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Unique Napa Valley Dining with Chef Brian Whitmer |
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Experience the casual elegance of our Harvest Café, our signature Napa Valley restaurant. Savor abundant menu selections showcasing our chef’s unique and imaginative California cuisine, or linger over an exquisite bottle of wine chosen from our extensive wine list. Stop by Character’s Bar & Grill for casual Napa Valley dining, and enjoy an informal menu featuring sandwiches, burgers, and salads. After a day of exploring Wine Country, this restaurant is the ideal spot to enjoy appetizers and cocktails.
Read more about our unique Kansas City Style BBQ by acclaimed Chef, Brian Whitmer.
About the Chef
 At the Napa Valley Hotel & Spa, we are proud to have Brian Whitmer as our Executive Chef. Whitmer has an impressive culinary background that started in Kansas City and found him developing his trademark skills and techniques in a wide variety of kitchens, from New York City to Carmel, CA. Chef Whitmer showcases his Kansas City roots with the culinary finesse and expertise that has won him national accolades. The widely renowned Chef utilizes local and seasonal ingredients to create simple, delicious dishes that blend his barbecue-charged background with his highly celebrated gourmet restaurant experiences.
Whitmer began his career under Chef Bradley Ogden at Kansas City's famed American Restaurant before moving northeast to New York's Tavern on the Green, Montrachet, and The Polo Club, where he worked with culinary genius Daniel Boulud. In fact, Whitmer's stint at Montrachet earned the restaurant a three-star rating from the New York Times.
After his success in New York, Whitmer hit the Bay Area food scene in 1989, where he again teamed up with Chef Bradley Ogden in opening San Francisco's Campton Place Hotel. Next, Whitmer went on to spend six years as Executive Chef at the Highland Inn in beautiful Carmel, CA where he oversaw culinary operations for the prestigious Masters of Food & Wine. After Carmel, Whitmer demonstrated his superior culinary expertise at Montrio in Monterey, which resulted in a nod for "Best Restaurant of the Year" by Esquire food aficionado John Mariani.
Presently, Chef Whitmer has made the Napa Valley Marriot Hotel & Spa his new home, and we couldn't be happier to have him. Whitmer seeks to attract locals and hotel guests alike to the hotel's Character's Bar & Grill by offering a casual menu that showcases his Kansas City barbecue roots. Coined "Brian's American Barbecue," the menu features barbecue classics such as St. Louis Ribs, slow-smoked Pulled Pork Sliders and Prime Beef Brisket sandwiches. Whitmer invites guests to also experience Harvest Restaurant, where his "robustly flavored, Mediterranean-inspired, wine country cuisine" includes such entrees as Braised Lamb Shank with Whipped Parsnips, Wild King Salmon with Romesco Crust and Liberty Duck Breast with Huckleberries and Creamy Polenta.
The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa is pleased to have Chef Brian Whitmer at the culinary helm. Join us to experience the passion of Chef Brian as he brings his fresh and exciting culinary flair to our welcomed guests as well as Napa locals. Read more about Brian's signature "Kansas City Barbecue" cooking.
Video Profiles, Recipes & Reviews
Chef Brian Whitmer Cooking On ABC
ABC News Interview Video
Napa Valley Register Interview Video
Restaurant Review - Characters BBQ
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