Successful Meetings - October 2008 - (Page 20) Food & Beverage Christopher Harkness Executive Chef, Great Performances Locavore-Motion “When I first started training to be a chef, it are harvested there. When preparing a menu, was all about how far away you could get your Harkness consults with Farmer Bob Walker, ingredients; lamb from New who not only manages and farms Zealand, vanilla from Madagasthe property, but lives there, to car, cheese from France. I find out what is in season. thought using these products Not only does produce from made you worldly, sophisticated, the farm make its way into the and talented,” Christopher Harkballroom, but so do wildflowers, ness, executive chef at Great sunflowers, and even locally Performances, explains. made whiskey and vodka. Not anymore. His new emphaA recent 100 Mile Menu feasis is on products he can get tured Country Pizza with Spring close to home. Great PerforOnions and Ricotta, Fried Green mances, a New York Tomatoes with Aioli, event and catering Farmer Bob’s firm, is a partner with Chopped Salad, CPS Events at The Hand-sheered Plaza, manager and Greens and Houseoperator of The Plaza made Red Wine Grand Ballroom. Vinaigrette, and Together, they have Maison Chop Farm created the “100 Mile Rosemary-studded Menu” that features Leg of Lamb with an The Grand Ballroom at The Plaza provides a gorgeous just that, ingredients Arugula and Garlic setting in which to showcase local ingredients sourced within a 100Scape Coulis, with mile radius of New York City. Harkness, a selfthe majority of the ingredients coming from proclaimed locavore (the New Oxford AmeriKatchkie. The 100 Mile Menu is available for all can Dictionary’s word of the year for 2007), types of events, including breakfast, breaks, says the concept behind this menu is “field to lunch, receptions, and dinners. fork.” Not only is this environmentally friendly, “The Plaza Grand Ballroom is the first as shipping food over shorter distances means major venue in the country to incorporate the using less fuel for transportation, thus lessen100 Mile Menu concept into its menus,” says ing the carbon footprint, local products taste Mike Warren, director of catering for CPS better, he says. Events at The Plaza. This new standard in “Once you start getting the ingredients catering was introduced at the Grand Balllocally, and you experience the benefits, it room when it reopened in January, with becomes an addiction. The food is so good, menus featuring ingredients that appear on so perfect. Plus, the farmers are harvesting the ballroom’s tables within 36 hours of being the best products they possibly can. It’s a harvested. labor of love,” says Harkness. “We wanted The Plaza, with its legendary Great Performances has taken the “locaballroom that has received New York City landvore” movement one step further by acquiring mark status, to reopen with creative, cuttingits own 60-acre organic farm in Kinderhook, NY, edge cuisine, and we have,” says Warren. called Katchkie Farm. Some 29 different variBy Andrea Doyle eties of vegetables, from arugula to winter andrea.doyle@nielsen.com squash, as well as a selection of culinary herbs, successfulmeetings.com OCTOBER 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS Menu Card with Mileage Hawthorne Valley Sauteed Rainbow Trout, Roxbury Farm Smoked Sweet Corn Brulee, Fresh Pea Tendrils, and Warm Tomato Vinaigrette: 90 miles Striped Bass Escaviche with Pickled Beets: 95 miles Long Island Oysters “Casino” Style: 40 miles Peach and Thyme Cake with Caramel Chantilly Cream: 95 miles Ideal size for the Grand Ballroom: 300 to 500 guests Cost per person: $275 to $325 per person, including open bar, plus 23 percent service charge and 8.375 percent NY State sales tax For a recipe that brings out the flavors of local produce, go to www.successfulmeetings.com, click on “Articles by Topic,” then “Food & Beverage” to locate the recipe for Baby Beet Carpaccio with Duel Roasted Potato Salad and Roasted Garlic Coulis 20 http://www.successfulmeetings.com http://www.successfulmeetings.com
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