Recipes For Success
by Staff -- Hotels, 8/1/2007
The chefs at the helms of this year’s Great Hotel Restaurant honorees serve up new ideas for making fine dining more fun and more profitable.
Mark Ayers, executive chef, Pacific’s Edge, Highland Inn, a Hyatt Hotel, Carmel, California
What’s the most important ingredient behind an innovative, marketable menu?
Ayers: Seasonal, locally grown food. We’ve been trying to make that our focus for the last couple of years. There’s nothing here you couldn’t find in other places. You can put food from anywhere in a Fed Ex box and ship it to any place else in the world. What you can do is to let the menu evolve with the season by featuring varieties of local strawberries or mushrooms… Keep food as simple as possible. What that means is whipped potatoes that just require butter or seared fish accented by salt, pepper and fennel.
Which dish’s popularity surprised you when you put them on the menu?
Ayers: It’s not a surprise, but our ice creams are very popular—from raspberry and chocolate to olive oil, white chocolate and crème fraiche.
How would you describe your cooking?
Ayers Contemporary California with French influences. The method is French since I was trained classically at the Culinary Institute of America. I think we’re moving back to simpler methods. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was all about who could make the most complicated things.
Do you want a seamless approach from all of the chefs?
Ayers: I encourage our sous chefs to play around and try whatever they want. We have a chef’s tasting menu that changes every week so that we can get input on new dishes.
What ingredients can’t you live without?
Ayers: High quality ingredients. And, butter.
What’s the biggest challenge you face?
Ayers: Years ago, the restaurant had a great reputation. Then, it sort of went south. We’ve been working hard to re-establish it. The chemistry in the kitchen is at an all time high. We work well together, and we work well with the food and beverage director and sommelier.
What’s on your wish list?
Ayers: A kitchen renovation. I don’t want a lot of tricky, high-tech new gadgets. What I would like are new stoves, ovens and grills. I’ve heard about some very innovative new ovens. I’m not sure I believe all the claims, but I’d like to see them.
What makes Pacific’s Edge great?
Ayers: The style of the dining room combined with my food and the service. It’s the only place like it.
Bernard Bernabe, executive chef, White, Hilton Auckland
What’s the inspiration for your menu?
Bernabe: White’s menu is inspired by the abundance of fresh New Zealand produce. There is a huge array of shellfish and deep sea fish caught in the cool waters around the islands. I have access to many small producers who have created their niche in the restaurant market, either for home grown beef, lamb or pork, or specialist growers for herbs and the more exotic such as white asparagus or black truffle.
Inspiration for the menu is driven by seasonality and what is available at the time of creating the dishes. My philosophy has always been to keep the dishes simple yet provide interesting combinations and enhance the natural flavors by using delicate sauces or broths.
Whilst the cooking tends to be European in style there is an influence of Pacific Rim flavors sourced from the indigenous cultures of the Pacific islands and also Asian influences. My cooking is influenced by the lifestyle we lead in the clean and green environment of New Zealand. I want to demonstrate to our overseas visitors that New Zealand has created its own style, influenced by the freshness of locally grown produce and the mix of the many cultures now in New Zealand.
How has your cooking evolved over the last 12 to 18 months?
Bernabe: Cooking has become more simplistic rather than intrusive. More emphasis is placed on the balance and harmony of flavors rather than complicated cooking processes or overpowering flavors.
What are the biggest changes either in method or in the introduction/combination of ingredients?
Bernabe: Consumers are becoming more educated and refined in their dining habits. In order to stand out, greater emphasis is placed on using fresh, organically grown, high quality produce. We are fortunate in New Zealand to be able to incorporate native ingredients such as ‘horopito’ pepper and ‘piko piko’ fern tips as they introduce amazing local flavor to the dishes.
What are the next culinary trends and how will they add interest to your food and your menus? How much do organics, the healthfulness of food etc. affect the menu?
