 The best socializing, networking, brain storming and idea exchanges that occur during a meeting, convention or trade-show usually take place in an informal setting, where food and drinks are served. The quality of the cuisine and the service and how well the atmosphere of the space enhances the total meeting experience is dependent on a lot of issues, most importantly the personnel but also the space itself. This Food & Beverage Spotlight illuminates some recent chef appointments as well as new spaces opening (or in case, reopening) making 2010 meetings and events a little more delectable.
International Chef with Large-Event Experience Takes ARAMARK Helm in New Orleans 
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has named Pascal Beaute as its Executive Chef. Beaute is an employee of ARMARK, the exclusive food service provider for the venue. In city that is both known for its food and its convention center, Beaute oversees large-scale event catering for as many as 10,000 people at a time as well as the food preparation for the Centers restaurants and concession areas including the 400-seat Atrium restaurant, 200-seat Lagniappe Food Court, 100-seat Jazz City Cafe and the Ma Maison private dining suite.
 Beaute comes to New Orleans from the Tampa Convention Center, and has more than 20 years of culinary experience, especially with large-scale venues and events. Some of his more remarkable gigs include the 2008 Summer Olympics Games in Beijing, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the EuroDisneyland Resort in Paris. Prior to joining ARAMARK, Beaute operated his own fine dining restaurant, Pascals Downtown Bistro, in Titusville, Florida.
“Chef Pascals classic French training and international experience are  reflected in his modern spin on traditional cuisine,” said Jean-Pierre Turgot, general manager of ARAMARK at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. “His innovative culinary style will appeal to local, national, and international visitors who expect nothing less than excellent food from a city best known for its unique cuisine.”
Triangle Grill Opens at Lexington Conference Center Opens
 In March, the Hilton Lexington/Downtown (formerly the Lexington Downtown Hotel & Conference Center) opened the Triangle Grille featuring American regional cuisine created by Executive Chef Joshua Winslow. The signature restaurant of the Hilton Lexington/Downtown sits 166 guests in the main and private dining areas. The eatery earned its geometric moniker is derived from the stunning views of Lexington’s renowned Triangle Park, and its elegant 3,711-square-foot interior of the Triangle Grille, designed by Atlanta firm Design Continuum, Inc., features a vibrant color palate of greens, reds and pinks. Bright floral patterns on fabrics and carpeting can be found throughout the 134-seat main dining and 32-seat private dining areas.
The cuisine emphasizes seasonal food dishes, such as its inaugural spring dinner menu, featuring pan-seared halibut served over Kenny’s Farmhouse white cheddar grits with creamy blue crab succotash; a 20-ounce certified Angus bone-in rib-eye paired with asparagus and smoked tomato béarnaise; and rack of New Zealand lamb with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach and apricot jam. “Our initial seasonal spring menu showcases dishes that are creative and feature fresh locally grown produce,” said Winslow. “Triangle Grille’s farm-to-table menu will change with the seasons and will include fare that is traditional but with regional influences. I’m proud of my newly created menu and am delighted to share it with the people of central Kentucky.”
A Lexington, Winslow began his culinary career in 1992 as a line cook at Lexington’s Merrick Inn. He  went on to work for world-renowned chef Georges Perrier at five-star restaurants Le Bec Fin and Brasserie Perrier in Philadelphia, then he went to New York where he held positions at L'Absinthe Brasserie and Gramercy Tavern.
The Hilton Lexington/Downtown is a 22-story hotel featuring 367 guestrooms centrally located in the heart of Lexington’s financial district and includes more than 16,000 square feet of diverse meeting and event space. The venue also adjacent to the Lexington Center, central Kentucky’s premier sports and entertainment complex that includes Rupp Arena and The Shops at Lexington Center and of course, the 130,000-square-foot Lexington Convention Center.
Richmond Hill City Center Appoints Exec Chef
Kermit W. Griffin has been appointed Executive Chef at the newly opened Richmond Hill City Center, which is part of the The Wilderman Group portfolio and is located in Richmond Hill, Georgia. A member of the Culinary Federation of America, Chef Griffin is responsible for the culinary operations at Richmond Hill City Center, a role that calls for active involvement with clients in the design and preparation of personalized menus for meetings, receptions, private events and social gatherings. The venue features a 100-seat dining room, ideal for conference dining and is professionally staffed by the  on-site culinary team and servers.
Richmond Hill City Center features 22,800 square feet of flexible meeting space and is certified by the International Association of Conference Centers. The facility is an ideal setting for training programs, executing planning and strategic sessions and can accommodate groups up to 250 with a 3,200 square-foot ballroom, flexible break-out rooms and open spaces indoors and outdoors. The venue is situated along 335 acres of preserved wetlands and is LEED-certified.
Griffin, who earned his bachelors degree in Hotel Resort and Tourism Management from the University of South Carolina, brings more than 10 years of culinary experience to the position, having started his career as a Saucier/Sous Chef at Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia. Other chef gigs include Beaufort Inn in Beaufort, South Carolina and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hilton Head. A U.S. Navy Veteran, Griffin also served as Assistant Production Manager for the global food service management corporation, Sodexo at the Marine Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, where he supervised a team of 22 cooks and stewards in serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily for 1,200 personnel.
