The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel recently held its 2nd Chef’s Table event for 18 guests from Conference Direct. At the event, guests received a personalized, embroidered chef coat, along with a tour of the back of house and banquet hot kitchen. Guests then prepared a six-course meal with the Sheraton’s chefs, and received a signed bottle of wine from Ridge Winery and a recipe book.
Held quarterly and by invitation only, the Chef’s Table event provides a unique opportunity for the hotel to strengthen relationships with key clients as well as showcase the culinary team’s innovative and creative approach to dining options available at the hotel. The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel’s first Chef’s Table event was held in December 2013. The culinary theme and special guests varies from event to event, but each will feature guest involvement in the dining preparation.
At the Chef’s Table events, as well as on the hotel’s restaurants and banquet menus, much of the food is locally sourced, part of Executive Chef Scott Skomal’s philosophy to buy local whenever possible. The March 18 event featured a variety of food and wine pairings. The evening started with a champagne toast and reception. Guests sampled locally crafted salumi and Continental sausages with a variety of mustards, as well as an assortment of Colorado cheeses with a trio of chutneys and artisanal breads. This first course was paired with the 2011 Ridge “Three Valleys” Zinfandel. Guests were also served house-poached shrimp, crab claws, a variety of oysters, ceviche shooters, sea urchin and whole cooked lobster, which was paired with the 2011 Lytton Springs and 2010 Monte Bello Chardonnay.
The guests were then presented a live station in the Banquet hallway featuring freshly griddled flatbreads with Avalanche midnight bleu cheese and tomato jam, which was paired with the 2011 Geyserville. From there, the guests moved into the Banquet kitchen for Intermezzo of gingered-lemon pate de fruit and Colorado rack of lamb, white bean puree with pancetta, mustard soy sauce, and wilted greens. This was paired with the 2011 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel. Also on the menu, was grass fed beef tar tar on toast point and quail egg paired with the 2011 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate. In addition, guests enjoyed the coquette of hoisin-orange braised short ribs with antebellum grits, which was paired with the 2010 Monte Bello Blend. Guests then transitioned into the Grand Ballroom for dessert, featuring a chocolate molten lava cake with ala minute liquid nitrogen ice cream garnished with brandied cherries.
As Colorado’s largest meetings hotel, and recently named one of the top 15 meetings hotels in the U.S. by Cvent, a leading event management platform used by meeting planners worldwide, the chefs at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, take great pride in surprising and delighting guests. As Skomal states, “this is not your typical hotel banquet food.”
“We are always looking for ways to connect with our customers,” said Tracy Blair, director of Sales and Marketing at Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. “This event gave us the opportunity to give our customers a true sense of the hotel space and offerings, and highlight our culinary capabilities. The creative, innovative and quality approach of our chef and culinary team was evident in each of the courses our guests experienced.”
The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is Colorado’s largest hotel with 1,231 guest rooms, 82 luxurious suites and more than 131,000-square-feet of meeting space with six restaurants, a 24-hr Sheraton Fitness by Core Performance facility, Link@Sheraton business center, and heated rooftop pool. Located on the pedestrian 16th Street Mall in the heart of downtown Denver, the hotel is minutes from the Colorado Convention Center. Named one of the top 15 meetings hotels in the U.S., it serves groups of 10 to 3,000 with custom and innovative services, advanced technology, and a green meetings program. The property is owned by Chartres Lodging Group and managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. For more information, visit www.sheratondenverdowntown.com.