Bernabe: Demand for organic foods and locally grown items will grow as the public becomes more educated and are given a greater choice. This can be seen in the better-quality supermarkets where ‘organic’ produce is taking a larger portion of shelf space.
The difference in the intensity of flavors of organic produce compared to commercially grown produce is significant. The use of organic produce has an impact on the cost of the ingredients and menu items. However, if people feel they are getting value for money they will pay for the organic produce and the unique flavors they provide.
Consumers are more health conscious and, as a result, there is a trend towards offering ‘healthy food’ options in all types of restaurants. Food allergies are also having a greater impact on food choices and the modern restaurant is expected to be able to cater for all diets (health or cultural diet preferences).
Do you have your own garden?
Bernabe: Yes, a small garden with a variety of fresh herbs.
What have been the most successful upsells?
Bernabe: Potato mash drizzled with truffle virgin oil (White’s signature dish which has been on the menu since opening six years ago). This dish has been such as success that we would never dare take it off the menu. Many local restaurants have tried to copy the dish without success. The secret is in the preparation and the consistency of the mash being like velvet.
What are the most innovative menu offerings and what was guests’ reaction?
Bernabe: Wild game such as rabbit and wild venison has a big following from our international guests. I wasn’t sure whether using wild products would benefit the menu. The response so far has been fantastic. An example of the dish on our current menu is carpaccio of wild venison, ginger & verjus jelly with pickled papaya and star anis glaze. Perhaps people are developing more adventurous culinary tastes!
How much do guests influence you?
Bernabe: The lunch menu has been adjusted to cater for the fast pace style of the business lunch, allowing diners to experience White in less time. Dinner offers the opportunity to take a little more time and enjoy the experience—100% Pure New Zealand.
I tend to listen to feedback from guests and colleagues. When I trial a new dish it is featured as a special of the day and I gauge the customers reaction. However, I must admit I tend to follow my heart at times.
What differentiates the restaurant from its competitors?
Bernabe: White offers the complete dining experience -the location with stunning views across the harbor, modern style cooking utilizing the freshest of ingredients matched with a great wine list. White is the canvas, and the food and people create an ambience which is truly unique. Since opening White has been at the forefront of dining in New Zealand and maintains this position by being consistently innovative.
What is the best training tip you can offer?
Bernabe: Keep the process simple, be straight to the point and always try to inspire the people you are training.
Who were your mentors?
Bernabe: I did not have a mentor as such, but growing up in New Zealand living and breathing the inspiring surroundings sparked my passion for cooking with New Zealand produce. I always wanted to make it as a chef and worked hard to learn from the experiences I have had and people I have worked with over the years.
What are the biggest issues facing chefs in hotel restaurants?
Bernabe: Finding skilled staff; there is a shortage (worldwide) in our industry today. Secondly, stagnation, as a chef you want to continuously learn and you only achieve this through different influences and experiences, which are often found when traveling or working in different restaurants.
Will the star chef's luster wear off, as some suggest--why or why not?
Bernabe: I believe that most chefs do this job because they love it and they are passionate about the dishes they create. Being a chef takes a lot of skill and drive. Star chefs create a vibe about cooking and on the positive side it may encourage others to want to learn about cooking. I think that the trend will be around for a while.
What are your favorite hotel restaurants and why?
Bernabe: Glass Brasserie at the Hilton Sydney where Luke Mangan is the executive chef. After having worked with Luke for a period of time I have great respect for his skill as a chef and restaurateur. He has been a great influence on my style of cooking. The Establishment’ in Sydney is also very good with a great reputation for great food and wines.
What do other fine dining hotel restaurants miss in terms of positioning themselves as real profit centers?
Bernabe: When you treat the restaurant as a hotel fine dinning room that’s exactly how the restaurant will feel – like a hotel restaurant. To drive profit hotel restaurants have to be branded with their own identity and positioned as a destination restaurant. White has been positioned as a stand-alone restaurant in order to differentiate it from hotel restaurants. A thorough understanding of clientele and your surroundings is important. The menus need to be inspired and consistent, offering an exceptional dining experience every day of the year.
