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Anton Barich and Jason Rogers Named Director of Operations Food & Beverage
and Executive Chef, Respectively, at the JW Marriott Cherry Creek in Denver



Denver, CO (January 20, 2009) � Peter Karpinski, Chief Operating Officer of Sage Restaurant Group has announced the selection of two industry leaders to take the culinary helm at Second Home Kitchen + Bar and the JW Marriott Cherry Creek in Denver. Anton Barich joins as Director of Operations Food & Beverage and Jason Rogers joins as Executive Chef.

�This is a big move for our food and beverage operation at Second Home and the JW Marriott Cherry Creek,� said Karpinski. �Anton and Jason are two of the most exciting players in the Colorado food and beverage world. They will bring a new level of product and excellence for our guests.�

Anton Barich�s passion for cooking began at a young age in his grandmother�s kitchen in Chicago, and continued throughout high school when he cooked at the local Italian restaurant and for various community programs.  While he started his career in public relations, his heart drew him to culinary and he attended the Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC), a Le Cordon Bleu institute. After graduating, he opened his own Italian restaurant and steak house, Rendezvous, in downtown Chicago and later opened a nightclub, Mystique which was deemed the �Hottest Nightclub in Chicago� by the Chicago Tribune, Metromix and the Chicago Sun Times.

Barich went on to work as a Regional Beverage Manager for the T.G.I.Friday�s chain and then as a General Manager and Director of Market & Brand Development for the Rosebud Restaurant Group managing all 8 of their Chicago locations.  He left Chicago with the Hard Rock Corporation moving to Vegas, then on to Universal City in Los Angeles to produce movie premiere soirees and act as a corporate training manager, and finally on to San Diego as the General Manager of La Jolla Hard Rock.

Barich joined Sage when he returned to Chicago to become part of the Mercat a la Planxa team at the famed Blackstone Hotel.  With cuisine inspired by celebrity chef Jose Garces, Barich directed the restaurant and helped it achieve accolades such as �Mission Accomplished� from the Chicago Tribune and the �Top 20 Restaurants of 2008� list in Esquire magazine.

Like Barich, Jason Rogers� passion for cooking began at a young age in his parents� kitchen in Chicago, and continued throughout high school, during which time he cooked in fast food restaurants and at a private golf course. While pursuing his physical therapy degree, he felt the call of the kitchen, and worked at various restaurants in the famous Little Italy neighborhood of the city.

After college, Rogers traveled to Iowa City, where he worked as a butcher and baker at the New Pioneer Co-Op, an establishment that piqued his interest in organic and all-natural foods. He then landed at The Whitehall, a boutique hotel in Chicago, and finally moved to Colorado in 1997 to work as the chef de cuisine at the Alfredo�s and Chaps restaurants at the Vail Cascade resort.

Rogers worked as the executive chef at the St. Regis Hotel and Spa in Aspen. He opened Olives with the famed Todd English and went on to replicate this popular restaurant in Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Rogers then made his way to Atlantic City, where he worked as executive chef at the award-winning Specchio, Ombra, and Risi Bisi, all located in the Borgata Casino and Spa. Rogers has twice been invited to cook at the illustrious James Beard House�in 2001 with Todd English and in 2003 when he cooked with Palladino. Most recently he was the Executive Chef at the acclaimed St. Julian Hotel and Spa in Boulder, CO.

�You will see Anton and Jason apply their passion for excellence to create a unique overall restaurant experience,� Karpinski added. �Together, they will focus on providing an unforgettable experience that blends a menu of culinary flavors with an extensive beverage program, all in a comfortable and causal setting.�  

The Space 
With one arm around modern home-cooking and the other out-stretched around a chic, ambient, fire-lit setting, Second Home Kitchen and Bar (www.secondhomedenver.com) has the relaxed feel of a weekend getaway with the slick finish and fine food of a downtown, urban restaurant. Located in Denver�s Cherry Creek JW Marriott, Second Home offers honest food accompanied by an abundant selection of hand-crafted American micro-brews and international wines, in a cozy yet sophisticated setting. All of this comes without pretense and with all the comforts of home � and complimentary valet parking with validation in the restaurant.

The restaurant space pushes the envelope on the Rocky Mountain vernacular and creates an iconic, inventive space that is, at the end of the day, a great place to unwind and relax. With dry-stack stone walls and rough-hewn wood plank ceilings, Second Home�s architecture showcases the organic textures of the Rockies. Bold Design elements such as 50�s Italian chandeliers, graffiti-covered Danish chairs, cowhide upholstered walls and shear ling furniture keep things lighthearted and sexy.

