hether it’s Omni Hotels’ Bestin- Class Breakfast, Conrad Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury Breakfast Menu, or Kimpton Hotels’ EarthCare Initiatives, breakfast has gone green with eggs, meats, cereals, breads, orange juice, coffee, and teas that are great for the environment and great for the guest.

Kristen Harkness, recently promoted to task force chef with Omni Hotels, says that people are now more worried about the chemicals they are putting in their bodies than the calories.

“Organic is now mainstream,” says Harkness, former executive chef at the 390-room Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colorado.

Harkness requested to be part of the fourperson team that, based on blind taste testings, made the final selections on Omni’s Best-in-Class Breakfast products. The program was fully implemented in all hotels in the spring of 2007. While guests find many of the same Best-in-Class Breakfast products regardless of where they stay, chefs at the property level can put their personal spin on some selections, such as artisan breads from local purveyors, a featured omelet, and the Signature Hibiscus Refreshers. This complimentary beverage is served to guests at the end of their morning meal to help cleanse their palates.

Harkness says she blends mixed berries with the hibiscus “to help sweeten it up.”

“Mixed berries are popular with guests because they are said to contain antioxidants,” Harkness says.

The Best-in-Class Breakfast items available at all 40 Omnis include cage-free eggs—from hens allowed to roam freely in their natural habitat and fed grains free of steroids, antibiotics, or animal by-products.

Omni also serves artisanal, all-natural pork products, including thick-cut bacon and sausages from cattle raised without using pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, nitrites, or nitrates.

The chain is especially proud to feature a selection of organic cereals and an unparalleled tea service.

Stephen Rosenstock, senior VP of food and beverage, Omni Hotels, Irving, Texas, says they offer what he calls “adult cereals”— low-fat, high-nutrition varieties made from organic, steel-cut oats, grains, or flaxseed.

Guests are responding positively to Omni's complete revamp of their breakfast menu, but Rosenstock says the biggest “wow” has come from tea drinkers.

“We offer Tea Forté, which comes on a serving tray with a tea cup and lid (that doubles as a saucer),” explains Rosenstock. “Guests are both surprised and excited by our tea service. It's just another example of our attention to detail.”

ONE CHEF AT A TIME
Conrad Hotels & Resorts’ moniker “The Luxury of Being Yourself” even extends to the flexibility afforded each chef with what they create and offer guests at breakfast, says Baasim Zafar, executive chef of the 311-room Conrad Chicago.

While he chooses organic, all-natural, and sustainably produced products, Zafar says he personally focuses on “leaving the smallest possible carbon footprint.”

“It’s about ‘What are the carbon emissions of what we are buying?’” says Zafar, who has a calculator to accurately measure the carbon emissions from any product en route to Chicago. “For example, when we buy pork from Minnesota, what are the carbon emissions?

“We want to provide quality, and we are fortunate to have great quality in Chicago and locally,” Zafar says.

“We tasted 14 different kinds of eggs— from cage-free to vegetarian. Even our egg whites are organic,” Zafar says.

Overall response has been great.

“Meeting planners, as an example, are coming in asking, ‘How are we green and what are we offering?’” says Zafar. “Everyone is more aware of the environment.”

Although Zafar is passionate about his approach, he prefers subtlety when it comes to sharing his philosophy.

“We look to finely educate our servers so they can make conversation with our guests,” says Zafar. “We don't want to shove the message down their throats, so to speak.”

Antoon Hollants Van Loocke, director of brand standards for Conrad Hotels & Resorts in London, shares that products are selected based on freshness and quality.

“Conrad also places an emphasis on ethics, using organic and sustainably produced farm products whenever possible,” says Van Loocke. “In addition to choosing the finest ingredients and ensuring that dishes are simple, creative, and innovative, Conrad works to meet the needs of each guest by individualizing the dining experience, thereby ensuring that guests discover the greatest luxury of all ... The Luxury of Being Yourself.”

LOUD AND PROUD
Danny Bortnick, executive chef, Firefly at the Hotel Madera in Washington, D.C., also has a personal preference to use organic, seasonal, local, all-natural, environmentally friendly, and sustainably produced products with a reduced carbon footprint.

“Personally, I have been committed to ‘going green’ since before joining Kimpton. It was an ideal that I already had, and I am able to maintain it as a priority,” says Bortnick. He adds that Kimpton’s EarthCare Initiatives are among what attracted him to work with the company.

Approximately 60 percent of the produce Bortnick uses is either certified organic or grown using organic methods and in the process of becoming certified. During the summer, that percentage can rise to 90 percent, he adds.

The products he uses include certified organic, free-range, hormone- and antibioticfree chickens; certified organic, cage-free eggs; organic, locally raised pork; all-natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef; sustainable seafood; certified organic Caffé Vita coffee; organic Mighty Leaf tea; and soy milk.

Room service breakfast menu door hangers state that Firefly supports local, organic, and sustainably raised products. Bortnick adds they inform guests of their purveyors in case they want to reach out to them.

“We are loud and proud of it,” says Bortnick. He says they don’t currently offer organic juices, cereals, or breads because small-scale procurement has been an issue for the 65-seat restaurant, but it’s one he continues to tackle.

Bortnick says everyone has been supportive, especially staff.

“Staff already has been or now is becoming passionate about the environment,” says Bortnick. “Awareness of eco-friendliness, going green, and reducing the carbon footprint increases day by day.”

Frank Kawecki, director of operations for Northeast Restaurants, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Boston, explains they are building phase three of their EarthCare Initiatives, the goal of which is to use more organic foods in restaurants, including, but not limited to, coffee, orange juice, eggs, and cheeses.

“We are moving in that direction company- wide,” Kawecki says.

As part of Kimpton EarthCare, every property adopts standard, environmentally friendly products and practices with highimpact benefit to the planet. According to Kawecki, Kimpton currently has 20 eco-practice standards in place—6 in phase one and the remaining 14 in phase two.

These chefs agree that organic products can cost more, but their goal is to provide the best while always striving to remain competitive in their local markets.

Breakfast is typically the most commonly eaten meal at hotels. So, if serving a top-notch and earth-friendly breakfast pleases a guest’s heart and stomach alike, everyone is happy.

Susan Bard Hall is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.