RITZ-CARLTON SARASOTA—The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, Florida, capitalizes on its prime agricultural location when developing menus and is particularly proud of its fresh and fragrant meeting breaks. About 70 miles away from the hotel is Plant City, where more than 75 percent of the nation’s mid-winter strawberries are grown, so building a break around strawberries was a natural choice.

“We’ve made our Plant City Harvest break very casual and outdoorsy, reminiscent of a picnic,” says Kimberly Pate, director of sales and former catering director. “We use red-and-white gingham linens, lots of baskets and bushels, and strawberry-scented candles for presentation enhancements, and the menu is fabulous.”

Cold strawberry soup served in shooter glasses, strawberry macarón, and strawberry pâte de fruit are ready-made options. Meeting attendees also choose from a selection of make-your-own treats including pound cake cubes and strawberries that can be dipped into their choice of three chocolate fountains.

“They can also make their own strawberry shortcake,” adds Pate. “Pound cake and marinated strawberries are served along with crème fraîche and brown sugar for mini shortcakes, and we have strawberry lemonade and iced tea for the finishing touches.”

Sarasota itself is an agricultural hot spot, since it was the location that Anthony Rossi, founder of Tropicana Products, chose for his first orange groves in 1947. For the Citrus Break, placards detailing Sarasota’s history are set atop tables covered with vibrant orange linens, while orange and lemon trees waft subtle fragrances, and citrus-laden menu items abound.

“We have candied orange slices; chocolate and blood orange mousse cake; orange almond tart; and an orange, lemon, and Key lime frosted tart with Cointreau Chiboust,” says Pate. “There are also lemon meringue tarts, grapefruit and orange salad in martini glasses, shooters of chilled orange soup, and Champagne flutes of Orangina.”

Perhaps the only menu in the hotel’s meeting repertoire not centered around fruit is the Say Cheese break. A uniformed chef makes mini cheese soufflés aside a table set with imported and domestic cheese displays, nuts, and assorted European breads. The chef also makes grilled cheese sandwiches to order, and the selections take this childhood favorite to a new level.

“Guests have two choices: Vermont smoked cheddar, ham, and Granny Smith apples on sourdough, or buffalo mozzarella with truffle oil on rye. Those combined with the hot-from-the-oven cheese soufflés really wow our clients,” adds Pate.

In each of Ritz-Carlton Sarasota’s breaks, no matter what food group they are based upon, there is an obvious appeal to taste but also a key provocation of sight and smell. Who doesn’t like a sensory build-up before digging in?

WYNDHAM PHOENIX—At the Wyndham Phoenix Hotel, a short walk from the Phoenix Convention Center, meeting break menus are teeming with variety since clients are often sampling them for four or five days in a row.

“On day one, most meeting attendees want standards like cookies, chips, coffee, and soda, but they’re not going to want those things all week long,” says Michael Incorvaia, director of catering. “For that reason, we have 11 break menus, and each has something different and exciting to offer.”

For morning breaks, the hotel features a creative spin on pastries with items like Italian fruit crostadas, puff pastry raspberry leaves, hazelnut and coco nib biscotti, apple turnovers, English scones (with Devonshire cream, fruit preserves, and marmalade), cinnamon crumb strudel, and white chocolate chip banana muffins. For variations on standard fruit offerings, there are frozen chocolate-covered bananas, sliced apples with chocolate and caramel fondue, and seasonal fruit skewers with vanilla yogurt dip.

“We’ve recently expanded our à la carte menu to include a Bake Shop by the Dozen section, featuring sliced zucchini, morning glory, banana, and poppy seed breads; plain and chocolate croissants; cinnamon rolls and pecan sticky buns; and even Dunkin’ Donuts,” adds Incorvaia. “For folks who want something more savory and substantial, we’ve included hot items like empanadas with eggs, cheese, and chorizo.”

Back to sweet selections, afternoon breaks have a plethora of items to bring back that morning sugar high. White and dark chocolate cheesecake truffles, double fudge brownies, chocolate éclairs, mandarin orange tarts, lemon squares, and lemon poppy seed cake with citrus cream are just a few. If those aren’t enough, the à la carte menu adds more temptation in the form of house-made Rice Krispies squares, walnut blondies, jumbo cookies, and espresso brownies.

“One of our most popular afternoon breaks is sweet but simple,” says Incorvaia. “We have vanilla and tiramisu cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla icing, and we set out toppings such as colored sprinkles and Oreo and Heath Bar crumbles. Those, along with some ice cold chocolate and vanilla milk, are really all it takes to satisfy a sweet tooth.”

One salty stand-out among the sugary afternoon treats at Wyndham Phoenix is the gourmet stuffed hot pretzel, which comes in four varieties: mozzarella pizza, jalapeño cheddar, apple, and blueberry.

“We found that a lot of our clients like to add a salty item to our sweet breaks, and the stuffed pretzel has become the most popular add-on. It’s delicious and different, but not so different that people don’t recognize what they’re getting,” Incorvaia says. “That is the sentiment behind our breaks in general. We offer items that have some element of the unusual but that are familiar at the same time.”

Ashley Brown Allen, based in Arlington, Virginia, is a professional freelance writer covering topics related to food and beverage, travel, and corporate event planning.