Hotel & Motel Management - February 18, 2008 - (Page 16)

16 Food & Beverage LOCALLY GROWN FOOD H&MM February 18, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition BY EMILY HANNA, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eating in season BOSTON MARRIOTT BURLINGTON Changing menus with the changing seasons As seasons change, restaurants that take advantage of local, fresh foods can offer diversity to both the customers and chefs. At the Hotel Monaco in Washington, the restaurant Poste Brasserie prints a new menu in-house either daily or weekly, based on the chef’s ﬁndings at the local farmers market or the available produce from the hotel’s garden. Gaylord Hotels also has integrated local foods into its catering and restaurant menus. The restaurant menus are “infused” quarterly with seasonal produce, while the catering menus are more adaptive, said Giorgi Di Lemis, v.p. of food and beverage. “Because our chefs represent different nationalities and gastronomical backgrounds, they’re able to incorporate a global perspective,” Di Lemis said. “By giving them the tools of seasonality, we are not only challenging them, but we are aiding them to become more creative. Summer Winter, a seasonal restaurant in the Boston Marriott Burlington that opened in November 2007, plans to have at least three menu changes per year but intends to supplement the menu with fresh items grown in the on-site greenhouse. Poste Brasserie, a Kimpton restaurant, offers education with its meals by informing guests about how their food got to their plate. On average, food in the United States travels 1,500 miles from the farm to the table. And as prices at the pump and concern over carbon emissions increase, the concept of buying food from local sources becomes more enticing. “It creates a green environment so you’re not causing transportation [effects] and people are getting used to eating what’s in season,” said Michael DeGano, g.m. at Poste Brasserie at the Hotel Monaco in Washington. “This century’s really been about the environment, and people are championing that and learning [how to incorporate it].” At Poste Brasserie, part of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, chefs are encouraged to work with local farmers and embrace the use of sustainable foods, DeGano said. About 60 percent to 65 percent of the food served at the restaurant is locally grown, either by area farmers or in the on-site garden. In addition to produce, meats also are found locally. In the fall, the restaurant’s chefs start to cure their own meats for use during the winter, and once it’s spring, a Virginia farmer supplies lamb and goat for springtime meals, DeGano said. “I think it’s good because we don’t overproduce things,” he said. “We’re eating the right produce and meats in the right seasons.” Summer Winter, a restaurant at the Boston Marriott Burlington [Mass.], houses an 800-square-foot greenhouse on its balcony and employs a gardener to take care of the premises. The items not supplied by the greenhouse are bought from local farmers. In peak season, the greenhouse will supply more than 15 different types of lettuces as well as its own root vegetables, such as radishes, beets and carrots, said Dennis Brady, the director of food and beverage at the hotel. In the meantime, the restaurant incorporates fresh herbs, greens and microgreens from the greenhouse into daily menu planning in salads, entrées and cocktails. “Mostly it’s just about eating great, very fresh food,” Brady said. CIRCLE NO. 107 KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS An on-site greenhouse supplements the menu at Summer Winter, a restaurant at the Boston Marriott Burlington [Mass.]. In addition to the produce grown here, the restaurant buys local foods, including shellﬁsh, ﬁsh and meats. http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.bittelusa.com http://www.bittelusa.com

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Hotel & Motel Management - February 18, 2008 Contents ALIS Attendees: Bumpy Road Ahead Denihan Expands with James Hotel Purchase AAA Updates its Diamond Rating Guidelines Perspective Letters to the Editor Legal FAQ Satisfaction Trends Sales Clinic HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Locally Grown Food Gains Popularity Companies Cultivate International Ties Wireless Internet Access Opens Up Possibilities Ice Machine Care Improves Efficiency, Performance The Importance of F&B to Leisure Travelers Lamps/Lighting Transactions Events Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - February 18, 2008

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