The Inverness Hotel Hires Griff Sickendick as Baca’s New Chef de Cuisine

Sickendick is the third new chef to join the hotel as it undergoes a culinary rebirth

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Apr. 2, 2008 - Anthony Sinese, The Inverness Hotel’s Executive Chef, appoints Griff Sickendick as Baca’s new Chef de Cuisine. Sickendick joins a distinguished team of new chefs in joint pursuit of transforming everyday guest dining into a multi-sensory experience sparked by fresh, local ingredients, artistic food displays and impeccable service. As Baca’s Chef de Cuisine, Chef Sickendick will oversee daily restaurant operations in addition to working closely with Executive Chef Sinese to introduce a medley of new elements to further elevate Baca’s culinary cachet among hotel and drive market patrons.

In this position, Chef Sickendick will manage daily kitchen activities, local purveyor relationships and back-end business operations. Specifically, he will direct back and front-of-the-house cooks and wait staff, re-create Baca’s signature menu, inspire rotating seasonal dishes, and coordinate a series of special events, culinary educational gatherings and distinctive wine dinners. In addition to managing Baca, he will also oversee food and beverage efforts for The Garden Terrace, The Inverness Hotel’s casual dining venue. An accomplished and talented craftsman, Chef Sickendick plans to introduce best practices he has gathered during his 14-year tenure including a new wait staff service model, a cook training and mentoring program and a new approach to dish preparation and display.

Prior to The Inverness, Chef Sickendick was the Executive Chef at Pesce Fresco, an Italian bistro and wine bar. For two years, he applied his own interpretation of Italian cuisine to create unique, contemporary dishes and daily specials. He oversaw kitchen operations including personnel management decisions and vendor relations. His keen sense of business enabled him to maintain costs and work to keep labor cost down which resulted in rapid growth for the restaurant. In addition to Pesce Fresco, Chef Sickendick successfully opened Bistro Vendome and led kitchen efforts at other area favorites including Solera, Micole and Q's in the Hotel Boulderado.

“Denver's dining scene is maturing at a rapid pace and empowering patrons to indulge in the delectable art of good food," said Sinese. “Many elements come into play when deciding to try a new restaurant, but the magic a chef and his team concocts in the kitchen is what transforms a meal from an everyday occurrence to a full-sensory experience. That is the transformation currently underway at The Inverness Hotel. Chef Sickendick is an amazing and talented chef that not only strengthens our team, but helps bring us one step closer to realizing this culinary vision."

Nestled in the hotel's main foyer, Baca is an upscale restaurant featuring contemporary Colorado cuisine prepared with a Spanish flair. Tapping the region’s bounty of Colorado-range bison, stream-fresh fish and locally raised chicken and beef, cooks prepare dishes in a traditional Spanish manner with lively sauces, spices and indigenous ingredients to tantalize the palate with rich and bold flavors. Baca offers a medley of tapas and tempting dishes complete with an entire cellar of vintage wines from Spain, Chile and around the world.

For more information about the property and current guest packages and promotions, please visit www.InvernessHotel.com or call 800.832.9053.

The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center
The Inverness Hotel is a full-service hotel and conference center situated in suburban Denver, Colo. that offers 302 recently renovated guestrooms and suites and a premiere medley of business and leisure amenities. Hotel guests enjoy convenient, on-property access to a new, full-service spa; an 18-hole Preston Maxwell designed golf course, five multi-cuisine restaurants and boutique shops. With 42 individual meeting rooms and a wide array of outdoor event venues encompassing more than 60,000 square-feet, The Inverness Hotel is a preferred property of choice for work, play or both.

Destination Hotels & Resorts
The Inverness Hotel is one of more than 30 independent, upscale and luxury hotels, resorts and golf clubs in the United States managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, the fifth largest independent hospitality management company in the country. The company, headquartered in suburban Denver, Colo., features a portfolio of more than 7,000 guest rooms, 10 golf courses and 12 full-service spas. Destination Hotels & Resorts properties are located in key metropolitan and resort markets including Washington, D.C., Houston, Denver, Dallas, San Diego, Santa Fe, Aspen, Austin, Phoenix, Portland, Palm Springs, Maui and Lake Tahoe. For more information on the properties in the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection, please visit www.destinationhotels.com.