Eastern North Carolina BBQ

How the humble pig became king of one of Raleigh’s most popular corporate events is a story beginning 150 years ago when the 13 Colonies created a sauce composed of apple cider vinegar, salt, red/black pepper and sugar that typifies Eastern North Carolina barbecue today. That sauce is just one aspect that draws groups to The Pit, an upscale restaurant located downtown in a renovated 1930s meatpacking warehouse.

“Barbecue in North Carolina means pork, either pulled or chopped, which has sauce mixed in,” says Bob Garner, chef, TV personality and author known as the “Minister of Barbecue Culture.” He adds, “No other types of meats or fowl are typically used, although we do serve ribs, brisket, fried chicken, or turkey. Just don’t call it barbecue, or ask for Kansas City or Texas styles. Those are dirty words in our state.”

Garner enjoys regaling groups at The Pit with historical anecdotes and customized videos documenting how politics and tobacco impacted the region’s barbecue.

Two private dining rooms each have a modernized open pit (40/90 max). The group can watch whole pigs being slow cooked over hickory and oak, for which The Pit is known, while they nibble on creative appetizers, such as bruschetta served on thick toasted bread and spread with shredded spinach in a bacon-sherry vinaigrette with goat cheese and house-smoked hog jowls.

Twelve hours after the free-range raised pig’s juices first sizzle onto the hot flames, it can be served whole with a chef slicing it in front of the group. Southern sides with modern twists accompany the selected proteins. The Pit is also known for its rare heirloom variety of collard greens, traditional banana pudding and its version of the classic Brunswick stew, a savory blending of chicken, corn, butter beans, tomatoes and potatoes.

Wait staff who have been trained in the cultural relevance of those regional dishes answer questions such as, “Why aren’t tomatoes used in the sauce?” Answer: Because tomatoes weren’t considered edible until many years later. They eventually became the basis for Western-style North Carolina sauce, which has a sweeter taste.

Alcohol pairings can be arranged. The Pit’s extensive inventory of craft beers and bourbons are handpicked to enhance the smoked and spicy pit selections.‎

The Third Space

When groups show up to for a teambuilding cooking class at The Third Space in Atlanta, they often tote along family pictures, grandma’s favorite soup pot, or table décor. Chef Asha Gomez opened the $350,000 kitchen private-use venue in the Inman Park neighborhood in April, as a complement to her award-winning, Kerala-inspired restaurant, Cardamom Hill.

“I want to break down that fourth wall that separates participants from chefs,” he says. “I wanted to create a space with the warmth of a home kitchen, which is why I use high-end Miele home appliances instead of industrial equipment, and why I encourage groups to personalize the 1,500-sf  space.”

Groups aren’t the only ones who embellish the 10-seat counter and 12-seat dining table. Guest Atlanta Chefs do as well. When Chef Joe Truex from Watershed came in to teach a “conversation”—Chef Gomez’s preferred term for classes—he brought his New Orleans background to life with his mother’s gumbo pot and her fine china. He taught how to make gumbo and varied styles of roux while sharing stories of learning to cook.

Chef Gomez’ own favorite class is called a Room Full of Mangos. The recent semifinalist in Food & Wine’s “People’s Choice Best New Chef” says her love affair with mangos began when she was six.

“I take groups through a mango tasting of varieties available in Georgia, discussing the nuances of pulps, which to use in salads or for juicing, and how to incorporate mangos in preserves or chutney,” she says.

The Third Space doesn’t have a liquor license, but local vendors have contributed wine or alcohol for groups wishing to do a food and beverage pairing.

Teambuilding sessions for 20 people can last up to five hours. Participants generally arrive around 9:30 am, have light snacks and beverages, and then lunch is prepared. Dinner events are also available. For 10 or under participants, two chefs guide the group. When larger than 10, they’re divided into three groups to make a 3-course meal led by three chefs.

The Third Space has a roster of Atlanta chefs from which to choose, but groups can also request someone else. Chef Gomez will contact the chef and make the arrangements, just as she just did recently for a group of 20 who wanted to create a Sunday-style supper. She worked with their chef on the menu and the group decorated the kitchen with personal artwork to create a homey atmosphere.

Gomez says, “The Third Space is designed or the amateur cook, to show that this food is simple to do. I want to inspire them to cook.”

Thirty apron-clad guests stare at six mystery bags that each contain two ingredients, resting on the shiny counters of the 700 Kitchen Cooking School inside the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah. In the next 1-1/2 hours of the Culinary Challenge Teambuilding Experience, the randomly divided six teams of five will have conceived and fixed a salad, three entrees and desserts… without recipes.

