August 18, 2010 - Twenty-year Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts veteran Simon Purvis has been named the new Executive Chef of Four Seasons Hotel Denver, a 239-room property opening this fall. Chef Purvis, who hails from Portsmouth, England, joins Four Seasons Hotel Denver�s team from Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, where he served as Executive Chef for the past four years. 

Purvis has grown through the culinary ranks at Four Seasons, starting as a Cook 1 for Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver in 1990. He then honed his skills at Four Seasons properties in Scottsdale, Singapore, Indonesia, Berlin, Melbourne and Jackson Hole. Now, at his eighth Four Seasons property, Purvis is truly a master in the kitchen and embodies the highly attentive, personalised guest service for which Four Seasons is renowned. 

�I am thrilled that Simon Purvis has joined our team,� says Thierry Kennel, general manager. �Simon�s exceptional culinary skills will be a true asset to Four Seasons Hotel Denver. Area residents and Hotel guests alike are going to marvel at the innovative dishes Simon is creating for EDGE Restaurant & Bar.� 

Spotlight on Chef Simon Purvis 

• Lifelong passion: Chef Simon has known he wanted to be a chef since he was 13.
• Personality: Soft-spoken and easy-going, Chef Simon�s personal mantra is to lead by example, work hard, and do his best each and every day. 
• Greatest role model: Chef Jeff Bland, with whom he worked in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Favourite item to cook: Steak and halibut over a wood-burning fire, or pad thai and Indonesian fried rice. �I loved my time in Asia and have great memories of eating these dishes with friends,� says Chef Simon.
• Most interesting menu item at a Four Seasons restaurant: In Singapore, Chef Simon�s restaurant offered frogs, which were live and prepared only when a guest ordered, cooked in a wok with various Asian sauces; also, many different types of live seafood were featured, which he notes, �was very interesting to see and experience.� 
• Most excited about Denver: �We are going to be very modern in approach. Also, I�m enjoying sourcing the best of what Colorado has to offer in produce, cheese, dairy and meats.� 
• Hobby: Snowboarding. Chef Simon learned how to snowboard in British Columbia, and eagerly anticipates the winter season to experience Colorado�s mountains. 
• Inspiration: Chef Simon takes his inspiration to innovate from his team, friends and family, and �from constantly taking a step back to look at what we are doing, and challenging my sous-chefs to be more creative. By sharing ideas, innovation flows.�
• Family: Wife, Anne, and two children, son Eligh, 12, and daughter Willow, 9. They all love the mountain life, and Anne, who hails from the Highlands of Scotland, calls Colorado �a little bit of home.�

EDGE Restaurant & Bar 

EDGE Restaurant & Bar is the signature restaurant of Four Seasons Hotel Denver, a chic contemporary steakhouse on the lobby level with a separate restaurant entrance off Arapahoe Street. EDGE can accommodate 140 guests and will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There will be an additional 24 patio seats for al fresco dining along Arapahoe Street. Inside, numerous banquette seating and cosy tables have views of a contemporary fireplace and the restaurant�s rich décor. Designed in deep red and brown hues with a mix of gold and amber, EDGE features stylish lighting fixtures, a feature wall of stacked stone, and ample hardwood and red marble in the walls and floors. An impressive glass-enclosed wine display near the entrance is a conversation starter, and the artwork � 25 original pieces throughout EDGE � will provide an experience similar to dining in an intimate museum of contemporary art. 

In the evening, EDGE Bar will be the place to see and be seen, with an expansive cocktail menu, a wide range of Colorado microbrews, an extensive wine list, and a hip tapas menu. The bar and restaurant will boast a substantial wines-by-the-glass menu, in addition to wine flights and carafe options. EDGE Bar has several lounge areas, a communal table, and a main bar that is backlit, featuring a wall of blue glass mosaic tiles. Contemporary royal blue light fixtures illuminate the walls. 

EDGE also features three private dining rooms, each with a glass wall offering views of the restaurant. One of the private dining rooms is a Chef�s Table room, where a glass wall overlooks and provides entry to the kitchen � perfect for tastings, interaction with the Chef and access to the carving station. EDGE cuisine also will be available for catering, perfect for private functions in the Hotel�s expansive meetings and events space. 

EDGE will focus on high-quality cuisine prepared from the freshest locally sourced ingredients. In addition to steak, the menu will feature wild game, which Chef Purvis mastered during his tenure in Jackson Hole. The EDGE menu will offer a majority of organic and locally sourced ingredients, including locally farmed free-range, grass-fed beef. 

On weekday mornings, EDGE will be a destination for power breakfasts, and EDGE Bar will serve the local business community and Hotel guests by offering an inventive coffee/espresso bar, featuring several different flavours of specialty coffee drinks. On Sundays, EDGE will offer an à la carte brunch, with a wide menu of morning cocktails including a unique Bloody Mary bar and a variety of mimosa options.