BoilerHouse Restaurant at the Craneway Names Paul Despotakis Executive Chef

RICHMOND, Calif., March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The BoilerHouse Restaurant, located adjacent to Craneway Pavilion on the waterfront at historic Ford Point in Richmond, has named Paul Despotakis its new Executive Chef.  Despotakis comes to the post with a reputation—and passion—for making fine food from scratch, an approach that ideally complements the fresh, seasonal, handmade offerings comprising the two-year-old eatery's menu.  He will also oversee BoilerHouse catering for events at the restaurant and at the Craneway Pavilion.

A Bay Area native and UC Berkeley graduate, Despotakis' culinary resume includes tenures at the San Francisco restaurants Palio d'Asti and Wolfgang Puck's Postrio, where he was a line chef and pastry chef during its heyday.  Most recently, he was Executive Chef at the California/Mediterranean Mythos Bar Restaurant.  His background also includes extensive catering experience with Paula LeDuc Fine Catering and Taste Catering.

"I'm thrilled to be at the BoilerHouse in a position that feels like the perfect melding of my professional experiences," says Despotakis, whose family owned a catering company and delicatessen in the East Bay when he was growing up.  "And I'm so inspired by the environment—its beautiful space, and the windows overlooking the water are spectacular."

The BoilerHouse Restaurant is inside—and takes its name from—the original boiler room of the iconic Ford Assembly Building, which first opened in 1932 as a Ford Motors production plant and later became a hub of WWII homefront efforts when it was retooled to produce tanks and jeeps.  The historic boiler room's fittings and equipment have been painted silver, and the space's cavernous ceilings, tall windows, exposed ductwork, and abundant natural light contrast distinctively with a sleek, industrial interior design.

Despotakis will continue updating and refining the BoilerHouse's signature cuisine, which features a balance of always-available favorites and a rotating selection of locally sourced, seasonally influenced specials.  Menus are developed to be health-conscious, made from scratch, all-natural and organic whenever possible. A full bar is available.

The BoilerHouse is open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 12 noon – 9 p.m. on Saturday, and will open on Sundays beginning April 3rd from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. The restaurant is located at 1414 Harbour Way South in Richmond's Marina district, and can be accessed from the 580 freeway. Its wharf is accessible by private ferry from most Bay Area waterfront locations, and is also accessible by helicopter, BART and Amtrak (+ shuttles from nearby stations), car, and by foot or bicycle from the recently opened Ford Point section of the shoreline San Francisco Bay Trail.

For more information: www.boilerhouserestaurant.com

SOURCE Craneway Pavilion