 The dining available at Conference Centers and Meeting Hotels has more than just undergone an upgrade in the recent years. It now competes with the most of the best restaurants in a destination. The two stories in this Food & Beverage Spotlight exemplify what is being served to meeting attendees. A report on the North American finalist round of an international Conference Center cooking competition (the meeting venue version of ‘Iron Chef’) highlights the kitchen talent now cooking at small to mid-size meeting venues. The other story features Milwaukee where there’s a “Trifecta of Chefs” in three of the city’s best Meeting Hotels and their onsite restaurants that is sure to raise the gourmet bar for Midwest meetings, conventions and trade shows.
North American Conference Center Chefs Finish Final Round for IACC Copper Skillet
 The tables are cleared, the kitchen is closed and the verdict is in Mark Moran, Chef at the Conference Center at Northpointe, a Sodexo Conferencing poperty in Lewis Center, Ohio and Jeffrey Merrin, Sous-Chef at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada will represent North America Conference Centers in the annual Conference Center Culinary competition sponsored by the International Association of Conference Centers. The event—the Copper Skillet—will take place at the 28th annual IAAC conference, which will be held at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia in March.
The U.S.A cook-off competitions took place at the Culinary Conference Center at Hudson Community College in Jersey City, New Jersey and the Canadian national  competition took place at BMO Financial Group Institute for Learning in Toronto. Reports indicate both chef where searing competitiors—oh wait—searing was their chicken thighs not the chefs! Moran won his top hornors for his pan-seared Chicken thigh medallions, battered zucchini and bell pepper and cannelloni beans, and jumbo lump crabmeat & fennel salad and Merrin won his spot with his seared chicken thigh with cannelloni beans and tomatoes, seared king oyster mushrooms with sautéed yam, fennel, leek, zucchini, red pepper, and yellow pepper with tomato petals.
 Anytime a chicken thigh gets near a cannelloni bean you know you’re in for gourmet delight, but don’t count out the competition from other hemispheres just yet. The IACC authorities in charge of the cook have decided to take the Copper Skillet up a notch! Each competing chef will receive a “mystery basket” of ingredients at the start of the competition and will have 15 minutes to review the ingredients and strategize followed by 30 minutes to create their own unique dish. The 2009 Copper Skillet cook-off will include IACC chefs from The Netherlands, Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia.
Finalists in the North American competition were—(U.S.) Craig Robinson, Executive Chef, Boeing Leadership Center, Florissant, Missouri and Daniel Noble, Executive Chef, University Place Conference Center & Hotel, Indianapolis, Indiana; and—(Canada) Wandee Jefferson, Sous Chef, Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre, London, Ontario, Murray Hall, Executive Chef, BMO Financial Group Institute for Learning, Toronto, Ontario, Michael Price, Executive Chef, White Oaks Resort, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario and Alan Boden, Chef, Donald Gordon Executive Conference Centre, Kingston, Ontario.
Trifecta of Chefs Serve Up Culinary Excellence in Milwaukee Meeting Hotels
 Milwaukee meetings just got tastier. Marcus Hotels & Resort, a Milwaukee-based company that owns or manages a portfolio of 20 hotels, resorts and other properties in 10 states. In its hometown though, the firm has introduced the "Trifecta of Chefs," a trio of culinary masterminds serving as executive chefs in some of that city’s leading meeting hotels—the Pfister Hotel, Hilton Milwaukee City Center, and the InterContinental Milwaukee.
“Whether it’s creating a one-of-a-kind culinary concept or a distinct menu for a 1,000-.jpg) person gala, our chefs have brought life to the food on every plate served throughout the hotels,” said Larry Flam, Corporate Director of Restaurants, Marcus Hotels & Resorts. “Not only have our three Milwaukee chefs mastered their craft while heading up award-winning kitchens across the country, but they truly understand the standard of excellence we hold at Marcus Hotels & Resorts.”
 The Pfister Hotel, renowned for such as amenities as the 23rd-floor indoor swimming facility, where guests enjoy incredible lake views and emerge for a relaxing massage as well as 15 meeting rooms with more than 24,000 square feet of distinctive meeting/event space, including two versatile ballrooms, has appointed Mark Weber as Executive Chef. Webber has led the culinary team at the Mason Street Grill, the Pfister’s 23rd floor classic American Grill, famous for its wood-grilled steaks and seafood and nightly live piano music. Webber will direct catering at The Pfister and be responsible for the hotel’s other restaurants and lounges, including Café at the Pfister, Blu and Rouge.
Weber, who began to make his appetizing mark in Milwaukee with his own restaurant, Watermark Seafood, moved on to corporate chef for the Bartolotta Group Restaurants, and he also worked as managing partner of the city’s nationally recognized French restaurant, Lake Park Bistro. “Executive Chef Mark Weber has been critically acclaimed for years in the Milwaukee restaurant scene,” said Joe Kurth, General Manager, Pfister Hotel. “His expertise and insight of the culinary world has enabled him to create some of the most exceptional meals found in the city. Given his former experience along with his endeavors to open his own restaurant, Watermark Seafood, I know he will bring much to the table.”
 Webber replaces Brian Frakes, who has moved across town to become Executive Chef of the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, home of the Milwaukee Chophouse and Miller Time Pub. The 730-room Hilton Milwaukee City features more than 34,000 square feet of meeting and event space including five ballrooms and 18 well-appointed meeting rooms of various sizes and is adjacent to the Midwest Airlines Convention Center.
Frakes’ culinary gigs include the Bel Age Hotel, the Boca Raton Resort & Club and Deer Creek Country Club. In 2006, having returned to his hometown, Frakes played an instrumental role in the launch of Mason Street Grill. 
Rounding out the Milwaukee Marcus trio is Robert Ash, the new Executive Chef at the Intercontinental Milwaukee, a stylish venue with seven meeting rooms and approximately 12,000 square feet of state of the art meeting space. Since 2006, Ash has been overseeing daily food operations of this220-guest-room property, including restaurants  and lounges Kil@wat, CLEAR and Zenden. His 14 years of experience include executive kitchen gigs with Wynn Resort, Regent International Hotel, Rio Suites Hotel and Sushi Samba. Although only in his new position a short time at the InterContinental Milwaukee, Ash has created a new menu for Kil@wat that reflects the complexity of tastes and depths of the palate
Chefs Weber, Frakes and Ash make up the “Trifecta of Chefs” for Milwaukee meeting hotels in the Marcus Hotels & Resorts portfolio. “Together, these chefs are the Trifecta of industry leaders and the brilliant culinary minds behind the preferred upscale hotel brand in Milwaukee,” said Flam.
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