JIM BARNETT APPOINTED EXECUTIVE CHEF AT THE WESTIN BOOK CADILLAC DETROIT

DETROIT, MI – Jim Barnett, former executive chef for the Birmingham, Mich. Townsend Hotel, has been appointed executive chef for The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, a 455-room, 33-story hotel. The historic hotel will open on October 1, 2008, following a $200 million restoration.

In his executive food and beverage role, Chef Barnett will be responsible for all culinary operations for the hotel, including the hotel’s 125-seat restaurant, The Boulevard Room, and the return of the legendary Motor Bar. He will also oversee the hotel’s 24-hour, in-room dining services, the gourmet “grab-n-go” coffee outlet, banquets and catering, and all menu content and execution. On October 25, Chef Barnett will create a gourmet dinner for guests as part of Book Cadillac: Next Chapter, a gala fund raiser for two children’s charities, and to celebrate the restoration of the landmark hotel.

“We are thrilled to have Chef Barnett join our Westin team,” said The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit General Manager Tim Freisen. “He has tremendous culinary experience and knows our community well. Our hotel guests, including meeting and conference groups will be very pleased with his creative offerings.”
Prior to joining The Townsend Barnett was a corporate executive chef for the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group based in Bingham Farms, Mich. He supervised major catering events for the Prentice Group including the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Over the last five years Barnett has provided the culinary leadership for the Detroit Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, a fund raising event to help end childhood hunger in America. A culinary arts graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island school, Johnson & Wales, Barnett also attended the University of Missouri (Columbia) for hotel and restaurant management training. In 2000, Barnett was named the Midwest Operation Frontline Chef of the Year; Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline is a nutrition-education program that connects families with food by teaching them how to prepare healthy, tasty meals on a limited budget.

The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit pre-opening office is located at 234 State Street, Suite 101, Detroit, Mich., 48226. Learn more about the hotel at www.westin.com/bookcadillac  for meetings and special event information call 313-442-1600.