What was your most effective marketing tool?
Bernabe: In-house cooking demonstrations have created an amazing reaction and have been an effective marketing tool. I have found that having an up-to-date web site with new menus is very important to keep repeat customers informed and to introduce new customers to the concepts behind White.
What will happen with the number of courses, the number of ingredients and length of time at table?
Bernabe: Dining has always been a central part of the social scene. Therefore a lot depends on the purpose of the occasion. The occasion generally determines the number of courses and length of time spent in the restaurant. I’d like to think that when people go out, they are there to enjoy their surroundings and that the food and wine compliment the social aspect of the event.
The number of ingredients used in a dish varies as the seasons change and what produce is available. Currently a simple approach to dishes is preferred.
What new trends do you see for wines and beverage sales?
Bernabe: High-end, boutique style wines will become more accessible and more popular as more become available by the glass.
What's passé?
Bernabe: Dishes with complicated flavors, trying to mix too many ingredients that result in a confusion of flavors. Heavy sauces.
If you could change a few things about hotel restaurants, what would that be?
Bernabe: Hotel restaurants should be more innovative and not be bound by catering for a large cross section of the market.
What makes a hotel restaurant truly great?
Bernabe: It’s the complete package—the people, the ambience, the food and wine and most of all passion and the drive for perfection. You have to have great product selection, a dedicated and enthusiastic kitchen brigade and front of house team, not to mention creativity and variety.
Akira Oshima, executive chef, Yamazato, Hotel Okura, Amsterdam
How would you describe your menu?
Oshima: Authentic Kaiseki cuisine. More than 50 Japanese specialties are on offer. The Yamazato Restaurant has an authentic, Sukiya-style interior, inspired on the Zen Buddhism from the heyday of the ceremonial houses in the 15th and 16th centuries. The atmosphere is completed by the Japanese garden right next to the Yamazato Restaurant. Guests can be seated at the sushi bar as well. Reservations have to be made in advance for the Japanese breakfast. Our strength lies in not changing the way we cook.
Do you have a kitchen garden?
Oshima: We do. It provides a lovely view for guests and staff uses it for fresh herbs.
How much do you westernize your menu?
Oshima: Sushi and tempura the best sellers. Most of Yamazato’s guests are wealthy Dutch people and Japanese people working for Japanese companies. The traditional Japanese kitchen is based on fish. Since Western people ask for meat (beef) as well we have fish AND meat on the menu. Japanese people are not used to large desserts. For Western people we serve larger, sweeter desserts.
What are the biggest issues facing chefs in hotel restaurants?
Oshima: A hotel never closes which means we have to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. In the Netherlands people are not used to dining out in a hotel. We normally visit a restaurant but not a hotel restaurant unless as long as we are staying there.
What are your favorite restaurants?
Oshima: The best French restaurant in Amsterdam is our sister restaurant, Ciel Bleu Restaurant located on the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura Amsterdam. I also like La Rive (Amstel Hotel) and Vermeer (NH Barbizon Palace Hotel).
How do you keep your menu interesting?
Oshima: We have a chef recommendation that changes every day. The rest of the menu changes at least 10 times a year. Each year we organize a culinary event in which a specific part of Japan plays a special role. A chef from a restaurant in that prefecture comes over and cooks meals from that area with Yamazato’s chefs.
What makes a hotel restaurant truly great?
Oshima: The combination of Japanese courtesy and Dutch open-heartedness in harmony.
Vincent Thierry, executive chef, Caprice, Four Seasons Hong Kong
What’s the inspiration for your food?
Thierry: I find that I get inspiration for almost everything, everything I see, read, dishes I try, what I see in the markets, what I see on TV. After the initial seed of inspiration is planted I go through the process of creating the cuisine in my head.
Can a French chef ever move very far away from French cooking?
Thierry: The real base on my cooking is still everything I learned in France, so I am influenced a lot by French produce.
How has your cooking evolved over the last 12 to 18 months?
