Attaché canapé anyone? A delightfully elaborate presentation such as this, as performed by Chicago’s renowned Redmoon Theatre group, elevates ordinary food and beverage to an art.
Photo by Sean Williams | |
By Diana Rowe
The West Coast’s reputation as a trendsetter probably had its beginnings back in the 1970s when the fitness and health food craze took root. It’s an evolution that has become a revolution with our nation’s renewed awareness of healthful eating and new emphasis on sustainability, a trend that has compelled 
planners to assign food and beverage a bigger slice of the meeting planning pie.
One West Coast F&B trendsetter is the San Diego Convention Center, whose food and beverage department has earned rave reviews from meeting planners for its customizable menus that feature trans fat-free, locally grown organic foods and Pacific Ocean-caught fresh seafood — no small feat for Executive Chef Jeff Leidy and his team of culinary experts who serve up to 12,000 attendees at a sitting.
The Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, and Aramark adopted sustainable practices in 2004. Aramark buys produce, cheese and wines from local and regional farms; cooks with cage-free eggs and humanely raised poultry; serves only Rainforest Certified products in concession areas; and is a full-member of Seafood Watch and partner with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Yet another is the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, whose head Chef Jose Luis Chavez prepares gourmet meals for thousands using the world’s best seafood right from their own backyard at
Gone are the days of bland, boring and high-fat buffet offerings. The chef at Aramark Harrison Lodging’s (AHL) Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center, near Columbus, OH, shows off the kind of healthful dish that attendees are demanding.
Photo courtesy of Aramark Harrison Lodging |
Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
Convention centers, conference centers, and hotels and resorts are answering the call to not only “lean” and “green” their menus, but to ramp up creativity in presentation and provide interactive food experiences for attendees.
To be sure, increasingly sophisticated palates, higher expectations — not to mention the need to customize menus to accommodate dietary restrictions and potential food allergies — challenge planners to pay as much attention to the menu as the site selection.
To find out what’s really going on out in the field, we asked several planners and chefs their thoughts on food and beverage trends such as creating partnerships with F&B departments, sustainability, healthful menus, culinary technology, unique venues and interactive experiences.
Partnerships
Paul Read, director of sales training for Plantation, FL-based DHL Express, a global shipping company, knows first-hand the potential planning headaches of coordinating up to 40 sales training classes each year. In these meeting-intensive, two-week classes, Read can have as many as 800 sales reps arriving from all over the world, and he has to cater to their culturally varied tastes.
To support his objective of delivering a world-class training experience for every attendee, Read chose a resort over a standard hotel for a recent training program — the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, FL. “You can do anything two ways. You can either do it, or you can do it properly. The latter might cost a little more, but you get it right the first time, and we don’t have to do it twice. That’s why we took our classes offsite. It’s important that our new employees’ first impression is positive and reinforces their decision to choose a career with us.”
Chef’s hats await attendees who will test their culinary skills in the “Iron Chef” teambuilding event created by Chef Mark Beaupre and his team at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. “We crank up the music, reveal the kitchen stage and dozens more chefs banging on pots and pans, waving their team apron color,” explained Chef Beaupre. “Then it gets crazier, with mystery ingredients and a ‘Big Daddy’ announcer dressed in a polyester suit. ...We love it because we personally interact with our attendees...”
Photo courtesy of JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes |
Read’s next step was to partner with the resort. He said, “We negotiated and renegotiated before signing an agreement, but we didn’t want the partnership to end there. This has to be a continued team effort. Once you get too comfortable, you’ve got problems. We conduct a 100-question training evaluation at the end of every class including evaluation of the course content and facilitation skills. In addition we evaluate the resort from quality of rooms to food and beverage, and we share those results with the resort in order to keep the experience stellar.”
For the first two weeks of intense training, the same attendees sleep, eat and train at the property, so the dining experience is an integral part of Read’s objective of a world-class training experience. “We might pull off an exceptional training program, but if the food tastes like every other meeting they’ve been to, well, that leaves a bad taste in their mouth,” said Read.