“The challenge is not for Team A to beat Team B; it’s to produce a flavorful, creative buffet meal with limited resources and limited time,” says Chef Darin Sehnert, director of 700 Kitchen. “They have to learn to work with what they have and find a solution.” The teambuilding challenge is one of several cooking class possibilities offered inside the 800-sf modern kitchen equipped with high-end appliances and decorated in dark woods, frog green walls, and silver and black accents.

Last year,  the AAA 4-Diamond 125-year old Victorian Romanesque mansion’s  700 Kitchen was identified by ABC-TV News as one of the top cooking class experiences around the world. Sehnert thinks the recognition reflects his light-hearted, interactive approach. There’s a 3-1/2 hour Hands-On Class (12 max) in which the participants completely prepare the meal under his direction. An Interactive Demo Class (24 max) begins with a lesson in knife useage.

While all the classes have a wide spectrum of international menus from which to choose, the favorite is the Lowcountry Cooking Experience. Teams of three are first instructed in cooking techniques, from how to properly whisk vinaigrette, peel shrimp or trim pork. At that time they’re unaware which dish their team will prepare from southern classics such as black eyed pea salad, shrimp in red eye gravy over creamy grits, spice-rubbed pork with peach and onion jam, or a chocolate Coca Cola cake.

“They have to pay close attention to all the instructions and work together,” says Sehnert. Following the class, he emails them 25 pages that include the recipes and the historical and cultural background of why those foods characterize the region.

Meals are eaten in the wine cellar. Alcohol is not permitted during food preparation, but a wine pairing led by a sommelier during the meal can be arranged.

Sehnert advises meeting planners, “Feed them snacks and start the class early. It’s hours before they sit down to eat.”

Bernie Lubbers

The famous Bourbon Trail around Louisville, Kentucky has always been popular with corporate groups. Nothing gets people networking like a well made Maker’s Mark or Jim Beam mint julep during a springtime afternoon in the Deep South. Groups visiting Louisville can now complement that with two new downtown attractions delving into the history of bourbon and bluegrass.

“There’s been a dearth of entertainment downtown to attract corporate groups, and by fall, there will be two,” says musician and whiskey expert Bernie Lubbers, the author of Bourbon Whiskey—Our Native Spirit. He is available for tours and tastings at both experiences, and you can read more about him at whiskeyprof.com.

When not actively working as the whiskey ambassador for Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Lubbers is half of “The History of Bourbon Whiskey as Told Through Bluegrass Music” live performance at Heaven Hill. The 75-minute historical and musical portrait tells a humorous tale of 200 years of America’s only native spirit.

“With my partner, acclaimed bluegrass musician Hickory Vaught, we give groups an all-sensory, historical live music performance piece,” says Lubbers.

During the course of the evening, planners frequently include a pre-dinner reception at a restaurant where the group will dine. Lubbers sets up five glasses of whiskey, relative to five different eras of whiskey making, on the tables. Lubbers and Vaught then engage the audience by matching the music and anecdotes to the relevant time periods while the guests sip, chat and ask questions.

If the group prefers, the duo have a home base venue downtown called the Haymarket Whiskey Bar.

“We’re totally self-contained and ideal for 50-and under groups wanting a more intimate experience,” says Lubbers. “But if a larger group wants the show, we’ll add more musicians and more music.”

Also this fall, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience opens in a renovated building across the street from the original 1783 Evan Williams distillery, the namesake of Heaven Hill’s flagship bourbon brand. The immersive experience inside a $12 million artisanal distillery celebrates the legacy of Kentucky’s first distiller and owner of the largest operating distilled spirits company in the world.

Guided tours and a dioramic video wall will contrast how a state-of-the-art modern distillery still employs the same types of pot stills used in early Bourbon-making days.

The adventure begins at the front door, with a 5-story high Evan Williams Bourbon bottle that becomes 3-dimensional on the lower two floors. The neck of the bottle and a large glass in the lobby form a flowing Bourbon fountain. Two different themed tasting rooms will offer tutored samples of premium Heaven Hill Bourbons. Additionally, a speakeasy-style space in the lower level will be available for corporate functions.

Fertile farmland, an evolving wine and microbrewery industry, and a bounty of seafood drawn from the Chesapeake Bay are the initial focus of two Norfolk, Virginia food feasts. What takes the experience beyond enjoying locally-sourced meals at the Crab Feast or the Harvest Feast is the knowledge experts share about the region’s history, its relevance to the ingredients, and learning to eat like a native Virginian.

“Anyone can provide good food and drink, but what separates our feasts from others is the experiential factor,” says Mallory O’Connell, director of operations/sales for Coastal Food Tours. She says expert crab pickers provide an historical overview of crabs available in the Hampton Roads area during crab season, which runs from April through October. “Then our crab pickers are at guests’ side to explain which parts to eat and show how to remove the crab from the shell. If you’re not from the area, you won’t know how to do this.”

