Chef Yousef Ghalaini Turns Up The Heat At The Bench, A New Restaurant At Pebble Beach Resorts

July 19, 2012 - PRLog -- PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (July 19, 2012) – Pebble Beach Resorts is proud to welcome Yousef Ghalaini as Chef de Cuisine of the resort’s newest dining experience, The Bench, opening August 6, inside The Lodge at Pebble Beach. With a wide range of experience across multiple food and wine havens throughout the United States, Chef Ghalaini will oversee the new open kitchen at The Bench, as well as the eclectic menu and unique wood-burning specialty oven. Guests are invited to enjoy Chef Ghalaini’s simple, yet sophisticated recipes inspired by international flavors and techniques that translate into one-of-a-kind specialty dishes. Unlike any other restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula, The Bench will feature an extensive menu of shared plates, entrees and desserts, most of which are roasted, charred and seared using wood-roasting and open-flame cooking techniques.

“The Bench is going to encompass everything that the Monterey Peninsula can offer—beautiful views of the stunning Pacific coast, exciting cuisine using the plentiful resources of Monterey Bay, the Salinas Valley and surrounding areas, as well as an unparalleled service experience that only Pebble Beach Resorts can provide,” said Chef Ghalaini. “Cooking over an open flame has been a part of my life since a young age, and I’m excited to bring this time-tested cooking technique to guests and visitors of Pebble Beach .”

A native of Lebanon, Chef Ghalaini experienced an immersion into the culture of food at a young age with lively family meals and early service lessons at his grandfather’s bakery. With an education from the Culinary Institute of America at the Greystone campus in Napa Valley, Chef Ghalaini began his career at the Michelin-rated REDD restaurant under Richard Reddington, where he executed the celebrity chef’s style of California French cuisine with a focus on stellar food and wine pairings. In January 2010, Chef Ghalaini re-energized Bespoke in New Haven, Conn., generating praise from local media as well as the regional food section of the New York Times. Other experiences for Chef Ghalaini include opening Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, Calif., working for Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa and opening Steak 954 at the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He comes to Pebble Beach Resorts most recently from Imperial No. Nine at the Mondrian SoHo Hotel in New York City.

“I am excited to have joined a group of professionals at Pebble Beach Resorts who are dedicated to their craft, and embrace a central goal of exceeding the expectations of guests by creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience each time they step into the restaurant,” says Chef Ghalaini. “Quite frankly, you will be hard pressed to find a better place to enjoy exquisite food and drinks in a great atmosphere and setting than The Bench at Pebble Beach.”

The Bench will serve lunch and dinner daily. For more information, visit http://www.pebblebeach.com, or to make reservations, call (800) 654-9300.

About Pebble Beach Company
Pebble Beach Company, headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., owns and operates the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts, including The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay and Casa Palmero. The company also operates four world-renowned golf courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, The Links at Spanish Bay and Del Monte Golf Course. Its other famed properties include scenic 17-Mile Drive and The Spa at Pebble Beach, and it annually hosts premier events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational, Pebble Beach Food & Wine and the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. Site of the 2019 U.S. Open, Pebble Beach Golf Links has hosted five U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs, one PGA Championship, and numerous other tournaments.


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