PRESS RELEASE – 21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning Louisville-based boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant group, announced today the appointment of Jason Campbell as executive chef of its forthcoming restaurant, Mary Eddy’s Kitchen + Lounge, which will be located in 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City and is set to open Summer 2016.
Campbell comes to Mary Eddy’s from another 21c Museum Hotel restaurant, Metropole in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he served as chef de cuisine. Mary Eddy’s will showcase Campbell’s diverse culinary interests and a variety of cooking techniques. Diners can expect the seasonally driven menu to be bold and flavorful, with an emphasis on shared dishes for the table including oven-roasted pizzas, lamb and pig roasted on the rotisserie, and more.
“The 21c family of restaurants has always been a great incubator for culinary talent,” said Sarah Robbins, chief hospitality officer for 21c Museum Hotels. “Jason Campbell will bring classic techniques and dynamic energy to Mary Eddy’s Kitchen + Lounge and, with its innovative menu, the restaurant will be a fun, engaging space for OKC residents and visitors alike.”
The kitchen at Mary Eddy’s will be on full display to guests and will feature distinctive elements such as a rotisserie, wood-fired pizza oven and smoker. The menu will change frequently based on the availability of local products, including humanely raised beef from local Oklahoma City stockyards and seasonal produce, displayed for diners in transparent walk-in refrigeration units.
“It’s vital that we have respect for the ingredients we bring into our restaurant and honor the opportunity we have to create amazing food for our guests,” said Jason Campbell, who is originally from Orlando, Florida, where he served as chef de cuisine at Cask and Larder and The Ravenous Pig prior to joining Metropole in 2014. “That stems from us knowing our farmers, butchers, knowing where the ingredients came from and having a better connection to the food we prepare.”
Mary Eddy’s Kitchen + Lounge will be housed within 21c Oklahoma City in the historic Oklahoma City Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant (900 West Main Street), located on the western edge of Oklahoma City’s Film Row. The building, originally built in 1916 serves as an emblem of industrial innovation in Oklahoma City.
One of the plant’s first employees, Fred Jones, worked his way up from production line worker to owner, purchasing the building in 1968 and becoming one of the largest Ford dealers in the world. The restaurant is named after Jones’ wife, Mary Eddy Jones, a passionate traveler, art enthusiast, and humanitarian who strongly believed in giving back to the Oklahoma City community.
The beverage program, developed by food & beverage director James Tortoreti, will highlight 21c’s Kentucky roots with an extensive bourbon list, an expansive wine selection, seasonal craft cocktails and an assortment of craft beers. Tortoreti comes to 21c Oklahoma City from 21c Bentonville and The Hive restaurant. Tortoreti will also oversee banquets, catering and in-room dining services.
Mary Eddy’s dedicated entrance on Main Street welcomes guests into the original historic Model T showroom space, which has been repurposed as Mary Eddy’s bar and lounge. Guests will be able to meet and relax in the bar and lounge by day, and enjoy cocktails and bites by night. The historic terrazzo flooring has been preserved and the space furnished with a variety of seating options. Reclaimed pine coupled with steel accents has been used to fabricate the bar and host stand. Moving into the dining room, a large dining bar offers an up close view of the rotisserie and pizza oven as well as the expansive steel windows and original columns, the historic elements that define the industrial character of the space. A large, central open kitchen gives diners an opportunity to watch the chefs assemble their dishes. Guests can enjoy al fresco dining, with communal tables, a full service bar, and outdoor ping-pong tables in the space originally used as the train shed, where Model T kits were received and unloaded. Like all 21c properties, Mary Eddy’s will feature both site specific art installations and rotating, curated exhibitions in keeping with 21c’s mission of showcasing dynamic, thought-provoking contemporary art.
Originally designed by distinguished industrial architect Albert Kahn, the building was modeled after assembly plant typology and is marked by large modular bays, high floor-to-floor heights, and a flexible column grid. Reimagined by Design Architecture and Interior Design firm, New York-based Deborah Berke Partners, the entire hotel, including the restaurant, will offer a modern interpretation of the industrial heritage of the building, with historical elements of the assembly plant preserved and incorporated into the design.
Mary Eddy’s Kitchen + Lounge will serve dinner, lunch and breakfast daily and weekend brunch, in addition to providing all banquets and catering services and in-room dining for 21c Oklahoma City. For more information, visit MaryEddysOKC.com or follow on Instagram @MaryEddysOKC.
Mary Eddy’s and 21c Oklahoma City are looking for dynamic people to join the team. To view the current job openings and learn about the 21c culture of YES, visit: 21cmuseumhotels.com/careers.
About 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City
21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City, opening summer 2016, is a combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and chef-driven restaurant. Building on its mission of engaging the public with contemporary art and supporting the revitalization of American downtowns, 21c is rehabilitating the historic Oklahoma City Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, located on the western edge of Oklahoma City’s Film Row. The 135-room property will feature a contemporary art museum open to the public free of charge 7 days a week and offering curated exhibitions, interactive site specific installations and a full roster of cultural programming; a locally grounded restaurant and bar; a spa; and the restoration of an existing penthouse into a gracious, 3,000-square-foot suite featuring a rooftop terrace, two bedrooms, living and dining rooms.
About 21c Museum Hotels
21c Museum Hotels was founded by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, contemporary art collectors and preservationists committed to bringing works of art to the public through innovative exhibitions and programs that integrate contemporary art into daily life. In addition to the art of today, hospitality and sustainably raised heritage and local foods are among the couple’s greatest passions. 21c operates five hotels and a diverse roster of restaurants. Each property’s chef-driven restaurant has a unique point of view and is as much a part of the community as it is the hotel. 21c restaurants include Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky; Metropole in Cincinnati; The Hive in Bentonville, Arkansas; Counting House in Durham, North Carolina, Lockbox in Lexington, Kentucky; and Garage Bar in Louisville, Kentucky.
Contact:
Holly Weyler McKnight
502.882.6239 | M 502.836.8715
-OR-
Sarah Abell (sabell@baltzco.com),
Beth Hengeveld (bhengeveld@baltzco.com)
Meredith Sidman (msidman@baltzco.com)