“Since our attendees are ‘stuck’ in same hotel for two weeks straight, we didn’t want to offer them the same boring banquet food,” Read said. “We met with the chef to create a menu for our meeting and negotiate rates. For example, one Monday, we’ll have pork; Tuesday chicken; Wednesday beef, etc., so that we didn’t serve chicken four days in a row. From there, we let the chef create his appetizing dishes with tasty sauces — whatever he wanted to do. Our surveys show the food portion of the event stands out. One attendee even said, ‘I’ve never gone to a training meeting where the food was so tasty!’ We think that’s what happens when we take the time to partner with our food and beverage department to make the entire experience memorable.”
Creativity And Flexibility
Sandy Rim, CMP, with Meetings Info MIM, a Pittsburgh, PA-based meetings management company, plans multiple large and small meetings each year for clients in destinations throughout the U.S. and beyond. 
Rim said that she’s experiencing increased creativity and flexibility on the part of F&B departments.
By way of example, Rim cited the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The property offered her a combined awards dinner menu, which included reception, dinner, and a Fire and Ice presentation. The Fire and Ice segment included a five-minute musical presentation that slowly reached a crescendo as a side wall opened to reveal a 24-foot custom, backlit ice carving. Nine flambé chefs in black jackets appeared on the risers as fog filled the area.
“We changed from buffet to synchronized service for front tables,” Rim recalled, “which the hotel hadn’t done before. The event went off without a hitch, and the attendees were wowed.”
Synchronized service with tuxedoed wait staff is just one example of what the food and beverage
Disney’s whimsical food presentations add a playful element that attendees love.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort |
departments are doing to up the entertainment ante during what normally is a simple dining function. Rim said chefs are more willing to work with planners than perhaps in the past, and if they share their budget with them, chefs can be quite flexible and creative — and still stay on budget.
“We worked with the Hyatt Regency Maui recently as our awards dinner occurred on St. Patrick’s night,” said Rim. “Following dinner, we moved into another area for an ‘After Glow’ event with an Irish pub theme. The chef, Matt Smith, created green desserts and chocolate pots of gold with a delicious treat inside. The presentation is what impressed the attendees.”
For a James Bond-themed event at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Scottsdale, AZ, Rim asked the hotel to do a napkin fold that looked like a real tuxedo. “They went out of their way to provide our vision — not the standard tuxedo fold,” Rim explained. “We rented white dinner jackets for 25 staff members to add to the Bond feel of the night. Of course, we had the Bond look-alike along with the Bond girls mingling with guests during the reception and opening.”
Sometimes adversity is the mother of creativity, such as the time that Rim had to use breakout rooms for a New Orleans-themed event. “We made the corridor ‘Bourbon Street’ and each breakout room was a different ‘storefront.’ The dessert room was themed as a lovely café.”
Sustainability And Healthful Menus
Until recently, attending a business conference may have meant long periods of physical inactivity sitting in airports, on planes and in meeting rooms. High-calorie dining experiences with large portions contributed to
Chef interactions are just one way Disney personalizes dining experiences for groups.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort |
an attendee’s low energy level and unhealthful lifestyle. Now, the green meetings trend includes the “greening of guests” to meet today’s healthy lifestyle movement.
Aramark Harrison Lodging (AHL) conference centers take a holistic approach to sustaining a healthy planet that includes providing high-quality foods and activities that support healthy individuals.
“Gone are the days of providing just three or four options of packaged menus,” said AHL’s corporate Executive Chef Brian Stapleton. “With so many special requests for gluten-free, peanut-free and other dietary restrictions, meeting planners are now offering an overall list of options with a per-person price attached, so attendees can customize options to meet their needs.”
For example, at AHL’s AAA Four Diamond Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill, NC, the Carolina CrossRoads Restaurant offers gourmet cuisine, service and atmosphere with healthful and sustainable options. And, the dining rooms at Kalaloch Lodge and Lake Quinault Lodge, both located in Washington State’s Olympic National Park, serve sustainable seafood choices from the Monterey Bay 
Aquarium’s “National Seafood Guide,” as well as heart-friendly, grass-fed beef.
