FIRST STEP INSIDE THE KITCHEN Chef Adam Votaw's love for the restaurant business began at an early age, when his father made a drastic career change from engineer to restaurateur in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Owning a number of mom-and-pop-style establishments, Votaw's father immersed his son in the business, taking him to work daily and encouraging him to learn the ins and outs of every aspect of operations, experience that would prove vital in years to come. Upon graduating from New York's Culinary Institute of America in 1984, Votaw furthered his education by working abroad under master chefs Albert and Michel Roux at the esteemed Le Gavroche in London, where he received classic French training, including learning the art of creating sophisticated pastries. A return to the States landed Votaw a short stint as executive pastry chef at the venerable Le Chardon D'or in Alexandria, Virginia, before he assumed the position of executive chef at Cafe L'Europe in Palm Beach. This move to Florida proved pivotal, as Votaw became enamored with Latin cuisine and South Florida's cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. Now with more than 25 years' experience, Votaw takes his progression naturally.
BASIC STATS
Corporate Chef: Adam Votaw
Company: Noble House at La Playa Beach & Gulf Resort in Naples
Years in the Industry: 25
How long have you been with Noble House?
I've been with Noble House for five years now and am currently working on to develop Circa 59 inside the renovated Riviera Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs for the Noble House Collection.
What type of events do you do at your establishment?
The restaurant lends itself to a number of different event styles-anything from intimate private parties and family-style dining for groups beachside to a reception on the lawn overlooking the beach and Gulf of Mexico at sunset.
What style menu would you serve to a large group holding an event at Noble?
I'd serve ceviche, seared foie gras, shared lobster, and sliced steaks, plus a degustation tasting menu. I believe the clients find this type of menu appealing because of its mix of flavors; plus, we take it to another level by doing tableside or beachside preparation and presentation.
What type of theme-inspired menus do you create?
We have a number of guests who come here looking for different menus, from a beach barbecue atmosphere to an Asian or Latin-themed menu. We can even do the entire ambience for them with tailored menus, tasteful props, flowers, decor elements to create the scene, and even music, either live or played through our sound system.
What type of groups do you entertain and how often?
We get a lot of corporate groups, all from different business sectors from around the country. Their events can range from an intimate 20 to as many as 250 people. I find that they love the fact that we have multiple options for their parties, either beachside or in a more formal banquet room.
What type of range in cuisine seems to be a common trend nowadays?
I think menus made with an emphasis on sharing family-style-as opposed to a straight soup, salad, entrée, and dessert menu-has become more popular. For example, I'll start with shared iced seafood towers of lobster, king crab, oysters, mussels, tuna tartare, and more. Then, follow that with a couple of shared salads of arugula, sliced pears, and walnuts, topped with a sherry mustard dressing and herb croutons; then, entrée platters of adobo-rubbed and grilled sliced rib eye with truffle fries.
