HYATT REGENCY BOSTON—At Hyatt Regency Boston, meeting break menus change annually, but there are a few corporate-mandated breaks that always make the cut.

“The mandated ones—Trail Mix, Healthy, and Snack Time breaks—are some of the most frequently ordered,” says Kelly Arnetta, executive chef. “We still have ownership because the content of each break is up to us, and we have fun with the customizing.”

For example, Arnetta and Director of Catering David Mediano handpick treats such as malted milk balls, Swedish fish, Mike and Ikes, Skittles, Mentos, Twizzlers, popcorn, Terra Chips, and chocolate-covered apples (on sticks) for the Snack Time break. Then they play with the presentation options.

“We can mix up the snacks and distribute them in oversized martini glasses that sit in front of each setting in the boardroom,” says Mediano. “Or we can line up old-fashioned fishbowl-shaped candy jars so people can scoop out their favorites.”

A natural addition to this “candy shoppe” vibe is the Soda Fountain option listed in the à la carte portion of the break menu. Clients can order it with an attendant (think “soda jerk”) who uses a soda siphon and syrup dispensers to serve a variety of bubbly concoctions. Also a blast from the past, diner-style straw dispensers are part of the setup, and syrup options include sarsaparilla, black cherry, birch beer, cola, orange, and Moxie soda.

“A little trivia about Moxie,” Arnetta says, “is that it was endorsed by 1950s Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams. Most people in the rest of the country don’t know what Moxie is, but it’s still popular in New England.”

Ice cream is on hand for mixing up floats with any of the sodas, and Arnetta offers up another bit of nostalgia in the form of the egg cream.

“This drink had its beginnings in the late 1800s at drugstores in Brooklyn,” Arnetta explains. “It’s made with milk, chocolate syrup, and plain soda, which are stirred so that the foam on top resembles whipped egg whites. Even though it originated in New York, we can sneak by selling it in Boston.”

In honor of this fierce, age-old New York/Boston rivalry, the food and beverage team at the Hyatt Regency surprised meeting attendees last January by creating a customized break during the weekend of Super Bowl Sunday.

“We had a company hosting their meeting here that weekend, so we came up with a New York Giants versus New England Patriots break,” says Mediano. The breakout room was decorated with football jerseys and pennants from both teams, and the menu boasted small plates of Fenway franks alongside Nathan’s Coney Island hot dogs, Boston Bakery pizza against New York-style thin crust, and New England clam chowder next to Manhattan clam chowder. “We even had ‘Big Apple’ pie pitted against Boston cream pie,” says Arnetta. “Even though the Patriots lost the Super Bowl, the client loved our ideas. So it wasn’t a total loss.”

MARKET PAVILION—The Market Pavilion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, hosts upscale meetings run by corporate board members, CEOs, and insurance companies who often choose to maximize their time by opting for a working meeting break. To this end, Market Pavilion offers experiential breaks that encourage discussion, foster learning, and develop teambuilding.

“In the Topics & Tapas break, for instance, breakout rooms are divided into several sections, each representing a different meeting topic,” says Elaina Palassis England, director of sales and marketing. “Each section also has a different array of small plates. Attendees spend a specific amount of time brainstorming, discussing, and, of course, eating at each station.” Executive Chef Demetre Castanas prepares small dishes like Lowcountry Blue Crab Chowder, Tuna Tower (tuna tartare with lump crab and avocado with lemon chili oil), Tomato Napoleon (fried green tomato with shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese, and roasted tri-color pepper coulis), and Kobe Beef Tartare (with capers, Dijon mustard, herbs, and potato gaufrette).

For off-topic learning, Chef Castanas hosts the Culinary Showcase break that has a setup much like something you’d see on a televised cooking show. Since the hotel’s Grill 225 restaurant is Charleston’s only 100 percent USDA Prime beef steakhouse, Castanas hosts a series of “courses” entitled Prime Beef 101, 201, and 301. These are available for the showcase breaks. The first course focuses primarily on different cuts of beef, with Prime grade at the pinnacle and USDA Utility/Cutter/Canner beef on the bottom rung. In the next chapter of the series, Castanas extols the virtues of wet-aging beef versus dry-aging. The final course explains the importance of using handpicked USDA Prime beef.

“With every showcase break, Castanas prepares beef recipes for the audience, and sometimes [like during Charleston’s Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition] he presents cuts of wild game like boar or venison,” says England. “This is our most popular break because it’s timely. People want to learn about what goes into their bodies.”

For a fun and effective teambuilding activity, Pastry Chef Gerry Elliot created the Food Arts break. A selection of decorative fruits and ingredients are presented to teams of novice chefs (a.k.a. meeting attendees), which they must assemble to create their own artistic dessert interpretations.

“Edible essentials are prepared in advance [flans, chocolate spires, cakes, mousses, tuile cookies, creams, fillings, and showpiece tools] for this hands-on culinary break,” England says. “It encourages patisserie masterpieces worthy of Le Cordon Bleu.”—