CAE wanted their exhibit to be more technology forward.  We set up a Technology Station that included 2 large monitors that were flush with the wall and obviously wireless keyboard and mouse. Also we purchased 3 iPads that were attached to bistro tables.  I worked with their web division and we designed a microsite that gave people all the information that they needed for the show.  What surprised me is that people really used the iPads. Much more than our competitors because we had them attached to the tables. Our competition had them on stands using their iPads as product descriptions and this way of displaying it wasn’t user friendly as being on a bistro table where you are sitting down and leisurely going through the information. What I learned is ours is definitely the better way to go. I designed their meeting space using glass tables instead of wood grain tables. They actually didn’t get as messy as I thought they would. And I did the meeting rooms in black instead of wood grain. Although the black shows everything it was more technology forward and we were still able to keep it warm through use of lighting.

For their customer dinner I booked a 5 star hotel’s private dining space.

Amuse – since the company is from Canada

Salmon on Bellini & Smoked Duck Breat with Maple Glaze and Mashed Potato in a Shot Glass

Appetizer – Lobster Spaghetti with Lobster Medallions on a Bed of Lobster Hash Sauteed in a Lemon Grass Sauce

Sorbet – Cherry Sorbet

Entree – Filet Mignon with Micro Garden Veggies

Dessert – Sticky Toffee Pudding on a bed Of Roasted Pineapple Mint Salad

Chocolate and Candies Served with Coffee

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Loading …Print By Claire R. Gould
Published: March 2, 2012

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Claire R. Gould is the owner of Possibilities Unlimited and Rx for Catering LLC, a full-service culinary and logistics company that works all over the world negotiating and designing menus for meetings and events. Her company has done work for Coca-Cola, IBM, Honeywell and Embraer Executive Jets, among others. Gould teaches and writes about culinary and banquet trends and topics, and publishes a quarterly online newsletter “The Claire Diaries.” Follow her on Twitter @Rx_for_Catering.
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I did some work for a client last month who had a nice-size food & beverage minimum to play with. Or rather I had a rather large-size F&B minimum to play with. We fed and watered the people all day long. All the guests of this high-income group enjoyed themselves very much. No one wanted for anything.

With all of this being said and done, however, at the end of the day WE WERE STILL a couple of thousand dollars short of the minimum. Sally (that’s what we’ll call this client) called me to discuss. She received the invoice and, of course, had to pay the shortfall difference. That wasn’t the issue. The issue is that she was charged tax and service charges on monies that she technically didn’t use. Right or wrong?

You have a couple of options.

This group meets every year at this facility, and the F&B minimum is a nice chunk of change for the day. One option is to pay the extra money and roll it into next year’s contract. If you are a loyal customer, most facilities are willing to do this. Second — and I have done this with many clients — is to make up the difference in alcohol. Even though this is technically in violation of the liquor license, many facilities will do it, and the client will use the bottles of wine to give out to customers throughout the year.

What would you say to Sally in this scenario? She had a lot of coffee breaks on consumption for 800 people throughout the day. She had about 200 no-shows, which must be allowed for in your original figures. We budgeted for the no-shows and that budgeted money is what led to the shortfall.

Back to the original question about tax and service charges on monies not spent. Right or wrong? I don’t have a legal answer on that, and I am investigating. But the correct answer, in my opinion, is that the tax must be paid because the facility is receiving income from you. But nothing was served, so the service charge should be moot.

If any of you find yourselves in this situation make sure you note on the contract that you will pay taxes on attrition but not pay service charges.

That is my story for now, and I am sticking to it.

Join the discussion

Personally, you have a couple of options.  FACT: This group meets every year at this facility and the F & B miimium is a nice chunk of change for this facility for the day.  One direction is to take the extra money pay it and roll it into next years contract is one scenario. If you are a loyal customers most facilities are willing to do that.  Second and I have done this with many clients – is make the difference up in alcohol. Even though TECHNICALLY this is against the liquor liscense they will do it and the client will use the bottles of wine to give out to clients throughout the year.

What do you say to your client in this scenario.  This particular client had a lot of coffee breaks on consumption for 800 people throughout the day. They had approxiamtely 200 people no show so you need to allow for that in the original figures.  We budgeted for the no shows and that budgeted money is what lead to the shortfall.

Back to the original question about tax and service charges on monies not spent.  RIGHT OR WRONG? I don’t have a legal answer on that and am investigating. What I think is the correct answer is tax needs to be paid because facility is receiving income from you so that needs to be taxed. But nothing was served so the service charge should be mute.  If any of you find yourselves in this situation make sure you note on the contract that you will pay taxes on attrition not pay service charge. 

That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

That’s my story for now and I am going to be sticking to it.

