Seasonal Promotions: Attracting Holiday Diners The infinitesimal array of serving traditional meals for the holidays is not without a frayed cook challenged by time, choice food markets to research and best pricing bids to get the best cuts in plentiful orders.
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.
The Essencia Experience Wine so precious you drink it with a crystal spoon – Essencia is in my Life This was certainly the most exquisite way to start the New Year. Tasting the Royal Tokaji Essencia from its traditional crystal spoon had me wondering less about its pricey interruption to my budget than its overall unique flavoring, tending more towards the classic dessert wines like Croft Porto Vintage (a coffee-infused delicacy), Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny Port (tasting a delicate ambience of crushed nuts, raisins with a slight essence of vanilla bean), Les Clos de Papulilles Banyuls Rimage (a Grenache from France, my favorite region). I generally shy away from the overuse of Sauternes (blending French Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscatel grapes) as I’ve over-consumed this for the past 48 years with well-meaning aficionados and relatives whom you could not distract or recommend otherwise – so, I have acquiesced far too long. I have found there is honor in saying “no mas” and trying out a (new to me) wildly luxurious blend. I’m not sure whether I was …
Béchamel Mucho – Extricate Yourself from Failure: Innovate Dedicated chefs and patissiers have learned all about preparation, cooking and presentation techniques for their time-honored classical and traditional recipes, such as a chocolate soufflé or a petite entree for Gruyere cheese soufflé with chives and a hint of dusted Hungarian paprika for the spiciness desired.
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 …
Dining in Style When your hotel experience includes elegant and unique dining options, one of the most important elements is how well you define comfort, style and premier services to your hotel guests.
Seeking to Develop an Independent Boutique Hotel Collection I started my project with the simplest observation I could make and that was by viewing and experiencing the appeal of resort-style hospitality here in Sarasota, Florida. Our town definitely offers a little bit of paradise for every type of visitor – national and international – and I felt there was sufficient opportunity to appeal to this audience. In addition to adhering to the real estate adage “location, location, location,” I was determined to include “variety and diversity” in the types of foods we would offer. Our on-site signature restaurant would have met the location requisite; however, in order to assume we could also provide variety and diversity within the F&B operations, I was compelled to take our hotel culture to the next level beyond the formal service available to our specialty dining and private club. We tested our concept at a local private country club to observe and retrain our thinking about what it was our patrons might want that was different yet convivial. We found …
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 …
Business Weekly Announcements . Editorials Bubil: Always a place for good architecture Sunday, March 17, 2013 Indian Beach Tale By Harold Bubil, Herald-Tribune My March 8 story about the architectural competition to design a residence for a 5-acre property along the north bay in Indian Beach elicited several interesting reader responses. One reader asked if I knew the property was right next door to the mansion-for-rent that I profiled that day on page 1A. Yes, I knew that. Coincidentally, those stories ran the same day. Meg McDonough, president of Luxury Hospitality Consultants LLC in Sarasota, also opined that the competition was nothing more than a publicity stunt. Of course it is, but I can’t offer that opinion in a news story. “Interesting idea, but I would not hold much hope of getting a decent design from an architecture student,” wrote McDonough. “From what I see in the professional architecture magazines, they seem to teach them to have far-out ideas and a lot of nothingness that cannot be built. “This particular angle appears to be more about …
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