Thierry: I feel freer in my creations now. I understand our guests and what they are looking for. For example, I know that if I tried to create some fusion dishes it would not work here. I stick to traditional French dishes but with a modern preparation: not too heavy; light sauces (a trend reflected in French cuisine around the world)
What are the biggest changes either in method or in the introduction/combination of ingredients?
Thierry: I always try to discuss combinations of ingredients with the sommelier as he truly understands what makes a good balance. We can avoid errors this way. For example, the combination of gewurtzraminer, banana and foie gras is always great match. Our sommelier provides a lot of help in finding great balanced matchings.
What is the most innovative dish you've tried and what was the response?
Thierry: Foie Gras Millefeuille with Brioche Mousse and Light Apricot Chutney. It had a fantastic response. The unusual combination of foie gras with brioche mousse made it a highlight of the Menu du Chef for pretty much all the guests who tried it. Marinated Oyster with Fresh Cucumber Ribbons, Seaweed Jelly and Avruga Caviar Cream also got a great response because of the texture and the combination of seaweed with the smokiness of the caviar. Although individually all have strong flavors, the nice, fresh flavors combined to make perfect balance.
What was the most surprising success?
Thierry: Langoustine Ravioli with Sweetbreads and Chanterelle Mushrooms in a Delicate Shellfish Sauce. We didn't expect it to be such a huge success. In fact, we didn't really intend to keep it as a permanent fixture. But now, because of its popularity, it is very much a permanent menu item.
How would you describe your target market in terms of the experience they seek, their food preferences and the ambiance they want?
Thierry: Hong Kong is quite a complicated market, very sophisticated. Guests are looking for a fine dining experience with all the detail, but with a lot of freshness and movement. They don't expect to have to wear tie and jacket and don't like to be overformal. They want a fine dining experience, but one that is comfortable and has an element of freedom. They also look for interaction, and appreciate that we have warm and approachable staff who are happy to share the experience with them. They want very tasty food with interesting textures, but don't want things that are complicated or difficult for the sake of being complicated.
How much of your menu reflects what guests want and how much what you want to serve?
Thierry: In the beginning as a new restaurant we created our own identity, and we still have a very strong identity here in the city. As a restaurant we have grown up in Hong Kong, and have adapted ourselves to satisfy the local taste. However, at heart, Caprice is still very much a French restaurant. We feel that we have created a good balance here. When guests come to Caprice, they know that they will get what they like. We've come to understand our guests and their palates and we have used that knowledge and their feedback to create dishes that we know they will like (at least we try to).
What differentiates the restaurant from its competitors?
Thierry; Our style of service, and the fact that we have no pretensions. We enjoy what we do and hope that the guests feel that too. We don't make things over-complicated, and try to impart a warmth and friendliness through our service.
What are your secrets for maintaining excellence every meal, every day?
Thierry: The passion of the team. This is the only thing that can maintain consistent excellence. We put pressure on ourselves to ensure that everything is excellent every time. The passion is spread throughout the whole team, and we all work together with the same goal.
Who were your mentors?
Thierry: Philippe Legendre and Antoine Westermann are chefs for whom I have a great deal of respect.
What got critics and other food publicists to try the restaurant?
Thierry: We were the first restaurant with this style in Hong Kong. We have an innovative design (open kitchen right in the centre of the restaurant—the first of its kind in Hong Kong), so that there is always communication between the kitchen and guests, always movement and action—another factor that eliminates formality. We also have the reputation of having the chef and the team from Le Cinq from the award-winning Four Seasons George V, Paris). This is the first time for people in Hong Kong to experience this style of French fine dining.
What new trends do you see for wines and beverage sales?
Thierry: Burgundy is increasing in popularity. We now sell as much Burgundy as Bordeaux. We have seen higher wine sales than anticipated in beginning. Hong Kong residents are really interested in wines and are willing to try wines that may not be familiar with in order to learn.
How often do you change your menus?
