Stapleton will help select his successor as the Inn�s executive chef. A national search will begin immediately.
 
�Brian has built an extremely strong and creative culinary team here, and they look forward to continuing to offer our patrons the fine dining experience that Brian raised to such a high level,� Woods said. The Inn�s restaurant, Carolina Crossroads, is one of only two restaurants in North Carolina to have achieved both a Mobil Four-Star rating and a AAA Four-Diamond rating. 
 
Stapleton has received a number of awards for culinary excellence. He was named the Triangle area�s Chef of the Year in 1999. As chef at the Ritz Carlton hotel in St. Louis in 1993, he was honored as that city�s Chef of the Year.
 
In 2003 and 2005, Stapleton was invited to be the guest chef for an evening at the famed James Beard House in New York, where celebrated chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse have demonstrated their culinary artistry. 
 
�Brian�s talents have earned him national recognition and, now, a national position in our organization,� Woods said. ARAMARK Harrison Lodging operates The Carolina Inn under a lease agreement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which has owned the historic hotel since 1935.