There’s exciting news in the kitchens of The Ivy Hotel and Magdalena, a Maryland Bistro in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon District: Relais & Châteaux Chef Ülfet Ralph has joined the team.

© The Ivy Hotel

The new chef arrives by way of Canoe Place Inn in The Hamptons, where she served as executive chef. Earlier positions include experience at Camden Harbour Inn in Maine; The Lodge at Little Simons Island in Georgia; and Obstinate Daughter in Charleston, South Carolina.

“I am so excited to join the deeply talented team at The Ivy Hotel and Magdalena,” remarked Executive Chef Ralph. “I have long appreciated the unmatched quality of Relais & Châteaux properties and have brought my approach to a number of them, focusing on the integrity of the ingredients at their core in a healthy, vegetable-forward way. I look forward to bringing my cuisines and experiences from across the United States to Baltimore.”

© The Ivy Hotel

Chef Ralph arrives with impressive credentials that include a Bachelor of Arts earned in her hometown of Istanbul, certification in baking and pastry from Art Institute in Atlanta, certification in advanced studies in hydrocolloids from French Culinary Institute of New York, an associate’s degree in culinary arts from Culinary Institute of Charleston, and a master’s degree in agriculture and life science from Cornell University.

Guests of The Ivy — a restored, 19^th-century mansion that’s Maryland’s only Relais & Châteaux property — can look for menu items such as lobster crostini, Karma Farms garden salad, chargrilled octopus, and house-made bucatini with spicy vodka sauce and creamy mascarpone cheese. Don’t rush off after dinner: The property offers 17 elegant guestrooms and suites; The Spa at The Ivy; and Magdalena, a Maryland Bistro. Nightly stays include breakfast, afternoon tea service, car service within 3 miles, valet and gratuity, and unlimited access to the Mansion Bar.