Our culinary program led by David Blessing who’s career spans more than 30 years in private restaurants, inns, catering and the Four Seasons Hotel company. His food philosophy springs from a devotion to creating unforgettable meals. His cooking style is focused on pristine, local, seasonal ingredients that highlight the bounty of New England. With this focus his cuisine showcases ingredients and technique that parallel any top restaurant on the East Coast. Each Longwood kitchen is led by talented chefs and professional cooks that produce fine dining restaurant quality food that is unsurpassed in the private event world.
“ I love food and being a chef. Cooking is very personal to me and I want our guests to feel that same connection to food that I have. “
Growing up in Portland, Maine, carrots were king and a minor obsession with carrot cake began. As a boy, it was not unusual for him to feign illness, skip school and bake the day away. Life revolved around food, the gardens it came from and the shared act of cooking for the family. Both Chef David’s grandmothers were exceptional cooks; one a true Maine Downeaster and the other from Abruzzi, Italy. They taught him to respect the land and appreciate its abundance, and that the communal sharing of food is the quintessential and most powerful way to bring people together.
Chef David’s professional career in Boston began 30 years ago. He spent 13 years with the Four Seasons Hotel company in Boston and San Francisco; both 5 Star, 5 Diamond Hotels and held positions as Executive Chef, Executive Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine of the nationally acclaimed AAA, 5 Diamond restaurant, Aujourd’hui. He then moved to California as part of the leadership opening team of the highly anticipated Four Seasons.
In 2006 Chef Blessing partnered with Columbus Restaurant Group, working with longtime mentor and restaurateur, Jamie Mammano at Sorellina, Mistral and as Executive Chef opening L’Andana Grill in Burlington, MA.
Chef David joined Longwood Venues + Destinations in 2010, bringing with him not just experience and his ensuing passion but also a unique perspective on private-event dining. It is both a daunting task and extraordinary feat to provide every diner a singular and incredible food experience when feeding hundreds of guests. Chef David created and oversees the culinary program for Longwood’s five properties in Boston, Brookline, and Newport, Rhode Island. His cooking style retains his focus on pristine and seasonal ingredients highlighting the local bounty of New England while bringing the same personal connection to the food he had as a child to his communal table today. Read More about Chef David here.
