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Travel Insider: There's Never Been a Better Time for Food
October 01, 2009
By Brian Martenis
Eating is everyone’s favorite pastime. It is the activity many people look forward to and enjoy above all. Not only do people like to eat, but cooking and fine cuisine are now of great interest and entertainment. People love to cook, learn about food and its origins, taste new and interesting flavors, and even learn unique and creative plating techniques—most foodies know that a fine meal begins with the eyes.
Recently I have become more and more aware of the many variations in food-related activities in incentive travel. Not long ago in Paris I did a cheese tasting with wine, since I believe wine tasting is somewhat passé. It went over very well, and our expert was fascinating while describing the intricacies of making cheese, its flavors, colors, textures, and range of ways it can be enjoyed. I understand that there are people who say they don’t like cheese. Considering the thousands of varieties available in the world, I say they simply have not tasted the right kind yet.
A couple of weeks ago I visited Niagara on the Lake on the Canadian side of the falls. A quaint and picturesque village, Niagara on the Lake is perfect for a small executive meeting or a special, upscale incentive program for two or three nights. As a destination, it could easily be teamed with Toronto.
By the quiet charm of Niagara on the Lake and one of wonders of the world, Strewn, a winery nestled in the heart of Niagara’s wine country, is Canada’s only winery-based cooking school and a very unique venue. Strewn combines an insider’s experience that includes a hands-on cooking class and demonstrations with wine. It can be a teambuilder, just for fun, or used as a lunch or dinner experience. As this region is known as a top producer of ice wine, those unfamiliar will be treated to something very new.
On that same trip, I was in Toronto for Trailblazers, an incentive marketplace that arranges meetings with key partners from Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Canada. This educational and networking opportunity was hosted at the magnificent Fairmont Royal York. Imagine a glorious ballroom on opening night in the grande dame of Toronto, with each country showcasing its foods in a food-station arcade. One could go from country to country grazing and, at the same time, learn about different cuisines—important knowledge for a planner of international incentives.
One afternoon I took a special tour of the Royal York’s rooftop garden conducted by Executive Chef David Garcelon. The roof is lush and verdant with every kind of lettuce, herbs, and several tomato varieties (ever hear of black tomatoes?). The garden even has a couple grapevines. And it was very cool that the hotel grows all of the mint used in the mojitos served in its lounges. Along with the vegetable garden, there is also a beehive; the Fairmont harvests its own brand of Royal York Honey.
From Toronto and Niagara on the Lake, I flew down to St. Martin and participated in Successful Meetings University-Caribbean at the charming and totally renovated Radisson St. Martin Resort, Marina & Spa.
The island has long been known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean. During a visit to the new and magnificent Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten (on the Dutch side of the island), Executive Chef John Bakker (a Canadian) served a real "power lunch" using broccoli, wild salmon, grass-fed beef, walnuts, olive oil, blueberries, flaxseeds, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, turkey breast, yogurt, and shitake mushrooms. It was a clever way to take lunch and transform it into something delicious, healthful, and, above all, memorable.
Instead of simply thinking about a meal or a banquet, I try to think of where the function is and what can be done to make it unlike any other food function my guests have experienced. In San Francisco we created a food-station buffet with Asian selections from Chinatown, Italian specialties from North Beach, fish and seafood direct from Fisherman’s Wharf, champagne and caviar from Nob Hill, and desserts prepared at Ghirardelli Square. Wine pairings were conducted at each “section of the city.” I used the stunning, landmark “Room of the Dons” in the legendary InterContinental Mark Hopkins.
In Singapore we divided an incentive group into teams and had an “Asian Cook-off.” Nothing too exotic, mind you, but we learned that Singapore cuisine can be very unique while we cooked, ate, and had a great time. It reinforced that cooking and food-related activities are great teambuilding exercises.
I previously wrote about the caviar and vodka tasting I did in St. Petersburg, Russia. Most Americans have not experienced Caspian Sea caviar, so they tend to recall experiences with fishy inexpensive domestic fish eggs. Biting into warm, freshly made belini, topped with thick, rich Russian sour cream and a generous dollop of gorgeous dark brown and buttery Osetra caviar, the attendees in St. Petersburg discovered something magical. They didn’t stop talking about it, and they didn’t stop eating it! Food can be quite the outstanding bonding experience.
The Bottom Line: Don’t ever forget or underestimate food. Its cultural status gets more and more important by the day. What was once Julia Child is now a whole Food Network. American chefs are now as renowned as the Europeans: Emeril, Paula Deen, Bobby Flay. Rachel Ray has several shows and a magazine called Every Day with Rachel Ray! Food is hot, food is the now thing, food is creative, and for the moment in the incentive travel world food is still underused. Capitalize on it!
Incentive online columnist Brian Martenis is managing director of Incentive Worldwide Travel. After 10 years as sales promotion director for one company and 19 years as sales incentives manager for another, he brings to the company nearly 30 years of designing and implementing successful incentive travel programs all over the world. Brian is passionate about every aspect of his programs and is often asked to write and speak about incentives, incentive travel, and motivation. He can be reached at brianm@incentivewt.com.
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