Claire

We have been having full colony’s of bees die because they get each other sick.They are also doing artificial insemination of bees as well. So what does this all have to do with Rober at the Four Seasons. Well he has been stung – with the love of bees and the beauty of honey. He keeps bee hives on the terrace of the hotel and shares it with his guests and uses it for his cooking.

That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.

Here is the menu that we did for the group along with some pictures.

Pura Vida Tapas Bar Welcomes:

Northwest Georgia Oncology

Menu

Amuse ~ Tuna Poke, Porque No?

Soy Cassarep Marinated Yellow Fin Tuna Loin, Coffee Nibs, Pickled Garlic & Ginger, Scallions, Red Habanero, Sour Orange “Caviar”  & Tapioca Flakes

Definitions:

Cassarep:  cassava (yuca) syrup seasoned with thyme, pepper, clove & spices

Cassava:  a starchy root vegetable, also known as yuca; it is high in calcium and vitamin C

Coffee Nibs:  ground decaf coffee, cocoa, agave nectar made into crumbs to resemble soil

Tapioca:  the root of the cassava (or yuca) plant, which is found in tropical areas and is very starchy.  It contains calcium and iron

First Course ~ Salad Course

Hearts of Palm & Guava Salad with Red Oak, Shaved Cotija Cheese, Guava-Sherry Vinaigrette

Definitions:
Cotija Cheese ~ is a Mexican aged cheese made from cow’s milk; it is aged, dry in texture and has a robust flavor

Guava ~ a tropical fruit that is made into pinkish orange jams and jellies. Guava is a good source of Vitamin A & C.

Sherry Solera ~ this vinaigrette is made from 50 year old Spanish Sherry Vinegar. Solera is a method of aging; sherry and other fortified wines are blended and matured to achieve consistency.

Second Course ~

Steamed Coconut Buns with Tamarind Chicken

(Or Steamed Coconut Buns with Smoked Tofu with Tamarind for Vegetarians)

Definitions:

Coconut Buns:  A bun made with coconut oil, which gives it a scent of coconut, and cooked by steaming the dough, so they are light and fluffy.

Tamarind:  A tropical fruit from the pod of the tamarind tree, which has a juicy, fleshy pulp that is sweet and sour, high in acid, sugar, B vitamins and calcium

Third Course ~ Beef Course

Chipotle BBQ Beef Rib 

Mayan Adobo Rubbed Beef Short Rib, Slow Cooked, Served with Carrot Slaw & Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Definitions:

Adobo:  a dry spice mix

Mayan Adobo:  one of Chef Santiago’s Adobo spice mixes; The Mayan adodo contains ground chipotle and ancho peppers, clove, allspice & Mexican oregano

Fourth Course ~ Vegetable Course

Green & White Asparagus Salad
with Recao, Mint, Hibiscus and Cashews.
Vanilla Bean-Habanero Coconut Vinaigrette

Definitions:
Habanero:  Caribbean floral and very hot pepper.

Recao:  sometimes called culantro, this herb has the flavor of cilantro, but is much more intense, and better for cooking than cilantro, which doesn’t retain it’s flavor when heated

Hibiscus:  A tropical flower from the Caribbean, often used to make tea

Fifth Course ~ Dessert

Churros with Mora Dipping Sauce

&

Chocolate Chile Flan with Kahlua Caramel

Definitions:

Churros:  A Spanish style fried dough, usually served with a dipping sauce

Flan:  a custard dessert very popular in Spain and Latin America made from milk & egg, with a caramel sauce on the bottom.

Mora:  a reddish relative of the blackberry found in high altitude areas in Central and South America, including the Andes mountains. 

Executive Chef: Hector Santiago

Mixologist: Paul Calvert

With a little bit of help from: Claire R. Gould & Leslie Santiago

Well, I am up in PA and really enjoying being up here. The weather is beautiful and seeing some of my friends is so nice. We are in the midst of breaking out the property lines. This will bring down the price of my father’s house enough if we split out the lots. He told me to think about doing this prior to his passing if I had a hard time with the lots.  The time has come to do just that.

Pam is down sleeping the night on Lenny’s boat so I have the place to myself. I had a big dentist appointment today so I slept most of the day.

Also I am back to getting the web site done.  I have all month of July to think it through and get content to the guy who is developing it for me.  This is harder than what it looks that is for sure. But I really want to use this weekend to make some serious headway on it so when August comes we can go ahead and get it going, I also need to think about getting some business on the books.

I went on Tuesday with Pam – we spent the day in Shadyside eating and walking around. Then we went to the strip district.  Went into a great little seafood restaurant. Lucky for us it was Taco Tuesday. They had fish tacos with  a mixture of fresh fish in the taco for 2 @$4.99  They were quite good. Then we went to the famous place that has homemade biscotti in every flavor. I got the bag of broken pieces for $5.00 which turned out to be a good deal.

