Vince Lombardi’s motivational
musings inspired the Green Bay
Packers to multiple championships
in the 1960s. Although he died in
1970, his ideas still inspire others
outside of football—including the
owners of the Blair House Inn in
Wimberley, Texas. At Blair House,
about 30 minutes southwest of
Austin, Lombardi’s wisdom forms
the backbone of the 12-room country
inn’s corporate teambuilding
program.
“Lombardi’s philosophy of team
play was based on individuals carrying
out their assignments to be
successful, which I think applies to
cooking too,” says Mike Schneider,
co-owner of the Blair House Inn.
“Each person has to complete their
job on time for dinner to be successful,
and it can be taught to [meeting
attendees] in the kitchen.”
Initially, Schneider, along with
co-owner and wife Vickie, focused
on leisure guests when starting
their multi-day cooking school
about eight years ago. Positive
press and word of mouth followed,
including a Food Network feature
about the inn’s Texas BBQ Camp.
“Weekends are full here, so our
challenge is to fill mid-week. That’s
when our cooking school works
best for us,” says Schneider.
Approximately three years later,
cooking retreats for corporate
groups were introduced as a way to
build on that early success. “The biggest
thing for us is it creates a point
of difference from other operations,
especially around Texas,” says Vickie
Schneider. “We’re hands-on—that’s
our niche.”
“Hands-on” at Blair House means
“90 percent for the student and about
10 percent demonstration by me,”
says Executive Chef Norris Sebastian.
“In my past, it was the opposite, so
this is new and fun for me.”
Sebastian—who started his career
with Four Seasons 25 years ago and
was also the executive sous chef of
AquaKnox restaurant at the Venetian
in Las Vegas—is Blair House’s
“coach” in the kitchen, assessing talent
and assigning tasks to attendees,
based on the menus they’ve selected.
Class size is limited to around 10
people due to the small footprint
of Blair House’s kitchen, but this
scenario also allows Sebastian to
“coach” effectively should assistance
be needed, which happens more
often with business clients.
“With corporate groups, there’s
usually someone that’s a little uncomfortable,”
says Sebastian. “But
once they’re working side-by-side
on certain dishes, I think the time
they spend in an intimate setting is
beneficial when they return to the
office.”
Because the classes are 90 percent
hands-on, Sebastian says he’s always
conscious of safety, whether it’s a
knife, hot stove, or potentially volatile
ingredients such as hot peppers.
“I can gauge someone quickly
just by the way they walk around
the kitchen or pick up a knife. I’m
always making jokes and keeping
everybody comfortable, and through
that I figure out where people are
in their skill level so I don’t have a
novice doing something technical,”
says Sebastian.
Relax and Return
A corporate group usually stays for
two days, and companies often buy
out the property for a retreat. Nine
of the 12 rooms are stand-alone
cottages, surrounded by 23 acres of
scenic Texas Hill Country, with hiking
trails, a pool, spa, and multiple
outdoor lounge areas.
Attendees have more than a
dozen menus to choose from, executing
three to five courses each
day, sometimes for both lunch and
dinner. Seasonal and regional ingredients
are sourced from around the
Hill Country, and in addition to
BBQ Camp, one of the most popular
classes is Nuevo Texas Cuisine,
where attendees make chipotle
fettuccini, grilled catfish enchiladas,
bread with local Shiner Bock
and molasses, and more.
Because the calendar fills
quickly with leisure travelers, Blair
House hosts executive culinary retreats
about once per quarter. The
companies are often big names
with high expectations: Tyson
Foods (Dallas), Williams Gas Pipeline
(Tulsa), Chaine des Rotisseurs
(San Antonio), and Texas Performing
Arts (Austin), to name a few.
Those at Blair House know
those high expectations have
been met if they see repeat
business. Being a 12-room inn
means they won’t be hosting a
larger group later, but they will
see those corporate influencers
and their employees return with
their families as leisure travelers.
Schneider says approximately 60
percent of their business comes
from return bookings.
Before opening Blair House,
Schneider spent 13 years at multiple
Hyatt properties, working in
F&B, purchasing, and as a general
manager. He says for a larger hotel,
offering smaller, managementonly
cooking retreats can have a
huge impact on business later. A
rebooking might include a few
hundred or a few thousand employees
for a multi-day conference.
“When [executives] come here,
it’s to create a bonding situation they
feel is not present at their company,”
says Schneider. “But that bonding
does happen while working together
in a kitchen, because everyone is
contributing toward one goal.”
Michael Costa is industry relations editor for
Hotel F&B.
