MSilver

Gourmet TV Show Comes to The Residences At The Ritz-Carlton, Dragon Bay

 On the heels of the annual Cayman Cookout culinary festival that just took place in January, world-renowned chef Eric Ripert has selected Grand Cayman as the featured destination for two episodes of his PBS television show “Avec Eric”. He will be taping his show right in the Dragon Bay community, home to the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and Chef Eric’s own award-winning restaurant Blue by Eric Ripert.

 

The first Grand Cayman episode is scheduled to air on PBS this Fall and will feature highlights from the Cayman Cookout. The second episode will include Chef Eric sailing at sea with Cayman’s fishermen as well as preparing his own take on traditional Caymanian dishes al fresco. This is great exposure for the Cayman Islands considering it is one already of the best places for food in the Caribbean.

 

The Cayman Islands provides travelers with the complete Caribbean experience – beautiful scenery, great food and warm hospitality. Grand Cayman is currently the safest and most affluent Caribbean destination. And, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman resort at Dragon Bay was recently voted the #1 resort in the Caribbean by readers of Condé Nast Traveler for the second year in a row. Tune into “Avec Eric” soon to see all that Grand Cayman has to offer. After the show, we are sure you’ll want to check out Grand Cayman for yourself.    

In a Bargain-Driven World, “Luxe” is Still Hot!

For the past year all we have been hearing about is deals, deals, deals.  But, we’ve noticed that “frugal fatigue” is starting to set in with consumers, meaning that it might be the right time to bring back luxury.  So, at a moment when travelers are still barraged by bargain-basement messaging, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB) decided to buck the trend and launch a new deluxe lodging product, the Lauderdale Luxe Collection.  The collection comprises the most upscale hotels in the destination and also represents the area’s transformation and new “beach chic” image.  

Membership in the new Lauderdale Luxe Collection is by invitation only with the criteria to belong include having four-star, four-diamond or better ranking, a full-service restaurant and an on-premises spa or dedicated/contracted services.

The official launch of the collection was marked with a media event at Charlie Palmer’s acclaimed Aureole restaurant in New York City.  The launch consisted of a “meet & mingle” cocktail reception, followed by a sit down dinner with Nicki E. Grossman, president of the GFLCVB and general managers and hotel representatives from nine of the 13 hotels in the collection.  

When planning this exclusive event, we asked ourselves, “Is the timing right?  Is it in bad taste to talk about luxury at a time when the employment rate is at an all-time high and people can’t find jobs?  Will the media want to hear about this?”

Judging by the fully packed house of top-tier, A-list media (on a rainy night in late October, no less) and the fact that well-qualified journalists were still attempting to RSVP after the deadline, I would say the timing was perfect.  And the “Luxe” messaging was something the media were interested, and even eager, to hear.  So much, in fact, that several members of the press stayed well past the 9:00pm estimated end time to chat a little longer with the hoteliers.

Sometimes in PR we get caught up in keeping with the trends, and we forget that the message the media most want to hear is the one that isn’t currently being told.  So even though we might be living in a bargain-driven world right now, tell your “Luxe” story – and even on a cold, rainy night in New York City, you might be very pleasantly surprised.

-Colleen McCormick 

 

Turkish Chef Makes Rare Big Apple Appearance

On Wednesday, October 21, Chef Fehmi Samanci, an acclaimed Turkish chef and a senior chef-instructor at the Istanbul Culinary Institute (IstCI), made a rare appearance in New York City to share his expertise of the diverse cuisines of Turkey to “foodies” during a mouthwatering evening at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

 

Culinary aficionados and media had an exclusive opportunity to learn about the traditions of Turkish cuisine and learned how to make a number of Turkish dishes including, Kisir (crushed wheat salad); Fried Eggplant and Peppers with Tomato Sauce and Yogurt; Octopus Salad; Lamb Stew with Prunes; Cucumbers with Tarator Sauce; and Semolina Halva with Pine Nuts.

Learn more about the Istanbul Culinary Institute here: http://www.istanbulculinary.com/eng/

The Winning PR Recipe: A Dash of Celebrity, A Sprinkle of Jaw-Dropping News and Add PR to Leaven the Success!

In my experience, the initial exit poll when gauging the success of a PR event is usually pretty telling by the reaction of the media as they leave.  In most cases, media politely thank the host and graciously, albeit at times reluctantly, accept the press kit being handed to them as they depart.  Last Thursday, however, was an exception.  Our client, the Singapore Tourism Board, in conjunction with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation jointly announced that globally renowned Chef Daniel Boulud will be opening a restaurant along the lines of Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne in New York, at the spectacular Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, scheduled to open in early 2010.

The media event was hosted at Chef Boulud’s new restaurant, Restaurant Daniel in New York City and the attendees were treated to a specially crafted menu and an exciting presentation by Singapore and Sands senior management on new developments in Singapore as well as the building of this incredible integrated resort. The PR goal was to give the media a first look at the resort as well as create news with Chef Boulud’s announcement.  As it turned out, Chef Boulud’s rock star reputation with the media was just the right ingredient to draw an A-list crowd of top-tier media outlets and names.  The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A which further divulged aspects of the resort development and gave the press a number of colorful quotes. The result: as the doors opened at the culmination of the event, the media departed in a flurry of excitement, eager to receive the press kits to be the first to file the story and within a couple of hours the news began appearing on the wires and blogs.  

Apparently, throw in a celebrity chef, introduce an awe-inspiring project and understand that sometimes less (news) is more when creating media anticipation and at the end, the media will be clamoring for press materials. You know success was reached when a prominent journalist from The New York Times asks politely before departing: “Could I have another press kit, please?”