Exec Chef Now Heads Both InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco
Christophe Depuichaffray is InterContinental kitchen hopping in the bay area. This seasoned Culinary veteran has just been appointed as the new Executive Chef for the InterContinental San Francisco, moving cross-town from his now previous position, as Executive Chef at the InterContinental Mark  Hopkins San Francisco. However, according to the hotelier, Depuichaffray will head the corporate and in-room dining at both properties.
Born and raised on a farm in the Loire Valley in central France, he studied at the Lycee d’Hoteliere et Tourisme de Val de Loire Blois, France, earned him a Certificate of Culinary Professional Aptitude and a Diploma of Culinary Professional Education and he cooked his way across Europe working in kitchens from France to England to Germany. In 1994, Depuichaffray joined the InterContinental Hotels Group as the Fine Dining Chef at The Grill Restaurant in Cairo, Egypt. He later moved to the InterContinental Manila in the Philippines and the Grand InterContinental Hotel in South Korea. After spending a few years as Executive Chef at the Caravelle Hotel in Vietnam, he rejoined the InterContinental Hotels Group in Madrid and later moved to San Francisco to assume the role of Executive Chef at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco.
Along with his vast knowledge of day-to-day kitchen operations and a worldly view of the culinary arts, Depuichaffray has had a multitude of other culinary exposures including, a guest-chef appearance on  the international hit television show “Yan Can Cook.”
The InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco is a 380-room property featuring two historic ballrooms and more than 19,000 square feet of meeting space, Depuichaffray takes charge of the kitchens and menus for banquet events up to 1,200 people, in-room dining, and the legendary Top Of The Mark sky lounge. As Executive Chef at the 550-room InterContinental San Francisco, Depuichaffray spearheads the kitchen operations and menu design for corporate and social events in over 43,000 square feet of meeting space.
One Bar Opens, Another Reopens, at NY’s Roosevelt
The Roosevelt Hotel, located at the corner of Madison Avenue and 46th, is a storied, midtown Manhattan hotel and meeting space. The facility features 1,015 guest rooms, including the 52 suites as well as 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting and  exhibit space, including 19 customizable breakout rooms. Like much of the Northeast (not to mention the Southeast and Midwest), the Big Apple was the recipient of a particularly fierce winter with record amounts of snowfall. But Spring is here, and just like the annual appearance of red-breasted robins, tulips, sleeveless blouses, short sleeved shirts and opening day for the Yankees and Mets, the Roosevelt Hotel’s mad46 rooftop lounge has ended its winter hibernation and again opened for guests and meeting attendees once again.
 Located on the corner of Madison and 46th. By May, the 19th-story bar with panoramic views of Manhattan, mad46 is opened Wednesday through Friday for the month of April, then starting in May, it goes six days a week. Mad46 unveiled new indoor space this season, complete with retractable glass windows and convenient bar access inside. With a cosmopolitan and relaxed atmosphere, elegantly minimal furnishings, while the two expansive indoor areas now is perfect for private parties, receptions and corporate functions. In addition, there is a signature drink list, including the requested return of the patron-favorite Mad Mojito, complete with a white-chocolate stick and shaved coconut, as well as a salute to the hotel's namesake, Teddy Roosevelt, with the espresso Teddy-Tini as well as palate-pleasing lite ranging from the melt-in-your-mouth Kobe Beef Sliders to the Hudson Valley Cheese Plate complete with fresh fruit.
In related Roosevelt Hotel bar news, the venue in March opened its Vander Bar, which debuted in  time for Saint Patrick’s Day, whose famed paraded is held just one block away from this hotel. In addition to a full bar, the hotel’s newest establishment presents a wide variety of beers on tap and a menu offering light palate-pleasing bites ranging from the melt-in-your-mouth Mini Lobster Rolls to tempting Beef Tacos complete with avocado, queso and jalapenos. More “spirited” signature enticements include The Blackberry, a vodka infused favorite named in honor of a mobile device you may have heard of, as well as the Madison Avenue Mai Tai, complete with fresh lime and pineapple garnish, and The Lombardo, a salute to the Big Band great Guy Lombardo who began his New Year’s Eve tradition of broadcasting “Auld Lang Syne” from the hotel
Michael Blaksteen Appointed F&B Director for Makena Beach & Golf Resort
Michael Blaksteen is the new Director of Food & Beverage for Makena Beach & Golf Resort, a Benchmark Hospitality International property located on the southern shore of Maui. Kelly Lewis,  general manager, made the announcement. Blaksteen has 15 years of experience within the food & beverage industry, including most recently, as assistant food & beverage director for the Hilton Waikoloa Village, where he was responsible for a food & beverage program generating $40 million in annual revenue with 13 full service outlets. "I am pleased to welcome Michael to Makena Beach & Golf Resort,” said Mr. Lewis. “He brings an international perspective to the property, as well as solid experience within the Hawaii market.” Situated on 1,800 acres of the southern shore of Maui in the Makena district of the island, the Makena Beach & Golf Resort features 310 guestrooms and suites and Indoor meeting facilities that accommodate up to 500 guests, including a 5,200-square-foot Ballroom, the Ballroom Lanai which overlooks formal gardens and koi ponds, breakout rooms, boardrooms and spacious hospitality suites as well as seven outdoor locations, including three with spectacular oceanfront views for events for up to 600.
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