Fine Dining Restaurant Luce at InterContinental San Francisco Announces New Chef de Cuisine Dennis Efthymiou

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

 

 

 

 

 

Fine Dining Restaurant Luce at InterContinental San Francisco

Announces New Chef de Cuisine Dennis Efthymiou

 

Norma Whitt Is Named Executive Chef of InterContinental San Francisco

 

Chef Dennis Debuts Six-Course Tasting Menu of

Contemporary Mediterranean Cuisine with European Influences

 

     

 

San Francisco, Calif. – Fine dining restaurant Luce at InterContinental SF Hotel in downtown San Francisco announces Dennis Efthymiou as their new Chef de Cuisine and releases his luxurious six-course tasting menu. Chef Dennis takes over the famed kitchen after cooking at The Fat Duck (3 Michelin Stars/London, UK). Hailing from Greece, Chef Dennis brings a modern Mediterranean and European-influenced tasting menu to Luce with a focus on sourcing ingredients from small-production Californian purveyors.

 

Chef Dennis culls inspiration for Luce’s tasting menu from his roots growing up in the coastal town of Igoumenitsa and in the mountainous region of Ioannina, Greece. An abundance of fresh fish, ethical farming practices, and nutrient-rich sustainable ingredients were staples of his upbringing. Chef Dennis’s fascination with cooking led him to staging at Central (Lima, Peru), which is ranked #2 of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants (2022). He left his native Greece to pursue his dreams of cooking at some of the finest restaurants across the globe. In addition to the 3-Michelin Star The Fat Duck, Chef Dennis has cooked at Nopi (2AA, Michelin Guide/London, UK) and was the Head Chef of Wicked Jane (2022 Michelin Guide) in New York City. Chef Dennis is among 10 contenders for the San Pellegrino “Young Chef of the Year” Award 2022.

 

An eccentric, multi-dimensional style of cooking leads Luce’s tasting menu with Chef Dennis’s expertise in European cuisine ready to make quite an impression on the San Francisco dining scene. Intricate colors of the freshest, yet simplest ingredients are crafted into exquisite dishes (see photos above of Octopus Lasagna and Luce Caviar with edible sunflower). Taking cues from the Ancient Greeks and Romans, he looks to the past to feature the culinary future with a multicultural vision of fine dining in the heart of San Francisco.

 

The Chefs Tasting Menu at Luce opens with Kampachi Crudo (White Chocolate Yuzu Sauce, Cucumber, Daikon, Hazelnut, Chive Oil) and ventures next to Farro Puls (Pecorino Cream, Bacon Veil, Caramelized Onion Gel, Pancetta Crumble, Brown Butter, Onion Skin). Entrée dishes include options of Octopus Lasagna (Tomato Puree, Mirepoix, Spinach Ricotta Sauce, Garum Bechamel), Osso Bucco (Prime Striploin, Smoked Risotto Milanese, Saffron Pickled Mustard Seeds, Chantrelles, Bone Marrow, Crispy Oxtail, Cipollini Onion, Oxtail Jus), and Crispy Skin Chicken Breast (Smoked Corn, Sauteed Trumpet Mushrooms, Corn Puree, Cipollini Onions, Blackberry Gel, Chicken Jus, Truffle Cream). Desserts include Grape and Yogurt (Yogurt Namelaka, Grilled Grapes, Oregano Sponge, Grape Sorbet, Grape Tuilles), Textures of Chocolate (Rainier Cherries, Chantilly Cream, Chocolate Sauce), and Apple Pie Cotton Candy (Apple and Crème Flavored Floss, Edible Sweet Pie Crust Stick). A decadent supplemental Caviar Course of Smoked Sturgeon Pate, Confit Egg Yolk, Pistachio, Chives, Royal White Sturgeon Caviar, and Sunflower is available for an additional $75.

 

Norma Whitt Named Executive Chef at InterContinental SF Hotel:

Norma Whitt brings more than two decades of expertise at fine dining restaurants, renowned hotels and wineries to lead InterContinental SF Hotel’s culinary program. The first Executive Chef at InterContinental SF Hotel, Whitt leads with sustainability and seasonality at the forefront of her vision for the hotel’s outlets including Luce, Bistro 888, Bar 888, banquets, and room service.

 

Whitt most recently was Executive Chef for two years at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to that, she was Executive Chef at Hageman Reserve (Sulphur Bluff, TX) and St. Clair Brown Winery (Napa, Calif.); Executive Sous Chef at Four Seasons Hotel (San Francisco, Calif.) and Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant and Spa (Yountville, Calif.); The Knoll Chef at Iowa State University President Mansion; and Yacht Chef for Aquadisaic (JK3 Yachts) during the America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay in 2013.

 

About Luce

Luce (meaning “light” in Italian, which naturally pours through the tall windows into the beautiful dining room of Luce) is a modern American cuisine mecca with an indelible reputation for serving opulent dishes designed by lauded chefs. Luce garnered international acclaim upon receiving 1-star from the Michelin Guide with Chef Dominique Crenn (2010) at the helm of the kitchen; one of the world’s premier women chefs. Under the stewardship of Chef Daniel Corey, Luce maintained its Michelin star for 10 consecutive years until its 2019 closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Chef Dennis takes the reins after curating singular menus at some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants.

 

Luce presents an idiosyncratic wine program carrying the prestige of the “Best of Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator magazine. Certified Italian Sommelier, Marco Buffa is Wine Director and Dinner Service Manager for Luce.

 

Luce welcomes diners Wednesdays through Saturdays for seating between 5:30pm – 9pm. The six-course tasting menu is $130 (vegetarian menu is available upon request). Tasting menu wine pairing is $85 (six-course).

 

For detailed information, please visit: lucewinerestaurant.com and instagram.com/lucesf.