Newspaper-lined tables laden with typical southern sides such as mac n’ cheese and greens front the Chesapeake Bay outside of one of many large restaurants.  In case of inclement weather, the 2-1/2 hour Crab Feast for up to 125 can be taken indoors.

White linen-covered tables in the middle of a green space surrounded by flowers and foliage provide a more upscale setting for the popular Harvest Feast, which can accommodate up to 125. Coastal Food Tours’ favorite venue for the Harvest Feast is the Norfolk Botanical Garden, home to 30 distinctly themed gardens. In case of bad weather, the 4,000-sf Rose Garden Hall is available.

“The advantage of the Gardens is that attendees can listen to the speakers, dine, or stroll the gardens,” says O’Connell.

The Harvest Feast can run up to four hours, depending on options chosen. Virginia’s acclaim for wine and microbreweries is growing. There are 228 wineries, 24 wine trails and more than 40 craft breweries in Virginia, many within an hour of Norfolk. Having a wine or brewmaster speak and conduct a tasting is one option. Having local farmers discuss their seasonal produce or having a chef onsite to demonstrate or preside over an interactive cooking lesson with that produce or seafood is another option.

Coastal’s knowledgeable onsite staff will readily answer questions about local history, from Native Americans to John Smith or Jamestown.

O’Connell says, “No two events are alike. They’re all customized.”

Red Coral Lounge

Anchoring the buzzy Condado Beach district in Puerto Rico, the 511-room San Juan Marriott Resort & Sellaris Casino completed cool upgrades to its hip Red Coral Lounge. Groups can now join the well-dressed local crowd listening to great live music at the theater stage fronting the sleek new lobby bar.

“When people want to have an authentic Puerto Rican experience and go where the locals go, eat where the locals eat and party where the locals party, they can look no further than the Red Coral Lounge,” says Julian Cable-Treadwell, director of marketing. “The lobby lounge serves as a launch pad for pre-dinner drinks and delicious tapas prior to an organized function.”

The tasteful new chrome accents, pastel fixtures and modern textures highlight the wooden coral reef artwork displayed in the lobby entrance, creating a fun atmosphere for networking without being too hyperactive.

The expansive entertainment venue is organized into different sections for different personality types. The bar is the central venue for dragonberry mojitos, next to cocktail tables in front of the main stage. Other zones include plush seating sections with ottomans for a more quiet space to chat and munch on small bites.

“The new menu caters to guests with 10 minutes to spare to an entire evening at leisure,” says Cable-Treadwell. The Condado district is known for its enviable nightlife. The hip neighborhood is truly Caribbean with beachfront parties, outdoor terraces and exotic music. The vibe continues on the dance floor at the Marriott, which opens out the pool and casino. Salsa dancers amp up the crowd at the oak tone bar, while the DJ pumps up Latin dance tunes. Total meeting space is 11,000 sf, including a 7,000-sf ballroom and 4,000-sf outdoor space. Restaurants include the newly renovated La Isla Pool Bar and La Vista Latin Grill.

“When you arrive, you are met with the sounds and ambience of a bustling, cosmopolitan neighborhood,” says Cable-Treadwell, who emphasizes the importance of the resort location. The hotel is five miles from Luis Munoz Marin Int’l Airport, walking distance to everywhere on popular Ashford Avenue and just minutes to Old San Juan.

We did a Q&A with Cable-Treadwell to learn more.

Prevue: Can you tell us the look/vibe of the hotel?

Cable -Treadwell: The vibe of the hotel is really “casual dynamic” and we are often referred to as the “Caribbean Cosmopolitan Beach Club” due to a number of reasons. It has a classic contemporary feel with a lot of flexible indoor and outdoor public space that plays host to leisure and corporate customer alike. It is not strange to see an impromptu meeting of 6-10 business people in the Red Coral Lounge within 10 feet of a couple catching up with friends back home through their preferred social media channel. As the bellman opens the door for you, you are quickly ushered into an urban oasis with all of the excitement and feel of San Juan, but with the service standards and consistency that a Marriott property brings to the table.  As you transition through the lobby to the other side of the property, you are met with the breathtaking views of the golden sands of Condado Beach and the Atlantic Ocean, right on your doorstop. That encapsulates the vibe and atmosphere of the hotel.

What are some unique selling points for groups?

• Location – Only five miles from the airport and only five miles from Old San Juan.
• In a residential neighborhood with approximately 50 – 70 restaurants and bars within walking distance so dine-arounds or organized group dinners are logistically easier to organize.
• Beachfront resort experience while still being close to all activities and amenities.
• 10,000 sf of meeting space catering for up to 500 people with equal amount of outdoor function space.
• 14,000 sf-casino onsite.
• Fifteen minute transfer to offsite team building activities such as four tracking, horseback riding, zip lining, tarpon fishing and golf academy.