Stapleton acknowledged the importance of maintaining the quality and taste of the healthful menu options. “We focus on managing and developing the flavor profiles. We do that by partnering with our local farmers and co-ops, working with seasonable items, and matching the guests and planners with the perfect dining option.”
Saving The Planet Saves Money
Sustainability practices added up to cost savings for Robert Abbott, the director of corporate marketing communications for Mueller Co. Located in Decatur, IL, Mueller Co. is a supplier of flow control products used in distribution systems for municipal potable water and natural gas. Abbott’s recent incentive trip to 
Curaçao resulted in savings by simply utilizing the available local resources.
Typically, Abbott prefers venues outside the ballroom, searching for natural or built-in scenery to forego additional décor costs. “We made a conscious decision, mostly driven by cost, but the end result is naturally dramatic décor with the by-product of sustainability by supporting local businesses.”
Abbott finds a supplier, such as Extraordinary Events, a full-service meetings and events company located in Sherman Oaks, CA, who takes a similar approach to meeting planning. He looks for someone who is willing to work within his budget, find the local suppliers and come up with creative suggestions.
Abbott believes that planners shouldn’t use tight budgets as an excuse for lack of creativity. The tighter the budget, according to Abbott, the more elegant the event can be. For example, one of his Curaçao dinner functions was located on the island’s ostrich farm. The farm’s natural setting provided the décor. The menu was created by using local resources, and the attendees were thrilled with the setting and the exotic menu.
“I could have taken the easy way out and selected a nice restaurant or standard ballroom,” said Abbott. “Sure, everyone would have been 
happy, but the event would have been just like hundreds of other events. Instead, African-style buildings and the rustic feel of the farm, complete with potbelly pigs and ostriches, provided a natural backdrop, without the additional cost. We used existing lanterns and decorated the tables with a unique centerpiece of ostrich bones. The smell of lamb came from the open spit, and the menu was all produced locally. The end result? The setting was gorgeous, the food was tasty, and we saved money.”
Incorporating Local Flavors
Fabrice Huet, executive sous chef at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu on Hawaii’s Big Island, aims to give all incoming groups a sense of place. He does that by serving local flavors such as Shichimi-spiced scallops, Big Island goat cheese, Hamakua mushrooms in a savory crepe tart, pan-seared Uku-Hawaiian gray snapper, and sautéed Ka’u Spinach.
Huet said, “We want to maintain the integrity of the natural flavors and allow the spices to complement the dish rather than overpower it. This is in line with the philosophy of (the restaurant) Pahu i’a’s ocean-inspired cuisine — to use the freshest island ingredients while keeping the dishes simple to showcase their flavors.”
From the Hawaiian lei welcomes to fresh fruit juice beverages to locally caught and freshly prepared lobster, clams and oysters, Huet looks to local growers to provide the flavorful produce on his menu. The Big Island resort produces a number of local products, such as ginger mushrooms, tomatoes, beet roots and baby carrots.
“The guests want a 100 percent sense of the Big Island,” said Huet. “We take these local ingredients and enhance throughout the cooking process, and present a culinary showcase of Big Island tastes.”
Chef Kevin Ives conducts a session on the cuisine served at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s signature restaurant, The Ocean Room at The Sanctuary.
Photo courtesy of Kiawah Island Golf Resort |
Casey Lavin is the acting food and beverage director for The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC, a AAA Five Diamond, 255-room property. Lavin encourages planners to consult the chef for ways to incorporate local, culturally inspired cuisine into the menu.
Traditional tastes aren’t limited to ethnicities. For The Sanctuary, history and setting influences its menu. Lavin explained, “We love to showcase our Low Country, and we enjoy setting the stage for an elegant, stately Charlestonian event with servers dressed to the nines. We go back to the Southern mansions and a 
nostalgic menu, when eating was a true experience. We even hire actors to walk through the room, talking with the guests in an exaggerated Southern drawl.”
