Benchmark Hospitality Chefs Featured at Acclaimed James Beard House, New York

New York, February 2008 … Benchmark Hospitality chefs from the company’s restaurants, hotels and resorts in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas joined together recently at the invitation of The James Beard Foundation to cook dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan. This was the third consecutive year that Benchmark Hospitality chefs received the invitation by the James Beard organization.

Featured Benchmark chefs included Richard Varga, executive chef, and Tom Drake, restaurant chef at The Heldrich of New Brunswick, New Jersey; Konrad Meier, executive chef and Thomas Pratt, executive pastry chef for Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pennsylvania; Rick Shell, executive chef at The Chattanoogan of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Derek Fontenot, executive chef at Hotel Contessa, located in San Antonio, Texas

The five course menu was served to over 90 guests at the James Beard House, which included members of the James Beard Foundation, members of the media, Benchmark Hospitality's invited guests, and executives from leading New York-area corporations

The James Beard House was home to the Dean of American Cookery, James Beard, from 1976 until his passing at age 81 in 1985. The multifaceted Beard, who established cooking schools and published over 20 important cookbooks, many of which are still in print, left a legacy of culinary excellence and integrity to generations of home cooks and professional chefs. His name remains synonymous with American cuisine.

Attached Photo L to R:

Chef Zachery Lorber, Pastry Chef Thomas Pratt, Chef Richard Varga, Chef Konrad Meier, Chef Derek Fontenot, Chef Rick Shell, Sommelier Mary Watson, Bob Zappatelli, Benchmark’s Vice President Food & Beverage, Chef Tom Drake, Chef Matt Pinner.

The James Beard Foundation (www.jamesbeard.org), based in New York City, is the definitive culinary arts organization in the United States dedicated to showcasing American chefs' talents. It is named after the great American chef, Dean of American Cooking, and Father of American Gastronomy, James Beard. The Foundation and The James Beard House, where chefs from around the world showcase their talents, are situated in Manhattan in Beard's original townhouse home, located in Greenwich Village.The mission of The James Beard Foundation is to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America's culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of the nation's culinary excellence.

Hotel Contessa Celebrating the region’s unmatched storied heritage as a fusion of cultures, Hotel Contessa pays homage to the best of San Antonio, incorporating modern interpretations of its unique architecture, hospitality, cuisine and lifestyle. The 240,000-square-foot, 12-story hotel features 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting and event facilities, a dedicated fitness center, full-service spa and rooftop swimming pool, as well as a gourmet restaurant and lounge that give leisure and business travelers a true taste of the new San Antonio. Hotel Contessa embodies Benchmark Hospitality’s more than twenty-five years of innovation and excellence in the operation and development of premium hotels, resorts and conference centers. The property is located at 306 W. Market in San Antonio, Texas. For more information or to make your reservation, please call 210-229-9222 or log onto www.thehotelcontessa.com

The Chattanoogan www.chattanooganhotel.com, a 210,000 square-foot five-story upscale urban resort with 199 guest rooms and suites, has three outstanding restaurants, a 25,000 square-foot conference center with comprehensive meeting planning and audiovisual support services and a spa with four treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, fitness center, indoor pool, whirlpool and patio overlooking the hotel's courtyard. The property is conveniently located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, within a two-hour drive from Atlanta; Nashville; Knoxville; Huntsville, Alabama; and Birmingham, Alabama. It is within walking distance of the city's museums, galleries, retail stores, restaurants and The Tennessee Aquarium. The Chattanoogan is operated by Benchmark Hospitality International.

Bedford Springs Resort is a vintage Pennsylvania springs hotel, located in historic Bedford, which captivated American society for three centuries. Completely refreshed and revitalized, the destination resort’s restoration has already received acclaim from preservation officials for the painstaking attention paid to historically accurate details. Close to the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 70, the resort is a convenient two-hour drive from Baltimore and Washington, DC, 90 minutes from Pittsburgh, three hours from Philadelphia and four hours from New York City. Bedford Springs Resort is just 129 miles from Pittsburgh International Airport and 113 miles from Harrisburg International Airport. For additional information, call 814-623-8100 or visit www.bedfordspringsresort.com. Benchmark Hospitality International operates Bedford Springs Resort.

Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd., is the owner and developer of the Bedford Springs Resort project. The partners include The Ferchill Group of Cleveland, Ohio, a real estate development company that specializes in historic rehabilitation projects, Chevron TCI, Inc., a leading investor in tax credit rehabilitation projects in the United States and The Bedford Springs Company, LLC.

The Heldrich is located in the cultural heart of New Jersey in New Brunswick. The property is situated at 10 Livingston Avenue across from the city’s famed Theatre Row, just west of important US Route 1 and four blocks from the News Brunswick Train Station (serving the Northeast Corridor: Boston-New York-Philadelphia-Washington, DC) and close to Exit 9 of the NJ Turnpike. It is 45 minutes outside New York City and has rail service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The Heldrich features a 248-guestroom luxury hotel, Christopher’s Restaurant, serving freshly prepared specialties created in an exhibition kitchen to delight even the most discriminating palate, Christopher’s Bar, and an elegant ballroom, ideal for social and corporate gatherings. For more information on The Heldrich, call 732-729-4670 or visit www.theheldrich.com. The Heldrich is operated by Benchmark Hospitality International.

Lansdowne Resort (www.lansdowneresort.com) is the capital region's premier, full-service resort. Managed by Benchmark Hospitality International, the resort is situated on 500 + acres of countryside along the Potomac River near Leesburg, Virginia. Lansdowne features 305 freshly renovated luxury guestrooms and suites, the luxurious Spa Minérale, 45 holes of championship golf, a new 45,000 square foot clubhouse, and six dining outlets.

Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, operates resorts, conference centers, hotels and condominium resorts both domestically and internationally. For locations of Benchmark Hospitality properties and for additional information, visit Benchmark's Website at www.benchmarkhospitality.com.