The Alfond Inn: Chef Marc Kusche debuts at James Beard House

Florida Executive Chef Marc Kusche of Hamilton’s Kitchen to Debut at The James Beard House in New York

August 10, 2015, Winter Park, Florida – Executive Chef Marc Kusche of the award-winning Hamilton’s Kitchen at The Alfond Inn has been invited to cook at the legendary James Beard House in New York City this fall. Florida Farmhouse Flavor will be the theme of Chef Kusche’s inspired multi-course dinner on Friday, October 23, 2015.

Chef Kusche and his team at Hamilton’s Kitchen in The Alfond Inn, the stylish boutique hotel that was voted the #2 hotel in Florida in the Condé Nast Traveler 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards, have been praised as trendsetters in Greater Orlando’s dynamic food scene. Chef Kusche offers a fresh take on Southern comfort food and has a strong commitment to locally sourced ingredients from the lush and fertile farms of Central Florida. The rustic farmhouse atmosphere of Hamilton’s Kitchen is the ideal setting for his fare, and Chef Kusche has become both a figurehead and a supporter of the booming Central Florida food scene.

Chef Kusche places his priority on freshness and he can be found most Saturday mornings at the Winter Park Farmers Market in the city’s historic old train depot, a few blocks from his restaurant, located at The Alfond Inn. He has close relationships with the family farms in the region, as well as purveyors of seafood from the nearby Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

It is an honor to present a dinner at The James Beard House.  Beard, a cookbook author and teacher, was a champion of American cuisine.  The mission of the James Beard Foundation is to celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s culinary heritage and future. Each year only a select handful of chefs are invited to cook at the historic James Beard House, a narrow brownstone in New York’s Greenwich Village that served as Beard’s home for decades and until his death in 1985. The rooms, book collections and the quirky kitchen are all preserved as he left it.  The preparation of Chef Kusche’s dinner will be live streamed via the Kitchencam at JBFKitchencam.org

At the Beard House, Chef Kusche and the Hamilton’s Kitchen team will prepare such dishes as Short Rib Pralines with Basil Crust and Balsamic-Onion Confit; Hamilton’s Kitchen Shrimp and Grits; Slow-Braised Lamb Neck with Pumpkin Risotto, Honey and Rosemary-Glazed Parsnips and Mustard Seed Sauce; and Olive Oil-Poached Red Snapper with Caramelized Cauliflower, Caper Berries, Tomatoes, and Shaved Fennel. Click here to view the full menu with wine pairings.

Chef Kusche has cooked in some of the finest kitchens in the world, including Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, the Adlon Hotel in Berlin and Silversea Cruises. Redefining comfort food is at the heart of his culinary passion.

Tickets to the event are $130 for James Beard members and $170 for the general public. They may be purchased at 212-627-2308, through the James Beard website or via OpenTable.

For those who want to taste Chef Kusche’s cuisine but are unable to attend the Beard House event, The Alfond Inn offers its Auberge in the Park package.

• Dinner for two at Hamilton’s Kitchen, Chef’s Tasting Menu with wine pairings.
• Classic Room accommodations for two.
• Package is based on double occupancy, for one night, and dinner for two. It does not include taxes or restaurant gratuity.
• Priced from $309, based on double occupancy
• Valid until December 15, 2015
• Details at The Alfond Inn

The Alfond Inn

The Alfond Inn, voted the #2 hotel in Florida in the Condé Nast Traveler 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards, is a stylish boutique hotel in Winter Park. Owned by Rollins College, a private coeducational liberal arts college, also in Winter Park, The Alfond Inn was built with a $12.5-million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation. Net operating income from the Inn is directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund, the College’s premier scholarship fund. A Preferred Boutique Hotel that has a AAA Four Diamond Rating, The Alfond Inn is managed by The Olympia Companies, an innovative leader in hospitality. The 112-room boutique hotel includes the popular Hamilton’s Kitchen restaurant, a pool and fitness center, and 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. It is 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and 30 minutes from Walt Disney World and Orlando International Airport. The Alfond Inn, 300 East New England Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789. 407-998-8090. www.thealfondinn.com