 Food & Beverage departments at event venues are not typically known for fresh, local food, award winning chefs or gourmet cuisine. But in Seattle, Washington, a new Food & Beverage era has dawned and audiences may soon be attracted to one facility as much for its edibles as they have been for its events. Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center has signed a comprehensive food service contract with SAVOR..., which among other features includes two luminaries from the Seattle gourmet dining scene.
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center, which opened in June 2003, has become one of the premier performance theaters in the Northwest. McCaw Hall includes a state-of-the-art 2,900-seat auditorium, a 400-seat  Lecture Hall, a café, a luminous five-story serpentine glass Grand Lobby, and a 17,800-square-foot public plaza (the Kreielsheimer Promenade) that serves as an entry into McCaw Hall and the Seattle Center Campus. McCaw Hall is the home to Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, community festivals as well as performers from around the world, plus conventions, receptions, meetings and other events. The SAVOR contract features a new catering, concert and café menu has been designed by Chef Consultant Holly Smith and prepared by newly named Executive Chef Kelly Gaddis.
 "Our philosophy of identifying the regional foods unique to the area combined with our creative partnership with Holly Smith promises to give patrons of the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Seattle Opera exciting and new taste opportunities at McCaw Hall," said Wes Westley, president/CEO of SMG, the Philadelphia-based venue management company and parent company of SAVOR, its food and beverage division.
In her consultant role, Smith emphasizes that the local trends she has championed  throughout a career that has included several successful restaurants and awards, will continue at the Seattle Center. "I joined the McCaw team because of a genuine connection with SAVOR's mission," declared Smith. "I have always been a strong proponent of using really local produce and products, and I plan to walk the talk in this new venture."
Smith honed her culinary sensibilities through many years of hard work at Dahlia Lounge and Brasa, two famous Seattle restaurants. In 2000, Smith opened Café Juanita in Kirkland, Washington, which gained a reputation fort its Italian cuisine made with locally produced, organic ingredients. Among the accolades this Northwest Mecca for foodies has received has been making Gourmet magazine's list of Top 50 restaurants in the United States in 2006. Smith was honored with the 2008 James Beard Foundation Award  for Best Chef Northwest.
Menus designed by Smith for reflect Pacific Northwest sensibilities and relies on many .jpg) locally produced ingredients such as Tagliata of Oregon Wagyu, locally grown organic mixed greens, roasted Holmquist Orchard Ennis hazelnuts and Estrella Family Creamery cheeses. She is quick to quell any worry that her gourmet ideals will be compromised by working in an event venue setting. "The menus I design will be filled with the freshest, best quality regional ingredients," insisted Smith. "It's very much about regionality and building connections with the community all based on going local."
 Smith will not be alone in her dedication to regional food. Her ideals of gourmet dishes made with local, fresh items is shared by the new Executive Chef at the Seattle venue. "Kelly Gaddis’ trademark is his creative use of the Northwest’s wonderful bounty of food products, which closely matches SAVOR’s mission at McCaw Hall to offer menus that spotlight local vendors and the freshest available meats, cheeses, seafood, produce and unique artesian wares," said Westley.
Over the past 15 years, Gaddis’ culinary projects in the Puget Sound area have won him loyal fans along with recognition from food critics and the media alike. In 2005, Gaddis designed and operated the highly popular Porcella Urban Market and Bistro. Previously, he was Executive Chef in the highly acclaimed Bada Lounge, an eating establishment known for an international menu and stunning futuristic décor. A native of Washington State, Gaddis devotion to local produce grew from his family’s involvement in farming. "Supporting local farms continues to be a philosophy which inspires all my menu designs" said Gaddis.
As part of the SAVOR F&B team at McCaw Hall, Gaddis will be involved in creating and executing menus for all retail, restaurant and special event foodservice operations. "The McCaw concert-goer has a sophisticated palate and we intend to provide the highest quality and freshest ingredients possible into all our menus" said Gaddis.
Locally grown and produced beef, lamb, salmon, crab, seafood, cherries, plums, apples, onions and wild mushrooms  are among the essential ingredients for the wide range of dishes he is known for. "Our food offerings will certainly reflect the spectrum of Mediterranean flavors from Spain, France and Italy, with catering projects enabling us to showcase additional ethnic areas such as Asia, Latin America and Georgia," explained Gaddis.
SAVOR’s contract covers all aspects of food and beverage operations at McCaw Hall  and includes a totally redesigned Café menu as well as exciting new foodservice innovations in the Lobby, which are offered both before the performance curtain rises and throughout intermission. he new SAVOR program includes the option of coffee and espresso carts serving Seattle’s most famous beverage—Starbucks, mobile carts featuring artisan cheese selections, as well SAVOR’s ‘small bites’ concept of tapas-style small appetizer plates. A partnership with Napa Technology also provides the capability of offering patrons wines by the taste, half glass or whole glass as well so that they can enjoy a variety of tastes from vintners from the Pacific Northwest to complement their ‘small bites’ choices. Also among the Café’s new features are private dining suites and a large community table encouraging patrons to make new connections while discussing the show and enjoying the new regional fare.
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