Emeril Lagasse Was the Executive Chef at Portland, Maine’s Sheraton Hotel

Recently I wrote a story about 5 things you didn't know about the round hotel towers in South Portland. You know the ones. The hotel is visible from the Maine Turnpike as you drive north or south, though It's had several names over the past 50 years. Today they are known as the Doubletree by Hilton.

After I published that story, I had a comment left on Facebook from Peter Grant with one simple sentence that blew my mind.

Emeril Lagasee worked in the kitchen there in the early 80s

What???

via GIPHY

So I did some research and sure enough, a 2010 article in Portland Monthly confirms that Emeril was the head chef at the round hotels.

Emeril came to Maine in 1980, after leaving a job as a sous chef at the Parker House in Boston. He took a job at what was then the Sheraton Inn Seasons Restaurant and worked his way up to executive chef. He created a menu of traditional cuisine with seasonal specialties. Why was the restaurant named Seasons? It's a homage to the seasons of New England.

He and his wife Elizabeth raised their family in Portland while they were here. His daughter was born here as well. The Lagasse's weren't in Portland for long, but they appear to have enjoyed living and working here. In the mid-80s, Emeril packed up the family and moved to New Orleans to take a  job there and the rest is history.

Now there are six things you didn't know about the round hotel towers in South Portland.