La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa Appoints Matthew Gray as Exec Head Chef
CONROE, Texas - March 30, 2012 - La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa, Houston's playground for families and friends where elegance meets adventure, proudly appoints Chef Matthew Gray as the new executive head chef of the Four Diamond resort. As the only Michelin-starred chef in the Lone Star state, Chef Matthew Gray served as the executive chef of the resort's former fine-dining experience, Chez Roux. Chef Gray has been empowered to build a menu that has no boundaries, driven by the complexity of tastes and depth of the palate. Gray will be responsible for enhancing the La Torretta overall dining experience, from creating a new menu at the fine-dining restaurant currently in development to take the place of Chez Roux to refreshing the menus and focusing on seasonal ingredients at the other on-property dining facilities and via the catering menu for events and meetings.
“We are thrilled to have appointed such a talented chef within the La Torretta family,” said Michael Blaksteen, director of food & beverage. “With such a diverse background and prestigious pedigree, Chef Gray adds a new level of quality to the already excellent caliber of food and service guests receive at La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa.”
Before being personally selected by Master Chef Albert Roux to take on the executive chef position at Chez Roux, Gray was the executive head chef of Inverlochy Castle - internationally recognized as one of Europe's top hotels - where we had worked under Roux's tutelage since 2005. At Inverlochy, Gray began his employment as a larder chef and quickly rose through the ranks as pastry chef, second chef and executive chef, a title he earned in 2001. Gray graduated with distinction from Napier Polytechnic of Edinburgh with a BA in Hospitality Management and began his culinary career at the prestigious Greywalls Hotel in Muirfield, Scotland while still in school. Following graduation, he returned to the estate property to serve as a commis chef. Gray's first position at a Michelin-rated restaurant was at Knockingam Lodge Hotel in Portpatrick, Scotland. Here, he served as a second chef for a year until joining the culinary team at Inverlochy Castle in 1995
La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa all-suite resort is a playful retreat and charming city escape located on the natural shores of Lake Conroe just outside of downtown Houston. After a recent $130 million transformation, La Torretta entices guests with unmatched outdoor adventures as Houston's playground waiting to be discovered. Whether floating down the lazy river at the Aqua Park or teeing off on the 18-hole golf course, guests of all ages are engaged in building lifelong memories together. Balancing outdoor adventure with world-class sophistication, La Torretta features Texas' only Michelin-starred chef as well as global spa treatments at the renowned SpaTerre.
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