Chefs

JASON POTTER

Born and Raised in Flint, Michigan, Jason Potter has been in the restaurant business since he was 15 years old. After learning to cook from his father at an early age, Jason continued his education at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, where he studied classic French techniques under world-renowned chefs. After graduating, Jason returned to Michigan for a short stint as the Chef at Gregory Charles and The Elks Golf Club but missed the energy of New York. He has since worked with a number of distinguished chefs such as David Bouley, Todd English and Zak Pelaccio.

Jason is now the Chef at R Lounge and the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel, where the menu is reflective of his love of American food, influenced by Italian and other international flavors. He uses classic techniques and fresh local food sources to create a dining experience that imbues a sense of comfort in customers -- while pushing their palates to new levels of experimentation. His focus is on the natural flavors of the ingredient.

BROMBERG BROTHERS

Renaissance Hotels has partnered with acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs, Eric and Bruce Bromberg, of New York City’s Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Restaurants® to create a customized menu of their famous comfort cuisine to compliment the amazing scenery and views of R Lounge. Items such as Blue Ribbon’s northern fried chicken wings, grilled cheese paninis, BBQ pork sliders, and smoked salmon toast are available at R Lounge in addition to the hotel’s complete dinner menu.

Brothers, Chefs and Restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg have set trends and ignited passions for almost 20 years with their famed Blue Ribbon Restaurants. In their early twenties, Bruce and Eric each attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, graduating with the highest honors, with Eric holding the distinction of being the first American to teach classes at the prestigious school. In 1992, the brothers created the first Blue Ribbon restaurant in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, and it was an immediate breakthrough success. Blue Ribbon, or the English translation of Cordon Bleu, represents first prize, top quality, and references the Bromberg’s culinary experience in France. The original Blue Ribbon ushered in a new era in dining, one with no reservations and an eclectic mix of familiar and fine foods dressed up or down, a sampling of which are included in R Lounge’s “Blue Ribbon Classics” menu.

Blue Ribbon Restaurants are annually recognized with a slew of “Top 10” and “Best Of” awards from publications including Wine Spectator, Zagat, Time Out New York, The New York Press, New York magazine and The New York Observer. The original Blue Ribbon received Gourmet magazine’s prestigious America’s Top Table title in 1996, and was Food & Wine magazine’s pick for Chef’s Choice Best Dining in 2003. The Blue Ribbon burger was selected as one of Martha Stewart’s top nine favorite NYC burgers on her television show MARTHA in 2009, and their Northern Fried Chicken was named “Best Fried Chicken” in 2008 by New York magazine, and “America’s Best Fried Chicken” in 2010 by Yahoo Travel.