The IRONS chef of Hilton Mystic featured at Denison Homestead farmers market

Award-winning Chef Shawn Michael O’Regan of The IRONS Restaurant & Bar at Hilton Mystic will be a featured guest chef at the Denison Farmers Market this month. The guest chef program showcases talent from area food establishments, demonstrating commitment to community.

A zeal for culinary innovation, locavore, and sustainable food sourcing are the driving forces behind Chef O’Regan. With more than twenty years in the restaurant business, Chef O’Regan’s food experience encompasses renowned hotel brands, a member-owned private country club, and a gastro pub where he honed his skills in pickling and the curing and smoking of meats. Seasonal menus at The IRONS regularly feature these specialty dishes.

Chef O’Regan recently won first place in the People’s Choice category during Olde Mistick Village’s 14th Annual Cabin Fever Festival and Charity Cook-Off.

His cooking demo at the Denison Farmers Market will begin on July 16th at 12:30pm. Attendees to Chef O’Regan’s presentation will receive a spoon entitling them to a free dessert at The IRONS.

The Denison Homestead is a family association, an historic museum, and a farm dating back to a grant from Gov. Winthrop in 1654. About twelve years ago, the Denison Farmers Market began in the large meadow below the Denison Homestead to provide a way for local farmers to sell direct to consumer as part of the Connecticut-Grown and Farm-to-Table initiatives of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.

“In 2015, I was asked to coordinate the farmers market,” said Jess Brown, member of the Board of Trustees at the Denison Homestead. “A grant proposal was accepted by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and the guest chef program was underway.”

In addition to Chef O’Regan of The IRONS, the farmers market has welcomed Edgar Cobena, Executive Chef at S & P Oyster Co.; Sherry Pocknett, Executive Chef at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center; Trad Dart, Executive Chef at Ocean Blue Catering at Mystic Aquarium; Bob Tripp, Executive Chef at StoneRidge Retirement Community; and Chris Vanasse, Executive Chef at the Engine Room Restaurant.

“All these chefs do a large amount of local sourcing for their establishments and, in fact, added to their local suppliers in meeting our market vendors,” said Brown. “For the demonstration, we provide chefs with a pop-up station in the middle of the meadow including a canopy, a grill or griddle, a two-burner stove, work surfaces, hand wash station and wash/rinse/sanitize station.”

Guest chef cooking demonstrations average 45 minutes and feature two or three dishes in a television chef format. Attendees learn new techniques and ways to utilize local, and often innovative, food items like grilled shrimp with fresh corn salsa, crab cakes with lobster sauce, blue oyster and portobello mushrooms in a madera cream sauce served in crepes, or grilled monkfish.

“Our guest chefs interact with and provide tasty samples to farmers market customers,” said Brown. “Many of the younger market patrons are enthralled by the demos and enjoy tasting the dishes as much as the adults.”

About Hilton Mystic:

Hilton Mystic offers over 8,000 square feet of meeting space, an outdoor pavilion, feature restaurant, lounge, Precor fitness center, and a heated indoor swimming pool. The hotel features 184 guest rooms and six whirlpool suites, all with high-speed internet access, a fully equipped 24-hour business center. Located just off Interstate 95, with close proximity to Boston, Hartford and New York City, Hilton Mystic is a convenient choice of coastal Connecticut hotels where travelers can enjoy dozens of colorful attractions including Mystic Aquarium, the Mystic Seaport, Historic Downtown Mystic, Olde Mistick Village, the Connecticut Wine Trail as well as Foxwoods Resort & Casino, and Mohegan Sun Casino. Hilton Mystic is owned and operated by Distinctive Hospitality Group.

About Distinctive Hospitality Group:

Founded in 2010, Distinctive Hospitality Group is led by president and owner, Lou Carrier who offers years of experience in the hospitality industry and has overseen a number of the most successful hotel establishments in the country. Lou launched DHG with a mission to build a portfolio of unique high-end hotels, and comprised a solid team of seasoned hospitality professionals to work towards his dream. Located in Natick, MA, DHG is quickly building a name for its constant dedication to overseeing projects with lasting power and quality, ones that provide hotel guests and restaurant diners with the utmost in experience, service, style and atmosphere. For more information, please visit: www.DistinctiveHospitalityGroup.com.

About Hilton Hotels & Resorts

For nearly a century, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has been proudly welcoming the world's travelers. With 570 hotels across six continents, Hilton Hotels & Resorts provides the foundation for memorable travel experiences and values every guest who walks through its doors. As the flagship brand of Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts continues to set the standard for hospitality, providing new product innovations and services to meet guests' evolving needs. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is a part of the award-winning Hilton Honors program. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi and digital amenities like digital check-in with room selection and Digital Key (select locations), available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. Begin your journey at www.hilton.com and learn more about the brand by visiting news.hilton.com or following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.