Frank Whittaker to Spearhead Restaurant Concepts for Stanford Hotels

Corporate Executive Chef for Stanford Hotels responsible for overseeing concepts being developed for

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. October 14, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, November 30, 2006. Stanford Hotels Corp., a San Francisco-based company specializing in the management, ownership and development of full-service hotels, has appointed Frank Whittaker as corporate executive chef for its hotels. In this role, Whittaker is responsible for overseeing culinary execution, menu development, and creation of the culinary portion of new restaurant.

With Stanford, Whittaker has opened San Diego's Soleil @k restaurant located at the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Hotel. In December, he will lead the culinary team opening the new MAC 24/7 restaurant at the newly renovated and re-flagged Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel. The new restaurant will be open 24 hours a day featuring classic American dishes with an island flair.

"Frank is part of a team supporting Stanford's goal to take food and beverage in a different and exciting direction," said Clyde Guinn, senior vice president of operations for Stanford Hotels. "Because he has run some of the best kitchens in the country, he has invaluable experience in a variety of styles of cuisine, and adds his expertise in regional and fresh ingredients. We are thrilled to have Frank on board as we work to open MAC 24/7 and the restaurants that we are working to open in 2007 and beyond. Frank is also instrumental in refreshing and improving the culinary offering in our existing restaurants."

While contributing to the creation of Stanford's restaurant concepts, Whittaker focuses on a region's local ingredients and establishing relationships with local meat, fish and produce providers. He uses a fresh approach to cuisine and service by keeping open lines of communication with his group of chefs and their guests.

"Our mantra for food at Stanford is fresh, local, and approachable," said Kevin Batters, Stanford's vice president of food and beverage. "Frank is a big part of bringing that execution to each of our restaurants."

Additionally, it is Whittaker's goal to create a common thread between cuisine offered at the restaurants and the hotel's catering menus so that each hotel has a common culinary point of view throughout all of its points of sale; banquets, bars, restaurants, concierge lounges.everywhere food is served, but begins in the restaurant.

Whittaker was previously with cb5 Restaurant Group, where he was a consultant for multiple projects. While there, he implemented restaurant and menu concepts, kitchen design, hired management, implemented recipes and organized kitchen setup. While with the company, he lent his culinary expertise to projects like Zoe in the W Hotel New Orleans and We in the W Hotel Chicago.

Prior to cb5, Whittaker was executive chef at Moda in New York, where he received rave reviews from William Grimes of The New York Times. While at Moda, he focused on a menu that celebrated his family's heritage through regional Italian cuisine with a rustic simplicity.

Previous to his time at Moda, Whittaker worked with David Burke at the Park Avenue Caf'e in New York and Chicago, as well as at One c.p.s at The Plaza Hotel. He also served in various chef positions under Michael Chiarello at Tra Vigne in Napa Valley. Other credits include corporate chef at Real Restaurants in San Francisco (Loongbar, San Francisco, CA; Postino, Lafayette, CA; Bistecca, Scottsdale, AZ), as well as Michelin Star Restaurants in France and Italy.

Whittaker graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, where he gained classical training in culinary theory and technique.