Thierry: A la carte and Taste of Caprice—four times a year (to reflect seasons in Europe), Menu du Chef every three weeks and lunch menus every three weeks.
Chef Pierre Burgade, executive chef; Veena Arora, chef, Spice Route, The Imperial, New Delhi
What inspires you?
Arora: Our style is South-Southeast Asian. My main inspiration has come from the route the Spice Trade took from India to the East. The menu revolves around an amalgamation of the six countries along the route. We keep our food interesting and exciting by means of food festivals and promotions. The food is organic and healthy with the use of all fresh products and ingredients. Everything is farm fresh.
What do your guests want?
Arora: Our best sellers have been dishes like Kung Nang Phad Khing; Som Tum Chae; Keang Keow Wang Kai; Sri-Lankan chili curry; vegetable stew with appams; Pheanang Moo, etc. The menu and the dishes have been tailor made to suit both the Indian and the Western palates without loosing the authenticity of the dish and its country of origin. The success is right there.
You have a lot of competitors in New Delhi. What makes Spice Route stand out?
Arora: The main difference lies in the decor of the restaurant which took about 7.5 years to create and design. The whole experience with the six-country experience coming together in the form of the restaurant decor and its menu designing is its unique selling point.
What new trends do you see?
Arora: We use ingredients from the world over but our concentration is more on Thailand.
Do you like the idea of signature dishes or should the chef be free to respond to the market?
Arora: Signature dishes add a sense of familiarity to the restaurant. Nonetheless the chef always has the freedom to work around individual guests and bring out his/her creation.
What makes a restaurant great?
Arora; The ultimate is guest satisfaction. That's what really makes or breaks a restaurant.
Eric Briffard, executive chef, Les Elysees du Vernet, Hotel Vernet, Paris
What makes your cooking different?
Briffard: Our approach combines innovative and refined cooking with local gastronomy. The cuisine has a class base with Japanese influences.
Everyone talks about freshness. How does influence you?
Briffard: Quality of cuisine—in nutritional terms—and eating healthfully are very important. We have two vegetable gardens in the Ile de France and one other supplier for our organic fruits and vegetables. We seek out the best quality product, from produce to natural sea fish. When we cook, we look for genuineness in the product above all. We also respect the union of tastes. It’s not about necessarily following the trends.
What do you want? What do your guests want?
Briffard: We continuously look for improvement. A chef in the kitchen to live out the realization of every course. Technical improvements in culinary tools are creating new possibilities. As the customers, they are looking for a particular mood and for personalized cooking.
How much does the guest influence your cooking?
Briffard: It is the chef who decides the restaurant’s menu and its style. That’s creativity. The chef has to create his/her own style by cooking what he/she wants. That said, I think our customers look for the same things we do in terms of authenticity and a union of tastes.
What was your most surprising menu success?
Briffard: The Breton sea urchins in the shell with fennel in an aspic of shellfish.
Who were your mentors?
Briffard; Joël Robuchon.
What are the do’s and don’ts for a great hotel restaurant?
Briffard: Do buy meat with no additives and natural fish. Do motive your staff and remember that working regularly is important for them. Do buy the best products. Don’t follow trends automatically.
What got critics interested in the restaurant?
Briffard: Promotions. Press articles that gave details about a new cookbook. Television news.
What’s new in the world of wine?
Briffard: Development of high quality organic and natural wine.
What makes a hotel restaurant great?
Briffard: A more relaxed atmosphere, tasty cuisine and a friendly staff. Opening the eyes of guests to the whole world to discover new tastes. The quality of the service and products and the quality of the staff.
Mariano Cid de la Paz, chef, El Bistro, Faena Hotel & Universe, Buenos Aires
How did you work with Ferran Adria inform the way you cook?
Cid de la Paz: I incorporate contemporary culinary techniques and procedures such as ‘spherifcations’, ‘foams’ and ‘airs’. These concepts are used to develop different textures and aromatize my creations. I change the menus every season and elaborate them with the best seasonal products available in the country.
