USA. Chicago O’Hare International Airport placed culinary expertise on its menu this week, as food & beverage operator HMSHost ran its third annual Channel Your Inner Chef competition.
The event brought together five aspiring culinary enthusiasts from across the country to compete in a live cooking contest at the airport.
Zoe Kelly from Orlando, Florida, won the competition, and her successful dish of mango chutney and Sriracha prawns served with cherry tomatoes, purple cauliflower and avocado mousse will feature on the menu of an O’Hare restaurant very soon.
And here’s the momentous occasion as the #CYIC2017 winner is announced at Chicago O’Hare @HMSHost pic.twitter.com/TvYj0Vk1Bh
— Moodie Davitt Report (@MoodieDavitt) March 21, 2017
HMSHost chose Chicago for the event because it is currently home to The James Beard Foundation Awards, often touted as the Oscars for chefs. HMSHost is a corporate sponsor of the awards, too.
So, why does HMSHost run Channel Your Inner Chef and what does the operator wish to achieve from the event?
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report at O’Hare, HMSHost Vice President of Marketing Atousa Ghoreichi said: “For us, it’s to engage more people […] around some of the great culinary ideas that come from people who fly, travel and work in the airport community.
“The mindset of the traveller and where the trends are headed is all about inspired eating. We want to be at the forefront of that. Being a sponsor of the James Beard Awards is a culmination of our dedication to inspired travel dining and culinary innovation.”
“It really helps us get recognised as the culinary expert in the industry. We are about creating experiences for the consumer and good food that is reflective of the local area.” – HMSHost CEO Steve Johnson
Festival of food
Culinary innovation from some of HMSHost’s restaurants was showcased before the contest started, and there was a demonstration by a sushi chef from the Wicker Park Sushi outlet. Travellers mingled with delegates from HMSHost, the Chicago Department of Aviation and other guests.
We’ll be on the ground at Chicago O’Hare Airport today for @HMSHost‘s Channel Your Inner Chef competition #cyic2017 pic.twitter.com/DFX5FYHs1f
— Moodie Davitt Report (@MoodieDavitt) March 21, 2017
For HMSHost, the annual Channel Your Inner Chef competition provides an opportunity for the operator to get closer to its end-consumers.
“It really helps us get recognised as the culinary expert in the industry,” explained HMSHost CEO Steve Johnson.
“We are about creating experiences for the consumer [and] good food that is reflective of the local area. All of our purchases are made locally [and] like the restaurants here, [we are] sustainable.”
The use of local ingredients is a key part of the HMSHost approach and this was reflected in the competition. Once the timer began, the finalists were given 30 minutes to complete an original dish based on a slew of local produce.
Options included fresh seafood, locally-grown vegetables and herbs from the airport’s on-site hydroponic garden. Excitement in the audience mounted as they listened to a live drum line, indulged in small bites and sipped on wine from Hess winery.
The @HMSHost event is under way at O’Hare. New this year are screens so audience can see cooking stations #cyic2017 pic.twitter.com/OLVVJrbzh3
— Moodie Davitt Report (@MoodieDavitt) March 21, 2017
Television screens were a new addition to the competition this year, and they broadcast live pictures of each meal. The competition was also aired on Facebook Live and garnered over 2,000 viewers from across the US.
The Chicago Department of Aviation served as a key partner on the logistics side of the event, ensuring the live cooking competition could function efficiently at the heart of a busy airport.
Local tastes
In recent years – from Copenhagen to Rome, an from North America to Asia and beyond – there has been a major push by airports to make gateway restaurants more representative of the cities they reside in.
The recent O’Hare HMSHost openings of Publican Tavern and Summer House, two very popular Downtown Chicago establishments, highlight this trend.
“People are looking for more varied dining options – local being the most relevant,” explained Johnson. “People want to feel like they are dining in places that recognise the essence of the city.”
At the end of the competition the contestants plated out portions of their dishes for the judging panel to examine. Final dishes ranged from sweet and spicy prawns to steak, and Mahi Mahi to fried calamari.
Judges included Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans, CBS 2 Chicago Reporter Vince Gerasole, President of the James Beard Foundation Susan Ungaro and various local officials.
Winning chef Kelly, a newlywed, said she took part in the event because she wanted to validate her cooking beyond her husband.
“I love being around people, I get my energy from being around people,” she said.
“When they called time I didn’t even know what happened. It was just an awesome experience, such a great experience.”
The restaurant where Kelly’s dish will be made available is yet to be announced, but her efforts have already been rewarded with two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the US and a pair of tickets to the James Beard Awards in Chicago in May.
HMSHost said it will continue to hold the competition in Chicago, although it acknowledged there is interest in taking it to other cities.
In terms of what passengers can expect to see from airport dining in the future, Johnson predicted a focus on digital and speed.
“In the coming years we will start to introduce digital elements that will speed up wait times and how you pay,” he noted. “You can’t replicate or alter good food or service but you can change everything else around it.”
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Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.
The company also organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards.
FAB 2017 , hosted by Greater Toronto Airports Authority, will take place in Toronto on 21-23 June. For details, click here.
