Suited’s 2022 Highlights
The hospitality and restaurant industry continues to evolve, as many businesses are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. At Suited Hospitality we are grateful for the trust and partnership we share with our client partners. Their loyalty and unwavering trust in us, while everything was in flux in 2020 and 2021, has allowed us all to be poised to be ready to maximize opportunities that came their way this year.
“We are truly amazed at our clients’ capacity to always be able to make lemonade out of lemons,” says Kristine Keefer, Director of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships. “They are all inspiring to watch and for this reason, they are leaders in their field.”
Suited Hospitality has also been growing and evolving as we assist our clients with tailored marketing and consulting solutions, and helping chefs and restaurants create unforgettable experiences for their customers.
Each of our four Founders at Suited have shared their top work highlights of 2022. We can’t wait to see what 2023 brings!
Martha Cromar- Social Media & Digital Marketing
I loved working with the ONSURI olive oil team to plan and execute their first booth at the summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. We were able to assist them in making their official debut in the American market and it was great to see how many connections they were able to make during the show.The media dinner we hosted was a big success and an opportunity for the ONSURI founders to share their story directly with a small group of key journalists.
It was wonderful to be able to support the Astrea Caviar team at the LA Chef Conference in October. This was a great industry event that created new connections and future clients for Astrea.
Though my work with The Barlow is on the marketing side, this year I was able to plan, as well as provide marketing support for, Sip, Shop & Stroll, The Barlow's first retail-focused holiday event in December.
It was an exciting year for Gary Farrell Winery and I was lucky to support their social media initiatives during their 40th year in operation. Having worked with them since January of 2020, it’s been a joy to see how they have grown and enhanced their offerings over the years.
It was also exciting to be able to hire three fantastic new team members to the Suited Hospitality team to help us grow and expand our capabilities. We look forward to more growth in 2023!
The ONSURI Olive Oil team at their Fancy Food Show Booth, June 2022.
David Sisler- Service & Business Operations
I’m proud of the service training and experience audits I did this year with the team at Knife & Spoon at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando. It was so gratifying to see them earn their first Michelin Star after all of the hard work they did!
I was honored to be asked to speak for a second time with the masters/graduate students at the CIA Food Business School.
I am also proud to be working with the CIA Mentorship Program and have mentored 5 students this year, helping them develop and realize their own dreams in the food and hospitality industries.
It has been rewarding to continue to grow our business! In 2022 we opened an office, added a few employees, and increased the array of different benefits that we offer.
We’ve been following through with our vision and mission to work with a diverse range of clients. Food and hospitality are enjoyed universally, and we feel it’s important to help people of all nationalities, backgrounds pursue their dreams of building a successful business.
Panel at the Culinary Institute of America, September 2022.
Kristine Keefer- Public Relations & Strategic Partnerships
The incredible year that PRESS Restaurant in St. Helena has enjoyed, beginning with their inclusion in the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Best Splurge” list. Next they earned the Wine Spectator Grand Award, which is a historic feat in itself, since there are only two restaurants in the world that have received this award for a hyper-focused regional wine list. Beverage Director Vincent (Vinny) Morrow was named Sommelier of the Year by Vinepair, and the year has ended with back-to-back Michelin awards: a Michelin Star for Chef Phil Tessier and his team, and Vinny was named Best Somm in California. What a haul!
Chef Matt Kammerer from the Harbor House Inn attended the October launch of the Vancouver Michelin Guide. What I'm most proud about is the time he spent coaching students how to think about what sustainability means to them and using their reflection as inspiration for the super cool menu they created for the event.
SingleThread was named one of the World's 50 Best Restaurants in the award ceremony in London in July. This is such a milestone for Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton, especially when you consider theirs is the only California restaurant, and only one of three restaurants in the US, to be included in the honors.
Chef Steven Greene and the team at the Herons Restaurant at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina gave us their complete trust to help kick off a series of events focused on their philosophy of mentorship. It was launched in October with Chef David Breeden from The French Laundry, a long-time friend of Chef Steven’s. The two embraced the opportunity to collaborate and raised close to $15,000 for the Ment'or Foundation.
We are honored to begin working this year with Chef Marc Zimmerman and his very unified team at Gozu in San Francisco. Marc and his business partner, Ben Jorgensen, are working to open Yokai, a new restaurant and hi-fi bar that will also be located in San Francisco. It’s been a thrill to see Yokai included on several “most anticipated restaurant opening” lists already!
Vincent Morrow and Presenter Vanessa Conlin, December 2022
Mitchell Lienhard- Culinary & Kitchen Operations
I had the honor of preparing the main entrée for the Curated Experience Showcase in October at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando. This event brought several chefs from around Florida to cook a tasting menu style dinner in a beautiful outdoor setting complete with fireworks at the end.
As a previous winner of the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, I and several other previous winners had the opportunity to prepare this year’s Awards Gala Dinner. I was very fortunate to be able to use some (a lot!) great caviar from Astrea for my course.
San Pellegrino Young Chefs 2022 - Awards Gala Dinner, October 2022