Three-Part Harmoney (yes, Money):
Networking : Marketing : Fulfillment
What are YOU doing when you aren’t cooking for your hotel restaurant? Read More
Latest Posts
Internal Guests
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? Read More
Lagniappe
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. Read More
Old Masters
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. Read More
Secret Recipe
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? Read More
Grand Opening
Headaches and Heartaches of a Grand Opening
We all know the problems associated with new hotel openings: staffing, training, opening inventories, F&B events scheduling, etc. Some of the best-laid plans, even at a five-star resort hotel, can go awry – particularly during grand openings. Read More
Chocolates
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 lightly-coated Swiss cocoa powder.
The Burlington Bar (100% Vermont maple syrup reduction and roasted pecans in a 38% Maracaibo Criolet cream ganache, enrobed in a deep milk chocolate couverture). This particular bar was actually our first tasting. The pecan toppers provided the complimentary flavor and texture but were not overpowering. The ganache, again, was of a desirable and pleasing consistency with a very pleasant aftertaste. This particular bar would likely be more suitable to mainstream chocolate consumers.
The Veracruz Bar (pure Mexican vanilla beans in a 36% Edelweiss white chocolate cream ganache, enrobed in 72% Arriba bittersweet chocolate). This unique and enticing combination of ingredients provides a delectable contrast and, more importantly, exhibits a stalwart effort by its creator to interplay varietal chocolates into a single bar. An appreciable audience of chocolate lovers will find this particular bar a favorite for its composition, texture and unique finish.
These items are ideal for the Executive VIP meetings and convention market and other hotel on-site guest amenities.
Personally, I would like to see the ganache bars pre-cut or at least sectioned off into more nimble bite-size portions.
In summary, these three Ganache Bars are distinct by virtue of their all-natural ingredients and a testament to the passion and talent of a true chocolatier in their creation. We find they will market well not only to chocolate aficionados but also to the masses.
Based on our tasting group responses, they should be well received.
Executive Pastry Chef & Chocolatier
DerryChurch Artisan Chocolates LLC
Current: Eric Cayton – Owner at DerryChurch Artisan Chocolates LLC
Executive Pastry Chef & Chocolatier at Derry
(717) 602-8963
Focus Group
Focus on the Focus Group Surveys
How are your hotel F&B operations measuring up to your competitors’ newly designed (or retrofitted) restaurant? Read More
Lemings
Don’t Follow The Lemings Over This Fiscal Cliff
I am glad our fellow trade bloggers are sharing their own experiences about leadership qualities, lax service issues, and trying to resolve ongoing unprofessional ineptitudes. Read More
Stormy Weather
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There’s a storm coming and you have a full schedule. The hypothetical given is that this is NOT Day One of the storm, rather the week of a forecasted weather dynamic headed in your direction. Read More
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