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Courtesy of Crystal Springs Resort
Crystal Springs Resort is proud to welcome Anthony Bucco, one of New Jersey’s most acclaimed chefs, as the new Executive Chef of Restaurant Latour and Crystal Tavern. A Garden State native, Bucco is well known for relaunching New Jersey landmark Ryland Inn to critical acclaim along with his work at Uproot and Stage Left. Most recently, Bucco worked closely with famed chef Jonathan Waxman, overseeing his restaurant and hotel projects in the U.S. and Canada.
Robby Younes, VP of Hospitality and Wine Director at Crystal Springs Resort, who was instrumental in bringing Chef Anthony Bucco, as well as former chef Jean Paul Lourdes to helm Restaurant Latour, is committed to bringing top talent to the resort. “We are excited to work with a chef of Bucco’s caliber,” Younes says, “his reputation as one of New Jersey’s best chefs speaks for itself. We look forward to the continued evolution of Restaurant Latour.”
Bucco will step in for Lourdes, who in his year guiding the kitchen at Restaurant Latour helped revitalize the restaurant and garnered an impressive string of accolades for his bold, innovative cooking. Under Lourdes’ leadership, the restaurant received the highest ratings from The New York Times and Newark Star-Ledger, as well as inclusion in New Jersey Monthly’s 25 Best Restaurants, Inside Jersey’s 30 Best Meals and Wine Enthusiast’s America's 100 Best Wine Restaurants. Lourdes is departing to work on his own project and to start a family - he and his wife Prunella are expecting a baby in March and will move to Hong Kong where they own a home.
Anthony Bucco will be introducing new menus at both Restaurant Latour and Crystal Tavern in late February 2015. Restauarnt Latour’s menus will continue to be seasonally inspired and will focus on the best local producers and foraged goods. At Crystal Tavern, he will be introducing a new gastropub style menu with a focus on seasonal ingredients.
"I enjoyed my time working with chef Jonathan Waxman," says Bucco, "he is an iconic chef and an amazing man. Having the luxury of a great mentor was a valuable asset at this stage of my career. That being said, the platform that Restaurant Latour provides for me professionally was next to impossible to pass up. I've enjoyed the successes I’ve had in New Jersey and I'm excited to get back to work in the Garden State!"
Crystal Springs Country Club,
Restaurant Latour
Crystal Tavern
1 Wild Turkey Way
Hamburg, NJ 07419