MENU TRANSPARENCY 2011 COMING TO A HOTEL NEAR YOU Under the new legislation, restaurants will be required to display calorie information for standard menu items as well as calories for each serving of food at a salad bar or a buffet line (e.g., LTO’s – fast food and chain restaurants).
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 …
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING WHY CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS ARE NECESSARY Hypothetically speaking, you learn that your former chef has borrowed your well-recognized restaurant concept and opened his own eatery within proximity to yours. Suddenly, you find that your unique concept of a “pudding-only” menu is now being duplicated in northern California. A bit far-fetched, yes, but stranger things have happened.
What’s Your Signature? Do you have a gold mine in your F&B operations? You might if you were to avail yourself of all the collective information compiled from your frequent guests’ preferences, including catered events.
Zagat is Calling – Are You Ready? You’ve set up your F&B budget for the year based on expected inflows and outflows for operating your dining establishment at the hotel in a profitable mode. However, you relied on economic trends from previous years (lean and getting leaner) and forgot to include one of your most important expenses – marketing your operation.
The Internal Guests at your Hotel The Best Promoter for your F&B Operations How would you identify your fellow associates at your hotel – the Front Desk Attendant, the Reservations Clerk, the Concierge, the Director of Housekeeping, the Rooms Division Manager?
Lagniappe… A Little Extra for your Guests In the eighteenth century, when Louisiana housewives went to market to buy their rice, the merchant would throw in a couple of extra handfuls after the transaction was completed to compensate for the weight of the linen sack.
Dining with the Old Masters: DaVinci and Rembrandt: Great Artwork, Great Food, Great Concept (for your Restaurant) Dynamic, stimulating, vivid colors – a palette to please the eye. This could very well be a critic’s choice words for a well-known and highly acclaimed hotel restaurant: Picasso at The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Guard Your Secret Recipe, Not the Secret Service – Maybe Ever have your dining patrons ask your waitstaff for chef’s secret recipe he/she uses on your best-selling appetizer, which also happens to be of interest to your competitors?
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