Did you know NCC is an ARAMARK property? You may have been surprised to know ARAMARK provides facilities management, uniorms and work apparel, food service, classroom services and lodging and guest accommodations in the following industries: conference and convention centers, parks and destinations, colleges and universities, healthcare, senior living, business and industry and school districts.
In an attempt to share something surprising, you may not have known that The National Conference Center is an ARAMARK property. To provide a brief history, our conference center was originally the Xerox Document University where Xerox employees came to train, reside and learn how to sell in the fast-growing industry of printers and copiers. From the beginning in 1974 when Xerox University first opened it’s doors, ARAMARK employees have always managed The National Conference Center. In 2000, ARAMARK permanently took over the property and Xerox Document University was renamed The National Conference Center. Since then, many renovations have been made including the addition of The National Ballroom, the largest ballroom in Northern Virginia. At The National Conference Center, we continue to focus on delighting our guests by providing the ideal productive escape while offering excellence in hospitality and food and beverage.
NCC Today in 2011
Stuffed Chicken entree – a Food for Thought dish
by ARAMARK Executive Chef Craig Mason of NCC
In early July, Executive Chef Craig Mason made a visit to Linda’s Farm Market and Mercantile for the first time. Farmer David Lay of Linda’s Farm visits Chef Mason at The National Conference Center on a weekly basis to deliver fresh produce for the farm to table program. On a mission to devote a day to exploring David’s farm, Executive Chef Craig Mason, NCC’s Purchasing Supervisor and the Food and Beverage’s summer intern, set out on a drive to Winchester, Virginia. The three checked on the crop cycle of peaches and tomatoes, learned about best farming practices and even rode a tractor and planted green bell peppers. Watch the video below:
In most cases, we don’t know always know where the banana or tomato we purchased last week was grown. At our client tasting this past Wednesday, the theme focused on local and more specifically our farm to fork initiative and partnership with local farmers. Titled, “Discover the Taste of Local” our Executive Chef Craig Mason prepared dishes with local ingredients from Linda’s Farm and Mercantile in Winchester, Virginia, Blue Ridge Produce from Elkwood, VA and Profish out of Washington, D.C. Local wines and beers from Corcoran Vineyards made the perfect addition to each local dish. Check out the photos below:
Centerpieces featured muck boots with herbs from our herb garden
The backdrop was a video slideshow of Chef Mason with David Lay at Linda’s Farm and Mercantile
Being served the first course which included local tomatoes, corn and spinach leaves.
Our biggest turn out ever with over 80+ attendees proves how popular “local” is as a topic.
Local peaches for the dessert
Are there any topics you’d like to see at our future tastings?
Often, we visit restaurants because we’ve heard of the chef or about how tasty their plates are which essentially leads back to the chef behind it all. In the D.C. area especially, it seems what drives traffic to restaurants is the Chef’s name. As event professionals, food flexibility plays a large role but choosing a particular venue because of the chef is not always a top priority or option. If a restaurant, hotel, conference center, or venue allows you to interact with the chef whether it’s learning about him or a short conversation at your table – does this make a difference in your meal? How does knowing more about where your food came from and the chef behind the plate affect your dining experience?
We believe a if you can identify with where your food came from and the face behind the food- your dining experience will only improve. For social media users, Executive Chef Craig Mason is most likely a common name to you, but for our attendees not using social media or connected with us – they may not be aware of Chef Mason. Last week, we shared how we’re telling guests what products are local vs. non-local, explaining farm-to-table and sustainable seafood (Read article). Our new chef signs indicate who is preparing the day’s meal.
What do you think? Does interacting with a chef or knowing more about him/her enhance your dining experience? Are you more likely to appreciate your meal if you know where it comes from whether local or non-local?
This past Monday night, #Eventprofs in DC hosted a fundraiser and tasting cook-off to support those affected by the devastation of a E-5 tornado that struck through Joplin in late May. Event-strategist and fundraiser, Lindsey Rosenthal of Events for Good was inspired to plan the red-tie event when she witnessed her friends, Kiki L’Italien and Kylee Coffman in emotional turmoil after their hometown was destroyed. In three weeks, Lindsey was able to pull-off a successful fundraiser in D.C. All proceeds from benefited Habitat for Humanity in Joplin, Missouri to help the residents rebuild their town.
Executive Chef Craig Mason was there for the action. Watch as Kiki L’Italien and her father choose ingredients for the famous Joplin recipe, Spaghetti Red. Missouri congressman Billy Long and Joplin resident taste-test for the best replica of the Joplin dish.
