La Playa Carmel Appoints Brian Shaner as Executive Chef

Chef Shaner Expands Historic Hotel's Culinary Programs with Winemaker Farm-to-Table Dinners and More

. October 22, 2014

October 22, 2014 - La Playa Carmel is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Shaner as executive chef, overseeing all of the culinary operations at the historic hotel. Shaner brings more than 20 years of culinary experience, including recent positions at Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach, Fla., Spago at The Ritz-Carlton, Beaver Creek and Casanova in Carmel.

Chef Shaner is already implementing several exciting, new food and beverage offerings at La Playa Carmel, including:

  • Winemaker farm-to-table dinners - La Playa Carmel supports the local community by partnering with Central Coast winemakers, Salinas Valley farmers and fisherman in Monterey County to host exclusive dinners, which are held quarterly and attended by the local suppliers who join guests at the table to share secrets of their trades while personally presenting each course of the specialty paired menus.
  • Ghirardelli chocolate - The hotel, which celebrates its 110th anniversary in 2015, was once home to the Ghirardelli family. To celebrate this historic connection, La Playa Carmel incorporates the famous chocolate in its freshly baked cookies, signature cocktails, hot cocoa and more.
  • Celebrity bartender nights - Each month, a local Carmel personality serves up $7 signature cocktails alongside live music on the terrace.
  • Signature champagne breakfast - The hotel is known for its expansive breakfast buffet, which is included in the nightly rate and features a custom omelet station, assortment of seasonal fruit, bagel bar and freshly baked pastries, yogurt parfait bar, variety of meat and cheese and more. A Bloody Mary bar is available on the weekends throughout tomato season, as well.
  • Beach picnics - Hotel guests can stroll to the nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea beachfront with gourmet picnics in tow, packed with fresh produce, mixed salads, breads, local artisan cheese, dried fruit and nuts, house-made potato chips and Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies.
  • Celebrating local wineries - Guests at La Playa Carmel are greeted with sparking wine upon arrival and also invited to nightly wine hours hosted by managers daily.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chef Shaner as the hotel's new executive chef,” said La Playa Carmel General Manager Mary Crowe. “His culinary talents and creativity add a dimension and flavor to our various food and beverage programs, which he is already building out beautifully. Chef Shaner has expanded breakfast brunch offerings and created exclusive farm-to-table dinner, highlighting local produce and wineries. He shares our commitment to delivering timeless experiences for our guests, and we believe his culinary ventures will delight La Playa Carmel visitors long after they check out.”

La Playa Carmel's rates begin at $249 per night. To make reservations, please call 800-582-8900 or visit www.laplayahotel.com.

About Brain Shaner:

Executive Chef Brian Shaner joins La Playa Carmel with a prestigious culinary portfolio of more than 20 years working for restaurants operated by world-renowned chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud. His accomplishments include serving as sous chef tournant at Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach, kitchen director for Spago Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Beaver Creek and executive chef of the Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colorado. Additional experience includes serving as consulting chef for Elbert Distributing LLC, in Fort Collins, Colorado, chef de cuisine at Araka Restaurant in Clayton, Missouri, executive sous chef at Larkspur Restaurant and Market in Vail, Colorado. Originally from Missouri, Chef Shaner is influenced by European and classic American cuisine. His food philosophy is to keep it simple and let the ingredients speak for themselves. Chef Shaner always looks to incorporate local and seasonal ingredients, sourcing produce from Salinas Valley and seafood from Monterey County. Throughout fall and winter, he will focus on seasonal offerings such as squash, Brussels sprouts, root vegetables, crab and abalone. As the local wines are very food friendly, he will also capitalize on local wine offerings. When not in the kitchen, Chef Shaner can be found at home cooking with his four-year-old son, Quinn, and pastry chef wife, Lisa.

About La Playa Carmel:

Located in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea just two blocks from the village and beach, La Playa Carmel is a 75-room historic luxury boutique hotel, recently restored to reclaim its past glory and modernized to meet today's expectations. Perched above the Pacific Ocean with expansive views, the hotel features fully renovated guest rooms and interior spaces, colorful gardens, tranquil patios and courtyards perfect for catered events, and a terrace swimming pool. This special place that has lured guests with its charm, beauty and hospitality since the turn-of-the-century, today beckons you to experience the same and make a little history for yourself. www.laplayahotel.com

Business Contact:

Meredith Strodel
T: 310-664-8867
E: [email protected]

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