What differentiates your approach?
Cid de la Paz: My cuisine is more than a simple culinary experience. It is based on a way of living, and on the idea of incorporating every sense, blending flavors, smells, textures, emotions and memories to every one of my creations.
What experiments worked well?
Cid de la Paz: The-13 step blind ‘Degustation Menu’ has been a tremendous success among the most discerning guests. This menu is takes its inspiration from the best (seasonal) available ingredients and is designed to surprise the guests with every dish.
Is good food enough to make a hotel restaurant great?
Cid de la Paz: Our guests share our passion for food and are looking for an experience that indulges all the senses. To begin with, the guests are received in a magical room, entirely bathed in flowing white silks that drape the walls, while whimsical red-eyed unicorns lend the proceedings a dash of magic. Gold candelabras, red Baccarat crystal and gold-rimmed plates rest on pure white tablecloths. White leather sofas and chairs sit atop plush red carpets, continuing the horn theme in whites, golds and reds. The molded ceiling, with its ornate gold trim and sparkling chandeliers, recalls Buenos Aires’ distinguished turn of the century patisseries, echoing a time when Argentina was a robust world power and thriving cultural center.
How do you maintain excellence?
Cid de la Paz: The secret to maintain the excellence has to do with my working experience. After working at El Bulli Hotel, and spending more than five years working in Ferran Adriá’s cuisine, I learned I should always reach for new heights every time I attempt something new. That is something that inspires me everyday.
What I think makes any restaurant truly great is the quality of the products that are used and the simplicity in all aspects of the preparations.
What are the biggest issues facing chefs in hotel restaurants?
Cid de la Paz: I personally don’t feel El Bistro is a ‘hotel restaurant.’ There is no hotel in the region that offers anything similar to what we do, not only in terms of covers, but in terms of quality, presentation, and most importantly in exceeding every guest expectation.
What got critics and other food publicists to try the restaurant? What was your most effective marketing tool?
Cid de la Paz: What got critics and guests interested in trying the restaurant was the unique concept that integrates every aspect of the experience. From the interior design concept (which is a result of the close collaboration between Philippe Starck and Alan Faena), the idea of having a menu that changes according to the best available ingredients in the country and the surprise of the unexpected.
How do you upsell?
Cid de la Paz: El Bistro’s menu is completed with a selection of wines by Paula Costa, our sommelier in charge of the restaurant’s wine cellar. This space is home to the most exclusive collection of Argentinean wines, with over 500 labels stored in its niches. Also, we have developed a dark beer which we serve with chocolate desserts. That has garnered quite a positive reaction in our guests.
Sumalee Boon-ek, chef de cuisine, Thiptara, Peninsula Bangkok
With so many competitive restaurants, how did you devise something new to say?
Sumalee: The concept of Thiptara is home-style Thai dining, so our menu concept is home-style authentic Thai cuisine. We work with the original method of ingredient preparation such as chili paste or marinated meat. Staff are fully-trained to be able to cook each dish to perfection.
Does that mean you only use local ingredients?
Sumalee: We buy some ingredients from overseas for some of our dishes, such as beef from Australia, cod from Atlantic Ocean and some vegetables from New Zealand. Currently we are growing some ingredients by ourselves, such as chemical-free vegetables and herbs in our garden to be used for our dishes.
What’s ahead for your menu?
Sumalee: The next culinary trend is ‘food for health.’ We have designed some dishes for our menu under “Naturally Peninsula” or NP cuisine, which is a new food concept that promotes light and healthier dishes without compromising taste. NP recipes will be sent to our corporate nutritionist based in Hong Kong to analyze, make recommendations, and ultimately approve the recipes.
What are the most innovative menu additions you’ve made?
Sumalee: Blending Thai elements with international ingredients in dishes such as Pla-hi-ma Sam Rod or deep-fried snow fish, spicy sweet and sour sauce. I choose snow fish as it has soft and tender texture, and sweet flavor, which goes well with sweet and sour sauce. The fish meat has an ability to absorb flavors from ingredients very well. We’ve also been highly surprised that one of our Naturally Peninsula dishes, steamed sea bass with lemongrass and grilled asparagus, has been very popular among guests, as the preparation is very simple.
