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While visiting a Cantonese-themed restaurant in Westchester, New York, The Perry Hotel owner Michael Raymond discovered the celebrity chef he wanted to bring that concept to North Naples.

Executive Chef Dale Talde created the menu for Goosefeather, a restaurant inside King Mansion at Tarrytown House Estate in New York, near Washington Irving’s historic Sunnyside home. Irving, author of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” lived there from 1835 until his death in 1859.

A placed steeped in history set the stage for a restaurant making history in North Naples.

Tigress opened in January, but it recently launched lunch service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the rooftop at 12155 Tamiami Trail N., just south of the Lee-Collier county line.

Dinner hours begin at 4 p.m.

“Cantonese is one of the core cuisines of China,” Talde said. “And I’ve worked in some Cantonese kitchens before, here in New York.

“It’s a lot of dim sum. Some noodles. Some barbecue. And we’re just taking a lot of inspiration from that and driving a menu that, hopefully, will add something to this Naples culinary scene that is already vibrant and growing and amazing. If you look at Cantonese cuisine, it’s one of the cuisines of China that does not rely so heavily on spice. It’s about bright, clean flavors.”

Talde grew up in Chicago and graduated from Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, in 1998. Since then, he has created 13 restaurants in the New York area.

In addition to Goosefeather, he recently opened Talde Noodle Bar, located in Terminal B in the rebuilt portion of LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, New York.

Talde has appeared on TV shows “Top Chef,” “Chopped,” “Knife Fight” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”

“Creating the menu is the easy part,” Talde said. “Food is the easy part. The hard part is everything else. Motivating a team. Creating the vibe. It’s understanding what guests want on an everyday basis.”

Iggy Ortiz, an Estero High School graduate with 24 years of experience in the restaurant business, assists Talde at Tigress as the on-site executive chef.

Talde said when Raymond tasked him with developing Tigress about two years ago, he knew he had a tall order.

“They brought me down to Naples to look at the preconstruction, and I could tell immediately this was going to be a phenomenal, gorgeous space,” Talde said. “They made an offer that, you know, was kind of too good to be true. And I jumped on it. I was really blessed to see that there were some like-minded individuals who wanted to bring something fresh and bright and cool and add to the property that is already fantastic.

“The view is one of a kind. Literally one of a kind in Naples.”

Tigress, located on the seventh floor of The Perry Hotel, overlooks mangroves and the Cocohatchee River.

“We wanted to make an experience that matched and rivaled the view,” Talde said. “And added to this property that is stunning. And I think that’s what we’ve done.”

Lynnette Marrero, a James Beard award-winning mixologist, connected with Talde and developed the cocktail menu.

The lunch menu prices fall in the $20 to $30 range for sandwiches, such as a Kobe brisket burger, black pepper steak sandwich and traditional chilled lobster roll.

Talde also developed small plates with the idea that multiple diners in the same party would share, enabling the trying of different varieties: Wok-charred kale, mushroom slippery noodle, crab fried rice, walnut shrimp and tuna poke all cost in the $10 to $23 range.

“I love the crab-fried rice,” Talde said. “You can’t go wrong with that. Get some dumplings. Get some wings. Come with some people who want to eat. That’s the best way to experience Tigress. You get to share a lot of different things.

“If you’re into a great burger, I think we have a fantastic one. If you’re into a lobster roll, we have a classic lobster roll.”

Having a Cantonese theme fits right in with Naples, Talde said, which has a larger population of worldly visitors.

“If you’ve never been to Hong Kong, or if you have been to Hong Kong, you know it’s one of the most international cities in the world,” Talde said. “We do get clientele who are well traveled and are from all over the place. There’s a certain amount of disposable income in the area. These people have been to Paris and London and New York City and San Francisco and L.A. and to Hong Kong and Tokyo.

“We draw inspiration from Hong Kong and the Cantonese cuisine there, but we’re really starting to have fun with a lot of different things on the menu.”

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