Creator and Created

Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel:

Stories behind “You are the Chef” Annual Awards Dinner Party

Interview: Cherry Li  Chinese Version: Vivian  English Version: Linda 

Photos: by Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel & Wendy

Sophisticated gold-accent decor, extravagantdinner, warm hospitality, attentive service,enthralling entertainment and touching award giving ceremony constituted “You are the Chef”Annual Awards Dinner Party 2008, to which the 5-star Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel played host at the night of Nov 28, 2008. It was the second time the luxury hotel co-organized the event, which debuted on Dec 7, 2007. The hotel—from management to the entire staff—had been dedicated to orchestrating a successful event with unrivaled enthusiasm, in which its facilities, service, food and teamwork spirit combined to prove the capability of an established hotel to host big events.

It is natural that people want to know how the hotel has successfully hosted the event, jointly organized by the International Channel Shanghai (ICS), main portal sina.com and Grand Hotels magazine, which drew huge crowds — general managers of the Chinese branches of Fortune 500 companies, consuls based in Shanghai, government officials and the media as well as senior executives with international hotels in Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sanya and Shanghai. To satisfy their curiosity, Grand Hotels invited the planners directly responsible for the annual awards ceremony—Hartmut Schaller (General Manager), Michael Sam (Director of Food & Beverages), Lisa Wu (Assistant Director of F&B), Michael Rauter (Executive Chef, Western Kitchen) and Michelle Chong (Communications Manager)—at the start of the year for behind-the-scene stories.

In his masterpiece The Art of War, Sun Tzu said: “Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:— this is the art of retaining self-possession.” (tr. Lionel Giles) Mr. Schalller, the general manager surrounding whom the whole plan had been devised and implemented, gave the credit to the entire team during the interview for their devotion and cohesiveness, observing: “I can still remember my first day in this hotel as its general manager, which coincided with the first “You are the Chef” Annual Awards Dinner Party. The event meant more to me when it returned in 2008, since my colleagues and I had personally involved in and contributed to it.” With the greater part of his comments devoted to teamwork and co-operation, the general manager proudly added, “The Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel is proven to be one of the finest in town capable of hosting an event like this, backed up by an experienced team. The success is the result of the dedication and intelligence of every staff.”

He frankly admitted that the biggest challenges had been coordinating between the sponsors and the menu, giving the credit to the director of F&B, Michael Sam, under whose baton the orchestra, consisting of all the sponsors, gave an enjoyable concert that was the award dinner party. “As it was the second time for the hotel to host the event, we had the experience and a mature team to expedite the process,” said Sam, the chief coordinator and a key figure backstage. He added that coordinating between the sponsors had posed a big challenge. The head of the F&B department was obliged to personally interview every sponsor and check up items like dinnerware, wine, flower, food, beverage and glass to ensure superior quality and that the attendees’ aesthetics and tastes would be met, however difficult.

A successful dinner party is made up of sophisticated ambiance, attentive service and, above all, extravagant dinner in which Michael Rauter, executive chef of Western Kitchen, played a vital role in this case. Several reasons account for the fact that the dinner is far from simple. One, you can’t please all, especially when present are many senior hotel executives and experts in food and beverages. Two, cost control is the priority and difficult in the midst f the economic gloom, so a lavish dinner consistent with the budget is preferred. Three, how to ensure that every link is perfect and every step properly taken in such a big event, from sourcing ingredients to serving dishes? Under pressure, some will lose spirit, some just go forward. The careful planning and execution of Michael and his team of 25 chefs bore fruits—the menu and food earned great admiration of the guests.

If we compare the dinner party to a giant machine, sponsors must be the core components. A good many first-class international brands were involved to raise the hotel’s standards in hosting events and enhance the taste. Now let us look back on the event evening: The carefully constructed decor is in glittering gold to make for a dreamy atmosphere. The stage is adorned withflower works designed by Sebastien, a promising French floral artist, so is every tabletop. Tasty delights like Elders choice beef shipped directly from Australia and L.VANNAMEI shrimps, which are widely used in cooking Chinese dishes, tickle everyone’s palate. No dinner party is perfect without good wines. Every dish manages to find a match in the fine collection provided by Torres China, and the wine is served in Chef & Sommelier glasses by ARC, the sensual designs of which reflect the gem of the wine culture. Some of the staff have been busy safeguarding the trophies, shiny glass plaques made by Schott Zwiesel, an expert in machineblown glass products for professionals, for a couple of days before they are eventually presented to the winners, undamaged… There are so many that I can’t name one by one.

Lisa Wu made modest remarks during the interview. The F&B Assistant Director has been working with the hotel since day one and personally engaged in the two “You are the Chef” Annual Awards dinner parties. “I have been working on trivial things, trying hard to take every respect into account.” People say that the devil is in the detail, and Ms. Wu, being down-to-earth and conscientious, has won acclaim from the guests, all of whom delighted with the high-quality service and inviting atmosphere. She seemed to be everywhere, keeping the serving time this minute, and coordinating entertainment the next. She strived to maintain the service standards and accuracy, exhibiting professionalism and strong sense of responsibility.

Michelle Chong is the hotel’s communications manager. It was through her ceaseless efforts that the Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel had been involved in co-organizing “You are the Chef” Annual Awards Dinner Party together with ICS, sina.com and Grand Hotels. The unprecedented event was not only televised, but also reported in detail by sina.com and Grand

Hotels magazine, and Ms. Chong had been instrumental in the hotel’s communication with the media partners through whose coverage the hotel’s ability to host large events and social activities was shown to the customers. Hotel PRs are often thought to be doing nothing everyday but dealing with people, which is easy. However, without their offstage efforts there will be no performance on the stage. “We can’t avoid strange interludes or unexpected situations, even though it’s our second time. Luckily, we have turned them all into pleasant surprises, at last,” Ms. Chong said cheerfully.

When you received the invitation, signed the register, walked into the ballroom, raised the wine glass, picked up the knife and fork, or held the trophy high, when you were intoxicated with the night of awards, did it occur to you that what was in front of you, what was in your hands and what you could feel were owing to the longtime dedication of the hardworking hotel staff? Rome wasn’t built in a day. Maybe this is the genuine appeal of an established 5-star international hotel. We would thank the Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel for giving us the most memorable experience in 2008.