Welcome to my Contributor’s Page Hotel food and beverage professionals share their experiences, skills and commentary. These hotelier blogs reflect a variety of unique career perspectives and real-life workplace stories, observations and opinions. Click on the image below to access my Blog Page at Hotel F&B Observer.
INTERVIEW WITH GUILLAUME MARCHAND EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF, RITZ-CARLTON – SARASOTA At left is the Gingerbread House; at right is the real Ca d’Zan Mansion Biographical Summary Executive Pastry Chef Guillaume Marchand brings with him vast experience and a passion for the sweeter things in life. Before joining the culinary team at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, he held the position of assistant pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Hotel Arts in Barcelona, Spain and he was also the Chef de Partie at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. As Executive Pastry Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, Marchand is responsible for the day to day operations of a 24-hour pastry shop, supplying all breads, pies, cookies, chocolates, candy, ice cream, cakes and desserts to the seven food and beverage outlets of the resort. Prior to his tenure with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., Marchand oversaw dessert preparation on a cruise ship with Renaissance Cruises and also spent several years working in London. Born and raised in Western France, Marchand, similar to many other French chefs, learned his trade through an apprenticeship in a …
Interview with Chef Philippe P. Reynaud Senior Director of Culinary Operation Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo, Florida Biography Summary Located on the northern tip of the Florida Keys, just under an hour from the busy metropolis of Miami, the legendary Ocean Reef Club began in 1948 as a remote yet exclusive fishing camp. Over time, the club added amenities to suit the desired lifestyle of its members. Today the member-owned club includes a 144-room inn, private residences, two 18-hole golf courses, multiple tennis courts, gyms, a marina, a private airport, medical center, cultural center, library, art league, private school and, yes, some of the world’s best fishing and golf. While food was a part of the Club’s history, it was not until 2000 and the arrival of Chef Philippe Reynaud that the focus shifted from food and its related services toward a much broader array of dining options. A passion for food and assisting in his parent’s restaurant at age twelve influenced Ocean Reef Club’s Executive Director of Culinary Operations, Philippe Reynaud, to pursue a career …
Welcome to my Complimentary Webpage Presenting Derry Church Artisan Chocolates A Review of the Derry Church Artisan Chocolates Specialty Ganache Bars Conducted by Luxury Hospitality Consultants LLC – Sarasota, Florida – May 2010 At the request of Executive Pastry Chef & Chocolatier Eric Cayton to conduct a courtesy peer review of his new-to-market specialty Ganache Bars, we are pleased to submit our comments. We received three selections consisting of a delectable variety of hand-made chocolates which are identified as follows: The Lyon Bar (a combination cream ganache of 85% & 72% cacao, enrobed in a 72% Arriba couverture, dusted with a superb Swiss cocoa powder). Our impression is that this particular item will not appeal to all chocolate consumers, particularly those with unsophisticated palettes. The cocoa powder covering created a unique consistency; however, the full flavor of this particular bar is not fully realized until you have taken several bites. It is simple yet elegant in its composition with a very pleasing finish. The ganache was a delectable component and was well complemented by the …
Focus on the Focus Group Surveys How are your hotel F&B operations measuring up to your competitors’ newly designed (or retrofitted) restaurant?
Insights on Interacting with Busy Executives Meg McDonough, President of Luxury Hospitality Consultants LLC in Sarasota, Florida, is a regular contributor for HospitalityEducators.com. She recently completed an in-depth interview with the Executive Pastry Chef at one of the best-known hotel brands in the world, and we wanted to share some additional background with our readers on how these interactions come to be. John Hogan, Co-Founder of HospitalityEducators.com Interview with Guillaume Marchand Ritz Carlton-Sarasota Hotel The Challenges of a Pastry Chef Q. Why did you choose Chef Marchand? I came across his creation of the Gingerbread Mansion while attending the Winefest celebration held in Sarasota. Chef and his team fashioned a built-to-scale edible masterpiece fashioned after the real mansion which John Ringling built for himself and his wife in Sarasota as their winter residence. The home is called Ca d’Zan (“House of John”) and is located on the John and Mable Ringling Museum grounds. The home was also used for the filming of a more recent version of “Great Expectations” starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ethan Hawke, and Anne Bancroft (to …
Interview with Chef Yann Chupin, New Executive Chef The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota Chef Yann Chupin is the new Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, and has been in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, working in the kitchens of hotels, resorts and restaurants.
Interview with Michael Durett – Executive Chef Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club Demand vs. Availability While doing some research on chefs who go beyond the farm-to-table modality to taking that extra educated step in bringing a compelling product / vendor to their restaurant, I can appreciate the challenges afforded the novice as well as gourmand appetite for working in the grass-fed beef into their repertoire.
Meg McDonough, President of Luxury Hospitality Consultants LLC We are pleased to introduce a new Contributor to HospitalityEducators.com. Meg McDonough, President of Luxury Hospitality Consultants LLC, will share regular insights on luxury resorts, boutique hotels and international dining with our members and readers. Kathleen Hogan MBA, Publisher, HospitalityEducators.com Meg grew up in Havana, Cuba, and came to appreciate at an early age the diversity of dining in an international setting as the island cultivated not only its own flavors indigenous to the area but was also home to people from all over the world who brought their own food styles with them. Family travel throughout Europe added exposure to some of the world’s finest hotels and provided an endless array of important recollections respecting service, quality hospitality performance and fine dining within beautiful settings. Her career included service to the Dean at Harvard as assistant to the Director of the Kennedy Institute of Politics for four years, followed by a ten-year affiliation at The Architects Collaborative, as secretary to the president, and later with subsequent …
Hotel, Restaurant & Bar News Kerfuffle in the Kitchen On April 1, 2013, in Boutique Hotels, effective marketing, kitchen, motivation, public relations, restfinance.com, by Meg McDonough Volunteering to service outside of one’s ordinary station, regardless of managerial hierarchy is called “Snap”. Stormy Weather Plans On March 26, 2013, in Banquet & Catering, Catering Kitchen, Emergency Kitchen Plans, kitchen, restfinance.com, SOP Storm Plans, by Meg McDonough During a “big storm” the dining event may well be your most important role – and the most appreciated and memorable experience your guests will ever encounter. Don’t Follow the Lemmings Over This Fiscal Cliff On February 7, 2013, in Cyber critiques, Management, managerial leadership qualities, People & Productivity, by Meg McDonough “Get it right the first time” should be the motto across the board. When repeat poor service occurs, it just lowers the standards and morale of the operations and, not surprisingly, the business suffers. Focus on the Focus Group Surveys On February 5, 2013, in Boutique Hotels, focus group, Management, monitoring quality, restfinance.com, Surveys, by Meg McDonough Demand to be the best and demonstrate your willingness to change for the best and experience improvement in your F&B operations. Guard Your …
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