What’s new (any recent renovations, additions, experiential features, etc)?

• La Vista Latin Grill and La Isla Beach Bar opened in 2011 after a $2 million renovation, offering an authentic Latin concept with Puerto Rican influences while still offering up all time local and United States favorites.
• In January of 2012, the Red Coral Lounge made it’s debut. Mirrored on the Marriott International “Great Room” concept, the $2.5 million renovation of the lobby space in the hotel was transformed into a dynamic environment for business and pleasure, for impromptu gathering and individual comfort, offering free WiFi and plenty of bandwidth. With a newly concepted menu that caters to guests with ten minutes to spare or an entire evening at leisure and an ambience that transitions from a place to be during the day to the place to be seen in the evening, the Red Coral Lounge provides guests with evening entertainment that ranges from resident/guest DJ’s playing retro 80’s music to 10 piece live bands playing salsa and meringue.
• Later in 2012, the Stellaris Casino went through a cosmetic rejuvenation with carpet, wall paper, ceilings and light fixtures enhanced to bring it up to the level of the adjacent Red Coral Lounge.

Can you tell us about the area and what groups are doing during their stay?

• I can’t stress enough what a fantastic location the property has and how cosmopolitan the neighborhood it is located in is. There is not a time of day where Ashford Avenue (the main street of Condado) is not populated with dozens of people walking dogs, talking to friends they meet along the street, jogging or enjoying al fresco, street side dining in a wonderfully clean and secure, safe environment.
• Culinary is hot and has been for awhile. Our groups like to organize cooking demonstrations which our Executive Chef, Ernie Reyes, who is more than pleased to organize for groups from 10 people up to 500 people. Also, locally sourced ingredients and sustainable consumption is popular at the moment, so groups like to participate in demonstrations with locally sourced produce.
• Community service is popular with groups from 10-50 people and we are able to organize initiatives for them that suit their brief and activity/availability level.
• What I don’t think enough people know about is the abundance of activities and attractions there are to see in Puerto Rico. You have the history of the 16th century Old San Juan, the Bacardi Rum Factory and the Serralles Rum Distillery, Camuy Caves, El Yunque rainforest, three of the five bioluminescent bays in the entire world, the Arecibo Observatory, “The Beast”, a horizontal zip line where you start by not being able to see where you finish and travel at over 50 miles an hour, inland and offshore fishing, the abundance of culture in art, food and music that is prevalent everywhere and that is just scratching the surface. There are a number of choices when looking at activities/experiences for any profile of group and any size of group in Puerto Rico.

Can you tell us about the Condado District? Do you find more planners booking this destination because of the neighborhood?

• We are fortunate to be located in the neighborhood of Condado as more and more planners become familiar with it.
• There will always be a place for a destination resort but, in our experience, we are seeing from our corporate meeting planners and organizers of small incentives, that being 5 miles from the airport gets their delegates into their meetings faster, they have less chance of losing them and the property allows them to fulfill the dynamic they wish to achieve.
• Our groups usually stay for 3-4 days maximum so they need to get a lot into the time they are here. Our syndicate rooms, that seat up to 70 people comfortably are all ocean facing and we find these are our most popular.
• We are also seeing that the type of group we are successful with is a certain type of group, usually 30-50 rooms in size, very intense and dynamic half day/full day meetings wanting good quality food that is healthy, offers plenty of variety/choice and is portioned correctly but also enjoying the freedom that the Condado neighborhood and the hotel’s location provides so that in what free time they have they can explore the neighborhood or Old Town, play in the Casino, hang on the beach or get a massage and they don’t have to get in a cab to do it.

Pigeon Point, Tobago

Cornell Buckradee is general manager of marketing for the Trinidad & Tobago Tourism Development Company. He says the twin-island nation is creating a new convention bureau, something it’s never had before, to attract more meeting and incentive groups to the island.

“The aim is to be the meeting and convention capital of the southern Caribbean,” says Buckradee. “North America is our focus, and our goal is to show how Port of Spain is a unique capital city with a safe, good mix of hotels, restaurants, meeting venues, ecotourism and culture.”

Buckradee asserts that the destination’s diversity is the key attraction with two islands especially well positioned to cater to both meetings and incentives. Trinidad is the major commercial hub in the southern Antilles, and Tobago is an absolute dream for groups seeking a pristine island experience. Presently, there are two MIA/Trinidad flights daily on American Airlines, and the 428-room Hyatt Regency Trinidad can host conferences up to 2,000 pax.

“We have an authentic, organic culture; it’s not contrived,” says Buckradee. “You go 15 minutes off the main road and you have that quintessential Caribbean experience.”

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