Patrick O'Connor
TITLE: Executive sous chef at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Orlando
IN THE BEGINNING: O'Connor, 36, was a dishwasher in a Texas country club while attending the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 1990, he became the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston. In 1998, he joined the Swan & Dolphin and assists the on-site restaurants, helps with menu development (for clients like IBM, Lotus, and Johnson & Johnson), and trains other chefs.
KNOWN FOR: Because of his Texas roots, he enjoys creating Tex-Mex dishes with a sophisticated twist.
MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT SO FAR: For the National Association of Catering Executives' awards dinner in April, O'Connor and his staff incorporated a rock and roll theme into the menu and designed each dish after a certain decade. "We chose the 90's and had to pick a song and create a dish to match it. After three weeks, we decided on Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'N Roses and served a trio of buffalo, frog legs, and wild boar," O'Connor says.
WHAT TO WATCH: The team is working on re-creating the banquet experience. Says O'Connor: "Instead of just sitting down and eating course after course, I want to hear guests say 'What's this? How do I eat it?'"
HOT TREND: Interactive food stations and mixologists are very popular. The resort is experimenting with an old-fashioned soda fountain station where guests can make their own soda using different syrup flavors and seltzer.
—Vanessa Goyanes
TITLE: Executive sous chef at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Orlando
IN THE BEGINNING: O'Connor, 36, was a dishwasher in a Texas country club while attending the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 1990, he became the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston. In 1998, he joined the Swan & Dolphin and assists the on-site restaurants, helps with menu development (for clients like IBM, Lotus, and Johnson & Johnson), and trains other chefs.
KNOWN FOR: Because of his Texas roots, he enjoys creating Tex-Mex dishes with a sophisticated twist.
MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT SO FAR: For the National Association of Catering Executives' awards dinner in April, O'Connor and his staff incorporated a rock and roll theme into the menu and designed each dish after a certain decade. "We chose the 90's and had to pick a song and create a dish to match it. After three weeks, we decided on Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'N Roses and served a trio of buffalo, frog legs, and wild boar," O'Connor says.
WHAT TO WATCH: The team is working on re-creating the banquet experience. Says O'Connor: "Instead of just sitting down and eating course after course, I want to hear guests say 'What's this? How do I eat it?'"
HOT TREND: Interactive food stations and mixologists are very popular. The resort is experimenting with an old-fashioned soda fountain station where guests can make their own soda using different syrup flavors and seltzer.
—Vanessa Goyanes
