Gunawan Raharja Named Executive Chef and Peter Weikel Named Sous Chef

(Overland Park, KS – September 30, 2008) This month, Gunawan ‘Gunny’ Raharja was named Executive Chef and Peter Weikel was named Sous Chef of the 237,000 sq. ft. Overland Park Convention Center. The OPCC holds nearly 400 events each year, but Raharja and Weikel plan to make each a memorable dining experience.

As Executive Chef, Raharja will oversee all of the facility’s day-to-day culinary operations including food preparation, menu writing, food purchasing, and training and development of the culinary team to insure the continuance of the exceptional dining experience the Overland Park Convention Center guests have come to know. In his spare time, Raharja plays the classical guitar.

“Gunny is a skilled chef, bringing talents that include ice carving, spinning sugar, and making pastries. He adds elements to food that give the plate great artistry.” said Valerie Grizaffi, Director of Food and Beverage at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Raharja graduated with a Culinary Arts degree from the National Hotel and Tourism Institute in Bandung, Indonesia. He is a certified Chef de Cuisine by the American Culinary Federation and an American Bocuse d’Or Academy member. Raharja comes to OPCC with 22 years of experience working for the Doubletree, Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt.

Peter Weikel comes to Overland Park with eight years of experience with Top Restaurants and Arizona Biltmore. Before joining the OPCC, Weikel also owned and operated Stadium Bistro; mentored under Rick Boyer and Michal Foralski at Four Seasons in Scottsdale, Arizona; and worked and mentored under Kerry Sear, Executive Chef at Four Seasons in Seattle, Washington.

“Peter’s palette is impeccable when it comes to tasting and pairing of foods and wines. His talent, positive attitude, and innovative ideas make him a great addition to our team.” said Grizaffi.

Weikel graduated from the Pacific Culinary Institute. He was commissioned to bake ceremonial apple pie for the governor of Washington and named Tacoma’s Best New Chef in 2007. He has catered private events for President George Bush; Former Vice President Al Gore; Founder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos; CEO of Microsoft Corporation, Steve Ballmer; The Foo Fighters; The Chili Peppers; Dr. Dre; Eminem; Martha Stewart; Paula and Tim Allen; and Johnny Unitas.

The OPCC sits on a 26-acre site in the heart of Overland Park, the largest suburban city in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the second largest city in Kansas. The mid-sized convention center features a 60,000 square-foot exhibition hall that connects to the 25,000 sq. ft. Edwin C. Eilert Ballroom. Additionally, the OPCC provides an additional 15,000 sq. ft. of event space and 40,000 sq. ft. of pre-function space that proudly houses a collection of selected works of art created by renowned Midwestern artists.
Overland Park offers visitors a wide variety of lodging accommodations and boasts a total inventory of more than 5,000 guest rooms. Of these, 1,000 are within walking distance of the OPCC, including the 412-room Sheraton Hotel. There are also 3,000 hotel rooms within five minutes of the facility.

Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) is the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 70 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies, Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League, Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, a regional sports programming network, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.

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Contact:
Kelly O’Hagan, Marketing Manager Global Spectrum
Overland Park Convention Center
(p) 913.339.3067
kohagan@opconventioncenter.com

Tuesday, September 30, 2008