Caleb Lara has joined the team at The Essex, Vermont’s Culinary Resort and Spa as executive chef. In this role, Lara will oversee the resort’s food and beverage program, which includes Junction, its signature fine dining restaurant, and the popular gathering spot The Tavern, as well as event and wedding catering and Cook’s Academy. Chef Lara will bring a new vision to The Essex culinary team focusing the dining experience on community, sense of place, and seasonality.
“I am excited to welcome Chef Lara to The Essex,” says Nic Barger, general manager at The Essex. “His experience and credentials coupled with his passion for pushing the boundaries of the culinary arts make him the perfect person to lead the culinary experience at The Essex.”
Lara brings over a decade of experience to The Essex culinary team. Most recently, Lara was a chef de cuisine at the renowned Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts where he was one of eight chefs charged with designing the resort’s seasonal menus. He has also worked as an executive chef at Kemble Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts and Harbor View Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard. Chef Lara has also held positions at Steel & Rye in Milton, Massachusetts, The Ritz Carlton in Boston, and The Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL and Harbor View Hotel.
“We are looking forward to what Chef Lara can bring to our resort,” continues Barger. “We believe that his skills will be invaluable. This is an exciting time for us, as well as our guests, and we know he will enhance the dining experience with a new and more diverse dining and culinary focus.”
Chef Lara is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. He developed his love of the culinary arts while growing up in San Diego, California. He has relocated to Essex, Vermont.
The Essex, Vermont’s Culinary Resort & Spa is located at 70 Essex Way. Junction, The Essex signature fine dining restaurant, is open for dinner every day from 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm. The Tavern, a pub-style restaurant focusing on local, fresh ingredients, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week from 7:00 am – 10:00 pm. Cook’s Academy offers on-site cooking classes, giving guests an opportunity to work with renowned chefs in an intimate classroom kitchen.