I am going to bed. Tired – This is my story for now

 It is very rare that I write my column based on meeting someone, but I came across such a “find” while working the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. I was so blown away by Ashley Hall and her extensive wine knowledge that it would be wrong of me not to share both with you, my dear readers.

Ashley is the wine concierge at H&F Bottle Shop in Atlanta and was responsible for managing the alcohol education program at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, which offered 30 educational wine/spirit tastings. Previously, she worked for wine distributors and as a regional sales director for Kermit Lynch, a famous wine importer out of California.

Ashley is very passionate about the trade and educating her customers on wine choices that are in the best interest of the “drinker.” Even after 25 years in the business, my wine knowledge isn’t great, and I know that many planners have difficulty cutting through some of the snootiness surrounding menu wine choices, so I sought Ashley’s help in demystifying this portion of F&B.

Old World vs. New World wines

Basically, Old World means wines of Europe and New World means everywhere else. Personally, I am a New World girl but, luckily, Ashley covers all continents. Ashley quickly pointed out to me that all wine is technically white. In laymen’s terms, red wine is the result of how long the skin of a red grape is pressed in the juice. Think about putting a tea bag into hot water. The strength of the tea depends how long the bag is in the water. It is this same concept for red wine. Ashley’s pet peeve about wine today is that people think a sophisticated red wine has to be big and bold. Not true, she insists, a lighter wine can be just as sophisticated and complex.

Wine for the times

Ashley also recommends planners think about the weather when selecting wines. When it’s hot outside, it’s best to go with lighter wines, whether red, white or rosé. In the summertime we aren’t going to eat heavy foods, she explains, we tend to go with lighter foods. The same goes with wine.

Red, rosé, white and bubbly

So let’s talk about the different types of wine. It is common knowledge that Pinot Noir is a classic lighter-bodied red wine. But it’s not commonly known how difficult the Pinot grape is to farm. Many times it isn’t grown properly, Ashley says, so inexpensive Pinot Noir may not be the best choice for a summertime red. The most cost-effective way to serve a Pinot-style wine for a group is to choose a wine made with a Gamay grape, which is most commonly found in Beaujolais wine. What Ashley likes about the Gamay grape is that it is close in characteristic and flavor to Pinot, but it creates a more consistent quality wine because it is easier to farm. Both of these light red wines are great summer choices for food because they don’t overpower. Heavier red wines like Cabernet and Merlot are a better match with fall and winter menus.

Rosé is Ashley’s current pet project, so she was excited to talk about it. No longer looked at as “cheap or inexpensive,” rosé has picked up a lot of momentum in the last two years, especially among savvy white wine drinkers. What I didn’t know is that rosé’s have been part of an elegant tradition in Mediterranean countries and along the south of France, especially Provence, where a lot of rosé is produced. What people like about rosé is that you get the nuances of a red wine with a much lighter feel.

Ashley says that the widest variety of good, inexpensive wines on the market today are white. The most popular choices for banqueting are Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. All three of these wines have very different flavor profiles:

• Pinot Grigio is where most wine drinkers start from as it has mineral qualities to it and is very neutral in flavor.
• Chardonnay is the most common wine in the United States and tends to taste “buttery.”
• Sauvignon Blanc has a lot of the citrus tones to it like grapefruit, lemon and lime, etc.

If you are looking for a good across-the-board wine for an event, Ashley recommends going with a Sauvignon Blanc. It is a good wine regardless of the price point, and its citrus tones complement a wide range of food.

For summer celebrations, Ashley recommends Prosecco. The charming sparkling white wine has a hint of sweetness that doesn’t weigh drinkers down during the dog days of summer. It’s a good banqueting choice because of its price point and because it’s not as intense as champagne, so it is easier for many people to drink.

Banqueting basics

When ordering wine for banqueting, I have one last piece of advice. Bear in mind that it is your responsibility to remind banqueting of how big the pour will be. If you don’t pay attention and you are buying by the bottle, they will over-pour to go through more bottles of wine. I recommend you take a minute to go over the size of that pour with your banqueting bartenders prior to your events. In general, you should get 4.5 glasses per bottle.

Folks, all the above tips are equally applicable for events as they are for just enjoying a glass at home or on the town. As we wrap up, I thought I would leave you with some wine choices in each category that Ashley would give four stars:

• Red: Colonias de Las Libras Bonarda, Mendoza – $9.99
• White: Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc, California – $14.99
• Rose: Janasse Rosé Principaute d’Orange – $15.99
• Bubbly: Nino Franco “Rustico” Prosecco NV – $21.99 retail

With this, Ashley and I raise our glass to all of you in a “toast” to the wines of the warmer months.

This is my story for now and I am going to be sticking to it.