The Sanctuary is also about enjoying the resources of the Atlantic Coast. Lavin suggested taking the meeting outside to the beach. “We can do a beachfront brunch, with the wait staff dressed in white with pants rolled up. Attendees love action stations, and this is the perfect place to feature our local seafood. We’ve even gone as far as to hire championship castle builders to erect an elaborate 12-foot, extravagant sand castle.”
The bottom line, according to Lavin, is that planners can have a banquet function anywhere, but creative planning and consulting with your property’s food and beverage department can bring the destination into the meeting.
JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes’ Executive Chef Mark Beaupre also buys locally as much as possible, but even Florida has prime growing seasons for each product. “Our philosophy is to buy the best and 
freshest products possible and, during preparation, emphasize the flavors without overpowering them.
“We are constantly seeking out and developing new relationships,” Beaupre continued. “Probably our best partner in the area would be Charlie, a 26-acre farmer in Gainesville (FL). We’ve even brought vanloads of people to play in the field with Charlie. However, because of the seasonality of produce, whether a local farmer down the street or in Ohio, we feel we are still supporting sustainability.”
In fact, this Marriott has gone the extra step toward freshness by planting their own produce and hiring a gardener. “Since our opening, we’ve doubled the size of our garden for our restaurants and now have 30 raised beds, all utilizing soil from a local farmer, ” Beaupre said.
Interactive Experiences And Culinary Technology
Beaupre believes that the key to a meeting’s success is the personal relationship he develops with the client. Years ago, a planner might never meet the executive chef, making all the menu selections based upon the sales person’s recommendations. Today, not only is the chef involved with menu selection, but attendees expect the chef to be visible.
Culinary technology combined with interactive experiences help Beaupre and his team become more visible. At interactive stations, the chefs create “cool” dishes such as the twin textures of a peach creamsicle. Utilizing the new technology of the “anti-griddle,” a device that quickly freezes sauces and purées to make semi-frozen creations with a stable, crunchy outside surface and a cool, creamy center, creates excitement. “Modern technology gives us chefs the license to almost be mad scientists and create dishes that just weren’t possible a few years ago,” Beaupre said.
Chefs are also joining their meeting clients to participate in teambuilding interactive experiences. Beaupre’s team created an “Iron Chef” competition for 50 to 1,500 attendees, which is fast becoming their signature event.
“Attendees have no idea what is going on when they show up for a casual cocktail reception — until a few chefs step out and hand out aprons, breaking teams up by color. We crank up the music, reveal the kitchen stage and dozens more chefs banging on pots and pans, waving their team apron color. Then it gets crazier, with mystery ingredients and a ‘Big Daddy’ announcer dressed in a polyester suit. Each station has a dish to make and a specially selected alcoholic drink to toast along the way. We love it because we personally interact with our attendees, and it’s a great teambuilding event for us as well.”
Michael Morris, executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Miami, credits the popularity of celebrity chef television shows with the “celebrity” status of the white coat. “I personally have to get out of the kitchen more often, see clients, make appearances at the banquet, and speak to as many attendees as I can. That means the white jacket needs to go out into the room more often to add the personal touch.”
The Hyatt Regency Miami is a 612-room convention hotel with 100,000 square feet of meeting space, a large operation by any planner’s standards. Morris said his kitchen’s role is constantly changing. “The most prevalent trend is really getting back to quality. Meetings are looking for a restaurant experience in a banquet setting. Attendees are more educated, more health conscious, and expectations of quality and service are higher. Our job is to push the limit of creating and meeting those needs even for large groups.”
In today’s environment, attendees are more conscious of the menu and their options. Whether it’s healthful choices or ethnic flavors, attendees tastes are more discerning, and dining is no longer just about great food. From sustainability to unique environments, planners are facing the challenge by partnering with their food and beverage department to create a better, more satisfying dining experience. C&IT