Chef Steven Howells from Philadelphia’s famed Blackfish Restaurant
March 20, 2013, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica – At Costa Rica’s Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, from May 6 – 10, 2013 guests can start with rainforest and beach excursions and stir in cooking classes with one of America’s top young chefs, add a pinch of wine tasting, and finish off with organic coffee and Central America’s best dark rums.
It is the 2013 launch of Arenas Del Mar’s popular culinary adventures, and Chef Steven Howells from Philadelphia’s famous Blackfish Restaurant will be on site for three days of gourmet cooking, dining, tasting and relaxing. And of course guests are invited to be completely hands on!
To sign up for the three gourmet dinners, two cooking classes, coffee, rum and wine tasting sessions, beginning May 6 and ending Mary 10, is $330 USD per person. The program also includes a guided tour of Costa Rica’s famous Manuel Antonio National Park, located right next door to the resort. Room rates are being offered at $189 USD for an Ocean Breeze Superior Room and $371 USD for Ocean View premium suites, a savings of 30 per cent, for all participants of the resort’s guest chef program. Optional tours for those wanting to work off the extra fine dining or relax even further in the resort’s spa can be arranged with the onsite concierge.
As Costa Rica’s only carbon-neutral, five-star, five-leaf (Costa Rica’s highest possible sustainable hospitality score) eco-luxury resort , Arenas Del Mar is set completely in the rainforest, with access to two secluded beaches, two private swimming pools and its own onsite guides. Its location is also within walking distance to Manuel Antonio National Park. Along with the wide range of activities, full service spa and high touch hospitality, Arenas Del Mar has begun to win accolades over the years for its dining experiences.
“We launched our guest chef program last fall to great reviews. We know the best way to build Costa Rica’s culinary reputation is to introduce top chefs from other parts of the world to our local ingredients and dishes and then invite them to help spread the word about our great dining experiences as well as our reputation for rainforests, wildlife and sustainable adventure,” says Hans Pfister, CEO and principle of Cayuga Collection, a company that manages a number of luxury eco-resorts, hotels and lodges in Central America, including Arenas Del Mar. “It just seems to make sense that a country as bio-diverse as Costa Rica can also grow and produce incredible ingredients, which results in its own noteworthy cuisine .”
For the dining experience, Chef Howells will create three dinner menus inspired by the abundance of local ingredients such as freshly caught seafood, grass-fed beef and a large variety of tropical fruits and vegetables. And Arenas Del Mar’s guests are in very capable hands. Howells began working in restaurants at the age of 16, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up. He attended the widely respected restaurant school at Walnut Hill College. A move to San Francisco had him working under Chefs Quinn and Karen Hatfield at Cortez, later following them to Los Angeles as their sous chef at Hatfield’s, a critical darling that was awarded a Michelin star. However, Philadelphia called him home and he joined Chip Roman at Blackfish in 2010 as Chef de Cuisine.
Blackfish opened in 2006 and was named “Best Restaurant” in Philadelphia Magazine’s 2011 “50 Best Restaurants” issue, where it was described a, “flat-out fantastic; sophisticated without being overbearingly avant-garde, pretty and fresh without being precious; the perfect restaurant of the moment.” It has earned a coveted Three Bells: Excellent review from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s food critic, Craig La Ban, who most recently named Blackfish among the area’s top five BYOBs for 2012.
About Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort
As Manuel Antonio’s only eco-luxury beachfront property and Costa Rica’s first hotel with a perfect rating of five-star luxury and five-leaf sustainability, Arenas del Mar provides all guests with spacious, air-conditioned rooms, decks with private Jacuzzis and sweeping ocean views; two restaurants; a full-service spa that specializes in massages, facials and wraps; and a range of guided wilderness activities, ranging from early-morning bird watching tours and late-night rainforest treks to sunset catamaran voyages and adventurous white water rafting. And perfect for nature- and animal-lovers, the team Arenas Del Mar offers direct access and tours of Manuel Antonio National Park, located adjacent to the hotel. To learn more about Arenas Del Mar and the resort’s guest chef program, people may visit www.arenasdelmar.com.
Hans Pfister
President
Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality
San Jose, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 8371-7774
www.cayugaonline.com
Description: Description: Description: Description: cid:[email protected] us on Facebook
