The latest hotelier to jump onboard the blogging bandwagon is Brad Nelson, Marriott’s Culinary VP and Corporate Chef who aims to follow in the footsteps of Marriott’s big kahuna, Bill Marriott, by starting his own food blog titled "Marriott in the Kitchen".

Fleishman-Hillard, the communications company behind the buzz and PR, says "Brad travels all over the world, working with Marriott chefs to try new tastes, develop recipes and menus and gather more flavor for the company’s hundreds of restaurants. Collecting pictures (He’s also a photographer, natch) and recipes from his travels, he’s long wanted to share his traveling adventures, recipes and photos with the world"





Q&A with Chef Brad Nelson, Culinary VP and Corporate Chef

What's your take on food blogs?
The food world is social and it does not surprise me that there are so many food inspired people out there that want to be heard. I also love food discussion, and listening to the myriad of very different and personal food likes and dislikes.

What do you hope to accomplish with Marriott in the Kitchen?
I would hope that this forum will provoke discussion on food, what the global traveler and diner is interested in and what we as a company of chefs can be inspired to deliver.

Tell us about your work outside of the blog.
Much of what we work on is strategic and directional, providing guidance to the various hotel brands on operating in the food and beverage space. I am lucky enough to work with great people and get inspired by them each day. Robin Uler has led food and beverage and operations at Marriott for many years, and her ability to visualize what the industry will be doing several years from now is truly amazing. All of the members of our team are excellent at what they do, and from our collective think tank we initiate change or initiatives designed to keep Marriott going forward.

Whether it be Trans-Fats, organic food, innovative restaurant designs, simple cooking, global food and beverage promotions, banquets that serve great food (absolutely NO rubber chicken dinners), or bar food that appeals, each program is handled as a team. I play a part in that, but would humbly offer that I do so as part of a greater group of like minded colleagues.

Do you think Marriott guests and consumers in general are getting savvier palates?
The days of a chef saying “That’s the way it’s supposed to be” are over …Thankfully. This transition began years ago, probably when nouvelle cuisine was in its heyday and the public was just supposed to like it because it was new. That lasted about five minutes and then we entered the “everything on mashed potatoes” phase. Equally rough.

Credit Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Wolfgang Puck for starting it if you will, but soon everyone had an interest in food and by the mid 80’s celebrity accompanied many chefs. The interest continues, and with that guests’ food knowledge has gotten very savvy and more importantly, informed. Travelers often base the success of their travels on the food they experience, but not always in the way first thought.

Gone are the days were “fine dining” was tuxedoed servers with menus indecipherable. Now, our guests demand excellent cooking skills paired with excellent ingredients … not the carved ice swan filled with sticky sweet sorbet served as that dreadful course once known as “intermezzo.” Trends are cyclical, but I sure hope that never comes back.

What would diners be surprised to know about you? About Marriott's cooking philosophy?
I hope our philosophy comes through in the food we serve. If not, I need to do a better job. That said, it really is about well prepared and seasoned food, food that is on trend but not in fad, food with a sense of place, and most importantly food that adds to the restaurant, banquet, or travel experience of our guests.

How often are you on the road?
I travel quite a bit, and though that may sound exciting, I spend a lot of time on runways, in cabs, and just getting there. I do love to go to our hotels and enjoy cooking with the many talented chefs in our company, so once I arrive in one of our hotels, all is well.

Best meal you've ever had while traveling?
Way too many to answer just one, but the best food I have had has always been the simplest food. The Dover Sole at the Wolsey in London, the Harris Ranch steak I had one night at Hawks Landing, our steakhouse at the Marriott Orlando World Center, the Oysters shucked and barbequed on the Tomales Bay California beach at the Hog Island Oyster company, or it could be the dinner or Arabic mezze in the middle of the desert in Dubai. All great meals, all perfectly simple.

Favorite region in which to travel and eat?
Italy for the food for sure, but I love Asia and especially the food of Thailand and Singapore.

If you hadn't become a chef, what do you think you would have done?
I don’t know, but I probably would have been a little skinnier.

Do you watch any of the reality TV chef shows? If so which ones?
I will probably get myself in trouble here … but very few reality shows of any kind, as I rarely find them steeped in reality. I am a huge fan however of Gordon Ramsey’s BBC series “Kitchen Nightmares.” That is true reality.

If you were a star of your own show, what would it be called?
What? I have enough to do. ;)

tags: brad-nelson, Fleishman-Hillard, marriott, blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, hotel-blogs, hospitality-blogs, culinary, cooking, gastronomy, recipes, cooks, chefs, new-hotel-blog, bill-marriott