Deerfield, Mass. (June 3, 2015)---Two years after reopening following devastating flood damage from Tropical Storm Irene, Champney's Restaurant & Tavern at the Deerfield Inn is proud and pleased to announce the hire of Chef de Cuisine Ameer Whitmyer, who is excited to introduce a new menu at the restaurant this spring.

One of the silver linings of the flood caused by Irene was that it offered the opportunity for the Deerfield Inn (owned and operated by Historic Deerfield, Inc.), to design a new restaurant space with the traditional ambiance of relaxation that the inn is known for, with a more contemporary comfort level of booth, banquette, dining bar, easy chairs, and fireplaces. The existing dining and bar area was divided into a smaller restaurant with large, light-filled windows, and a larger tavern area with an 18-seat mahogany horseshoe bar, and intimate, casual dining spaces with comfortable seating that invites guests to gather and stay.The flood also brought a new kitchen with new equipment including a stone deck pizza oven, espresso machine, and immersion circulators.

The new Champney's had its rebirth on April Fool's Day 2013, and although that seemed an appropriate date to thumb one's nose at Mother Nature, innkeepers Karl Sabo and Jane Howard and their team leaders have not been immune to the growing pains of opening what is essentially a new restaurant with new staff, a new point of sale, and new facility operating systems.

As an entity, Champney's has never wavered from its core philosophy of locally-sourced food and drink at the heart of an authentic New England experience. However, finding the chef de cuisine who had the right blend of creativity and passion, who could not only inspire, but also train and guide while managing a very large food service operation, was not an easy task.

Champney's sees a regular local crowd, as well as travelers from all across America and overseas: urban sophisticates, hip millennials, young people, families, children, and gatherings of friends after work. Champney's also caters to private parties from showers and weddings to birthday parties and coach groups. A chef had to be able to handle all of this with skill, imagination, calm, organization and communication. After a nationwide search, that chef was found in Chef Ameer Whitmyer.

Ameer chose to move up from New Jersey for the quality of life the Pioneer Valley could offer to his young family. He was excited to relocate to an area that combines the beauty of a rural farming community with strong components of cultural, academic, and outdoor activities.

Chef Ameer embraces the innkeepers' long-standing commitment to area farmers, growers, and foragers. He was raised in a stream of cooking culture, and his mentor Chef Typhun Yolak showed him the importance of how cooking connects to everything in a very powerful and contemplative way, how it is primal and visceral, but also artistic and thoughtful. As Chef Typhun demonstrated to him, Chef Ameer believes that what flows through his hands flows through life - from the front of house, to family, to the kitchen: it is all connected and food is the translation of that togetherness.

Chef Ameer has extensive experience, having worked on both the East and West coasts, of visiting sources for produce and establishing buyer relationships. As both a specialized meat and fish chef, Chef Ameer's passion and knowledge, with the help of his sous chef Joshua Rock, is being conveyed to their team in a careful, inspiring, and articulate way.

It is important to Chef Ameer to look for variety based on availability and creativity to keep it to the moment. He describes his cuisine as New American, and he interprets that as meaning that America is a place of blended cultures, so while he celebrates tradition here in Deerfield, he also celebrates the flavors that are on hand and available here now. Lemon grass, ginger, piquant peppers, were not grown in the past, but are grown here in this valley today, and that is New American to him - the blending of the best flavors of the traditional and the new.

Chef Ameer says he does not really have a signature dish because often that means relying on one thing year upon year. He is as happy making a meal of a big bowl of soup and a platter of grilled sandwiches with his family, as he is bringing well-loved favorites back into the kitchen, but his favorite dish is the best of the now and of today.

Champney's Restaurant & Tavern is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

champneysrestaurant.com - 413.772.3087

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Chef Ameer Whitmyer, chef de cuisine for Champney's Restaurant & Tavern at the Deerfield Inn.