We were sitting in the W Hotel New Orleans wondering why the hotel brand that had led such a revolution in the sector had so quickly lost its shine. The hotel just looked aging and plastic. One of the ideas we chatted about was the easy updates they could make – why weren’t those little apples they have in the lobbies of all their hotels from local producers? Anyway, we’re reminded of that discussion by news that Loews Hotels are making attempts to source their foods locally. In a press release Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels says, “In sourcing locally grown ingredients, many of which are organic or sustainable, we are not only supporting local farms but delighting our guests with fresh, flavorful and environmentally-friendly dishes.”. Here’s what else they’re up to:
• Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego – The resort partners with 12 local farming communities, and utilizes more than 60 seasonal herbs and vegetables from its own organic garden. One of the resort’s partners, Brandt Beef, is a family-owned producer that raises its animals humanely and naturally without hormones or the use of antibiotics. A pioneer of sustainable methods, Brandt Beef has received the Master Chefs’ Institute Seal of Excellence. To date, Brandt Beef is the only beef producer to receive this honor.
• Loews Miami Beach Hotel – The hotel turns to Paradise Farms in Homestead, FL for all of its fruits and vegetables and Triar Seafood for farm-raised Everglades striped bass. Paradise Farms works in harmony with nature to grow the finest quality delicious greens, micro-greens, herbs, edible flowers, fruits and vegetables. Paradise Farms Organic will only work with restaurants and hotels within a 60 mile radius in order to be friendlier to the environment and even uses a van rather than a truck to make all deliveries.
• Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson – At the hotel’s Ventana Room, native ingredients from the Tohono O’Odham Native American Nation appear on the new Desert Tasting menu, including syrup made from the exotic saguaro fruit, tepary beans that thrive in low-water environments, wild amaranth, native squash and locally ranched jojoba-fed beef. The hotel partners with the Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA), a non-profit farming organization that grows and harvests these desert ingredients using traditional desert flood-farming methods. The Ventana Room is the first and only restaurant in Tucson to incorporate fresh seasonal produce from TOCA.
• Loews Regency in New York – The hotel works with Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, the only artesian sheep’s milk producer in the Hudson Valley and the largest sheep dairy in the United States. Their flock is raised without artificial hormones and feeds on organically managed fields.
• Loews Philadelphia – The hotel works with Blue Moon Acres Farm in Bucks County Pennsylvania, which grows sustainable products and is committed to providing the highest quality organic produce with minimal impact on the environment. Blue Moon Acres has an extensive selection of greens and herbs available all year with specialty items available from season to season. SoleFood at Loews Philadelphia serves Blue Moon Acres Squash Salad with dried cranberries, goat cheese, and hazelnut vinaigrette.
• Loews Le Concorde in Quebec — The hotel’s signature Berarc Lamb Farm Carpaccio Topped with Blue Cheese of “Abbaye St-Benoit” is compliments of Berarc Farm, which feed its lambs with mother’s milk and organic grain.
• Loews Annapolis Hotel works with Springfield Farm in Sparks, MD, 58 miles from Annapolis. Springfield Farm practices sustainable agricultural methods where the animals are given only natural products, including free-range during the grass growing season. The hotel’s Breeze Restaurant serves Grilled Springfield Farm Beef Filet, served with port sauce,roasted fingerlings and onions confit.
As the seasons change, menus at Loews Hotels & Resorts will change to reflect the seasonal ingredients available from the local farmers.
Loews Hotels
Loews Press Release
[via SpringWise]
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