Press Releases

Don’t Judge a Meal by Its Cover…  Especially When It’s Aluminum
Business Team Members Prepare Meals  in an “Aluminum Chef” Competition
                                                                      

Richmond, Va. (June 27, 2007) – Don’t judge a meal by its cover!  Culinary team building takes an innovative, shiny new twist at Virginia Crossings Resort, a Benchmark Hospitality International property located in Glen Allen, Virginia.  Known to be one of the Richmond area’s finest meeting and conference locations, Virginia Crossings Resort actually encourages competing business teams to present meals to award-winning Chef Todd Keegan, wrapped in….aluminum!   Thus, the apt title, “Aluminum Chef” competition.  

“It’s an effective twist on culinary team building.  The main goal for our culinary team building program is to create an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie among the participants.  It is also to have fun. Our pilot event with Mead Westvaco was a huge success and everyone seemed to love it,” says Tom Cupo, General Manager. 

In May, Mead Westvaco employees participated in the first “Aluminum Chef” competition.  The Mead Westvaco group broke off into five teams, each assigned to prepare a specific course for a sumptuous meal, later to be shared by the entire group.   Each team worked with a theme ingredient and additional fresh, raw ingredients to create a delectable culinary masterpiece.  Sounds simple and typical so far, but throw in this twist: each theme ingredient was required to be wrapped in aluminum foil and presented to the chef for cooking.  

Undaunted, the teams busily set to work and came up with their culinary aluminum-wrapped creations.  Each meal passed to the chef for the next stage.  The chef cooked each course, and declared a winner based on taste, presentation and creativity.  After the award ceremony, the attendees proceeded to the dining room where they served themselves family style.

When companies schedule conferences at Virginia Crossing Resort, they often schedule culinary team building as the culminating event.  Now they can ask for their event - aluminum style.

Virginia Crossings Resort (www.virginiacrossingsresort.com) is central Virginia’s premier, full-service resort.  Managed by Benchmark Hospitality International, the resort is located just 15 minutes north of downtown Richmond, VA on 20 + acres of flourishing landscaped campus grounds.  With design inspiration courtesy of Virginia’s rich colonial
history, Virginia Crossings Resort features 183 spacious master guestrooms and suites,
25,000 square feet of well-appointed function space, 18 holes of championship golf, activity Glen and multiple dining outlets.  Our newly renovated fitness center opened in March 2007.

Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, operates resorts, conference centers, hotels and condominium resorts both domestically and internationally.  For locations of Benchmark Hospitality properties and for additional information, visit Benchmark’s Website at www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

CONTACT:  Jean Mackay Vinson
Public Relations Coordinator
The Founders Inn and Spa  www.foundersinn.com
Virginia Crossings Resort  www.virginiacrossingsresort.com
757.366.5711 direct
757.366.5785 fax
jvinson@benchmarkmanagement.com