Successful Meetings - January 2008 - (Page 40)

Cover Story > Veggie Power Each dish is carefully balanced to provide complete nutrition for guests. Menus change seasonally, Chef Bell says, and a weekly calendar system helps chefs to incorporate local produce at their peak freshness. “Every day we go over the vegetarian options for that day, and they range from risotto and pasta dishes to Mediterranean dishes with whole grain,” Bell says. “The whole grains have more protein value in them. All of our vegetarian dishes have complete proteins, because we mix and match with legumes and beans.” Bell says the property has focused on offering seasonal, healthy options for vegetarians for the past four years, following customer demand for a greater variety of meatless dishes. Vegetarian options must now fulfill all senses, he says. vegetarian items,” Parsons says. “What I do in the spring and summertime is go to the farmer’s market and pick out some produce. Like yesterday, I went to the market and got some beautiful eggplant from one of the organic farms that we use and then we made a zucchini-wrapped eggplant and stuck it on an heirloom tomato with chopped basil and pesto for garnish.” Using locally grown produce benefits everyone, Parsons says, from the local farmers, to the chefs preparing the food, to the guests eating it. “We like to support our local farmers, that’s very important to us,” Parsons says, adding that with fresh ingredients “the flavors are so much more intense and natural.” Small groups of up to 10 can also accompany Chef Par- Vanilla panna cotta at Rancho Bernardo Inn Barley cake at the Gaylord Palms sons on his trips to the local markets, participate in cooking demonstrations and enjoy a specially prepared lunch using local produce. Other Fairmont properties, including the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto and the Fairmont Le Manoir Richeliu in Charlevoix region of Quebec, also offer this “Shop with Chef” option, along with other food-related activities. Rancho Bernardo Inn also focuses on locally grown produce in its menus. “A lot of the banquet menus we have are derived from the produce we have down here in Southern California,” Kaysen says. “We’re very fortunate to have an abundance of beautiful vegetable entrees as options.” BALANCING ACT At the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL, Executive Chef Earlest Bell and Sous Chef Hamid Salas take a more scientific approach to vegetarian food. Dishes must look good on the table, smell delicious with a variety of spices; texture is important and obviously the taste has to be superb. Exciting all the sense creates the “wow effect,” he says. “In the old days we were just making pasta dishes, like fettuccini or lasagna, and steamed vegetables. A vegetarian option was just something to get full off of,” Bell says. Now, the property employs chefs from a wider variety of culinary backgrounds, Bell says, and vegetarian menu options are inspired by the diversity. For example, one staff member from Morocco inspired many of the Mediterraneanstyle options and another two employees from Jamaica provided expertise on Caribbean flavors. “We match our culinary skills with what guests want. You name the region, and we’ve got somebody from there,” Bell says. mimegasite.com JANUARY 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 40 http://mimegasite.com

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Successful Meetings - January 2008 Contents Editor's Note Associations Research Events Suppliers Associations On the Record Associations Suppliers Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Management Matters Meeting the Law Personal Success Mouth for Sale Food & Beverage Professional Development On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Veggie Power Tennis, Anyone? Seeing is Believing The Wild Green Yonder Game On Places & Spaces Galveston & Texas Beaches Greater Seattle Singapore Gurus

Successful Meetings - January 2008

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