New Chicago Chef Thomas Lents Joins Trump Hotel Collection's Star Kitchen Roster

TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION , the next generation of luxury hospitality, today announced the addition of Executive Chef Thomas Lents to its illustrious culinary team. The Joel Robuchon protege takes the helm of Sixteen at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, joining a brand-wide star roster headlined by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his eponymous Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond, Michelin Three-Star Restaurant at Trump International Hotel & Tower New York.

"We are thrilled to have Thomas Lents join us at Trump Chicago as the chef of Sixteen restaurant," said Jim Petrus, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION's chief operating officer. "Thomas has had a stellar career working in some of the top restaurants around the world. Sixteen is an absolute natural for a person of his caliber. We know that he will take us to new culinary heights."

Chef Lents' Chicago welcome coincides with the opening of STOCK at Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto and the impending arrival of Koi at Trump SoHo New York this summer, as TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION continues to bolster its extraordinary culinary reputation.

Chef Lents joins Trump Chicago from the acclaimed Joel Robuchon at The Mansion in Las Vegas' MGM Grand, where he was selected by Robuchon to serve as chef de cuisine - the first American to hold that prestigious assignment. His experience at Michelin-rated restaurants also includes Quince Restaurant in San Francisco and the Thornton Restaurant in Dublin, during which time he took advantage of his proximity to England to stage in several prestigious kitchens there, including the Michelin Three-Star Waterside Inn in Bray and Le Manoir Aux Quatres Saisons in Great Milton.

"I believe there is a tremendous opportunity with fine dining in Chicago," said Chef Lents, a Michigan native and graduate of New England Culinary Institute under Founding Chef Michel LeBorgne. "After extraordinary momentum over the past few decades, there are very few upscale restaurants opening here today. I am confident that Sixteen can and will be at the forefront of a culinary re-awakening in this great city."

For Sixteen, Chef Lents has unveiled an exceptional new culinary program that offers a virtuosic, elegant take on modern American cuisine - one that melds French technique, a refined mindset and worldly inspirations. His personal culinary philosophy shines through in menus that showcase the highest-quality ingredients sourced throughout the world and presented in dishes that let their true essence shine through. A few menu highlights: an agnolotti of Scottish pheasant with caramelized salsify, laccinato kale and grana padano; butter-poached Maine lobster with warm winter spices, crystallized savoy cabbage, and pied de mouton mushrooms with a Chateau Chalon sauce; and a Manjari mint pot de cr?me with rum Chantilly and passion fruit custard.

Chef Lents' nightly a la carte menus are designed for a three-course meal. Those seeking a progressive gastronomic experience can select his seven-course offering or a prestige tasting menu of 12 courses. Flavors flow from light and delicate to robust and complex, and each course is designed to match the profiles of its beverage pairings, including wines carefully selected by Beverage Director Rachael Lowe, who holds an advanced sommelier degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers and has been named one of StarChef's 2011 Rising Stars. The menus' crowning touches are supplied by Executive Pastry Chef Sarah Kosikowski, who has earned national acclaim for her refreshing approach to nostalgic classic desserts.

For more information on Sixteen's menus, or to make reservations, please visit the restaurant online or call (312) 588-8030.

About TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION

Launched in October 2007, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION is the next generation of luxury hospitality - one that is raising the bar in the