When the sky’s the limit at a catered event for thousands of guests, Landmark Experiences, a new division from Elior North America, is ready to take it on.
Landmark Experiences launched in July to create elevated, bespoke events, powering the execution that previously was siloed into Elior’s other brands, including Constellation Culinary Group, Design Cuisine and Abigail Kirsch Catering.
“We come in as the high-end, curated hospitality option, the operational experts,” said Nicole Hernandez, VP of national sales and chief visionary. “We hear the dream and build it to the client’s vision.”
Although it was officially branded Landmark Experiences a little over a month ago, Hernandez and her team recently staged “hospitality activations” at the Miami Grand Prix for 2,000-plus VIPs, the Preakness Stakes, where 10,000 guests were wined and dined, and DC’s Citi Open Tennis Tournament, feeding 50,000 attendees. She has also planned and executed a large-scale party on a barge, at the Super Bowl, and for cultural institutions including Carnegie Hall.
No matter what the setting, food and drink are a major focus of these events. “We work with chefs directly, both our own chefs as well up-and-coming restaurant chefs and Michelin-starred chefs, whatever the client asks for,” said Hernandez. “Our team helps them create scalable menus, whether it’s for a casual tailgate barbecue or a five-star restaurant experience. You can’t do gnocchi for 4,000 people, so we help them choose the right dishes.”
Catering clients are requesting culturally diverse food, like Native American.
Menu demands have changed with the times, she added. Everything has to be a social media photo op, and a core catering menu no longer cuts it. “People want things they’ve seen on Instagram and TikTok,” said Hernandez. Recently, she was asked to create a dirty martini tower, but she took that vision and made it more immersive and interactive—and far less dangerous—by putting the mixologists in the spotlight. “Sometimes you have to redirect the vision when you’re talking about 1,000 guests.”
There’s also a big push into luxury ingredients, like caviar, foie gras and fine champagne, as well as culturally unique events.
“Clients are asking for Nigerian experiences and Korean experiences,” said Hernandez. These often involve building “sets” to evoke the theme—way beyond offering a buffet or stations serving that particular global food. And it’s not unusual to partner with celebrated restaurant chefs who have built a reputation for that particular cuisine. Events with several tiered VIP levels are also in high demand.
Evidently, the super high-end event and catering market is thriving.
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