ORLANDO, FL—In a city that, according to tourism bureau Visit Orlando, welcomed more than 66 million visitors in 2015—a figure likely to grow this year—a hotel needs to have something special to lure in guests who are visiting such attractions as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. On top of that, there’s the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), which drew more than 1.4 million event attendees in fiscal-year 2014-15, according to the facility.
The Rosen Plaza hotel attracts convention attendees; it is connected to the OCCC via an overhead covered skybridge. The hotel is also less than six miles from both Disney World and Universal Studios.
But, on a crowded International Dr., the main thoroughfare for area hotels, restaurants and nightlife, location is not enough. The hotel, owned by Orlando-based Rosen Hotels & Resorts, which owns seven properties in the city’s destination market (including five on International Dr.) recently completed renovations of its 800 rooms and suites. According to the company, it is the only hotel on International Dr. to feature a nighttime live entertainment venue, 3NINE.
To attract one specific group of guests, Rosen Plaza has opened Zayde’s Kosher Catering, a 5,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art glatt kosher and mehadrin kitchen under the strict rabbinical supervision of the Rabbinical Council of Florida (RCF). A tribute to the grandfather (fondly called Zayde) of Rosen Hotels & Resorts President & COO Harris Rosen, the facility is broken down into three separate kitchens—glatt (meat), cholov yisroel (dairy) and pareve (foods prepared without meat and dairy)—and is under the full-time kashrus supervision of a mashgiach temidi.
Running the kitchen at Rosen Shingle Creek is Executive Chef Jorge Oliveira and Executive Chef Michael McMullen is at Rosen Plaza. The former noted kosher cooking is not readily available in Orlando and added, “Harris Rosen felt we could offer this specialty catering for group business and social events for those living in Central Florida, as well as for visiting groups to Orlando, while having the ability to cater our Pesach tours on property.”
Kosher kitchens are unlike other facilities, noted McMullen. “Our facility has three separate kitchens—kept locked when not in use—to meet the kosher requirements of kashrut, or Jewish dietary law, in terms of equipment, food sourcing, storage, handling and preparation. Our culinary team does not have a key or access to any of these areas. Only the rabbi or mashgiach can allow us entry under their supervision to assure complete kosher compliance.”
A bagel with lox and cream cheese is on Zayde’s menu.
“Our on-site mashgiach is always present to assure adherence to the highest standards of kosher guidelines,” added Oliveira. “All our products are certified kosher and inspected for the proper hashgacha by the mashgiach upon arrival. All kitchen items—pots, ladles, spatulas, etc.—are clearly labeled as meat, dairy or pareve. Our serving platters, plateware, flatware and glassware are also similarly marked or etched, or have a separate pattern to assure quick identification by our staff as to which area they belong.”
Oliveira said the menu is “more modern with some influences of traditional kosher flavors and dishes” and added, “It is important that we are able to honor the dietary requirements of our Jewish community. It is not enough to be ‘kosher-style.’ We want our visitors to have the peace of mind that their guests and families are receiving the highest-quality kosher meals.”
McMullen and Oliveira are veterans of Rosen kitchens, and their kitchen staffs have experience in the art of kosher catering. “Our chefs have not only many years of experience as executive chefs, but have been with Rosen Hotels & Resorts for more than 20 years,” said Oliveira. “They specialized in kosher catering for large groups, and have catered many kosher weddings and mitzvahs. They have experience in planning Pesach program menus, purchasing and preparing kosher for Passover foods, while working strictly under the guidance of rabbinical supervision.”
Zayde’s Kosher Catering provides plated and buffet meals for events at Rosen Plaza, and also offers buffet catering services to all of the hotel’s sister properties.
The kosher kitchen has proved popular in its infancy not only at Rosen Plaza but also its sister properties, according to McMullen. “We’ve seen a mixture of both convention group business and local events ranging from 30 people to 700 people,” he said. “As we continue to advertise and spread the word about Zayde’s, we will continue to book groups of all sizes. We just hosted a small family reunion of 30 people at our sister property, Rosen Inn International. The guests found us online. They had been searching for a kosher catering service that could accommodate their event. They were thrilled to find us, especially since we not only offer kosher, but we can accommodate gluten-free and peanut-free kosher options, too.”
Initially, Harris Rosen’s vision for Zayde’s Kosher Catering was to not only serve his hotels but to also provide catering to Central Florida. Wedding and bar and bat mitzvah packages are available for in-house and remote events.
“We do offer wedding and mitzvah menus and packages. Our packages are primarily designed for events at the Rosen Plaza hotel but, since we also cater to the other six Rosen Hotels & Resorts properties in Orlando and other venues throughout Central Florida, we have mitzvah and wedding menus available for outside catering, too,” said McMullen. “We also have banquet menus for our group business. We can also customize and accommodate special dietary needs such as sugar-free and gluten-free, which are becoming more of a demand as guests become more health-conscious.” HB
