Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/271567
Hacienda Hospitality At the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains, La Quinta Resort is known as the original desert hideaway, a sprawling Spanish hacienda resort, built in 1926. Today, it is home to five golf courses, 41 pools, seven restaurants, 23 tennis courts and 796 rooms. La Quinta Assistant F&B Director Gregory Schry grew up on the East Coast, and while working as a dishwasher in a college pub in Boston was practically thrown into the kitchen when the cooks took off. "I never did dishes again," he tells THE TASTING PANEL. Attending Johnson & Wales culinary school in Rhode Island was a career plus, as he gained his Associate degree in Culinary Arts. Back in NYC, Schry chose working at the Hyatt over a position as a sous-chef for Alain Ducasse. "Working in the hotel business allowed me to travel and see the world," he notes. From D.C. to Philly and San Diego, Schry was able to travel through his networking for several hotel groups until just over a year and a half ago, when he "got the best experience with Waldorf." The luxury hotel group owns La Quinta and, according to Schry, "has added its more charming attributes." He says, "The resorts of the Waldorf Astoria are not typical urban-branded hotels." Schry, who arrived in April 2012 at La Quinta, oversees 11 food and beverage operations within the resort, from Twenty6, its modern and inventive American bistro, to Morgan's in the Desert, a fine-dining restaurant with a craft cocktail lounge and piano bar. Building the "desert's first artisanal spirits bars and cocktail programs" was inspired by Todd Breaux, Schry's Southern Wine & Spirits sales rep. "Todd took me and 24 bartenders to the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego [a mere two-hour drive away]. The scene was eye-opening. I am so excited that we were able to elevate our drinks program to the level of our cuisine." march 2014 / the tasting panel / 91 Sexy and Stellar In downtown Palm Springs, the annual film festival is one of the area's most prestigious events. The celebrities that attend rival those at any Hollywood A-list awards ceremony. Their home-away-from home? Why, it's Le Parker Méridien, a unique hideaway that revives the dazzling days of Palm Springs glitz, circa the 1960s and '70s. "I've been in the restaurant business my whole life—or at least since I was 18," admits Forrest Williams, one of the most influential of this Southern California desert community's on-premise royalty. "I fell in love with the desert nine years ago, so I bought a second home here." Now rooted in the sands of East Palm Canyon Drive, Williams and his team run this property on its 13-acre estate with professional aplomb. Williams calls the Jonathan Adler–designed décor "happy chic," and takes us back to Mister Parker's, a throwback restaurant and lounge that is the Rat Pack's answer to the speakeasy. "It's sexy, just like Mr. Parker's personality," quips Williams, referring to the hotel's mythical namesake. Half-dressed women are illustrated in mixed media and framed along the walls. A piano is a focal point, and candles (barely) light up this cozy room. "It looks old-school but plays to the new," Williams assures us. With a stellar mixology program and a well-thought-out wine list, the beautiful people are further pampered with some unique choices. The wow factor can be heard all the way from Los Angeles. This place is hot. In the secluded Mister Parker's, bartender George Gomez (at piano) offers us a private concert, along with Manager Forrest Williams. Gregory Schry is Assistant F&B Director at La Quinta Resort, a Waldorf Astoria property. An Aperol Spritz as served at La Quinta Resort. PHOTOS: TODD BREAUX