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A dynamic new restaurant opens at a Miami hotel redefining South Florida meeting cuisine. Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center, considered the first meeting hotel to coin the phrase conference center in order to distinguish its meetings mission has hired an Executive Chef with a reputation made in some of New York City’s finest restaurants. The VOICE, the onsite restaurant of the Destinations Hotel & Resorts managed Hotel Icon in Houston, Texas continues to infuse its fare with international expertise by hiring a Food & Beverage Manager with world-wide experience. And, The Palace at Somerset Park, a meeting and event venue in Somerset, New Jersey with more than 42,000 square feet of meeting/function space has added a dynamic new restaurant with a literary pedigree.

 Cane Fire Breaks Out At Miami Airport Marriott Campus

 Miami Airport Marriott Campus, conveniently located near the Miami Beach Convention Center and the American Airlines Arena, is home to the 366-room Miami Airport Marriott and an expanded Courtyard by Marriott (300 rooms) and includes 15 meeting rooms and 11,961 square feet of total meeting space. In December, the hotel also took the lead in the South Florida’s culinary scene with the opening of Cane Fire Grille. A contemporary and casual eatery and lounge, Cane Fire Grille features interior design elements of natural wood flooring and striking metallic accents with an innovative menu devised by famed Chef Natoli that fuses several international gourmet traditions. Dishes include: Mojito-marinated shrimp with spiced black beans and coconut rice; sea salt crusted NY strip chimichurri with citrus and black pepper yuca planks; cane fire ahi tuna sugar cane speared with Bacardi Coco rum & pepper glaze, served with spiced boniato mash and seasonal vegetable; and Malta braised short ribs osso bucco. The lunch menu features a delectable assortment of fresh salads, soups, sandwiches and hearty delights such as Serrano wrapped Gulf grouper or heirloom Calypso black bean soup with Chorizo.

New Exec Chef at Glen Cove Conference Center

The Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center in Glen Cove, New York on 55 secluded and landscaped acres on Long Island's historic Gold Coast, 30 minutes from New York City, features a spacious Georgian-style mansion with 196 richly appointed guestrooms, including four suites, the Garden Room Restaurant, the Manor House Pub, private dining rooms ideal for social and corporate occasions, as well as vast outdoor reception areas overlooking the mansion's Gilded Age gardens. The property offers 25,000 square feet of event and meeting space, with 27 dedicated conference rooms accommodating from 10 to 280 guests, advanced meeting technology, an executive business center and conference concierge services. Christopher Meyers, a veteran of New York area dining, has been named Executive Chef for the property. "I am so pleased to welcome Christopher to Glen Cove Mansion," said Ata Kashanian, General Manager. "An award-winning chef, he brings significant culinary talent to our property and extensive experience within the New York market." A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a French Culinary Institute-trained chef, Meyers has worked at the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel, located in Times Square in Manhattan, The Roosevelt Hotel, the Marriott Marquis, Henry’s Restaurant, Iridium Restaurant, and Trio Café. His first position within the hotel industry was for the signature Plaza Hotel, with culinary responsibilities in the property’s renowned Edwardian Room.

Poirier Finds His VOICE

Ludovic Poirier has been appointed General Manager of VOICE restaurant and lounge at Hotel ICON, a Destination Hotels & Resorts managed property with 5,000 square feet of flexible meeting space located in the heart of downtown Houston’s historic district. Since opening in April 2008, VOICE has earned popular and critical acclaim for its regionally inspired Modern American cuisine served in one of the city’s most spectacular dining rooms. Prior to joining VOICE, Poirier was general manager of 17 Restaurant at the Alden Hotel, also in Houston.

Poirier brings many years of international experience to his role. Following his graduation from catering school in Laval, France, he trained in Paris at the prestigious Residence Maxim’s and later at the famed Hotel Ritz’s L’Espadon, named "Best Hotel Restaurant in Paris." He also served as butler to the Minister of Defense, rendering service in his residence, including private dinners and receptions. In 1991, Poirier relocated to the United States to accept a position as hotel/restaurant captain at the Wheatleigh, in Lenox, Massachusetts. Poirier moved to Melbourne, Australia to provide fine dining service for The Regent Hotel, subsequently recognized as "Best Accommodation Hotel Restaurant" by the Australian Hotels Association. Poirier returned to the United States and settled in Houston in 1996, and his other gigs  include overseeing the transformation of the Deville restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel into Quattro. Poirier is also known for his role as director of operations for Bistro Moderne, the highly regarded French restaurant at Hotel Derek.

Literary Eatery at The Palace

"I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited - they went there." Or so said Nick Carroway, the narrator of one of the most famous works of 20th century American Literature, The Great Gatsby. Now, those meeting planners and others who want to repeat the past do not have to wait for an invitation.

The Palace at Somerset Park, in Somerset, New Jersey has opened Gatsby’s, a sophisticated new dining room that blends the traditional elegance of the stately property with a flare for contemporary design. "We are thrilled to introduce Gatsby’s, The Palace’s sophisticated new dining room," said Marc Hamel, president and general manager. "Our designer, Evelyn Shallo, has done a superb job utilizing previously untapped space here at The Palace, creating a distinctively new and highly stylized dining room for our guests’ pleasure. She has also designed a space that works beautifully as an exceptional venue for special events."

Guests enter the dining room via a corridor designed to provide a transition from the opulence of The Palace to the almost club-like, jazz-era ambiance of Gatsby’s. The dining room is composed of four separate but integrated areas. Upon entering Gatsby’s, guests find themselves in the "Bar" section, which is anchored by a stunning bar back studded with Italian glass mosaic tiles, which surround a featured beverage display and large flat screen television. Guests can also choose to move through the space and enter the main seating area of Gatsby’s, a 125-seat dining room featuring flexible space for special events and food & beverage displays, in addition to the large dining room Off the main dining area are two private dining rooms that are separated from the public space by "rain glass," which allows the light to pass through with out distracting details. The fourth area—entered through French doors, is a vast outdoor terrace overlooking The Palace’s lower-level patios, gardens, and the wooded Somerset countryside beyond. In season, Gatsby’s terrace is ideal for alfresco dining or social receptions.

Although reminiscent of the opulent era depicted in the beloved novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contemporary meeting demands are taken into account the dining room is a state-of the-art hot spot enabling wireless Internet communication throughout and five flat screen televisions are available to highlight a meeting agenda, use for presentations or to broadcast a breaking news report. The Palace at Somerset Park is a premier venue for important social occasions and corporate events. Located in suburban Somerset County, New Jersey, just off I-287 and near the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, The Palace is within easy access to New Jersey’s corporate and academic corridors, as well as Newark Liberty International Airport. The venue offers a comprehensive range of IT services, including building-wide cable and complimentary wireless internet access, teleconferencing, webcasting as well as LCD projectors, microphones and other essential audio/visual resources as well as 42,000 square feet of meeting/function space