Who are your mentors?
Sumalee: Our guests. They always give us their comments
What are the biggest issues facing chefs in hotel restaurants?
Sumalee: The biggest issue is to retain the quality of ingredients and the natural taste of food at all time. Seeking highly skilled staff to join the team is also challenging.
What other restaurants do you like?
Sumalee: Spice Market at Four Seasons Bangkok. It has excellent cuisine and atmosphere.
What do hotel restaurants miss in terms of maximizing profits?
Sumalee: Different restaurants have different styles. Some might miss cooking techniques; some fail to pay attention to small details; some lack atmosphere.
How did you get exposure for the restaurant?
Sumalee: We invited a number of high-caliber media to review our food. Beyond that, our cooking class is an effective tool to deliver the concept of flavors in Thai cuisine to both guests and media.
What are the trends for wine?
Sumalee: People drink wine with Thai food more than ever. At Thiptara, we have done well, especially with white wine, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc, which goes well with spicy food.
Do you like the idea of signature dishes or should the chef be free to respond to the market?
Sumalee: It is a great idea to have signature dishes but it is also important that chefs should be free to express themselves and put their ideas in.
What is the key ingredient in greatness?
Sumalee: The Peninsula Bangkok focuses on training. That is what results in a great hotel restaurant. Besides the great training, what makes Thiptara truly great is teamwork. We concentrate on making our process runs mechanically smoothly from the beginning to the end.
Robin Read, head chef, Refuel, Soho Hotel, London
What are the major influences for your cooking?
Read: “Two words: Simple and seasonal. The freshness of the ingredients, the great British chefs, Marco Pierre White, Nico Ladenis and the Roux brothers.
How has your cooking evolved over the last 12 to 18 months?
Read: It’s been defined more—better sourcing of ingredients, more knowledge about the products and how they are kept and reared. Not trying to hard to be overly fussy and letting the produce speak for itself.
What are the biggest changes either in method or in the introduction/combination of ingredients?
Read: Sourcing locally, or as close to home as possible. We still use very classic method in cooking the food but try to bring that up to date with little tweaks here and there.
What are the next culinary trends and how will they add interest to your food and your menus?
Read: I think the cooking will get simpler but the explanation will be about the ingredients. The knowledge of the general public is growing day buy day. You can see at different periods that the healthfulness of the food does have an affect on what items sell the best.
How much of your menu reflects what guests want and how much what you want to serve?
Read: The menu totally reflects what the guests what. If any dish doesn’t sell, we’ll try to replace it with a best seller.
What differentiates the restaurant from its competitors?
Read: Flexibility.
What are your secrets for maintaining excellence every meal, every day?
Read: Getting excited about the little things that really do make all the difference, and checking and checking and checking.
Will the star chef's lustre wear off, as some suggest—why or why not?
Read: I think it might die down a little, but people will always be interested in people. You have to be quite a big character to run a busy kitchen and people like to watch and know more about that.
What are your favorite hotel restaurants and why?
Read: The Capital Hotel in London. Eric Chavot is just a great chef with a wonderful vision of what he will cook.
What do other fine dining hotel restaurants miss in terms of positioning themselves as real profit centers?
Read: Trying to dictate what the customer will eat. And not listening to what people are really looking for.
What’s next on the menu?
Read: Simplicity is the way forward. More and more people are eating fewer courses. There’s not enough time to relax and enjoy a meal. It’s all too rushed, and I think this will only get worse.
What's passe?
Read: Sprigs of mint.
Do you like the idea of signature dishes?
Read: Not really. I think it’s good to change and adapt to trends and the differences in the markets
What makes a hotel restaurant truly great?
Read: Not just hotel restaurants but any restaurant, the team. Also, attitude, atmosphere, energy and excitement.
