I think I ate more last week than I have all year.
Double whammy of judging a catering contest and hanging out with the hospitality folks at the Quail Hollow Championship. I know - heavy lifting!
I got a media pass this year to cover the golf tournament. My beat? The food. I'm doing a new project on sports events and hospitality. Basically, that means I get to go behind the scenes at some cool Charlotte events and eat well. Oh yeah, and take lots of notes and interview a bunch of people.
I spent quite a bit of time with John Sergi, the local food and hospitality guru who's also the consultant for Citifield in NY and US Open Tennis. He's set the table (so to speak) for the golf tournament since the beginning. It was fun to trail him around the course but it was also pretty filling! I'll keep you posted on the project - I'm including some NASCAR stuff and the Panthers, so it'll be at least the fall before I'm finished.
I can tell you that the research and work behind what they serve at Quail Hollow is pretty amazing. It not only influences what is served, but where. They even put a lot of thought into what to serve the media. And trust me, we're not picky.
The other event was the very cleverly named "So You Think You Can Cater." It was a fun contest to help get the word out about the new Vintage Motor Club in Concord. You can read about it here. Nine entrees, nine desserts. I think I gained five pounds. My fellow judges were terrific - former Panther Mike Rucker, Chef Jim Noble, Robert Krumbine from Center City Partners and MC Lou Petrozza, the wonderful local chef who made it all the way to second place on Hell's Kitchen.
Do we all look really full? This picture was taken just after judging finished. Thanks to Colleen Brannan from Branstorm PR for all her help and for inviting me to take part. Colleen and I are supposed to have lunch this week. After all that food, though, maybe we'll just make it for coffee!
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