Chef Matthew Gray, Executive Head Chef of Chez Roux
Posted: Sep 28, 2009
Press Contact: Stuart Rosenberg/Lacy Smythe Edmondson
Studio Communications
713-524-2800
stuartr@studiocommunications.net
lacy@studiocommunications.net
MONTGOMERY, TX – Michelin-rated chef Matthew Gray serves as the executive head chef of Chez Roux. The restaurant, which debuted with much fanfare in March 2009, is the first in the United States to bear the pedigree and name of famed Master Chef Albert Roux, known for launching the careers of notables such as Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White.
Gray, the top selection for the post from Roux’s consultancy, was most recently the executive head chef of Inverlochy Castle – internationally recognized as one of Europe’s top hotels – where he had worked under Roux’s tutelage since 2005. Gray not only brings a unique grasp of Roux’s technique and experience to his role, but he is currently the only working chef in Texas to have personally earned a Michelin star for his accomplishments.
While a world away from Inverlochy Castle and the Scottish Highlands, Chez Roux, approximately an hour’s drive from downtown Houston, is far from being a world apart. The waterfront fine dining venue is a focal point of La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa®, a sophisticated new, $130-million resort property situated on an idyllic peninsula framed by 20,000-acre Lake Conroe and the lush Texas Piney Woods. Under the nurturing eye of Roux, who has spent a great deal of time at Chez Roux prior to and since its opening, the restaurant has earned early acclaim for its contemporary French cuisine, which incorporates the bounty of local and regional ingredients.
“We are thrilled to have welcomed a star chef, literally and figuratively, to La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa. Our goal with this property has been to introduce amenities unlike anything else in the Greater Houston area, and our affiliation with Master Chef Albert Roux and Matthew Gray further solidifies this commitment to quality,” said Ronnie Ben-Zur, CEO of French Quarter Hospitality, LLC.
“There is a certain mystique about Texas that has always fascinated me, and I am particularly excited about the Houston area’s burgeoning culinary scene in addition to a wealth of nearby resources for locally grown produce plus game and seafood,” said Gray.
Gray graduated with distinction from the Napier Polytechnic of Edinburgh with a BA in Hospitality Management and began his culinary career at the prestigious Greywalls Hotel in Muirfield, Scotland while still in school. Following graduation, he returned to the estate property to serve as commis chef.
After working as chef de partie at the well regarded Cromlix House Hotel in Kinbuck, Scotland, he accepted his first position at a Michelin-rated restaurant located at Knockinaam Lodge Hotel in Portpatrick, Scotland. Here, he served as second chef for a year until joining the culinary team at Inverlochy Castle in 1995. At Inverlochy, he began his employment as larder chef and quickly rose through the ranks as pastry chef, second chef and finally executive head chef, a title he earned in 2001.
About La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa™
Designed in an international modern style, La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa® is situated approximately 40 minutes north of George Bush Intercontinental Airport and one hour north of downtown Houston. Property highlights include 445 guest accommodations encompassing tower suites, golf cottages and lake villas, 70,000 square feet of meeting and event space, 17,000-square-foot spa, 10,000-square-foot fitness center with racquetball, tennis center with five tennis courts, 300-slip marina, championship golf course, 18-hole miniature course and 3.5-acre Aqua Park with sandy beach plus six swimming and activity pools, including the Lay-Z River™ Rapids. La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa is located at 600 La Torretta Boulevard in Montgomery, TX. For additional information, please call 936-448-4400 or log onto http://www.latorrettadellagoresortandspa.com.
About French Quarter Hospitality
With nearly a century of combined achievement in the hospitality and financial arenas, the principals of French Quarter Hospitality, LLC bring international experience, innovative solutions and a hands-on approach to hotel management. Since its inception in 1993, the organization has been instrumental in raising the asset value of a diverse portfolio of properties around the country through a range of services that include asset management, centralized accounting, re-branding, recruitment/training, construction/renovation, marketing and e-commerce. For more information, log onto http://www.frenchquarterhospitality.com.
# # #