(TARRYTOWN, NY) – April 17, 2013 – Gilbert Baeriswil, General Manager at Castle Hotel & Spa (formerly Castle on the Hudson) announced that Marc Lippman of Stamford, CT has been appointed Executive Chef of Culinary Operations at Castle Hotel & Spa including the award-winning restaurant, Equus. In making the appointment, Baeriswil commented, “As a celebrated and multi-award-winning chef, his culinary achievements will bring a new culinary dimension to the Castle Hotel & Spa’s signature restaurant, banquet and catering facilities.”

Lippman started his culinary career at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned his degree in hotel management.  After he graduated, he set off to Paris to study at La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine. As one of the most respected and celebrated chefs in America, he has served as Executive Chef for some of the world’s most famous hotels, resorts and restaurants since he began his culinary career at New York City’s Bouley in 1991.

Chef Lippman has been the Executive Chef at Miami Beach’s Raleigh Hotel; New York City’s Wild Blue at Windows on the World; and one of the world’s most luxurious resorts, the famed Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, a Rosewood Hotel  in Los Cabos, Mexico.

A Connecticut resident, Chef Marc held the position of Executive Chef at the hip South Norwalk restaurant Ocean Drive and opened his first restaurant, Fraîche, in Fairfield’s Greenfield Hill neighborhood in November 2007. Chef Marc was most recently the Executive Chef of Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant and Inn in Chappaqua, New York where he frequently cooked for Clintons.  His signature modern American cuisine garnered rave reviews in many national and international media outlets including the highest rating from The New York Times.

Chef Lippman is pleased to introduce Auberge-style cuisine which will incorporate regional specialties, impeccably sourced ingredients, and an infusion of the best quality meats, seafood and local produce available. “We wanted to create a new style of country cuisine: auberge, based on the idea of a simple, ecologically friendly place where you get away from it all and eat impeccably prepared food in an atmosphere of total relaxation and comfort”  said Chef Lippman.  “Auberge cuisine” he continued, “is the perfect blend of high-end service, cuisine and ambiance.”  The Auberge-style cuisine will feature some influences of modern French cuisine to present the “kind of cuisine you expect to find at small luxury hotels or inns around the world.”

On a recent cultural and culinary visit to sister property Sankara Hotel & Spa in Yakushima, Japan, Lippman was hosted by Sankara President Jiro Sato and their Corporate Executive Chef where they sampled local seafood and produce. Lippman reports that the availability of the freshest quality meats, seafood and local produce in the Hudson River Valley will play a significant part in the development of the new menus at Castle Hotel & Spa.

Lippman is popularly known for his fresh and creative approach to “simple yet flavorful” cooking style that uses local ingredients to bring out food’s natural essences and flavors. True to his “less is more” philosophy, Lippman will rely heavily on the abundant and varied natural resources of the Hudson River Valley for inspiration.

About Castle Hotel & Spa
Castle Hotel & Spa features the rich, time-honored ambience of Old-World style and elegance with contemporary amenities and is only 25 miles north of Manhattan. Accommodations include 31 luxurious guest rooms and suites of more than 1,000 square feet each. Each room features all the amenities you expect – and more. The Castle is highlighted by intricately carved stairways of dark burnished wood, glowing sconces, mammoth hand-hewn oak beams and leaded-glass windows. The new THANN Sanctuary Spa is the first of its kind in the United States.  Known throughout Asia as an oasis of peace and tranquility, THANN offers a wide variety of luxurious spa treatments based on the art of natural therapy, where all the senses are awakened by the unique holistic spa concept and ambience.

Castle Hotel & Spa is currently closed for a multi-million dollar design and renovation project and will reopen on May 1 and will be open for Mother's Day on May 12.

Castle Hotel & Spa is perched majestically atop one of the highest points in the region overlooking the historic Hudson River in the lower Hudson Valley of Westchester County, NY.  The award-winning estate is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Historic Hotels of America and sits on ten tranquil wooded acres that provide a respite of refinement and luxury with Old-World elegance.

Castle Hotel & Spa features 31 traditionally appointed guest rooms and suites, 4,100 square feet of meeting and event space, 24-hour health and fitness center, whirlpool, landscaped jogging paths, and a spectacular outdoor seasonal swimming pool.  The renowned Equus restaurant has received Four Diamonds from AAA and Five-Star Diamond Award from The Academy of Hospitality Sciences.  It was named to Conde Nast’s “Gold List” and the elite Top Twenty US Small Hotels. Equus is highly rated from Zagat for extraordinary food, service and décor and received the prestigious Award of Unique Distinction from The Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Castle Hotel & Spa is owned and managed by Sankara Hospitality Group, known throughout the world for creating and managing contemporary luxury hotels that are defined by their warm and vibrant personality, and inspired by the spirit of their location.  Sankara is passionate in their belief of offering a service that is effortless, personal and genuine, enabling its guests to do the things they value most. For additional information, visit the website at:  http://www.castleonthehudson.com/