Chef of the Year: Meet Nicholas Eltz
Each September, we celebrate Chef Appreciation Week, a time to thank the culinarians who work tirelessly to provide great food and great service to our guests every day, while also driving us to be more innovative and thoughtful about our approach to hospitality.
As a part of our parent company, Compass Group's, annual celebration this year we're honored to award our own Nicholas Eltz, Regional Executive Chef with FLIK Conference Centers and Hotels as "Chef of the Year." These chefs have a proven track record of investing in their people, championing purpose, and positively impacting business performance.
You can read more about the celebration and recognition here.
This year, Nick won the prestigious International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) 2023 International Cooper Skillet Award, which recognizes the vital role foodservice plays in conference venue operations. Following his award, we asked Chef Nick a few questions and thought you'd enjoy this quick Q&A:
Congratulations on your award! Can you explain your thought process to creating the final dish that earned you the Copper Skillet?
I was able to view the pantry items for 5-10 mins in advance. I wanted to incorporate seasonality, color, texture, flavor and innovation. That's how I ended up with a Hickory Dusted Halibut, Pickled Asparagus, Mushrooms & Beyond Beef, Red Beet Rice, Shaved Asparagus Salad.
How does this approach differ from how you create menus at Babson or when you’re on the road supporting other units?
This is almost exactly how I create our menus at Babson. I am fortunate to have the trust of our client to create our menus the same day. When arriving in the morning, I create our dining room menus based off the best product that has arrived that day.
What does this award mean to you?
It's a great honor to represent both FLIK and Babson College.
We’re focused on our commitment to sustainability as a core part of our business. How do you approach sustainability in your cooking?
Along with composting all non-useable food waste, the sous chefs and I really get the kitchen staff motivated to be aware of their knife cuts and think of creative ways to utilize any scraps throughout production. Being able to use strategic menu engineering, creating menus on a "day-of" approach takes our food waste down to virtually nothing.
Humans have really done our fair share of damage to the globe. We now have to get everyone excited about new ways to repairing it. Sustainability in cooking will remove a huge carbon footprint.
What advice do you have for other chefs looking to be innovative with their culinary offerings?
Go outside of the box. Get uncomfortable. Don't be scared to try things out. Worst case scenario, it isn't popular. You'll never know if you don't TRY.
Please join us in celebrating all of Chef Nick's contributions to FLIK -- and all our culinarians this Chef Appreciation Week.
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At FLIK Hospitality Group we believe in great food, great service, and great people. Our wellness first approach ensures our food supports healthy and delicious choices, specially curated by our team of culinary experts and registered dietitians. At FLIK, we believe in seasonality in sourcing our ingredients and providing a customized approach to the culinary and hospitality needs of each client. Our dedication to providing quality hospitality service is unparalleled in the industry.
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