No kidding: new menus offer healthy dining for young travelers
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No kidding: new menus offer healthy dining for young travelers
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Category: Worldwide - Gourmet restaurants
- Gourmet restaurants
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-12-14
- Nutritious becomes Delicious at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts -
With a belief that eating well but wisely begins at an early age, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will be ramping up its children’s menu offerings to include an expanded array of creative dishes that are both delicious and nutritious.
With a nod to the brand’s Lifestyle Cuisine, that addresses common dietary requests such as low-fat, vegetarian and low-carbohydrate, these new children’s menu options offer a healthy twist on the usual kid-friendly favorites such as chicken strips, pizza, spaghetti with meatballs and even chocolate mousse. More discerning young diners can choose offerings such as The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa’s Loch Duart Salmon with Glazed Vegetables or Chicken Quesadillas with Corn Tortillas and Oaxaca Cheese at Fairmont Mayakoba.
Fairmont Chefs ensure these pint-sized offerings reflect the same basic principals as Lifestyle Cuisine and address the nutritional guidelines established for children by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Proactive steps include swapping out refined flour for whole wheat, incorporating fruits and vegetables into recipes to help meet the recommended daily fiber allowance, and employing alternative cooking methods to help ensure healthier choices are made available to young diners. Although the same nutritional parameters guide Fairmont chefs across the globe, actual menu offerings reflect the distinctive style and unique food products of each destination.
“In addition to adapting many favorite dishes to a healthier format, we have introduced new menu items created by our chefs under the watchful eye of Fairmont Nutritional Advisor Katya Baxter, MBA, RNCP, a leader in the culinary field.” says Mariano Stellner, Fairmont’s Corporate Director, Food & Beverage. “We are focusing on delicious, wholesome menu options parents want their children to have and that kids will actually eat.”
While these nutritious selections will be available at all Fairmont hotels by the end of March 2012, many properties have already begun sharing their healthy cuisine expertise within their local communities. Fairmont Monte Carlo in Monaco introduced their Little Chefs program in 2010 and to date has taught over 60 public school students about seasonality, nutritional values and how to prepare their favorite foods. Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa’s sponsorship of the agricultural program at a local high school sees the hotel’s culinary brigade participate in and lead tutorials on campus, and Fairmont Pittsburgh recently established a partnership with Grow Pittsburgh that will turn an inner city school yard into an edible garden and result in the hotel’s kitchen team teaching students how to grow, harvest and cook fresh vegetables.
A pioneer when it comes to promoting healthful options for youngsters, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel’s Executive Chef Gavin Stephenson took healthy eating one step further when he introduced an all organic children’s menu to the Seattle market eight years ago. Gavin comments “Making real, free range chicken strips is much more time consuming than buying processed chicken products, but the taste and nutritional value is well worth it, along with the peace of mind a chef gets knowing he is doing the right thing for his guests.”
Fairmont’s nutritious take on childhood favorites and the addition of healthy beverage options such as spring water, unsweetened juices, smoothies and shakes is expected to turn the usual meal time battle into a much anticipated event for families staying with the brand. As part of the luxury hotel brand’s ongoing commitment to welcoming guests of all ages, kids five and under eat for free when ordering from the children’s menu while those 12 and under with a desire for something more grown-up can order child-sized portions from the adult menu or from Fairmont’s newly introduced Lifestyle Cuisine Plus menu that caters to such dietary needs as diabetic and gluten free at 50 percent off the listed price.
ABOUT FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS
Located in world-class destinations around the globe, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a celebrated collection of hotels that includes landmark locations like London’s The Savoy, New York’s The Plaza, and Shanghai’s Fairmont Peace Hotel. With more than 60 hotels, Fairmont is known as much for its warm, engaging service and culturally rich experiences, as its classic hotels that imbue a sense of heritage, sophistication and social importance and are often considered destinations in their own right. A community and environmental leader, Fairmont is also regarded for its responsible tourism practices and award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont is owned by FRHI Holdings Limited, a leading global hotel company with over 100 hotels under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. The company also manages Fairmont and Raffles branded estates and luxury private residence club properties.
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