Saratoga's Best Restaurant With a View

Continue Your Self Care Into Your Meals

With all the authentic and celebrated wellness opportunities served at The Gideon Putnam, it's only natural that guests will continue the theme over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Modern American cuisine is prepared to perfection year-round at Putnam's Restaurant and seasonally at the outdoor Putnam's Patio.

Relax, unwind and enjoy as The Gideon Putnam's skilled and creative chefs set the table with the best quality cuisine and memorable experiences daily in the restaurant and weekly at our Sunday Brunch.

The Man Behind Saratoga's Best Restaurant

Executive Chef, Luca Brunelle

Luca Brunelle has been appointed executive chef of The Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs, NY. The historic Gideon Putnam is operated by global hospitality company Delaware North on behalf of New York State.

In his role, Brunelle will oversee all culinary operations for the 124-room resort's modern American eatery, Putnam's Restaurant, as well as the seasonally-operated Putnam's Patio. He will be responsible for production and catering management for the resort's meeting spaces, including the newly renovated grand ballroom, as well as the training and development of kitchen staff.

Brunelle joined Delaware North after more than 20 years of experience in the food service industry. He previously ran the kitchens at Cornell's in Little Italy in Schenectady, NY, Nicole's Restaurant in Albany, NY, and Brown's Brewing in Troy, NY. His extensive experience includes event management, quality assurance of recipes, and crafting special and new menu items with a focus on waste minimization.

Community and Education is Key to Saratoga Springs Best Dining Experience

The chef has also been an active figure in the local food and beverage community. He is a participant in the annual Cor-CIA programming with Master Chef Dale Miller, creating a joint scholarship program benefiting Cornell University and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Albany Country Club. He has executed cooking demonstrations on local television stations, and has earned two People's Choice Awards from the Albany Culinary Cornucopia and gold medals and awards from more than 20 American Culinary Federation-sponsored competitions.

Brunelle earned an associate's degree in culinary arts from the CIA.

Chef Luca's Style and Influence

In five words or less, describe your food.
Seasonal, sustainable, tasty, eclectic, fun

Who was your biggest cooking influence?
Certified Master Chef Dale Miller. I worked under his tutelage for more than five years at the venerable Jack's Oyster House in Albany, NY. He was a great teacher, mentor and friend. He helped me to become a better chef, ACF culinary competitor and culinary manager. While working with Master Chef, I became a Certified Executive Chef and was part of many high-profile events, including hosting a dinner at the James Beard House.

Fill in the blank. If you weren't a chef, you'd be...
An F-16 (or any jet) pilot or a race car driver.

But, since you are a chef, what has been your favorite moment in a Delaware North kitchen (or in general with the company)?
Unfortunately, The Gideon Putnam had a catastrophic water main break in mid-January. We re-opened May 1 with my fellow employees and Delaware North pouring all their resources to get us back up and running.

During the rebuild time, I was sent to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to be part of the culinary team for the influx of people seeing the Falcon Heavy Launch for the first time. I traveled to Estes Park for the Chef Summit and extended my stay to add in the 2018 Parks & Resorts Leadership Meeting.

I was also able to experience Patina 250 at the corporate headquarters and prepare the weekly executives lunch and see how Patina Restaurant Group operates. Lastly, I landed in Atlanta at SunTrust Park to help with Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves.

These have been some of my favorite moments to help where needed and network with fellow Delaware North culinarians, working other venues besides parks and resorts, as I continue my chef development visiting different parts of the country.