Meeting News - September 22, 2008 - (Page 8) Chef Talk Callaway Gardens Serves Up Justus, as Chef Hits His Mark create large presentations and guests start to pick Callaway Gardens, the Pine Mountain, GA, resort from them, they quickly take on the appearance and conference center, got another feather in its of being picked over and lose their fresh look. culinary cap this summer when William Justus But smaller platters are emptied quicker and became the property’s executive chef. therefore replaced quicker, so they look much Having previously worked fresher and more appetizing. as executive sous chef at Also, smaller presentations Opryland Hotel in Nashville, allow attendees to enjoy a and, most recently, as execugreater variety of foods. tive chef at the Hershey Lodge in Pennsylvania, Justus knows What awards have you a thing or two about working won from the American with meeting and incentive Culinary Federation? planners. The culinarian, who also I have won gold, silver, and has won numerous cooking bronze medals in both cold competitions, stopped his and hot food competitions. slicing and dicing briefly— These events take creativity and William Justus while his first big group was in good decision-making. house at Callaway Gardens— These competitions typically Executive Chef to talk with MeetingNews. take place alongside a food Callaway Gardens exposition, so they’re great The announcement of places for me to hone my skills your hire said you will and learn about new foods, “add an impressive flavor” to the hotel’s 10 trends, and cooking techniques. restaurants. How do you do that? How does your experience in competitions We are starting to use newer, fresher ingredibenefit meeting and incentive planners? ents and trying to work more with fresh vegetables. I’m working with the horticulture staff to Competitions are great because you are discuss how they could increase the production working with peers, getting new ideas and of some select items in one of our gardens. learning different techniques. Traditionally, guests can purchase the garden’s When participating, you have to use the same bounty. The staff will bring us some items when skills as those needed in a real kitchen: time manthere is an abundance, but we are working agement and setting realistic expectations. When toward increasing those occurrences in the working with groups, judging the size and expecfuture. tations is integral to hitting the mark. Also, we are looking to add more items to our That is why working individually with planmenus that are indigenous to Georgia and the ners is so important. If we both understand the South. In addition to being fresher than other goal, the parameters, and the expectations, we options, locally produced items prevent unnec- will hit the mark every time. essary travel, saving fuel costs and reducing our environmental impact. What do you find that meeting and incentive planners often overlook when working What changes are you implementing that with chefs? will impact meetings and events? I suggest that planners spend more time with We are working on creating smaller presenthe chef to work one-on-one and discuss tations so things look fresher. When you their specific needs. By Rayna Katz Q A What could customers do differently that would make banquets run smoother? It’s important for planners to understand the logistics of different parts of their meeting property. Callaway Gardens includes a wide array of facilities spread over 2,500 acres; some are a great distance from the kitchen. If planners know the layout and talk to the chef, they can choose foods that work well in the areas they’re using. Q A What types of dishes work best if a kitchen is far from the event venue, and what types are a bad idea when a kitchen is close by? Q A Q A How close a kitchen is and what type of facilities it offers make all the difference in the world. Obviously, if you have a full kitchen near the function, you can do more cooked-to-order items, like sates and fresh seafood. Conversely, if you fry something and put it over heat for an extended length of time because a kitchen is far away, you can’t anticipate that food meeting a guest’s expectations. Q A QWhat A ’s your favorite food? Right now, it’s simple: steak or eggs. I’ll take those dishes any time, any way. r Contact Rayna Katz at rayna.katz@nielsen.com A veal, lamb, and beef trio with a demi glaze, potatoes, and vegetables, as served at Callaway. Q A Q A 8 MeetingNews September 22, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com
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