With its seductive low-slung lounge, charming yet boisterous dining room and open-air patio defined by a 15-foot open flame fire pit, the design is highly original and has become a popular gathering place. The dining room features floor to ceiling retractable glass doors leading to the outdoor patio where guests can enjoy Denver�s 300 days of sunshine. The outdoor patio is complete with cozy furnishings surrounding a fire pit.

The Food 
The menu at Second Home is vast and characterized by modern spins on timeless favorites. It�s hard to imagine anyone not finding a personal favorite on the mindful menu. Outstanding appetizers and soups start the menu along with an assortment of artfully composed salads. Everything is accompanied by warm flatbreads just out of the brick oven.  Second Home is proud to offer a long list of sandwiches and artisanal brick-oven pizzas from time-honored favorites to a number of innovative alternatives including a spicy Thai pizza that was featured on ABC�s The View. In addition to the brick oven, Second Home takes advantage of a large rotisserie alongside the main kitchen to offer a complex, yet familiar semblance of meat, poultry and fish dishes served with a classic assortment of side dishes. An additional feature of Second Home�s main menu is the �Daily Dish� with a different home-style favorite offered every day. And the dessert menu makes every meal complete.

The Drink
Of course, no self-respecting dining experience would go without the appropriate liquid pairings, so Second Home�s creators have placed a strong emphasis on developing a comprehensive assortment of beverages, notably, a long list of over 40 interesting micro-brewed beers including some favorites from New Belgium, Dogfish Head and Odell�s Breweries and an extensive wine list highlighting their award-winning program with over 100 wines �by the bottle� and over 30 wines �by the glass�, which represents carefully selected bottles at approachable price points (averaging between $24 and $54). 

The People 
The Second Home �family� has gone to great lengths to be informed on every aspect of the menu and the restaurant�s other offerings. They pride themselves on a combination of courtesy, efficiency and professionalism. They are at once playful and knowledgeable; professional and comfortable. They are no doubt one more element that makes Second Home a true �home away from home.� 

Second Home serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, in addition to hotel-managed room service.  Patrons can take advantage of the free valet parking available at the entrance when guests validate their ticket in the restaurant. The restaurant is located in the Cherry Creek JW Marriott Hotel at 150 Clayton Lane. Denver Co, 80206. ph. 303-253-3000; www.secondhomedenver.com.

Sage Restaurant Group also operates The Corner Office, a retro-style restaurant and bar with global comfort food and scintillating cocktails, in Denver, CO.  For more information about Second Home and Sage Restaurant Group, visit www.sagerestaurantgroup.com. 

About Sage Restaurant Group
Sage Restaurant Group (SRG) creates experiences where food, drink and inspired design meet and mix. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and lingering over drinks, these independent restaurants which are adjacent to hotels and deliver exceptional catering and in-room dining experiences. Wherever they are located, Sage Restaurant Group�s concepts feature a distinctive scene and a subtly infused local vibe designed to appeal to a guest who is hungry for life. SRG currently operates The Corner Office, a retro-style restaurant and bar with global comfort food and scintillating cocktails, in Denver, CO, Second Home Kitchen + Bar, offering the relaxed feel of a weekend getaway with the slick finish and fine food of an urban restaurant, in Denver, CO, Temple Downtown, a modern American bistro in a former Masonic hall, in Providence, RI, and the acclaimed Mercat a la Planxa at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago.  Just opened in October 2008 is Urban Farmer at the Nines hotel in Portland, OR. And coming soon is Departure and The Original also in Portland, OR.  For more information about Sage Restaurant Group, visit www.sagerestaurantgroup.com. 

About Sage Hospitality 
Founded in 1984, Sage Hospitality has strategically grown into one of the largest privately held hotel management and development companies in the nation operating a variety of large, full-service hotels and extended stay and select-service properties. Sage Hospitality's comprehensive management portfolio includes major international brands for Marriott, Starwood, Hilton and IHG as well as the independent boutique hotels the Oxford and the Curtis in Denver. Sage Hospitality has further differentiated with the creation of the Sage Restaurant Group, which has created and is managing 5 unique restaurant concepts. The company developed the innovative CoCo Key water resort brand with 8 destination properties currently opened and 3 additional resorts opening soon. For more information, please visit www.sagehospitality.com

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Contact:

Sage Hospitality 
Antonette Smith 303.595.7267
[email protected]

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Also See: Sage Hospitality Names Steven Marx as Chief Operating Officer of Sage Hotels; Will Oversee a Portfolio of 52 Hotels / November 2008
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