French Restaurant at Sofitel Minneapolis Announces New Exec Chef

Colette's Chef Mark Crane Pairs Midwest Style Cuisine with French Flair

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. June 14, 2011

Minneapolis, MN - June 13, 2011- Colette Bar & Bistro , at the French luxury hotel Sofitel Minneapolis, announces Mark Crane as its new Executive Chef. With more than 14 years of accomplished cooking experience, Chef Mark brings a passion for modern techniques, local ingredients and French cuisine to Twin Cities' diners.

“We are thrilled to name Mark as our new Executive Chef at Colette Bar & Bistro,” said Eric Lemaire, general manager of Sofitel Minneapolis. “He has been an Executive Sous chef at Sofitel since 2007 and displays impeccable talent and culinary expertise, always serving guests exceptional cuisine.”

Chef Mark was first exposed to the hospitality industry as a teenager. He worked as a dishwasher in a local restaurant when one evening, three chefs walked out of the restaurant and he was pulled onto the line to cook. A “baptism by fire,” this experience sparked his passion for culinary arts, from which he has now forged a successful career.

Led by his motivation and success, Chef Mark's talents have earned him noted culinary prestige. After completing an extensive, hands-on apprenticeship, he went on to cook at several highly-acclaimed restaurants in Europe, including the award-winning Fawsley Hall Hotel and the Michelin award-winning Paris Restaurant, both in England. While working as a chef at Fawsley Hall Hotel, Chef Mark contributed to the hotel's 3 AA Rosettes rating.

“I strive to intertwine traditional French cuisine, with a local twist,” said Chef Mark. “My motto is simple—combine modern cooking techniques with the best local ingredients to create a truly “magnifique” dining experience.”

Along with a new Executive Chef, Colette Bar & Bistro has a revamped dinner menu that includes items such as smoked salmon carpaccio and Colette famous tourte. The new menu also features two De-Light dishes. The De-Light program offers low-calorie cuisine, showcasing the chefs' inventive techniques in creating healthy, satisfying meals without sacrificing flavor. The new dishes are le gazpacho, a traditional chilled tomato soup and dover sole, a fish dish with fennel, tomato confit and quinoa.

Colette Bar & Bistro is located inside Sofitel Minneapolis at 5601 West 78th Street, Bloomington, MN, 55439. Colette Bar & Bistro is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

For more information on Colette Bar & Bistro or to make reservations, please call (952) 835-1900 or visit www.sofitelmplsdining.com.

Follow Sofitel Minneapolis on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sofitelmn and Facebook at www.facebook.com/sofitelmn.

Sofitel Hotels are in major destinations across North America: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Miami and Washington, D.C.

The complete Colette Bar & Bistro menu and photography available upon request.

Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents with 150 addresses, in more than 50 countries. Sofitel offers contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today's more demanding and more versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, quality and excellence. Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, New York or Bangkok, or nestled away in a country landscape in French Polynesia or Brazil, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the French art de vivre .

Discover Sofitel on www.sofitel.com

Discover A|Club at Sofitel, the new worldwide Accor loyalty program on www.a-club.com