JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN BRINGS THE FLAVORS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA TO ATLANTA

CHEF JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN BRINGS THE FLAVORS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA TO ATLANTA WITH SPICE MARKET IN THE W ATLANTA-MIDTOWN

Internationally renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents his critically acclaimed Spice Market restaurant in the new W Atlanta-Midtown. A timeless paean to Southeast Asian sensuality, Spice Market will excite Atlantans with Vongerichten’s piquant elevations of the region’s street cuisine served in a casual, sexy atmosphere.

“Atlanta offers me the opportunity to showcase my food to a new community of diners that will appreciate the Southeast Asian flavors of Spice Market. I am thrilled to be able to bring my cuisine to a city with such an exciting culinary future,” says Vongerichten.

“At W, delightful culinary encounters are a passion of our brand, so we are thrilled to partner with Chef Jean-Georges,” says Ross Klein, President, Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. “Chef Jean-Georges’ culinary vision and creative ingenuity makes him a terrific match for the W brand and we look forward to working together as we continue to re-imagine “Yum” experiences for our local W loyalists.”

Inspired by the vibrant street life of Southeast Asia, Spice Market enchants guests with fun and adventurous flavors served in a relaxed, alluring environment. Vongerichten has traveled and worked throughout Asia for over 20 years, and he recreates some of his favorite street food experiences at Spice Market. Dishes display complex blends of spices and layers of flavor, and are presented to the table family-style; courses arrive continuously throughout the meal and are placed in the center of table for all to share.

Curries and spices are tweaked to tantalizing effect in bold dishes that include Spiced Chicken Samosas with Cilantro Yogurt; Crunchy Squid Salad with Ginger, Papaya & Cashews; Striped Bass with Wok-Fried Napa Cabbage, Water Chestnut and Cucumber; Char Grilled Chicken with Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing; and Onion and Chili Crusted Short Ribs with Egg Noodles and Pea Shoots.

Chef de Cuisine Ian Winslade joins Spice Market after his tenure at some of Atlanta’s best restaurants including BluePointe and Shout. Winslade’s work at Spice Market melds his beliefs with that of Vongerichten’s; bringing full circle their shared interest in Asian-inspired cuisine.

Designed by New York City-based firm AvroKO, Spice Market balances the beauty and character of artifact with the warm modernism of sweeping spaces fashioned from dark woods, brass and stone. The combined elements create a retro-futuristic vision of contemporary Southeast Asian dining. Rich leathers and silks in deep plum adorn resolutely contemporary furnishings. Found artifacts and materials from Asia are deconstructed and then reconstructed, placed into modern steel, brass or wood chassis, then integrated into the architecture to create a completely re-contextualized sense of place and time.

Spice Market is located in the W Atlanta-Midtown, 188 14th Street, NE. For reservations, please call
(404) 549-5450.

Dinner served daily; Monday – Saturday, 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm; Sunday, 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Lunch served Monday – Friday, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. Breakfast served Monday – Friday, 7:00 am – 10:30 am; Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 am – 11:00 am. The bar and lounge are open Monday – Thursday, 11:30 am – 12:00 am; Friday – Saturday, 11:30 am – 1:00 am; Sunday 11:30 am – 11:00 pm. Spice Market seats 258 in the dining room and 54 in the bar and lounge. Private dining is available in The Pond Room and The Trellis Room. Visit www.spicemarketatlanta.com for more information.

ABOUT CULINARY CONCEPTS BY JEAN-GEORGES
Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges develops, owns, operates, manages and licenses world-class restaurants created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In a partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and private equity firm Catterton Partners, Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges creates international, multi-concept restaurant and licensing businesses to be utilized both in Starwood’s luxury hotel brands including W, Luxury Collection, and the St. Regis as well as freestanding locations throughout the world. Culinary Concepts’ current portfolio includes 10 concepts that are either existing or in development. Existing properties include Spice Market in New York City, Chambers Kitchen at Chambers Hotel, Minneapolis, and Lagoon at St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora. For more information, please visit www.culinaryconcepts.com.

ABOUT JEAN-GEORGES VONGERICHTEN
Internationally renowned for his innovative, groundbreaking cuisine, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has emerged as one of the world’s leading chefs. Acclaimed by critics as ‘formidably gifted’ and a ‘residential genius,’ his culinary vision has consistently set new standards and helped define modern cuisine. He has earned an unprecedented total of 20 stars from The New York Times for his New York City restaurants – Jean Georges, JoJo, Vong, Mercer Kitchen, Perry St and Spice Market. In 2007, Jean-Georges was awarded a total of six Michelin stars; three for Jean Georges, one each for Vong, JoJo and Perry St. A singularly notable accomplishment was the presentation of three major awards to Jean-Georges in 1998 by the James Beard Foundation – Best New Restaurant for Jean Georges, America’s Outstanding Chef, and Who’s Who of Food & Beverage. This ‘triple crown’ to the same chef in the same year was a first for the Foundation. Vongerichten has published several cookbooks including Simple Cuisine (Wiley, 1990); Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef (Broadway, 1998), for which he won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Cookbook in 1999; Simple to Spectacular (Random House, 2000); and most recently, Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges (Broadway, 2007). He has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Martha Stewart Living, The Early Show on CBS and as a regular guest on TV Food Network.

ABOUT STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien® and the recently announced AloftSM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.