News Releases

CHICAGO (August 8, 2011) - This September, the Park Hyatt hotel brand begins the transformation of its acclaimed Masters of Food & Wine event into a global series of seasonally- and locally-inspired culinary weekend Park Hyatt masters workshops that will take place four times per year around the change of season. Through engaging and interactive programming, both resident and visiting gourmands and oenophiles can become ‘masters’ of regional cuisine. The new Park Hyatt masters will preview its fresh philosophy and lighter programming across 19 Park Hyatt hotels around the world beginning the weekend of September 23, 2011. The official launch will take place in January 2012, with the line-up of hands-on cooking classes and tasting events expected to take place on the same weekend at all Park Hyatt hotels worldwide.

Led by Park Hyatt chefs and sommeliers, masters-in-training will learn about top-notch, seasonal cuisine in three hands-on ‘courses’ on the designated day:

In the Field: Interaction with artisanal food or beverage purveyors

In the Kitchen: Onsite cooking and prep workshops

In the Moment: Tips on service and presentation

“Our guests actively request one-of-a-kind, culturally rich experiences that have a take-home element, particularly in food and beverage,” says Achim Lenders, vice president of food and beverage, international, for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. “It is a natural evolution to transform our Park Hyatt masters events into something more simple and interactive; pairing guests with local chefs and vintners, and giving guests the chance to become masters themselves and to see the destination through local eyes.”

Individual hotel itineraries showcasing regional ingredients and producers during the September preview include:

• Park Hyatt Zurich will host a Swiss grape harvest, a workshop on Switzerland’s female winemakers, and a boat trip across Lake Zurich to a winery for a bottling lesson and picnic.
• Park Hyatt Aviara Resort will host a day-long Southern California culinary experience with a visit to Carlsbad Aquafarms where participants will enjoy a unique Mussels Eclade lunch and a Sauvignon Blanc and Oyster tasting. A wine dinner in the resort’s signature Italian restaurant, Vivace, concludes the masters program.
• Park Hyatt Mendoza will host an olive oil tasting and an interactive cooking class with special recipes created for Park Hyatt masters based on a signature olive oil produced in a nearby grove exclusively for the hotel’s restaurant.
• Park Hyatt Maldives will take guests on a twilight fishing excursion to catch the next day’s main ingredient and the next morning will travel by boat to a nearby island to meet a local grower. After selecting ingredients, they will head back to the resort to conclude their Park Hyatt masters experience with a chef-led cooking class on traditional Maldivian cuisine using the fresh ingredients collected that day.

The quarterly Park Hyatt masters events will take place around the turn of each season on the weekends of January 13-15, March 23-25, June 24-26, and September 21-23, 2012. All classes will be limited in size to ensure maximum interaction for each master-to-be, which, depending on the property, will be, on average, between eight and 25 guests. Participating guests will be provided with recipes and/or tasting notes associated with their experience, and photos and videos of Park Hyatt masters demonstrations will be shared with the Park Hyatt community on the brand’s Facebook page facebook.com/parkhyatt.

Participating Park Hyatt hotels for the preview of Park Hyatt masters in September (as of August 2011) include:

In North America – Aviara (San Diego), Beaver Creek, Chicago, Toronto, Washington

In South America – Mendoza, Buenos Aires

In Europe - Hamburg, Istanbul, Zurich, Paris

In Southwest Asia - Maldives

In the Middle East – Jeddah, Dubai

In Asia - Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Saigon, Tokyo

Workshop itineraries and pricing will vary by location and will be available to reserve directly through each hotel. Beginning August 22, more details about the global program, the calendar of events, pricing and additions to participating properties’ itineraries will be available at www.mastersfoodandwine.com.

About Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt provides discerning, affluent individual business and leisure guests with elegant and luxurious accommodations. Guests of Park Hyatt receive highly attentive personal service in an intimate environment. Located in many of the world's premier destinations, each Park Hyatt is custom designed to combine sophistication with distinctive regional character. Park Hyatt features well-appointed guestrooms, meeting and special event spaces for smaller groups, critically acclaimed art and food and beverage programs, and signature restaurants featuring award-winning chefs. There are currently 26 Park Hyatt hotels with locations including: Baku, Beaver Creek, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Canberra, Chicago, Dubai, Goa, Hamburg, Istanbul, Jeddah, Maldives, Melbourne, Mendoza, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Saigon, San Diego, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington D.C., and Zurich.

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