My dad was never home for Thanksgiving. Sometimes he’d pop in at Aunt Julia’s house for a few stuffed mushrooms and a glass of wine, always in kitchen whites, before heading off to work, but it was a rare occasion.
For folks in the hospitality biz, the holidays are often spent cooking for families other than their own, but for many, that makes the prospect uniquely sacred.
“Ask any chef and they will tell you Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday to plan,” says Phillip Fisher, Resort Executive Sous Chef at Gaylord Palms, where the soaring atrium makes for a resplendent dinner venue. “It’s our chance to do what we do best: prepare delicious food and give everyone the holiday experience that we all love.”
Fisher says they approach it just like grandma would: Never run out!
“It’s gratifying to see [guests] try everything we’ve prepared,” says Jennifer Rama, director of food and beverage for the Four Seasons Resort Orlando, “… to get a sense of their excitement when they see the displays and selections we have laid out.”
As you might imagine, organizing the biggest food holiday of the year is no small task, even for resort-level hospitality pros.
“There’s a lot of detail to talk though, but it’s quite fun,” says Rama. “And when the team sees it all come together there’s a lot of pride and gratitude for one another.”
Also, gravy.
Chefs agree that’s sacrosanct, along with turkey and stuffing, fresh cranberries and mashed potatoes. But that doesn’t mean they can’t flex their creative muscle.
“We expand our menu in unique ways beyond the holiday traditions and change up the menu for every buffet, much to the delight of our guests,” says Michael Rumplik, executive chef for the Rosen Centre. Sometimes they even pull in fare from Rosen’s other dining outlets.
“At [this year’s] Thanksgiving buffet, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy sushi selections from Banshoo Sushi and Harry’s Yuca Cake from Harry’s Poolside Bar & Grill, among other non-traditional options,” he said.
Venoy Roberts III, executive chef at B Resort’s American Kitchen Bar & Grill, would never take turkey off the menu, but that doesn’t mean he won’t change up the ways in which it is served.
“I’ve done at least four versions of turducken [turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken] … including one where I deboned them all and layered them in a deep pan topped with duck skin. The three birds cooked together is out of this world!”
Over at the Ritz-Carlton’s Highball & Harvest, Chef de Cuisine Scott Pizzo and team enjoy stretching, but not too far.
“I like incorporating the history behind a dish and take a new approach,” he says. “For example, two years ago I did a play on what was the first Thanksgiving Day meal: salted pork, beans and ship’s bread. Ultimately, I like to ensure we infuse as much flavor as possible.”
Rama says that playing with food and flavor combinations are always fun, and sometimes even personal.
“One of our takes on stuffing is a recipe from one of our chef’s families that includes Ritz crackers,” she says.
Cornbread stuffing is on the Four Seasons menu, as well, along with a special DIY mac and cheese station. The base? A standard shell pasta with white cheddar sauce. The toppings? Plenty, including Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, caramelized onions, broccoli and spinach for the veggie fans and pork belly, barbecued chicken and bacon for the carnivores. That’s just a sampling, by the way.
Hotel buffets are refreshed regularly, “so the last guest of the day has the same dining opportunities as the first,” says Rumplik. And you should get all that out of the way first, as the non-refrigerated desserts, all agree, last best and longest on the buffet.
“We have traditional pies, s’mores cupcakes, egg nog-style tres leches, turtle cheesecake and pumpkin custard,” says the Four Seasons’ Rama.
Over at the Ritz, Pizzo says special offerings for Thanksgiving will include a stunning raw bar with cold water oysters, poached shrimp and crab claws with chilled wassail mignonette, cocktail sauce, Cajun remoulade and a hot sauce bar.
Thanksgiving, of course, isn’t the only fancy buffet on the holiday docket. Area resorts host near innumerable guests for the December holiday season — locals as well as on-property guests.
We’d guess some of these bookings occur just post-Thanksgiving, when the pressures of hosting friends and family — and the never-ending stream of dirty pans and dishes — are fresh in mind.
For Roberts, sharing his own traditions — along with new, creative spins on these traditions, rate high as he and his team welcome guests.
“And serving people moist turkey! A lot of people have never had that!”
amthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Turkey Day Options Around Town
There’s a flock of them — and reservations are highly recommended for each. Below prices may not reflect tax and gratuity.
Alfond Inn
Where: 300 E. New England Avenue in Winter Park
Time: Seatings at 1 and 4 p.m.
Price: $69, adults; $29, children ages 5-12, kids 4 and younger free
Parking: Complimentary valet
Reservations: 407-901-9155; thealfondinn.com
B Resort & Spa
Where: 1905 Hotel Plaza Blvd. in Orlando
Time: Noon-10 p.m.
Price: $29 adults (smaller portions for kids available for $14)
Parking: Valet and self-parking complimentary with validation
Reservations: 407-827-3080; bhotelsandresorts.com
Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista
Where: 8442 Palm Parkway in Orlando
Time: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Price: $29.99 adults; $13.99 children ages 4-11; kids 3 and younger free
Reservations: 407-996-7345; clarionlbv.com/holiday19
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World(R) Resort
Where: 10100 Dream Tree Boulevard in Lake Buena Vista
Time: 2-8 p.m.
Price: $115, adults; $45, children
Parking: Valet complimentary with dining reservation
Reservations: 407-313-6161
Gaylord Palms Resort
Where: 6000 W. Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee
Time:10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Price: $80, adults; $40, children ages 4-12, kids 3 and younger free
Parking: Complimentary self parking
Reservations: 407-586-1101; GaylordPalmsTickets.com
Hilton Orlando
Where: 6001 Destination Parkway in Orlando
Time: 2-6 p.m.
Price: $59, adults; $29, children 14 and younger
Parking: Complimentary valet
Reservations: 407-313-4300; thehiltonorlando.com
Rosen Centre
Where: 9840 International Drive in Orlando
Time: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Price: $50.95, adults pre-paid; $53.95 adults day of; $19.95, children ages 4-12, kids 3 and younger free
Parking: free
Reservations: 407-996-3969; rosencentre.com/thanksgiving
Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando
Where: 9000 International Drive in Orlando
Time: 3:30-9 p.m.
Price: $18.95, children 5 and younger eat free with paying adult (limit one child per paying adult)
Reservations: 407-996-8585; roseninn9000.com
Rosen Plaza
Where: 9700 International Drive in Orlando
Time: Noon-5 p.m.
Price*: $46.95, adults; $8.95, children aged 4-11, kids 3 and younger free
Parking: free
Reservations: 407-996-0256; rosenplaza.com/thanksgiving
Rosen Shingle Creek
Where: 9939 Universal Blvd. in Orlando
Time: 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Price*: $69.95 adults; $29.95 children ages 4-11, kids 3 and younger free, discount of 25% discount for Florida residents. Adults enjoy unlimited champagne and mimosas.
Parking: Complimentary valet
Reservations: 407-996-3663; rosenshinglecreek.com/thanksgiving
