Belgian Master Chef Steven De Bruyn of The Garden City Hotel
The Garden City Hotel’s world-class reputation for dining and lavish culinary events is underscored by the award-winning cuisine directed by Belgian Master Chef Steven De Bruyn. As the hotel’s culinary leader since 1994, De Bruyn oversees all food preparation and wine choices for the top Zagat-rated Rein restaurant, banquets, weddings, conference services and in-room dining. De Bruyn creates the finest cuisine to suit any appetite and special occasion. In his dual role as executive chef and wine director, De Bruyn oversees a spectacular wine collection and will custom design a menu of fine wines for private dinners.
In the chic-casual ambience of Rein, the luxury hotel’s signature restaurant, De Bruyn presents a menu of New American cuisine. Befitting the warm and inviting atmosphere is a menu ranging from simple and fun selections to a full and filling spectrum of imaginatively composed dishes.
De Bruyn’s creative execution extends to special occasions. While other chefs may host wine dinners, De Bruyn pairs paté and beer in a robust marriage of tastes based on equally bold and complex flavor profiles. His sense of celebration extends to themed menus. Favorites include a “stars and stripes” menu inspired by the 2008 Presidential candidates’ favorite dishes; a Triple Crown menu representing fare from the three geographic legs of the annual horse racing season; and a pairing of Old World and New World cheeses and wines on the anniversary of the first trans-Atlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh, who slept at the luxury hotel on the eve of his historic journey.
A year-round specialty is the Bridal Tea. De Bruyn designs a Traditional Tea with sandwiches and scones; a Chocolate Tea with warm brown brioche, bonbons and truffles; and a Royal Tea with champagne, strawberries and chantilly. His diverse international menus are also tailored to every style of wedding. Working to his vision, are a team of culinary experts who personalize ethnic dining menus, custom-create themed weddings and wedding cakes, and tailor wine lists.
Under De Bruyn’s direction, The Garden City Hotel has consistently garnered #1 ratings in Zagat Surveys from best food and best service to best brunch with GAYOT.com ranking it a top ten US brunch hotel. Critics call the hotel’s main restaurant, Rein, “a suburban oasis.” The New York Times remarks, “…earthy and elegant on what is perhaps Long Island’s most refined, rarefied bar menu.” “At Rein, one can eat well without spending a fortune,” adds Newsday. Rein is top-rated by Zagat Survey noting its “excellent” “classics with an extra twist” … “martinis in every flavor” … “a terrific staff” … and a “wonderful” “place to eat and relax.” Of Rein’s menu, about.com says, “Chef De Bruyn has assembled a pleasing variety of gourmet meals with an innovative touch,” adding, “. . . each meal that he prepares is sheer culinary magic with small bursts of subtle flavors revealed in each bite.” For the premier property’s once formal dinner service, the former Polo Restaurant, The New York Times’ Joanne Starkey awarded it an “Excellent” rating for exceptional cuisine, service and ambience and declared it “the jewel in the crown of The Garden City Hotel.” It was also ranked by USA Today as one of America’s top 100 restaurants and the #1 hotel restaurant in New York. De Bruyn’s wine list at Rein has also been acknowledged with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for offering a well-chosen selection from quality producers with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style.
A native of Belgium, De Bruyn was inducted into that country’s society of master chefs, Les Maîtres-Cuisiniers de Belgique, for upholding the finest quality of Belgian culinary art, tradition and innovation. He is also a member of the Academie Culinaire De France, an elite membership of international chefs exemplifying the highest standards of a professional French kitchen; and a recipient of the Maison de Qualité diploma from Le Club Gastronimique Prosper Montagné, a society of French food professionals. In America, he has been invited to cook at The James Beard House and earned an International Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. Prior to joining The Garden City Hotel, De Bruyn was Executive Chef at two of Belgium’s finest restaurants, ‘t Begijnhofken in Sint-Niklaas and Bistro-Restaurant Journaal in Gent. He has also been Executive Sous Chef for Club Med properties throughout the world, Chef de Cuisine at the Restaurant Jean-Claude Ferrero in Paris, and Pastry Chef and Chef de Partie at Restaurant Claude Dupont in Brussels. De Bruyn’s career began as a graduate from Ter Duinen culinary school in Koksyde and being honored Best Junior Chef of Belgium.
Click Here for Chef's Bio PDF
