BlackBerry breaks recharge bodies—and electronics—at the Four Seasons Las Vegas.
Meeting attendees enjoy fruit-and-technology-inspired breaks at the Four Seasons Las Vegas. Participants not only recharge themselves with blackberry-based menu offerings, but they are pampered by a “BlackBerry valet” who cleans and recharges their smartphones and also offers advice, answers technical questions, and provides troubleshooting service. For those without handheld devices, a kiosk with multiple stations can be provided for checking e-mail.

“We call our experts BlackBerry Super Attendants. These employees are knowledgeable senior staffers from our IT department,” says Dawn Woodhouse, director of catering and conference services. “Attendees simply leave their smartphones at the beginning of the meeting break, with a name tag placed on the power cord. Each device is cleaned and placed in a charging station, and attendees are given a claim ticket so they may collect their equipment efficiently with no mix-ups.”

As for the blackberry menu, Executive Pastry Chef Jean Luc Daul created the imaginative fare using fresh products sourced seasonally from California, Argentina, and British Columbia. Decorative glassware and oversized Martini glasses are brimming with fresh berries, and blackberry-citrus smoothies are served in shot glasses. Ginger duck breast with blackberry compote is served in a chilled cucumber cup. Blackberry ceviche is a seafood-free offering of fresh berries “cooked” in citrus juices, pepper, and garlic, tossed with olive oil, cilantro, and salt, garnished with fried plantain chips.

Bittersweet mini-domes of chocolate-blackberry-orange mousse are presented on hazelnut praline crust with blackberry glaze. Blackberry pound cake, no-bake cheesecake with blackberry filling, and floating island with blackberry-vanilla sauce are on the buffet menu. Optional attended chef stations offer drama in the form of flaming blackberries jubilee served with shortbread cookie and vanilla ice cream or amaretto sabayon topped with vanilla ice cream and blackberry compote.

The BlackBerry Break, also offered at the Four Seasons Miami and Ritz-Carlton Chicago, is priced at $23 per person for a minimum of 30 guests. The BlackBerry Super Attendant is $200 per expert per 30-minute break and requires a 48- hour advance reservation. “Options for beautiful purple and black linens and floral arrangements make this a gorgeous presentation,” says Woodhouse. “And these breaks give us the opportunity to inject fun and creativity into the client’s meeting day.”

La Quinta Resort & Lodge goes piquant with citrus-inspired refreshment breaks.
The adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” supplies an appealing theme for meeting breaks at Palm Springs’ La Quinta Resort & Club, where fresh lemons, tangelos, and limes are grown on-property.

“The visual impact of 300 lemons under glass on a rustic wooden table is complemented by the energizing citrus scent of freshly prepared lemon-based food items,” says Jeff Lunak, executive chef and director of culinary development. Lemon poppy seed panini are constructed from grilled house-made bread filled with Meyer lemon cream cheese. Crispy lemon finger cookies are flavored with lemon-infused syrup and zest. Meyer lemon parfaits are composed of Greek yogurt, lemon zest, and vanilla bean. House-made mini-waffle cones contain one-bite servings of lemon sorbet. The juicing station adds an interactive component.

A coffee-inspired break offers custom iced coffees frozen via liquid nitrogen. “Granita-like in consistency, these are wildly popular with guests,” says Lunak. “We also freeze espresso coffee bean ice cream on the spot, offer house-made Kona coffee-cardamom truffles, espresso and milk chocolate biscotti, a streusel-like coffeecake cupcake stuffed with espresso chocolate mousse, and we feature self-serve French press coffee service.”

La Quinta’s ballpark-themed break takes attendees outdoors, where dynamic mountain and desert vistas abound on 22 acres. A hot dog stand offers made-to-order ballpark-style franks, customized depending upon guests’ tastes and regionality: Chicago, big city red, Vienna, or kosher dogs, all served on house-made poppy seed buns. Truffle-Parmesan and cracked-pepper popcorn are “vended” at a popcorn stand. Cotton candy, roasted and grilled peanuts, slush drinks, Italian ice cream cones, fresh lemonade, and vintage-brand sodas round out the sports-themed menu.

In keeping with the natural-rustic-elegant theme of the 1926 resort property, both presentation and service features are made of natural materials. “We use wooden risers, cedar planks, decorative slate, and other stone,” says Lunak. “Absolutely no stainless steel or Plexiglas. And no conventional plates. It makes us more thoughtful and creative in our design, and our guests find it intriguing.”

• Perfect Iced Coffee in a variety of flavors for a cool, refreshing drink, shake, or alcoholic beverage.

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