March 27, 2006
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter annouces new Executive Chef, Kenny Gilbert
JUPITER, Fla. – March 27, 2006 – Kenny Gilbert has been appointed executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter. A highly credentialed culinary personality with a following throughout Florida, Chef Gilbert is responsible for managing the property’s five dining facilities, including a signature Ritz-Carlton dining room, poolside bar and grill, and in-home dining services and catered events.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, Chef Gilbert joined The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. in Amelia Island, Fla. under the direction of Chef Matt Medure, executive chef of the resort’s fine dining restaurant, The Grill Room. As Chef Medure’s lead cook and sous chef, the two made history in 1995 by earning the restaurant its first AAA Five Diamond award – the only one in the state of Florida. After Chef Medure’s departure to open his own restaurant, Chef Kenny Gilbert, at the age of 23, assumed the role of executive chef, the youngest in the company. Under Chef Gilbert’s guidance, The Grill Room continued to earn the coveted AAA Five Diamond award for the next seven years.
After Amelia Island, Chef Gilbert opened an innovative new restaurant called Caxambas in Naples, Fla. that was owned and operated by Joseph Freni, one of the founders of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. He then joined the team at The Lodge on Sea Island Georgia, a AAA Five Diamond and Mobil Five-Star resort, as executive chef, overseeing five restaurants. It was here he had the honor to personally cook for the G-8 Conference leaders. In late 2004, Chef Gilbert once again joined his long-time friend and mentor, Chef and Proprietor Matt Medure, as corporate executive chef for the acclaimed restaurant company, the San Marco Group of Restaurants.
During his professional tenure, Chef Gilbert has earned accolades for his style of international cuisine with a Southern influence. He was a featured chef at the James Beard House in New York in 1999 and 2002; he was the winner of the Food Network’s “Ready, Set, Cook” challenge in Jacksonville, Fla. in 2001; he was responsible for Florida Trend magazine naming The Grill Room, Amelia Island as one of the ‘Top 100 Restaurants in Florida’ from 1999-2002; and he was named Star Chef of the Year by the Chef’s Garden Culinary Institute in 2005.
“My career has now come full circle, yet I still have the same focus, the same philosophy, the same love of food that I had as an apprentice,” said Chef Gilbert. “My greatest satisfaction in the kitchen now comes from assisting my staff in achieving their own dreams. Ultimately, it’s all about roots. Stay true to your roots, cultivate strong roots, and give back by planting new ones.”
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter, a 285-acre private community, features four distinctive home-ownership options – The Villas, The Residences, The Estates and the fractional ownership, Ritz-Carlton Club Homes that provide Members with 35 days of luxury vacation living. Club Home Members also have reciprocal membership benefits to occupy other Ritz-Carlton Club locations.
In addition to real estate, the community features the Audubon-certified Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, a 68,000 square-foot clubhouse, 15,000 square-foot spa, tennis courts, member’s lounge, locker rooms with stewards, a resort-style swimming pool with waterfalls, and a Ritz Kids program. The golf course and spa primarily service residents; however, a limited number of non-resident memberships are available to the public.
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