Interested in learning about Lindsey’s experience planning “Show Me” support for Joplin? Stay tuned for our interview with her later this wee.k
In the last YouTube video from the herb garden, “Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and Mint. Oh My!” Executive Chef Craig Mason stood on top of what would be our herb garden. However, at that time, there were no herbs planted – all soil. Now, the herbs are in full-bloom and being used for client tastings and plated meals. Craig Mason has also found another use for them… Making your drinks “greener”.
Yesterday, we recapped our May Soiree tasting with photos of the hors d’oeuvres, moments captured with clients and some of Executive Chef Craig Mason’s demo. But, a video always give Chef Mason’s cooking demonstrations more justice. Hear him talk about our farm-to-table initiative, sustainable seafood and watch him cook one of his personal favorite items – soft-shell crabs! Special thank you to Jennifer Arezzo who beautifully told the story of farm-to-table, West Belmont Place and more in her news article for the Ashburn Patch.
Miss our May Soiree Tasting? The soirée was on the courtyard patio with special guests, Corcoran Vineyards and Sunset Hill Vineyards. We learned about the local Virginia wines while Executive Chef Craig Mason entertained everyone with a soft-shell crab cooking demonstration, an in-season specialty. Here are play-by-play pictures from the evening from guests to our Executive Chef Craig Mason to the local items on the menu. Watch out – these photos may initiate hunger:
BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET from Country Way in Middleburg, VA
FRESH CHOPPED SPINACH SALAD MARTINI
Strawberries, feta cheese, kalamata olives and cucumbers drizzled with a balsamic reduction
GRILLED FARMERS ASPARAGUS SALAD
Served with purple basil and a lemon vinaigrette
SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND PROVOLONE
served on a savory tart
JERKED CHICKEN
on a sweet potato biscuit
KURT KRAUSE, our General Manager entertaining clients
BLUE HAWAIIAN Malibu, pineapple juice, blue curacao
MINT JULEP Bourbon marinated in mint with brown sugar and mint simple syrup
Local cheese such as MARYLAND GOAT CHEESE from FireFly Farms
SOUS CHEF AND EXEC SOUS CHEF AUGGIE AND WILLY
discuss their game plan for the soft shell crab demonstration
EXECUTIVE CHEF CRAIG MASON takes a quick break from preparation
SOFT SHELL CRAB Deep fried with Southern remoulade
EXECUTIVE CHEF CRAIG MASON AND WILLY turn up the heat at our tasting
LORI from CORCORAN VINEYARD explains her winecork ring
AMERICAN LAMB
Pesto marinated lamb chop lollipops, mint accented mango chutney
GREAT WEATHER on the courtyard patio made for a lovely reception
ENJOYING SOFT SHELL CRABS made three ways by Executive Chef Craig Mason
Yesterday’s post introduced you to our herb garden – the specifics of our plans to create a community herb garden and the progress thus far. Today, I’ve featured a video of Executive Chef Craig Mason standing on what will be the herb garden. He also advises fans of the farmer’s market to be weary of distributors selling products that aren’t from any local farm but from states away that you find in grocery stores. The herbs in our garden on-site will supplement some purchased from local farmers and be used for entrees at meetings and events. In the events industry, who finds the most significance in local ingredients? How does local play a role in your meetings/events? Let us know in the comment section below:
We can’t praise Linda’s Mercantile & Farm Market enough. In December, The National Conference Center held a Farmers Forum in which over 50 farmers from VA, WV, and MD attended. Panelists included Matt Lohr – Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture, Kurt Krause General Manager of The National Conference Center, Christopher Carpenter of Washington & Lee, Derek Kilmer of Kilmer’s Farm Market, and Emily Manley of The Local Food Hub.
After the forum, the one farm who contacted NCC about providing us with fresh local goods – Linda’s Mercantile. Check out the timeline of our relationship with David and Linda Lay, the couple behind Linda’s Mercantile & Farm Market from December 2010 – Present. This farm “gets it.” They reached out to Kurt Krause and Executive Chef Craig Mason, eager to assist us with our farm-to-fork initiative; an initiative that is important to us in order to support regional agricultural and offer our guests fresh sustainable produce with a high nutritional value to enhance their meeting experience and cognitive ability (Read more). Not only did they begin providing us with canola oil which is recycled into bio-diesel fuel for tractors, plows and more but they created a partnership to make this program successful (with Shenandoah Agricultural Products and Fruit Hill Orchards).
What started as canola oil and a shipment of spinach grew into providing our guests with local hot house tomatoes, arugula, mushrooms, and strawberries. In less than two months, Linda’s Mercantile has planted several more acres of produce. On Monday of next week, we’ll greet a shipment of 2,000 lbs of local produce. What are we expecting?
Linda and David Lay of Linda’s Mercantile also “get” social media – they see the value in it and have created a community of avid locavores on their Facebook Fan Page. Watch the Backstage Pass of the farm from their YouTube channel:
