Monday, August 30, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $115

Something exciting is going on in Florida, and it doesn’t involve J. Lo and Marc Anthony. It’s not about P. Diddy’s yacht parties or Madonna’s Kabbalah adventures either. We’re talking about what’s happening at the newly renovated Renaissance Vinoy Resort, which overlooks the lapping waters of Tampa Bay. With its Mediterranean atmosphere, private marina, tennis complex, golf course, fitness center, and five restaurants, this Historic Hotel of America is dazzling visitors to St. Petersburg.

Condé Nast Traveler named the deluxe Vinoy among the Best in the World, and inscribed the place on its Gold List in 2002. Travel + Leisure called it one of the Greatest Hotels in the World, and AAA awarded the resort four diamonds. The five eateries at the Vinoy—The Terrace Room, Marchand’s Bar & Grill, Alfresco, Fred’s, and The Clubhouse Restaurant—are on a par with the facilities, offering everything from early breakfast, to panoramic views of the golf course, to live entertainment, and, most important, to award-winning food. In 2003, Florida’s Finest gave the Vinoy Resort its Golden Spoon Award. Two years earlier, chef John Pivar, the man behind the whole culinary operation, was named Executive Chef of the Year, beating out chefs from more than 800 other Marriott and Renaissance Hotels around the world.

Pivar, who joined the Vinoy in 2000, started cooking when he was just six years old, helping his mom and grandma in the kitchen. At 15, the parents of his best friend noticed his interest, and offered him a job in their restaurant. As an adult, Pivar enrolled in the Stouffer (now Renaissance) Hotel Corporation’s culinary development program in Chicago. He trained for three years, then spent the same number of years working his way up the line in Stouffer kitchens in D.C. and New York. Pivar moved to Florida for a job cooking for the Walt Disney World resort division. He and Mickey parted ways when he accepted a job as sous-chef at the Stouffer Dallas Hotel. After three years, Pivar moved to Arizona to oversee the kitchen of The Marquesa at the Scottsdale Princess Resort. But five years later, he made his way back to Florida, this time as the executive chef of Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa in Fort Myers. From there, he signed on at the Vinoy.