Dallas, TX, The Radisson DFW South in Irving, TX, recently hosted the Hospitality Management Corporation F&B Conference held March 19-21, 2007. Attendees included F&B Directors, Executive Chefs, and Catering staff from HMC’s portfolio of managed properties.

Guest speakers included representatives from Starbucks Coffee Company, McCormick & Company, Meats By Linz, and The Hotel Sales Coach. Other lectures were presented on Mining for Catering Dollars, Conducting Interviews, and a demonstration was given on Dessert Presentation. On one evening the attendees were treated to dinner and a dazzling hibachi-style chef performance at Benihana.

The highlight of the Conference was an Iron Chef Competition. There were five teams participating, and medals were given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The 1st Place team won for their “Silky Yucatan Corn-Crab Bisque.” The team consisted of Ali Zoubi, F&B Director/Exec. Chef at the Green Oaks Hotel in Ft. Worth, TX; Blake Lyles, Chef at the Holiday Inn in Denton, TX; Marci Benoit, F&B Director at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tulsa, OK; and Sal Mendoza, GM/F&B Director at the Regency Hotel in Dallas, TX.

The 1st Place Iron Chef Team accepts their gold medals. L-R: Ali Zoubi, F&B Director/Exec. Chef at the Green Oaks Hotel, Ft. Worth, TX; Blake Lyles, Chef at the Holiday Inn, Denton, TX; Marci Benoit, F&B Director at the Hilton Garden Inn, Tulsa, OK; Leo Spriggs, President/CEO of HMC; Sal Mendoza, GM/F&B Director at the Regency Hotel, Dallas, TX; Bill Sullivan, CFO of HMC.

Outstanding hotels were presented with awards at a gala banquet on the last night of the conference:

  • The award for HMC’s Food & Beverage Property of the Year was won for the second consecutive year by the Radisson DFW South in Irving, TX.

  • Other awards for 2006 were presented to the Hilton Garden Inn in Tulsa, OK, and the Radisson Penn Harris in Camp Hill/Harrisburg, PA

Hospitality Management Corporation (HMC), founded in 1971, is a privately owned independent management company, and is one of the oldest independent hotel management firms in the lodging industry. For over three decades, HMC has provided hotel management services for third party institutional and private owners. The company’s headquarters has been located in Dallas, Texas, since its inception.