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
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Siletz News
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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.