The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection, the award-winning, nature-immersed retreat outside of Park City, announces that Jason Franey joins the luxury resort as Executive Chef. Chef Franey, who has more than 30 years of exceptional fine dining restaurant experience and three James Beard Award nominations, will usher in a new era at the property’s beloved signature restaurant, Yuta, as well as create new inventive, immersive culinary experiences to be had across its 3,500 private acres. Inspired by Blue Sky’s deep reverence for the land, Chef Franey will seamlessly fuse his passion for cooking with the seasons and cultivating relationships with local farmers and purveyors to create of-the-moment menus that vary day to day and season to season.
Raised in both Austin, Texas and West Palm Beach, Fla., Chef Franey’s interest in food started at an early age. As a teenager he worked in every kitchen that would hire him, in order to gain experience washing dishes, bussing tables, doing pantry work, or tossing pizza dough. His passion and strong work ethic served him well when at age 25, under the mentorship of Daniel Humm, he became Executive Sous Chef at Eleven Madison Park. After several years in the country’s best restaurant, he headed West to helm Canlis in Seattle, Wash., as Executive Chef. At Canlis, he was named Best New Chef by Food and Wine Magazine in 2011. Eventually, Franey went on to Restaurant 1833 in Monterey, Calif., where Michael Bauer gave 1833 three and a half stars after a year at the helm and titled it the best restaurant in Monterey.
Chef Franey was most recently working for Aspen Hospitality Group as the Culinary Director. An avid snowboarder, he finds great inspiration and expansion in the vastness of the mountain landscape—a passion that he will bring to Park City, Utah and The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection.