Press Room
New Chicago Chef Thomas Lents Joins Trump Hotel Collection's Star Kitchen Roster
NEW YORK – March 19, 2012 – TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™ , the next generation of luxury hospitality, today announced the addition of Executive Chef Thomas Lents to its illustrious culinary team. The Joël Robuchon protégé takes the helm of Sixteen at Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, joining a brand-wide star roster headlined by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his eponymous Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond, Michelin Three-Star Restaurant at Trump International Hotel & Tower® New York.
“We are thrilled to have Thomas Lents join us at Trump Chicago as the chef of Sixteen restaurant,” said Jim Petrus, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION’s chief operating officer. “Thomas has had a stellar career working in some of the top restaurants around the world. Sixteen is an absolute natural for a person of his caliber. We know that he will take us to new culinary heights.”
Chef Lents’ Chicago welcome coincides with the opening of STOCK at Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto® and the impending arrival of Koi at Trump SoHo® New York this summer, as TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION continues to bolster its extraordinary culinary reputation.
Chef Lents joins Trump Chicago from the acclaimed Joël Robuchon at The Mansion in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, where he was selected by Robuchon to serve as chef de cuisine – the first American to hold that prestigious assignment. His experience at Michelin-rated restaurants also includes Quince Restaurant in San Francisco and the Thornton Restaurant in Dublin, during which time he took advantage of his proximity to England to stage in several prestigious kitchens there, including the Michelin Three-Star Waterside Inn in Bray and Le Manoir Aux Quatres Saisons in Great Milton.
“I believe there is a tremendous opportunity with fine dining in Chicago,” said Chef Lents, a Michigan native and graduate of New England Culinary Institute under Founding Chef Michel LeBorgne. “After extraordinary momentum over the past few decades, there are very few upscale restaurants opening here today. I am confident that Sixteen can and will be at the forefront of a culinary re-awakening in this great city.”
For Sixteen, Chef Lents has unveiled an exceptional new culinary program that offers a virtuosic, elegant take on modern American cuisine – one that melds French technique, a refined mindset and worldly inspirations. His personal culinary philosophy shines through in menus that showcase the highest-quality ingredients sourced throughout the world and presented in dishes that let their true essence shine through. A few menu highlights: an agnolotti of Scottish pheasant with caramelized salsify, laccinato kale and grana padano; butter-poached Maine lobster with warm winter spices, crystallized savoy cabbage, and pied de mouton mushrooms with a Chateau Chalon sauce; and a Manjari mint pot de crème with rum Chantilly and passion fruit custard.
Chef Lents’ nightly a la carte menus are designed for a three-course meal. Those seeking a progressive gastronomic experience can select his seven-course offering or a prestige tasting menu of 12 courses. Flavors flow from light and delicate to robust and complex, and each course is designed to match the profiles of its beverage pairings, including wines carefully selected by Beverage Director Rachael Lowe, who holds an advanced sommelier degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers and has been named one of StarChef’s 2011 Rising Stars. The menus’ crowning touches are supplied by Executive Pastry Chef Sarah Kosikowski, who has earned national acclaim for her refreshing approach to nostalgic classic desserts.
For more information on Sixteen’s menus, or to make reservations, please visit the restaurant online or call (312) 588-8030.
About TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™
Launched in October 2007, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION™ is the next generation of luxury hospitality – one that is raising the bar in the top-tier travel experience with a level of customized service unrivaled in the market today. Presided over by internationally renowned developer Donald J. Trump and his three grown children – Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric – the prestigious portfolio includes the highly acclaimed Trump International Hotel & Tower® New York, Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, Trump International Hotel™ Las Vegas, Trump International Hotel™ Waikiki Beach Walk®, Trump SoHo® New York, Trump Ocean Club® International Hotel & TowerPanama, and the newly opened Trump International Hotel & TowerToronto®. TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION recently acquired Miami’s iconic Doral® Golf Resort & Spa and will assume operations this summer. Trump International Hotel™ Washington, D.C., a redevelopment of the historic Old Post Office building, is slated to open in 2016. Reservations can be made at www.TRUMPHOTELCOLLECTION.com or by calling (855) TRUMP-00 (878-6700). TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION is headquartered at Trump Tower, 725 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Connect with TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION on its social media pages.
About Sixteen
Located on the 16th Floor of Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, Sixteen was designed by Ivanka Trump and Chicago-based architects Valerio Dewalt Train Associates. The space defines a unique environment that celebrates modern American cuisine and Chicago’s famed architecture. Sixteen serves breakfast daily from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. and Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch is available daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is available Sunday through Wednesday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The Bar at Sixteen, as well as the adjoining Bridges Room, open daily at 11 a.m. and serve a casual bistro menu from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For reservations, please call (312) 588-8030 and visit Sixteen on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SixteenatTrump.
About Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago
Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, located in the heart of the city at 401 N. Wabash Avenue, welcomed its first hotel guests in January 2008. The hotel, comprising floors 14-27 of a 92-story residential tower developed by the Trump Organization, features 339 luxuriously appointed guestrooms including one-, two- and three-bedroom suites; Sixteen, a fine dining restaurant featuring the modern American cuisine of Executive Chef Thomas Lents; The Spa at Trump® with 53 specially appointed spa guest rooms; the Trump Health Club; Rebar, a chic cocktail lounge; The Terrace at Trump and more. Designed by the noted architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with interiors by McGinley Design, Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago is a stunning addition to Chicago’s distinguished skyline. Recently, the hotel was ranked #1 in Large Scale Hotels in the Continental U.S. and Canada and #20 in the World’s Best Hotels Overall category by Travel + Leisure’s 2010 “World’s Best Awards.” For room and event reservations at Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, call (312) 588-8000, (877) 458-TRUMP (7867). Click here to follow the hotel on Twitter. Click here to find the property on Facebook.
For information on owning a Residential Condominium or Hotel Condominium in Trump International Hotel and Tower® Chicago, please call (312) 644-0900. Prices start from the upper $400,000s.
Allison Berger / Jamie Donovan
Middleton & Gendron Inc.
(212) 284-9942 / (212) 980-9194