Beau MacMillan, executive chef, Elements, Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, Paradise Valley, Arizona
What do you want to cook?
MacMillan: Elements offers farm-fresh American cuisine with Asian accents. Fresh food has always been my passion, and my culinary philosophy has been to respect the natural flavors of the ingredients. By not overworking them, you let them stand out and allow the quality to speak for itself.
How is your cooking style evolving?
MacMillan: My cooking style over the last 12 to 18 months has evolved with simplicity and seasonality. I concentrate on traditional cooking methods and focus on not over-working the ingredients. We strive for a well balanced menu with recognizable flavor profiles, clean ingredients and pleasurable textures. As far as culinary trends, we are currently working to incorporate spa and wellness menus in the resort.
Are organics a priority for this simpler approach?
MacMillan: Organic foods definitely have a place in our menus, and we are very conscious to keep dishes seasonal to complement the freshest ingredients. While Sanctuary does not have its own garden, we have a great relationship with a local network of artisans and organic farmers.
How do you balance what the chef wants and what the customer wants?
MacMillan: The menu is a balance of pleasing the guest and introducing the diner to new flavors and combinations that he/she might not have considered otherwise.
What’s your view on signature dishes?
MacMillan: While our menu does change monthly, there are a few consistent favorites including tartare of tuna with herb salad, pine nuts and crisp cucumbers; beef carpaccio with lotus root and pickled green papaya salad; and main lobster and crispy veal sweetbreads with organic spinach and creamy spicy sauce. My culinary team is extremely creative and inspired. I can’t label one dish that is the most innovative, as we constantly develop new recipes to add to Elements’ menu.
What differentiates the restaurant from its competitors?
MacMillan: The elegant, yet simple cuisine at Sanctuary mirrors the ambiance of the property as a whole, offering diners a truly one-of-a-kind experience. The food presentation is as compelling as the ruggedly beautiful landscape that surrounds diners and I think this combination of food and setting separates elements from its competitors.
Who was your mentor?
MacMillan: Chef Charles Wiley had a tremendous influence on me. We worked together at Elements when the restaurant first opened in 2001. He brought it all to the kitchen—intensity, artistry, respect for flavors. He was a great motivator and that’s something I try to bring to my team at elements as well.
What are the biggest issues facing chefs in hotel restaurants?
MacMillan: There is a constant demand to produce the next big thing. Hotel restaurant chefs are challenged to be innovative, and yet, not lose the heart—the essence—of their establishment.
What was your most effective marketing tool?
MacMillan: Since its opening, Sanctuary has been very well-received, both by the press and by our guests. Many prestigious awards, including Top U.S. Resort as recently named by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler, have put Sanctuary on the map, and certainly Elements has contributed to and benefited from this.
A variety of experiences have also allowed us to introduce Sanctuary and Elements to the national audience. In March 2006 I competed on The Food Network’s Iron Chef America show, beating Bobby Flay in “Battle American Kobe Beef.” In addition, I joined Al Roker on The Today Show in December of 2006 to demonstrate one of my favorite holiday recipes and an Elements favorite—braised short ribs. Also, in 2007, my team had the honor of preparing a dinner at the acclaimed James Beard House, as well as cooking at Bon Appetit in New York City.
What will happen with the number of courses, the number of ingredients and length of time at table?
MacMillan: I believe in customizing a tasting not only to the guests’ taste but to their mood or appetite. Some people like to take their time and sit for 4 hours and enjoy their meal and others do the same in an hour and a half.
What makes a hotel restaurant truly great?
MacMillan: I think chefs are most successful when they are constantly innovating and trying new ideas. I think it is important to draw from all aspects of life and include as many people for inspiration as possible. I wouldn’t change anything about Elements, as we are consistently changing and updating our menus to include a wide variety of dishes and cooking styles.
MacMillan: As executive chef at Elements, I strive to change the perception that hotel restaurants are not as good as free standing establishments. That thought process is as passé as “foaming” sauces.
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