hef Ryan Hardy of the Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado, believes buffets can often be a turn-off for hotel or special event guests, so he developed a unique Farmers’ Marketthemed buffet.

“The buffet was inspired by the traveling markets in France that have their own charcuterie, fish butchers, cheesemongers, and bakeries. When I developed it, I really wanted to knock my guests’ socks off with the freshness and taste of the food, and I also wanted to interact with them just as vendors at a market would. My staff and I man almost every action station to talk with guests about the food— where it came from and how it was made.”

The buffet is conversation worthy because Hardy uses organic and locally grown and raised foods—some from his recently purchased, stocked, and planted farm—and presents them simply and rustically to blend with the market theme. For instance, seasonal cheeses (including fresh goat and sheep’s milk cheese made by Hardy himself) are presented on a cutting board atop a bed of straw and placed inside a replica of a chicken coop. A chef stands behind it to slice the cheese and describe each one to guests. A cured meat station features a replica of an antique Berkel prosciutto slicer, alongside homemade salamis like fennel-cured Tuscan wild boar and Hungarian elk.

Another station is embellished with large wooden crates filled with fresh peaches, cherries, tomatoes, heads of greens, and bouquets of basil, accompanied by platters of salads ranging from tomato and mozzarella to roasted peach and goat cheese. Other stations include sliced meats (featuring locally raised lamb, beef, pheasant, or chicken), homemade pastas (e.g., spaghetti with lamb Bolognese sauce and asparagus and mascarpone ravioli), and desserts (including custard with homemade strawberry rhubarb preserves).

“This kind of specialized buffet,” says Hardy, “does cost more, but it looks and tastes better. Plus, the guest leaves with not just a quick, finite meal in his or her belly, but an unforgettable experience that appeals to all five senses.”

Ashley Brown Allen is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B