MIDDLEBURG, VA – Feb. 2, 2017 – Salamander Resort & Spa, the luxury resort located outside Washington, D.C. in the heart of Virginia’s horse and wine country, welcomes Ryan Arensdorf as its executive chef. In this new role, Chef Arensdorf will oversee the resort’s entire culinary operation, including Harrimans Virginia Piedmont Grill, Gold Cup Wine Bar, in-room dining, and the catering and banquet offerings.
With over a decade of high-level expertise, Arensdorf joins Salamander from the W Hotel Chicago Lakeshore where he served as Chef de Cuisine. Even with extensive experience and a vast culinary education, it is his grandmother who the Kansas native credits for developing his culinary philosophy, especially her homemade breakfast – a delicious tradition packed with memories.
Upon completing his education at Chicago’s Kendall College, he discovered a true passion for the kitchen and began his career at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Chicago. Having worked extensively in the Windy City food scene with renowned chefs, Arensdorf gained top-notch perspective working with Chef Martial Noguier at notable Chicago establishments including Bistronomic, Michael Jordan’s One Sixtyblue and Café des Architectes at Sofitel Chicago Water Tower. He also worked with Chef Todd Stein to open Cibo Matto at theWit Hotel.
“It’s been thrilling to dive right into Salamander’s vast, unique dining scene,” says Arensdorf. “I hope to continue to bring extraordinary experiences to the resort through vibrant, quality dishes that are a true representation of the Virginia Piedmont region and its people.”
Committed to further elevating the resort’s dining experience, Arensdorf is expanding the number of housemade items on every menu and is fully immersing himself within the community to bring in the finest local proteins, butchering them all in-house. Guests can indulge in these prime cuts of meats, try a seasonal dish with ingredients from the resort’s expansive culinary garden, or delight in an enhanced selection of local cheese and charcuterie sliced in-house, paired with housemade pickles and honey made on property by Salamander’s own bees.
Significant modifications also have been made to the Harrimans menu, Salamander’s signature restaurant. Menu highlights include:
- 16-ounce Prime Beef Delmonico with smoked pancetta pesto
- Pan-Roasted Sweet Breads with dijon horseradish aioli
- 48-hour brined "Not Your Mother’s Pork Chop" with cipollini agrodolce
- Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast with Carolina gold fried rice, shallot confit and orange ginger reduction
“We’re confident Chef Ryan’s vast culinary skillset will complement the resort’s experiential dining scene,” says Jacob Musyt, Director of Food & Beverage at Salamander Resort & Spa. “He’s a necessary and ideal addition to the Salamander team and we’re eager to see his passion and wealth of experience in action as he further enhances the overall guest experience.”
Under Arensdorf’s direction, Salamander Resort & Spa will continue to offer a variety of cooking classes in the Harrimans Cooking Studio. To better immerse himself into the local scene, Arensdorf will be hosting a “Meat” & Greet cooking class on March 4, 2017, where he will show guests how to butcher venison, duck and wild boar shoulder to make a rich, homemade wild game sausage. In addition to using a meat grinder, learning how to properly season the meat, fill sausage links, and enjoy their creations, guests will be able to get to know Chef Arensdorf and find out firsthand what he has planned for Salamander Resort & Spa.
Additionally, Arensdorf has appointed a new banquet chef to expand offerings for corporate group and social event offerings. He joins an already impressive food and beverage team, including four-time Food Network competitor and Executive Pastry Chef Jason Reaves, and recently appointed Food & Beverage Director Jacob Musyt.
Salamander Resort & Spa continues also to offer a breadth of activities and experiences, including unique equestrian programming, tree-top ziplining, world-class spa experiences and much more. For more information, please call Salamander Resort & Spa at 866-938-7370 or visit www.SalamanderResort.com.
