Conny Andersson has been an exec chef at several of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, most recently at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, and then was at AK Restaurant + Bar in Los Angeles. Pastry chef Claire Clark comes from The French Laundry in Yountville, California.
The 257 room Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino on St. Maarten has named Iwan Hokahin exec chef. Born on the island-the son of a Surinamese father and Dutch mother-Hokahim says he's thrilled to return home "to the culinary capital of the Caribbean." Most recently, he was with Fannie Mae as exec chef for four locations in the Washington, D.C., area. Prior to that he was exec chef for Exxon Mobil Corp. Hokahim replaces André Breau, who has retired from the industry.
Latin fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi has opened The Tcherassi Hotel + Spa in the heart of Cartagena's Old City in Colombia. Renovation of the 250 year old colonial mansion took two years. It has seven oversized rooms and suites, a spa, a vertical garden of 3,000 local plants, four pools, and a roof deck with 360 degree views of the city and sea. It's also home to the 40 seat Vera, headed by Daniel Castaño, the exec chef/co-owner of Emilia Romagna restaurant in his home town of Bogata. He'll oversee both spots. A French Culinary Institute grad, Castaño worked in some of New York City's best Italian kitchens, including Lupa and Babbo; he was also co-founder and chef of the Brooklyn-based supper club/social experiment A Razor, A Shiny Knife, producer of theatrical dinners.
FRANCE
Christophe Bacquié is the new exec chef at L'Hôtel du Castellet, a Relais & Châteaux in Le Castellet, Provence. A Meilleur Ouvrier de France (2004), he comes most recently from the La Villa in Calvi, Corsica, another Relais & Châteaux. Bacquié, who earned his first star in 2002 and his second in 2007, replaces Nicolas Sale. Back in Corsica, Sébastien Sevellec has been promoted to exec chef, after 12 years in the La Villa kitchen.
LONDON
Chef Heinz Beck opened Apsleys-A Heinz Beck Restaurant in September at The Lanesborough. It's his first outside Italy, and it serves traditional Italian fare under the famed Lanesborough conservatory. Beck also has La Pergola in the Rome Cavalieri Hilton. Opened in 1994, it's currently the only Michelin three-star in Rome. In London, he installed Massimiliano Blasone as exec chef. Blasone has worked with Beck 11 years, most recently as exec chef at Castello Banfi, the Tuscan wine estate where Beck oversees the kitchens.
SWITZERLAND
Franck Page has left Fauchon in Beijing to become the new exec chef at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. Prior to China, Page spent seven years in Beirut as exec chef at Le Vendôme Intercontinental. Page replaces Laurent Vogel, who has not announced his plans. Fairmont's portfolio now includes 59 hotels in 16 countries, with plans to develop 30 new properties in destinations as diverse as Shanghai, the Philippines, and India.
SPAIN
W Hotels made its Western European debut with the opening of the the 473 room W Barcelona in October. The hotel sits at the Nova Bocana ("new entrance") of the Port of Barcelona, connecting the city's historic center to the Mediterranean. It's a short stroll from Old Town and Las Ramblas. Designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, known for the Shiseido headquarters (Tokyo) and the Cartier and Dior headquarters (Paris), the 26 story slender sail-shaped structure was built perpendicular to the dock, allowing for sea and city views from virtually every room. It's the only hotel in Barcelona with direct beach access. In the signature restaurant, the chef is Michelin-starred Catalan chef Carles Abellan of Tapas24 and the one-star Comerç24, both in Barcelona. The hotel's exec chef is Marco Aragon, previously with Hilton in Spain. The f&b director is Badr Bennis, who came over from Le Meridien Budapest.
Yusuf Yaran has been named exec pastry chef of the Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai, replacing Philippe Agnese. Yaran comes from the Makati Shangri-La Manila, where he held the same title, and before that, the legendary Çiragan Palace Kempinski (Istanbul). Meanwhile, Agnese and his wife have moved to the Philippines, where he has started a wholesale and retail baking company producing cakes and other sweets designed to withstand tropical heat.
Send your international restaurant and hotel f&b news to Julie Mautner at WhiskNews@aol.com
