What comes to mind at the mention of a business conference? For many, the first images include boring lectures and bland food. Experts say only 38% of event planners prioritize attendance over engagement in 2023.
Perhaps that’s why you may already be dreading the meeting.
While you cannot control the meeting content or charisma of the speakers, you can attend a conference where the food is creative and delicious. Although it may sound far-fetched, such a place exists.
In Honor of an Icon
The DOUGLAS, Autograph Collection in Vancouver, BC (the DOUGLAS) is named for the mighty Douglas fir, one of the world’s tallest tree species and a significant contributor to Vancouver’s economic growth. It is a boutique luxury resort with nature-inspired elements throughout the facility.
Details matter. The DOUGLAS hits all the right notes with those details, whisking you away on a forest retreat. A striking glass check-in counter encases a 25-foot replica Douglas fir log. Dim lighting in the halls gives the feeling of strolling through a forest. Wooden door frames remind you of a log cabin, and room ceilings resemble a forest canopy.
Reasons to Hold a Business Conference at the DOUGLAS
Vancouver, a picturesque Canadian city, offers beautiful views of the ocean and lush forests against a mountain backdrop. The DOUGLAS is an urban base camp sitting within Parq Vancouver on the edge of Yaletown and is a stone’s throw from Gastown.
Guests have easy access to some of Vancouver’s best city and natural attractions. The DOUGLAS offers 188 rooms and suites for accommodations, while Parq Vancouver provides 60,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
A unique combination of boutique style with luxury amenities paves the way for happy attendees. The airy, comfortable meeting space sets the tone for productive meetings. However, the creative and delicious cuisine is where the DOUGLAS shines. You may wonder who the genius is behind the culinary creations.
Executive Chef Kunal Dighe
Meet Kunal Dighe, the dual property executive chef at JW Marriott Parq Vancouver and the DOUGLAS. His warm, friendly smile matches a genuinely caring personality. Couple that with his kitchen mastery, and you have someone special. Dighe thinks outside the box, forging changes in the kitchen and the Vancouver community.
The executive chef encourages creativity and expression in his culinary team, allowing them to shine with their creations. Accordingly, he has fostered a culture of teamwork, encouragement, and support. The philosophy has energized the team to improve sustainability efforts and give back to the community.
Dighe received the Heart of Hospitality Award at the 2023 BC Hotel Association Awards of Excellence. He recognized that 58% of all food produced in Canada is wasted or lost. Further, one in nine people in British Columbia experience food insecurity. The sobering statistics did not sit well with Dighe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he set out to make a difference.
Large-scale kitchens, by nature, produce high volumes of waste. Dighe focused on better food ordering, utilization, and composting procedures to turn the tide. He partnered with Vancouver Food Runners, a local organization that distributes meals to needy people. Through the partnership, Dighe and his team provided 63 food donations, an equivalent of 4,629 meals in the city.
In Executive Chef Kunal Dighe’s Own Words
I had the privilege of asking Dighe a few questions. His culinary and hospitality passions shine through in his answers.
What brings you the most joy in preparing food for guests at the DOUGLAS?
The DOUGLAS is a unique brand, “Exactly Like Nothing Else.” I truly enjoy preparing food for our guests because of the connection with the forest, and Douglas fir tree, an extension of the awe-inspiring nature. The DOUGLAS brand allows me to use exclusive wild and foraged ingredients from local farms and rainforests; it is so joyful to use beautiful elements and turn them into artful dishes.
Where do you find ideas or concepts for your creative dishes?
My idea or concept is a balance and combination of team brainstorming and investing time in solitude to cultivate ideas at the highest level. We are committed to avoiding repetition with food items, which keeps us excited to generate new ideas; as a culinary team, we do in-depth planning of each dish to execute a DOUGLAS experience.
What is your favorite dish to create and why?
My favorite is designing dessert shows; I invest a fair amount of time planning and executing the dessert as we want to put on a mesmerizing performance that our guests will store as magical memories.
What inspired you to pursue your sustainability initiatives? How do you continue to build on that success?
My culinary team’s purpose is “We connect people through the power of food!” Yes, we want to deliver the best possible experience to our guests but in a practical, sustainable way; I’m always mindful of our actions in our kitchen as together we can change our surroundings positively; I am inspired by Marriott’s “Serve 360” goal, to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025 and serve our community in 360 degrees. As I move forward in my sustainability journey, I want to spread awareness and start a conversation in every kitchen about reducing food waste and enhancing carbon consciousness in growing the next generation of chefs.
Positive Outlook for Business Conferences
Dighe’s thoughtful and inspired approach to everything is a precursor of what you can expect from the food. Passion and creativity take center stage in the team’s presentations. The flavors from the wild, foraged ingredients dance upon the tongue, drawing contagious, broad smiles throughout the room. Suddenly the thought of a business conference is enticing.
This article originally appeared on Media Decision.
Featured image credit: Marriott Hotels
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