PRESS RELEASE – 21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning boutique hotel and restaurant group, is recruiting for the executive chef role at Proof on Main, its flagship restaurant located at 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. Current chef Levon Wallace will depart at the beginning of March 2015. Information on the position and the application is available online.
Proof on Main debuted in 2006 and was named to Esquire magazine’s list of Best New Restaurants. Since then, the restaurant has garnered numerous accolades, including being named to Bon Appétit magazine’s list of “10 Best Hotels for Food Lovers.” Proof has an equally strong focus on beverages, featuring over 75 Kentucky bourbons and a craft cocktail program.
“It is an exciting time to join the 21c team, both from a restaurant and hotel perspective,” noted Sarah Robbins, SVP of Operations. “We currently operate four unique restaurants and we have another five under development. Our chefs are true creative partners and our approach is very collaborative. There is also tremendous growth potential, and the opportunity to be part of a dynamic team involved not only in running our restaurants, but in the concept and design of our new outlets. We thank Levon for the contributions he’s made at Proof and wish him the best on his next endeavors.”
Robbins, who was on the opening team for Proof on Main and is one of the founding partners of 21c, oversees the food and beverage program for the company. She and the 21c team manage the restaurant development process from design and construction to branding, chef selection and menu development. Once open, Robbins works closely with each restaurant to ensure the seamless relationship between the hotel and its restaurant. Previously, Robbins worked for Myriad Restaurant Group, launching several new concepts; she also managed New York City’s Tribeca Grill.
This quarter, 21c will open its fifth restaurant, Counting House, at 21c Durham. Counting House will be helmed by executive chef Josh Munchel, with a focus on local ingredients and North Carolina’s rich heritage of fresh seafood. The menu will also feature a variety of rotisserie cooking and roasting techniques thanks to the custom-designed and built Jade cooking suite. Munchel comes to Counting House from Metropole in Cincinnati, another 21c Museum Hotels restaurant. His appointment to executive chef reinforces the company’s commitment to developing talent and promoting growth from within its properties and restaurants.
21c has focused on developing strong relationships with media, strategic partners and industry influencers, including the James Beard Foundation, Southern Foodways Alliance, Outstanding in the Field, Share Our Strength, StarChefs, Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Music City Food + Wine Festival, Austin Food + Wine Festival, Cincinnati Food + Wine Classic and others. The company’s chefs and restaurants have garnered numerous accolades, including: chef Matthew McClure from The Hive in Bentonville was a 2014 James Beard Foundation Semi-finalist for Best Chef South; Metropole Restaurant was listed on Bon Appétit magazine’s list of the 50 Best New Restaurants; and Wallace was named a Rising Star by StarChefs during his tenure at Proof.
About 21c Museum Hotels
21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning Louisville, Kentucky-based boutique hotel and restaurant group, was founded by contemporary art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. The couple opened the first 21c Museum Hotel in 2006 along downtown Louisville’s West Main Street, rehabilitating a series of 19th century warehouses. Much more than just a place to spend the night, 21c is an inventive union of genuine hospitality, careful design and culinary creativity — all anchored by a contemporary art museum with thought-provoking exhibitions, interactive site specific art installations and a full roster of cultural programming. 21c currently operates hotels in Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH and Bentonville, AR. Hotels are under construction in Durham, NC (opening first quarter of 2015); Lexington, KY and Oklahoma City, OK. Projects are under development in Kansas City, MO and Nashville, TN. The company is equally focused on creating unique, chef-driven restaurants that are as much a part of the community as the hotel. Currently, 21c operates a diverse roster of restaurants including Proof on Main, located in 21c Louisville; Metropole, located in 21c Cincinnati; The Hive, located in 21c Bentonville and Garage Bar in Louisville, KY.
