Acclaimed Chef Shaun Hergatt Joins ESquared Hospitality

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ESquared Hospitality, the international restaurant and hospitality group, announced today that Chef Shaun Hergatt has joined the company as Executive Chef and Principal. In this role, Chef Hergatt's first endeavor will be the opening of Juni, a haute restaurant of his own creation due to open in Q1 2013. Additionally, Chef Hergatt will be working closely with the group on future developments, creating new styles of restaurants with unique dining concepts at various price points.

"We are so pleased to have Chef Hergatt, a true food visionary, join ESquared Hospitality," said Jimmy Haber, Managing Partner of ESquared Hospitality. "Not only is Chef Hergatt creating a world-class dining experience with Juni, his leadership and experience will serve as example and inspiration to his fellow chefs of ESquared Hospitality."

"I am delighted to be part of the ESquared family and am looking forward to what the future brings. Its an exciting time for myself to have such an amazing team to work with," said Chef Hergatt.

Juni, Latin for the month of June, signifies the bounty of the year for the harvest. Juni will be a fine dining restaurant featuring the finest locally sourced ingredients with a seasonally inspired menu. The wine and beverage program will employ the same philosophy as the kitchen, relying heavily on the seasons and cooking techniques. Juni's intimate 50-seat fine dining room, will invite guests to experience a high level of service that is both comfortable and gracious. Juni will be opening in Q1 2013 at the Hotel Chandler, 12 East 31st Street.

Growing up in a culinary-oriented family in Cairns, Australia, Chef Hergatt was enamored with cooking from a young age. At the age of 23, Chef Hergatt was named Chef de Cuisine of The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Sydney. He quickly earned international accolades including "Best Young Chef" award (2000) and the restaurant was named "Top 5 Up and Coming Restaurants in the World" by CondeNast Traveler. He subsequently worked at Atelier, which earned a 3 Star rating from New York Times and a James Beard nomination for "Best New Restaurant." Chef Hergatt went on to become the Executive Chef at The Setai in Miami, which was awarded "Esquire's Best New Restaurant"(2005) and Second in the World on the "Gold List" two years running 2008-2009 by CondeNast Traveler. In 2009, Chef Hergatt returned to New York to open his first eponymous restaurant located in the heart of the Financial District. Channeling his passion for hospitality and prestigious culinary background, Chef Hergatt's infinite talent brought unparalleled acclaim to the Financial District's culinary landscape. Chef Hergatt has been recognized by New York Magazine as "Best New Chef," received 2 Michelin stars, a 29 out of 30 Zagat rating across the board and "Best New Restaurant" accolades from Esquire and New York Magazine for his work at SHO Shaun Hergatt.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.e2hospitality.com/.  For media inquiries, please contact 5W Public Relations.

ABOUT ESQUARED HOSPITALITY
ESquared Hospitality is an international restaurant and hospitality group owned by Jimmy Haber and Keith Treyball. ESquared Hospitality is currently comprised of three divisions, one of which is BLT Restaurants. Restaurants within the BLT Restaurant Group division include BLT Steak in New York City (2004), Washington, DC (2006), San Juan, Puerto Rico (2006), White Plains, NY (2007), Los Angeles (2008), Scottsdale, AZ (2008), Atlanta (2009), Miami (2009), Hong Kong (2009) Charlotte (2009) and Waikiki (2009); BLT Burger in New York City (2006), Las Vegas (2008) and Hong Kong (2009); and BLT Fish and Fish Shack (2005), BLT Prime (2005) and BLT Bar & Grill (2010) in New York City. The second division of ESquared Hospitality includes two Italian concepts: Casa Nonna New York City (2011) and The Florentine (2010) at the JW Marriott Chicago. ESquared Hospitality's third division is comprised of GO Burger restaurants which include the GO Burger Truck in New York City (2010) as well as four storefront GO Burger locations, one in Los Angeles (2011) and three in New York City (2012).

SOURCE ESquared Hospitality