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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2002)
It’s Happening at Chinook Winds ... by Teresa Simmons Wickman Hired as Executive Chef Ed Wickman, newly hired executive chef for Chinook Winds Casino, has more than 16 years’ experience as a chef and has had the privilege to cook for The James Beard House in New York, celebrities, dignitaries, and VIP clients. His latest responsibility before accepting a position with Chinook Winds Casino was with Sodexho Corporate Services as executive chef of Merrill Lynch World Headquarters in the World Trade Center in New York, and included a multimillion dollar annual volume, 70 direct reports, and 3,500-4,500 meals daily. To successfully achieve that responsibility level, Ed was ac complished in both leadership and the ability to prepare award-winning cuisine spanning culinary styles such as French classical, Pacific Rim, Italian, nouveau dishes, English classical, American regional, international cuisine, including both hot and cold entrees. His entrepreneurial business experience has included special projects for The James Beard House, celebrities, dignitaries, and VIP clients. Before accepting a position with Sodexho-Marriott, Ed worked as chef of The Oyster Bar Restaurant for The Plaza Hotel in New York. His career led him back to New York as the chef of The Crescent Beach Club. While in California, he worked as an executive sous chef for the Café Japengo at the prestigious Hyatt Regency Hotel in La Jolla, Calif. His first job out of college was with The Marriott Mission Valley Hotel in San Diego, Calif., where he worked as a lead line cook. Ed put himself through Johnson & Wales University by catering for Tommy’s Caterers in Hanover, Mass., and working as a line cook for The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cambridge, Mass. Since the events of Sept. 11, Ed’s life has drastically changed. From the moment he and his wife awoke to watch the shocking events unfold, they were involved in the effort to locate workers. This effort included driving 3,(XX) miles Ed Wickman almost non-stop from Portland, Ore., (where they were visiting relatives) to New York. He crossed the Washington Bridge in New York City with a caravan of military vehicles, which drove up the Westside Highway with them as they watched the smoke rising overhead from the site, which had yet to be coined as “Ground Zero.’’ His next recollection of events was commuting two or three hours each direction through vast security checks to feed several thousand displaced Merrill Lynch stock traders and manage a team of kitchen employees without menus, employee records, his computer database, or any tools he was once so accustomed to using daily. Finally, as the 101 Hudson Street temporary safe hold for displaced Merrill Lynch stock traders seemed to be on-line, Ed was informed that he could go back into the north tower at “Ground Zero.” Again, he passed numerous state and military security checks, while the smoke plumed from active fires less than one block away. Once again, his team entered unfamiliar territory in re-opening an empty building and bringing it back to life. Ed’s tale of the weeks that followed is only one of many, but one of a person who was proud to help and to be a part of the team that survived. He is happy to be closer to family in Oregon and looks forward to building a new home in the Lincoln City area. Kennedy Hired as Marketing Director Don Kennedy has been named director of Marketing for Chinook Magazine, editor of Vegarama Winds Casino & Convention Center. and radio program host for NBC With more than 18 years’ experience Talk Radio. Publications, and director of Marketing in the gaming industry, Don has Don has been a guest lecturer at the accepted his first position at an Indian- UNR gaming school and UNLV owned casino. He will lead the hospitality school and is a member and past president of the international Marketing and Sales departments at Chinook Winds, with the primary tourism society, SKAL. He was objective of increasing the casino’s meeting and convention business. inducted by the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers as an honorary “We’re pleased to have an executive Don Kennedy with such extensive gaming and media lifetime member of the NFL alumni. Don was born and raised in experience joining our management Hotel Casino, Reno Hilton, Lake Tahoe Wisconsin and earned an associate’s of team,” said Jim Kikumoto, general Horizon Hotel Casino, Lady Luck arts degree from Concordia College in manager of Chinook Winds Casino. Milwaukee, Wis. Don’s extensive career in the Hotel Casino, and Circus Circus Hotel Casino. gaming industry includes leading Prior to his career in the gaming marketing and player development industry, Don was employed by several programs at several Las Vegas, Reno, Las Vegas media outlets. He served as and Lake Tahoe casinos, including the a sports anchor and reporter at TV 5 Silver Club Hotel & Casino, Harrah’s Las Vegas, city editor and sports editor Reno, Mountaineer Gaming, Majestic for the Henderson Home News and the Star Casino, Ormsby House Hotel Boulder City News, editor and Casino, John Ascuaga’s Nugget publisher of Southwest Traveler 18 □ Siletz News □ May 2002 “Always Guaranteed” Blackjack Tournaments Two blackjack tournaments will be held every weekend on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. Entry fee is only $40! Prize money ranges from $100 for sixth place to $2,000 for first place. Always $8,000 in prize money guaranteed each weekend. Always 100 percent of the entry fees paid as prize money. Always prize money added by Chinook Winds Casino.
