InterContinental Hotels Of San Francisco Offer Exclusive "Kitchen Passport" Culinary Experience for Local Influencer

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco have teamed up with local travel expert Avital Andrews to work alongside the brand's top restaurant chefs and mixologists to craft new food and drink recipes for the InterContinental Kitchen Cookbook iPad app. The Kitchen Passport program – which also includes InterContinental properties in Atlanta, Boston and Miami – is yet another way the luxury hotel brand continues to elevate its world-class food and beverage program while offering users of its iPad app access to fresh and inspiring recipes created by InterContinental Hotels' executive chefs from around the world.

The InterContinental San Francisco and the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco are the second series of hotels to host this experience. The properties recently invited Andrews to go behind the scenes of its Michelin Star-rated restaurant Luce to develop three new dishes with chef de cuisine Daniel Corey. The culinary duo worked together to create an appetizer, entree and dessert inspired by Northern California, which will be featured on the InterContinental Kitchen Cookbook iPad app by the end of 2012. The new dishes reflect the sophisticated yet approachable, modern American cuisine of the award-winning restaurant, while offering the perfect marriage of local flavors and global inspiration. This month Luce was awarded its fourth consecutive Michelin star rating, the second under Chef Daniel's culinary direction. The prestigious honor recognizes epicurean excellence and sets the benchmark for fine dining in the city.

Andrews also worked with resident bartender Eric Hammermaster of Bar 888 at the InterContinental San Francisco – the nation's premiere grappa bar which features one of the finest selections of grappa and grappa cocktails in the country – to develop a new cocktail to complement the dishes, and lead bartender Thom Phan of the Top of The Mark Lounge at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco – known for its stunning wraparound views of San Francisco and world famous 100 Martinis menu – to handcraft a specialty martini for the occasion.

The InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta was the first property to host the Kitchen Passport experience in early October. The property invited Anne Dolce, cook editor of The Daily Meal to venture into the kitchen of its restaurant Southern Art to develop new dishes with acclaimed chef and restaurateur Art Smith. The pair worked together to create a Southern Oysters Rockefeller starter, a Vegan Cassoulet entree and a Persimmon Pound Cake dessert which reflect the Southern-inspired comfort food found on the restaurant's menu. The full recipes are now available for all to download and enjoy on the InterContinental Kitchen Cookbook iPad app. Dolce also worked with resident mixologist Arianne Fielder at the InterContinental Buckhead's Bourbon Bar to craft two specialty bourbon cocktails to complement the dishes.

In November, the InterContinental Boston will invite an influencer to work with hotel executive chef Didier Montarou to concept three new recipes for the waterfront property's colorful cornucopia of restaurants and bars. The program will highlight Miel Brasserie Provencale, Boston's first Provence-inspired brasserie; Sushi-Teq, a vibrant outlet featuring sushi paired with more than 75 different vintage tequilas; and RumBa, a rum and champagne bar which pays tribute to the legends and lore of Boston's historic rum trade period.

The Kitchen Passport program will culminate in December at the InterContinental Miami's Toro Toro, the latest addition to the InterContinental Hotels repertoire of innovative restaurant concepts. The newly opened restaurant is the brain child of award-winning chef Richard Sandoval and will offer a menu of creative small plates informed by Hispanic cultures spanning the globe and an array of meats cooked rodizio-style. It will also feature a buzzworthy bar that specializes in craft cocktails made with ultra-premium Latin spirits, as well as a special bar menu.

The InterContinental Kitchen Cookbook iPad app is filled with delicious recipes intended to bring the dishes of InterContinental Hotels' executive chefs from around the world into the homes of travelers. The app offers consumers the ability to build out shopping lists for each recipe, as well as access information about the associated InterContinental Hotel and book a reservation directly within the app.

About InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has 169 hotels located in more than 60 countries with local insight that comes from over 60 years of experience. At InterContinental Hotels, we believe that superior, understated service and outstanding facilities are important, but what makes us truly different is the genuine interest we show in our guests. Our desire is to help guests make the most of their time. We connect our well-traveled guests to what's special about a destination, by sharing our knowledge so they enjoy authentic experiences that will enrich their lives and broaden their outlook. For more information, visit www.intercontinental.com, https://twitter.com/InterConHotels or http://www.facebook.com/intercontinental.

Notes to Editors:
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) (LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)) is a global organization with nine hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, as well as our two newest brands, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world's first and largest hotel loyalty program with over 67 million members worldwide.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,500 hotels and more than 666,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.priorityclub.comfor more on Priority Club Rewards. For our latest news, visit www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihgplc, www.facebook.com/ihg or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.

SOURCE InterContinental Hotels