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Award-Wining Pastry Chef Mellisa Root Joins Culinary Team at Madera
Nov. 16, 2011
MENLO PARK, CA - Michael Casey, Managing Director of Madera Restaurant at Rosewood Sand Hill®, the luxury hotel and spa in Menlo Park, is pleased to announce that award-winning pastry chef Mellisa Root has joined Chef Peter Rudolph and his outstanding culinary team. With two decades of experience in the kitchens of the world’s most prestigious hotels, luxury resorts, restaurants and country clubs, Chef Root is uniquely qualified to develop creative desserts and artisan baked goods that complement Madera’s locally-inspired seasonal menus.
“Mellisa offers an exceptional amount of talent and experience, and we are thrilled she has joined our team,” said Chef Rudolph. “Her creativity and skills lend themselves perfectly to our commitment to providing cuisine in the tradition of the Western United States – approachable, earthy and eclectic – and always relying on the best available local ingredients.”
Chef Root comes to Madera Restaurant from Thomas Keller's Per Se, recently awarded three Michelin stars and voted the 10th best restaurant in the world. Chef Root also worked as a Chocolatier under the tutelage of noted Executive Pastry Chef, Jean Claude Canestrier to help prepare for the opening of the new five-star M Resort in Las Vegas.
In 2008, Chef Root represented the United States as the Pastry Chef on the Culinary Olympic Team, competing at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany, where she won three gold medals for her work. In addition, Chef Root has won numerous other awards and contests over the years, including three gold and two silver medals at the 2007 International Culinary Federation competition in Chicago. She graduated at the top of her class of the California Culinary Academy, and has received additional training and certification from some of the world’s most noted pastry specialists, including Ewald Notter; Michael Joy, Wiener Heitz; and Jacquey Pheiffier.
“I am excited to join the kitchen at Madera,” said Chef Root. “I am looking forward to developing a dessert program that incorporates the tastes and attitudes of California and the Western United States.”
Madera at Rosewood Sand Hill® offers a menu of refined yet approachable food that honors the many culinary traditions of the Bay Area. Led by Executive Chef Peter Rudolph, the restaurant’s artfully-crafted, market-driven cuisine of bold flavors are built around the restaurant’s wood-fire grill and rotisserie oven and created from sustainably harvested and produced seafood and meats, coupled with the bountiful harvest of the surrounding farming communities. Madera is recognized with one star in the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country for two consecutive years, 2011and 2012. The restaurant’s wine program, led by Wine Director Paul Mekis, reflects the underlying culinary philosophy of the restaurant, showcasing an impressive wine list that embraces the regional cuisine and local influences with wines from the world’s best wine producing regions. Additional information is available at www.maderasandhill.com.
Rosewood Sand Hill, which opened in April 2009, is located just one mile west of the Stanford University campus and adjacent to some of the nation’s foremost venture capital and private equity firms. Intended to meld with the surrounding landscape, the hotel’s low-rise design is inspired by local architectural traditions and expressive of the transparency between indoors and outdoors. Rosewood Sand Hill features 123 elegantly appointed guest rooms with state-of-the-art in-room technology. In addition to Madera, hotel amenities include a 17,000-square-foot Sense® spa, which includes 13 treatment rooms, Alex Chases Salon, a fitness room and outdoor pool, and 13,000 square feet of well-equipped, beautifully designed meeting spaces. For sales or reservation information call 888.ROSEWOOD
Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® manages one-of-a-kind luxury properties in the world’s most desired destinations. Rosewood properties embrace the company’s A Sense of Place® philosophy, reflecting the history, architecture, scale and sensibilities of the destination. With 19 properties in seven countries, the Rosewood collection includes some of the most legendary hotels and resorts in the world, including Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek® in Dallas, The Carlyle in New York, Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, as well as contemporary classics such as Rosewood Sand Hill® in California, Rosewood San Miguel de Allende® in Mexico and Rosewood Tucker’s Point in Bermuda. Rosewood also offers Sense® spa – featuring treatments reflective of the location’s culture and natural environment – available exclusively at select properties.
Contact
Amie Rubenstein
Glodow Nead Communicatins
amie@glodownead.com
T: 415.394.6500