Savannah Red Restaurant Chefs at Charlotte Marriott City Center Honored with James Beard Invitation

CHARLOTTE, NC – August 14, 2009 – While Chefs Jean-Pierre Marechal and Jason Gray at Savannah Red, a Southern restaurant in Charlotte, NC at the Charlotte Marriott City Center were busy creating new growing programs with local farmers and redesigning the menu to put an upscale twist on traditional Southern cuisine, the culinary world started to take notice. Soon, the James Beard Foundation heard the Savannah Red buzz and the two restaurant chefs were invited to cook in New York on August 19th at the James Beard House.

For the Belgian-born Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Marechal who has worked on more than five continents and in more than 21 countries, the invitation to cook in New York City at the James Beard House is a great honor.

Chef Marechal has found that he is easily able to adapt his culinary style to whichever location he finds himself to be working in. When he arrived at the Charlotte City Center restaurant, he quickly set about learning the Southern experience, and then opted to create a Southern Fusion cooking style where he took a classic Southern dish like Peach Cobbler, and reinvented it for fine dining. As a result, his Brandy-Scented Lobster Cobbler with Chive-Basil Phyllo Cups was the new reincarnation. This dish - along with eight other creative offerings - will be on the menu for diners to savor on August 19th at the James Beard House. For a complete copy of the evening's menu, visit the James Beard Foundation event calendar.

Chef Marechal has also been creating quite a buzz in Charlotte because of his partnerships with local farmers. He currently has 60 area farms working for him to grow fresh produce and has even inspired some to try growing things they had never harvested before including purple potatoes, purple beans, zucchini blossoms, and more. The virtual farmer's market he is now a participant in is the Farmer's Fresh Market - www.farmersfreshmarket.org.

Tickets for the James Beard Dinner on August 19th at 7 p.m. are $100 for James Beard Foundation members and $125 for the general public. Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling 212-237-2308 or by visiting www.jamesbeard.org.

For those who are unable to make it to New York City, the Savannah Red Southern restaurant in Charlotte City Center will be offering a Prelude 2 the James Beard Foundation Dinner on July 31 at 7:00 p.m. For more information or reservations for this dinner, call (704) 358-6524.


ABOUT SAVANNAH RED AT THE CHARLOTTE CITY CENTER MARRIOTT
Savannah Red restaurant in Center City Charlotte is a unique, upscale restaurant that elevates the time-tested flavors of traditional Southern cooking to new heights. Perfectly fusing imagination and wit into the standbys of southern cuisine, Executive Chef Jean Pierre Marechal creates a culinary experience as striking as the interiors. The bold use of color and modern furnishings - as well as superb service - will set the tone for a truly unforgettable meal at Savannah Red. Savannah Red's menu has its roots in the Old South with an added twist of New South sassiness in its offerings. With awe-inspiring dishes, the restaurant has something that will please the most discerning palate. For additional information, click here or visit www.MarriottCityCenter.com.