Celebrated Lehigh Valley chef Michael Adams will take the helm of the culinary team at Historic Hotel Bethlehem as Executive Chef in April, announced General Manager Dennis Costello today. This marks a home coming for Chef Adams who previously held the same position at the hotel in 1998 before it closed under different ownership. David Troxell will assume the position as Chef de Cuisine.
Adams received rave reviews for his cuisine while chef and co-owner at The Farmhouse restaurant in Emmaus. He then operated his catering business out of The Sun Inn in downtown Bethlehem. He most recently worked as Executive Chef at Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar in Montgomery County. In his new role at Hotel Bethlehem he will oversee kitchen operations for 1741 on the Terrace and The Tap Room, as well as banquets and events for which the hotel is well known.
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“Chef Michael Adams is one of the most renowned chefs in the Lehigh Valley and we are very proud to have him join our existing award-winning team,” said Managing Partner Bruce Haines. “He brings a unique dining experience to the hotel for our rapidly growing food and beverage business.”
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“I’m really excited to become a part of a team with such a great vision and am looking forward to being able to add a new dimension to it,” said Adams. “It’s great to work in my hometown again and be a part of all of the great events that take place in Bethlehem. Hotel Bethlehem’s location in the middle of all of those events is the icing on the cake.”
Adams is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and has over 20 years of professional experience. In 2007 he won an Iron Chef-style cooking competition in Harrisburg to become the first-ever PA Preferred Best Chef of Pennsylvania. During his tenure at The Farmhouse, the restaurant made Gourmet magazine’s list of America’s Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in 2007.
In 2008 he was nominated for the Best Mid-Atlantic Chef Award from the prestigious James Beard Foundation. He’s been a leader in the Buy Local and farm-to-table movements for over 20 years often cooking meals at his restaurants with ingredients he grew in his own garden. Adams has authored several newspaper columns and magazine articles, performed cooking demonstrations on television, and taught Northampton Community College students in the culinary program as the Chef in Residence.
“When it became apparent that there was the potential to bring Michael Adams back to the Lehigh Valley, we jumped on the opportunity to bring him to Main Street,” said Costello. “I think Michael may have felt that there was still unfinished business here since the hotel closed during his tenure as Executive Chef. We believe this is an opportunity to take the hotel to the next level in its food and beverage operation to compliment its premier-rated reputation for hospitality in the Lehigh Valley.”
