Dennis Marriott
Some of the fondest childhood memories held by Dennis Marriott are putting up vegetables and fruits with his mother, sharing regular suppers with extended family and enjoying the bounty at annual reunions in West Virginia. Fresh, whole foods prepared with care and served with pride was just the way it was done. Little did he know that this early experience would someday influence the Olympics!
But first the background story. As is often the case with NECI alumni, Dennis navigated a circuitous route to land a top culinary position. His story spans a few careers and calls more than one place home, and luck finds him in the right place at the right time on more than one occasion.
Following high school Dennis attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis and completed a degree in computer science at Penn State University. He began work as a computer programmer but quickly parlayed his technical experience to launch a sales career. He grew through a number of companies to become sales manager for a leading manufacturer of computer networking systems.
But eventually the constant travel and the distraction of a third acquisition (of the company) made him consider alternatives. His friends encouraged him to take a break and pursue his love of food. One even joked, "you need to kick back for awhile, get a job grilling fish on some exclusive topical beach."
He didn't move (immediately) to a tropical isle but he did like the idea of a culinary sabbatical. After researching a number of programs he picked NECI. "The idea of spending two summers in picturesque Vermont, the fact that the NECI classroom included operating restaurants and a bakery, the real-world experience I would receive through two internships, the small class size…the list goes on. NECI was the obvious choice for me."
So he sold everything he owned and arrived at NECI in 1990 as a 36-year old non-traditional student with no previous restaurant experience. "And NECI delivered. The small class sizes meant I got lots of personal attention … usually that was OK (he laughs). And the internships that NECI arranged were fantastic."
The first was at Le Mouton Noir in Saratoga, CA. "We had an executive chef from the UK, a pastry chef from Japan and a contingent of cooks from Mexico. We served French-inspired food made with locally fresh California products. It was an interesting fusion."
For his second internship, the jest once made by a friend came true. Dennis landed a spot at the Four Seasons Wailea Resort on Maui. "It was a beautiful property, a fabulous company to work for and I was surrounded by an amazing team of chefs. I was way out of my league but (as Chef Michel LeBorgne had promised) I shined my shoes, showed 'em my knife skills and they let me stay." Dennis remembers working luaus for 1,500 people and tending a rotisserie that held six whole pigs! And yes, he did get to grill fish on an exclusive beach.
He returned to California as a restaurant manager at Nepenthe in Big Sur, and later served as the F&B manager at Esalen Institute, a resort and continuing education retreat that gained counter-culture fame in the 1960's.
While at Esalen a friend convinced him to move to skiers' mecca, Whistler, British Columbia, and the original just for a season or two has now exceeded 14 years. He first landed a job as manager of Christine's on Blackcomb, a 90-seat mountain-top white table restaurant at Whistler Blackcomb (WB). He later became GM of F&B operations for WB, which operates more than 20 restaurants, most in the alpine, and serves over 2 million skiers each winter and a like number of mountain bikers in the summer.
When Intrawest, WB's parent company, began to consider the benefits of standardizing business systems across their North American resorts, they tapped Dennis to join the project team. His computer skills and business experience served him well as he and other functional area experts parachuted into each resort, discovered best practices, developed the ideal resort model and mapped its implementation.
With young children in the family, the constant travel again took its toll. Dennis started looking for a job that would keep him closer to home.
An arts and culture center had recently been built in Whistler and the board was looking for a new general manager. On a whim, Dennis applied. As he described, "It was a non-profit organization deeply in the red, providing indoor entertainment in a resort known for its outdoor pursuits and it was largely staffed by volunteers. They were desperate so they hired me." It was a serendipitous match.
Millennium Place included a 250-seat performance theater. "One of the highlights was growing the performance season. We booked amazing live music, dance, and theater. The artists loved Whistler, the people loved the shows and I loved the Arts scene."
And then the Olympics came to town!
The whole city, province and country were getting ready and Dennis wanted to be involved. When the position of F&B manager for the athlete villages became available Dennis activated his network and lobbied hard. "It's not every day that the Olympics come to your town. I secured an interview, made my best pitch and (with luck) I got the job." He joined the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) in March 2009.
The massive project was well underway but an incredible amount of work lay ahead. Two, 46,000 sq.ft. 1200-seat main dining tents had to be constructed, one in Vancouver and one in Whistler. Kitchen equipment had to be rented. A contract caterer had to be hired. F&B operations at previous Olympics had to be researched, cultural preferences identified and nutritional content documented. Menus had to be approved by the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees and vetted by various National Committees. "Some days I'd come to work and say there's just no way we're going to get this all done in time."
"Our team was determined to raise the bar on quality, to deliver the freshest, most wholesome, culturally respectful cuisine of any Games, but a series of budget cuts challenged our resolve. During one particularly stressful meeting when our lofty vision was fading, I found myself remembering smells from the kitchens of my youth, the cornucopia of home-made goodness at our family reunions, and the sights and sounds of my favorite markets in Vancouver, Atlanta, San Francisco and Maui. I shared that inspiration and others chimed in with their sensory memories. The passion was fueled again. We all agreed, no compromise. That's what we need to deliver. Let's make it happen."
On January 22nd the dining facilities in the Athletes Villages opened for business and by February 4th, when the athletes began to arrive, 24 hour-a-day operations were in full swing. They reached a peak of almost 10,000 meals per day shortly after the opening ceremonies.
The dining area theme? "We created a marketplace with lots of wood and warm hues, abundant produce displays and brightly colored awnings. We designed action stations: stir-fry to order, a pizza oven and grill, pasta wells, self-serve Panini machines and more. It felt alive, familiar, inviting and comfortable."
He likens spending time in the dining facility as traveling the world without ever leaving the restaurant. "More than 80 countries were represented. I loved to cruise the dining room, look over the sea of colored jackets, listen to the rhythm of the languages and witness the camaraderie."
Dennis recognizes that no one aspect of running the food and beverage operation for the Olympics was unique. "As foodservice professionals, it's what we do. It's not unusual to be open 24 hours, build 10,000 plates per day, serve a multi-cultural client base, operate in a tent (even in the winter), work within strict security constraints or toward unmovable deadlines, or even to be subject to intense public scrutiny. But what was unique about this job was the combination – the Games included all of the above."
For Dennis, the excitement continues with the Paralympics, March 12th to 21st. Then it's the final frantic push to strike the whole operation by early April. What's after that?
"Well, I'll be out-of-a-job and pretty tired so I might just sleep for a month," he says with a chuckle.