Tucson AZ(8/13/07) - The Next Wolfgang Puck

Introducing Executive Chef Ryan Littman



Tucson, AZ (8/13/07) - Chef Ryan Littman is well on his way to establishing a lasting name for himself in the wonderful world of food. It takes drive, dedication, and a certain creativity to stay at the top of the culinary game. As the executive chef of Starr Pass's three restaurants, award-winning Primo, Catalina Steakhouse and Signature Grill, Littman embodies these characteristics and continuously showcases his special gift, as well as being an important fixture in the community.

Littman's passion for food is your gain. Along with being able create appealing and appetizing meals from scratch, he holds a deep appreciation for the fresh ingredients chefs use and the process they go through to arrive in his kitchen. Littman frequently utilizes fresh, organic local produce when creating delicious menus for the three restaurants on the resort property as well as when coordinating menus for hundreds of large conventions, weddings and parties each year.

At only 35 years old, Littman has achieved impressive status in the culinary sphere. Littman earned Marriott International's prestigious "ACE" award for culinary excellence, naming him Marriott's "Chef of the Year for 2006-2007." He has been Starr Pass's executive chef since its opening in 2005 and has been a chef within the prestigious Marriott Hotels family since 1991.

In addition to receiving this Marriott honor, this past summer Littman was invited to prepare a meal for the James Beard Foundation's special in-house event Best Hotel Chefs in America.

"I was extremely grateful to receive the opportunity to cook at the James Beard House. Being in the culinary industry, this is truly one of the greatest honors for a chef. I was delighted to offer guests a taste of the Southwest," said Littman.

Chef Littman enjoys being involved in local and national culinary organizations to keep him at his best. A few include the James Beard Foundation, Slow Food, Native Seed/Search and The American Culinary Federation. He enjoys working with local farmers and ranchers, as well as promoting the purchase of local and seasonal products whenever possible.

In Tucson, Littman attended Ha:san Bak, Tohono O'odham tribe's annual sacred saguaro harvest celebration in July for the second straight year. Ha:san Bak signals the beginning of monsoon season in Tucson. The traditional ceremony signifies the rain as a special gift to the arid area in which the Tohono O'odham people have lived for hundreds of years. From the saguaro fruit, the O'odham make wine, jams, and jellies. Littman incorporated fresh saguaro fruit into several dishes at the resort, a new tradition he finds challenging and fun.

One local ingredient Chef Littman uses in Primo's salads is Black Mesa Ranch Goat Cheese. Littman, along with a team from the JW Marriott in Tucson (Scott Siebert, Food & Beverage Director and Danny Perez, Banquet Chef) and the JW Marriott Camelback Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix (Scott Simpson, Executive Chef and Vipin Khullar, Food & Beverage Director), recently traveled to Black Mesa Ranch in Snowflake, AZ, to experience the process of making fresh goat cheese.

Black Mesa Ranch is home to 45 goats plus cattle, pigs, chicken and dogs. The JW team began each morning at 6 a.m. feeding animals, reloading grain, collecting chicken eggs, and organizing the ranch. Following these chores, their time was dedicated to milking the goats.

"Goats have a special way of communicating. After a while you can pick up on 'goat talk.' They say things like 'I want to be milked,' 'I am hurting - ouch it's a fly,' and 'I want to go on a walk.' It was incredible! Plus they are very smart and always know which milking station to go to," said Littman.

Black Mesa Ranch also has an on-site lab to make the cheese, where the team learned cheese making techniques, processes, and how to weigh, form and package the cheeses to ship.

"I took away a greater appreciation of how things are made. It was very educational; it wasn't just a seminar, we lived it....we did it. It was hard work," Littman said. "I also really loved how much passion the owners of the ranch, David and Kathryn Heininger, have for what they do. They truly love the life they live. David is a chef too and he makes everything fresh, every day. It was great."

For Littman and his crew it truly was a taste of the "goat" life.

About JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa:
Drawing on the beauty of its mountainous location, the resort incorporates the natural desert as its landscape design theme. With 575 spacious guestrooms, 88,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, 5 restaurants, a 20,000 sq. ft. spa, 4 separate pools and a soon to be built lazy river and water slide, a Arnold Palmer Signature golf facility consisting of 27 holes and practice facilities and 888 underground and covered parking spaces, the resort boasts of being not only the largest resort in southern Arizona but also the only true eco-resort in Tucson. This eco theme extends to its Primo restaurant which serves only organic and jet fresh fish, its Hashani Spa which uses the natural desert plant oils and its direct access to the Tucson Mountain Park for fabulous hiking and mountain biking trails. To quote Bill Marriott, "you can build all types of amenities but it would be impossible to duplicate what Starr Pass has, the Tucson Mountain Park." Contact Starr Pass Realty at (520) 670-0555 or www.starrpassrealty.com The JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa is located at 3800 W. Starr Pass and can be reached directly by calling (520) 792-3500. Please visit www.jwmarriottstarrpass.com.

CONTACT
Emily Bingaman
McFadden/Gavender Advertising
Office:(520)882-6262 or Cell: (520)730-0427
emily@mcfaddengavender.com

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