Task Force to let you all know is when a Marriott is very busy, opening a new restaurant and or a new hotel needs help. Therefore they send out a email, not a mass email yet a email to people that they have networked with saying they need help. My Executive Chef received a email from the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale. The hotel was going to be very busy in January and February. They were hosting teams from bowl games and guests attending bowl games. They were going to be hosting the AFC and NFC teams for the Pro Bowl. After that they would be hosting the AFC team for the Super Bowl, which we all know now was the Indianapolis Colts.
I was called into the Chefs office and asked if i wanted to go there and give them a hand for 3 weeks, i immediately replied yes i would love to it would be a great experience, great for my resume and most of a a great way to network within Marriott. My Chef said ok, i would be going down the first 3 weeks and then our Sous Chef would be going down for the last 3 weeks. The Sous Chef would be there during the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl. I myself would be there for the Orange Bowl and other small events as well.
I left on the 3rd of January to go down there. Here in Chicago it was 4 below zero when i left. When i arrived in Florida it was only 40 degrees outside. It was like that for about a week then i truly saw the heat that is Florida. I checked in got my room on the 10th floor with a balcony. I then meet the Executive Chef and his team, I was briefed if you will what i was going to be doing here and his expectations of me as well. I was going to be in charge of the Riva restaurant. They did breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service came of off this one line. I was also informed that the chairman of the company, Mr Marriott was there with his wife and would be there for my entire stay. It was a pleasure to help serve him and his wife during my task force there.
I would usually work 10-12 hour shifts through every meal period. I would help on the line when necessary as well as expedite as well. Expediting was a job in its self, to stand in one place for hours on end, putting the last touches on the plates, a L.T.O set up here, garlic aioli here bread in the oven there. The hotel did very well at this restaurant, breakfast was mostly buffet, some covers for the restaurant and room service. For lunch they were always busy, they would do an average of 150-200 covers for lunch on any given day, and if it rained well lets just say it was crazy when it rained so it did not take me long to figure out to look at the weather forecast everyday.
Me being there was a huge help, and not just me there were other Marriott managers and or supervisors there as well. Some of them helped tremendously in banquets and the opening of there new restaurant Sea Level. While a select few were just pains in the butt. But none the less we all got along and had a great time. The entire team at Harbor Beach Marriott were a great host and bent over backwards to make our stay in the hotel feel less like staying in the hotel, they told us the different things we could do around town and one Chef was gracious enough to bring me to his house on Sunday to watch some football. I ended up going deep sea fishing with Phil, he was on Task Force from Canada, and his wife. It was a blast, drinking beer at 9am never felt so good on a fishing boat hoping to hook that big fish that you dream about as a kid.
3 weeks flew by so quick there, i guess working alot and having little time to play has its effects on you, however i would not change it for the world. They were such professionals there that i was given a framed photo of the hotel and they all signed it, now thats cool something to hang on the wall and to remember my time there is timeless. It was a experience that i will remember forever, i made great friends, friends that i will keep in touch with for years to come. I would graciously come back there any day to give them a hand.
