Healthy Eating is New Luxury: Lifestyle Cuisine Plus at Fairmont San Francisco

by Emma Krasov. Images: The Fairmont San Francisco
Lifestyle cuisine and Fairmont, used in the same sentence, imply luxury and indulgence. However, it’s all about the luxury of having your dietary needs met. Not so long ago, our knowledge of food-related illnesses used to be limited to food poisonings, and people with dietary restrictions were often discarded as finicky eaters.
Today, we not only know more about strong ties between sugary treats and diabetes, and salty meats and hypertension, but more of us are actively trying to eat healthier.
Unfortunately, our efforts are often undermined by frequent traveling and consequent consumption of fast food, junk food, and all kinds of undesirable “fillers.”
This year, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts took it upon themselves to revolutionize our perception of foods associated with traveling.
I couldn’t help but be amazed and amused by the recent Lifestyle Cuisine Plus presentation at the Fairmont San Francisco, where the revolutionary concept was unveiled.A shot of “traveler’s elixir” tasted so refreshingly good, it made me put aside my champagne. A bright-orange mixture containing freshly pressed lemon, apple and ginger juices had just a little garlic and honey – from the Fairmont own bees that live happily in the hotel’s roof garden.
Suitable for diabetics chilled Thai carrot and ginger shooter, with a blade of lemon grass for added color and flavor, also had chili, lime, coconut cream, and paprika oil in it.
Gluten-free Arctic char tartare with avocado, orange, red onion, cucumber and micro greens was dressed with wasabi mayo.
For raw-eaters, tiny cucumber cups contained eggplant puree, cooked sous-vide (vacuum-sealed in low-temperature water).
Macrobiotic diet requirements for simple yet contrasting tastes were met in ahi tuna slices on crispy wonton, garnished with myoga ginger salad.
For a vegan dessert, carrot & Granny Smith apple cupcakes were covered with vanilla bean cream icing.It would be a gross omission not to mention Fairmont special teas in this awe-inspired report. Called wellness teas, these fragrant combinations of herbs and spices are made to stimulate mind and body, like Fairmont Energy with yerba maté and lemongrass; to help you sleep better, like Fairmont Tranquility with chamomile, oat straw and hops; to aid digestion, like Fairmont Digestif with mint and ginger, or to strengthen the immune system, like Fairmont Equilibrium with rosehip and anise. There is also Fairmont High Antioxidant – green tea harvested in Kenya, where it grows at high altitude.
To gather information about the range of dietary needs of the hotel regulars, Fairmont President’s Club conducted a survey among its guests. The survey showed that 83% recently started focusing on eating healthy and having well-balanced meals; 91% adhered to some form of diet; 50% would like Fairmont to cater to their dietary needs during their stay, and 74% were dissatisfied with other hotel brands not providing solutions to their dietary problems.
Next, Fairmont hired Katya Baxter Nutrition, a San Francisco-based consulting firm, to create new menus for different diets: vegetarian, low fat, low carb, Mediterranean, diabetic, DASH (fighting hypertension), vegan, raw, macrobiotic, gluten-free, etc. Lifestyle Cuisine Plus, offering healthy food that tastes delicious and is primarily made with local, organic and sustainable ingredients was launched last month at all 64 Fairmont hotels and resorts. More information at: www.fairmont.com.