Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Nimes Capital, and Crescent Hotels & Resorts are pleased to announce the appointment of Anthony Raines as executive chef at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel. In this role, Raines will oversee all culinary aspects of the property’s food and beverage operations, including 1889 Land Run Café, Aria Lounge, in-room dining, and banquets.

“With chef Raines’s culinary background and expertise, the hotel is positioned for success,” says Nato Giordano, vice president of Food & Beverage, Crescent Hotels & Resorts. “He joins us just in time for the launch of our new event space where he will oversee the food and beverage for this exciting new addition to the Oklahoma meetings offerings.”

Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel’s newest meeting space, is a flexible event space perfect for weddings, special events, exhibits, or breakouts and features a 29-foot ceiling with hanging chandeliers.

Raines brings more than 30 years of culinary experience to his role, having studied under master chefs from around the world. He joins the Sheraton Oklahoma City team having most recently served as executive chef for the Oklahoma City Thunder for four years. In this position he created all post-game meals for the team with a focus on healthy and organic menus. As executive chef for the team, he had the opportunity to travel across the United States in the off-season working at high profile special events including the U.S. Open tennis tournament and numerous NASCAR events.

Raines previous experience includes opening the Renaissance Hotel Oklahoma City as a sous chef and culinary positions at Scottsdale Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona; Peachtree Executive Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia; and Captain Daniels Stone Inn in Brunswick, Nebraska.

"I am thrilled to be joining the team at Sheraton Oklahoma,” Raines says. "I look forward to working with the team to offer our guests, whether from near or far, memorable experiences that will bring them back time and again.”