CULINARY CREATIVITY

» AT JW MARRIOTT Desert Springs

Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, groups can indulge in the ultimate chef’s table experience at the reopened T&T Innovation Kitchen program, an experimental culinary activity where meals are cooked directly in front of participants.

“This experience is carefully crafted each night by our chefs who also host the entire affair, sharing and commenting on the art and style of each course in the beautiful indoor-outdoor venues,” says Eric Theiss, executive chef for the resort. The kitchen originally opened in December 2018 and recently reopened for the current season, providing availability for private buyouts for groups of 60 reception-style or 35 for a sit-down dinner. Theiss explains that the kitchen can also take direction from planners to create a customized event to match a particular theme or vibe.

One of the experience options is the Chefs Custom Dinner experience, which offers a custom, chef’s choice five-course menu and an optional five-course wine pairing to complement each dish. The kitchen ensures sustainable practices with fresh and local ingredients in each meal, and some are sourced directly from the property’s herb garden just outside the kitchen, where the resort grows plants like lavender, rosemary, thyme, and mint.

“T&T disrupts traditional notions of what a hotel restaurant should be,” says Theiss. “The experimental culinary outlet provides a canvas for creativity through a menu [that rotates daily and is] inspired by the time and temperature of the day (hence [the name], T&T) and celebrates the raw talent of both new and longstanding chefs to contribute a unique recipe during menu development each day.”

And the options don’t end at a fancy multicourse meal—the chefs can create customized itineraries for groups, from cocktail tastings to baking classes, allowing the culinary creativity of participants’ to thrive. “We hope the concept inspires those in attendance through both the teamwork element and the creativity it delivers by bringing a new level of culinary engagement to the Coachella Valley,” he adds.

The resort also offers ample guest rooms, amenities, and event space to gather before or after your flavorful escapade in the kitchen. After undergoing a redesign in 2021, the resort now features 884 guest rooms— including 101 luxury suites—that have spacious open floor plans, mountaininspired murals, and modern furnishings. The redesign also welcomed the debut of the Sinatra Ballroom, which boasts 25,000 square feet of flexible event space and honors the last public performance of Frank Sinatra, who performed at the resort in 1995.

–Amanda Christensen

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