ST. LOUIS, MO–(Marketwire – September 3, 2010) –  Officials of the Renaissance St. Louis Hotel Airport recently announced that Chef Chris Stroup, was named “Chef of the Year” by the St. Louis Area Hotel Association (SLAHA). Chris serves as the St. Louis luxury hotel‘s Executive Chef of the T-Bone Trattoria and the hotel’s upscale catering operation.

Chef Stroup, with twenty two years in the food service industry, is known for creating some very unique dishes with ingredients that are indigenous to the area. Each dish he prepares has his own personal touch and flair. He works with several local farmers and even a local brewery. “There is a lot of history in St. Louis with Italian heritage and ‘the hill,’ an area of St. Louis where Italian immigrants settled,” said Chef Stroup. “I continually look for the newest and best products available to me and in this instance with Italian flair.”

Pecan and Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, one of his signature dishes at the St. Louis hotel, is made with organic pecans grown in the rich river bottom soils of Northern Missouri. The pecans have a unique sweetness and higher oil content, making them extremely flavorful. Paired with Eckerts Family Orchard Apple Butter from a seven generation family-owned farm, it takes classic buttermilk pancakes to new heights. Other entrees include Sausage Fiama Benedict with local Berkshire Pork Sausage and Smoked Tomato Hollandaise and the hotel’s signature Chips & Dip. The Collinsville Horseradish Dill dip is made with freshly prepared horseradish from Collinsville, IL, the international capital of horseradish.

“Chef Stroup has worked at the Renaissance for nine years and helped the restaurant become a favorite for locals and hotel guests,” said Bill Fontes, hotel general manager. “He has also made a huge impact on our wedding reception and holiday party business.” Chef Stroup insists on meeting each client personally. “I want to understand what it is that will make them say ‘Wow,’” said Chef Stroup. “I do all the tastings myself and make sure their event is a culinary delight.”

Chef Stroup has participated in various competitions and benefits throughout his time at the Renaissance. He, along with ten other chefs from Missouri, hosted the 2009 Missouri’s Taste of Elegance event, in which he won first place in the pork competition. He is a member of Slow Food, an organization that believes food should be good, clean and fair and served as guest chef for Lambstravaganza, a Slow Food benefit held at the farm in New Haven, Missouri in 2006.

About the Renaissance St. Louis Airport

The Renaissance St. Louis Airport hotel offers sophisticated style, luxurious comfort and the convenience of an airport location. Celebrating the hotel’s recent AAA Four Diamond Award, the hotel’s 393 guest rooms and 19 suites are lavishly appointed featuring extravagant pillow top mattresses, down comforters and stylish work and seating areas. Onsite dining options include T-Bone Trattoria, Curtain Club Bar and Café Espresso coffeehouse. Featuring a total of 37,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel can accommodate groups up to 1,100 people at the conference center in St. Louis. There are 32 meeting rooms highlighted by the 11,400 square feet Concourse Ballroom — perfect for St. Louis weddings, and the 12^th floor Penthouse Ballrooms. The hotel is located one-half mile southeast of Lambert International Airport, offering easy access to major highways and is 15 minutes northeast of downtown St. Louis.

For more information about the Renaissance St. Louis Airport hotel, or to plan weddings in St. Louis, MO, visit www.renaissancestlouisap.com.

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