Harbor View Hotel Welcomes Spring With New Chef, Menu And Events

Sous Chef Troy Himmelman Joins The Coach House

Just in time for warm weather and the busy season on Martha's Vineyard, Sous Chef Troy Himmelman has arrived on-island to join Executive Chef Joshua Hollinger in the kitchen of The Coach House at the Harbor View Hotel. Originally from Portland, Ore., and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Himmelman has worked at such notable resorts as The Ritz-Carlton in Aspen, Colo., and Coeur D'Alene Resort in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. His most recent post was with Darby, Montana's Triple Creek Ranch, a Relais and Chateaux property. While he is new to New England, it is not the first time Himmelman and Hollinger have joined culinary forces: the two first met in 2000 in the kitchens of Universal Studio's Portofino Bay Hotel, a Loews property, in Orlando, Fla.

Himmelman is also a world-class pastry chef, graduating from the Notter School of Pastry Arts and winning a silver medal at 2004's Florida Pastry Challenge for his sugar centerpiece, a bronze medal at the 2000 American Culinary Federation (ACF) competition for his chocolate centerpiece, and a silver medal at the 1995 ACF competition for his hot/warm plated dessert.

"Troy and I already know how to complement each other in the kitchen, and we each know how the other works best," says Executive Chef Joshua Hollinger. "I feel fortunate to be working with both an incredible talent and a close friend."

The pair's first celebration of spring will be a "BBQ and Beer Carousel," one of a series of theme nights to spice things up in the off-season. The barbeque menu, which offers a unique selection of beer from around the world and showcases Hollinger's own specialty cured, smoked and grilled in-house meats, is available Thursday evenings in The Coach House from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The menu is also served until 10:00 p.m. in the Harbor View Hotel's Carlos Fuente Club House.

Also on the horizon is a Mother's Day Banquet, featuring menu items such as East Coast oysters and island littlenecks on the half shell; Panzanella salad with stone fruits; Smoked beef sirloin; and Rosemary and mustard stuffed spring leg of lamb. Moms will walk away with handmade chocolate boxes, crafted in their honor. The buffet runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 14 and the cost is $35 per person. Reservations are recommended; call 508.627.3761.

A change in seasons means a change in menu at the Harbor View Hotel, where Hollinger is inspired by the island's local bounty of seasonal ingredients. Throughout the spring, guests can enjoy an appetizer of Maine lobster salad with wild arugula, hearts of palm and Asian pear, followed by Open faced ravioli with spring vegetable ratatouille and mushrooms with Quark cheese, or the classic Vineyard Clambake, a delicious concoction of lobster, littleneck clams and mussels served in a fennel broth. The full spring menu follows this release. For dining reservations, call 508.627.3761.

About the Harbor View Hotel
Home to one of the most spectacular views on Martha's Vineyard, the Harbor View Hotel, a member of Historic Hotels of America, is the island's only full-service hotel open year-round, offering guests unparalleled amenities and 130 beautifully appointed rooms. The hotel lies at land's end overlooking beautiful Edgartown Harbor, the Edgartown Lighthouse and Chappaquiddick Island. This historical landmark offers luxuriously appointed accommodations, an exceptional collection of amenities and services, fine New England dining, an outdoor swimming pool and beach access. The hotel has the only golf club partnership on the island and is able to offer its guests tee times at the nearby Farm Neck Golf Club. Whether a guest, a diner or an island wanderer, the Harbor View Hotel's wrap-around porch offers sweeping vistas for all to enjoy. For guestroom reservations, call