All-Star Chefs Revamp Holiday Entertaining and Game Day Gatherings as Part of the Sam's Club Simply Delicious Chef Brigade

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- From holiday dinners to football gatherings, homes across the country will host a bevy of guests in the coming weeks. To ease the stress of menu planning, three new culinary masters join the Sam's Club^® Simply Delicious Chef Brigade, a team of all-star restaurant chefs who creatively use one ingredient in multiple dishes as inspiration for everyday cooking.

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The new members of the star-studded Sam's Club Simply Delicious Chef Brigade bring a diverse mix of cooking techniques and cuisines to Sam's Club members and visitors to Samsclub.com/meals:

• Eddie Matney (Scottsdale, AZ) – Whether delighting guests with new dishes at his own Eddie's House restaurant or at the prestigious Taste of the NFL™ event, executive chef Eddie Matney's savory meals are always crowd pleasers. His tips to "GLAM YOUR HAM" before and after holiday meals showcase the variety of delicious meals one item can produce.
• Reinaldo Alfonso (Philadelphia, PA) – Known for crafting flavorful dishes at the acclaimed Stephen Starr restaurant Alma de Cuba, executive chef Reinaldo Alfonso brings a creative twist to the Cuban-inspired menu. The heart-healthy solutions he whips up with salmon helps Sam's Club followers kick off the New Year with resolve.
• Michael Vlasich (Indianapolis, IN) – As executive chef of the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown featuring Champion's Sports Bar and Restaurant and Circle City Bar and Grille, Michael Vlasich incorporates fresh ingredients into his popular contemporary American fare. His proximity to the 2012 Super Bowl stadium serves as his inspiration for festive recipes for game day gatherings and easy-to-make savory snacks.

Launching now through January, the Chef Brigade's mealtime solutions will be highlighted on SamsClub.com/meals and the Sam's Club Facebook page. Indulge in easy recipes and ingredient shopping tips as a quick way to plan menus or as a resource for last-minute meal ideas in a pinch. With the recent introduction of the Sam's Club iPad® app and smartphone app, Sam's Club simplifies shopping list creation and recipe searches for time-strapped, on-the-go meal planners. 

"Modifying the everyday menu to accommodate added houseguests can be a difficult, time-consuming task," says Shawn Baldwin, senior vice president of fresh & freezer/cooler at Sam's Club. "Sam's Club is committed to providing our members with quality, crowd-pleasing mealtime solutions that reduce stress and allow all to enjoy this busy time of year. The Simply Delicious Chef Brigade demonstrates the ease of using a few simple ingredients to plan a week's worth of restaurant-quality meals at home."

These three new culinary all-stars round out the Sam's Club team of eight renowned chefs bringing restaurant-quality meal ideas to the home. Since August, Top Chef competitors Dale Levitski and Casey Thompson and executive chefs Molly Hawks, Todd Clore and Jan Kelly have contributed recipes using fresh, quality products from Sam's Club. Hundreds of Sam's Club fans in these markets can meet local Chef Brigade members and sample recipes during in-club demonstrations.

Families can enhance their dining experience with the SamsClub.com/meals Wine and Food Pairing Tool.  Simply pick the food type, flavor profile and spending range and this intuitive application will recommend a wine option to complement a recipe's flavors.

Visit SamsClub.com/meals and Sam's Club Facebook page for ongoing announcements about Simply Delicious Meals and the Chef Brigade program.

About Sam's Club
Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation's eighth largest retailer and a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than 47 million members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. Members save an average of 30 percent over traditional retailers. To learn more about Savings Made Simple(SM), visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE Sam's Club