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Guest Star Chefs Are Creating Unique Culinary Events At Auberge Resorts

Guest Star Chefs Are Creating Unique Culinary Events At Auberge Resorts

When Nina Compton, the James Beard Award winning chef of New Orleans’ Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro, sets up shop at Malliouhana, Auberge Resorts Collection in July, she’ll be returning to the Caribbean, the region of her birth, although to Anguilla instead of St. Lucia. For a month, from July 22nd to August 19th, she’ll be the headliner of the resort’s “Flavors of Malliouhana,” a series that started with chef JJ Johnson in March and is intended to reflect the island’s rich culinary traditions combined with a guest chef’s singular focus. She’ll be on property the first three days, doing immersive events and cooking demonstrations with dishes such as ricotta gnocchi with jerk summer corn and tomatoes; her dishes will then remain on the menu for the rest of the month.

It’s an honor to be partnering with Malliouhana, Auberge Resorts Collection,” said Chef Compton. “Having grown up in St. Lucia, where I initially discovered my passion for food, it is an honor to bring my skills back to the Caribbean. I’m excited to partner with Malliouhana to create a memorable menu that not only remains true to my roots but also provides creative twists to some Anguillian classics.”

By creating this series, part of Auberge Resorts Collection’s Taste of Auberge, the hotel group is responding to the growing interest in culinary travel the last few years fueled, according to recent studies, by the increase of food experiences on social media largely by food enthusiast millennials, the rise in discretionary income and proliferation of food festivals. So, a little cross pollination of bringing chefs from other cities in to create their signature dishes with local ingredients and influences, often alongside the resort chef definitely adds to a resort’s appeal. Guests obviously benefit from experiencing the cuisine from in demand restaurants without traveling to that destination and trying to get a reservation.

Just before Nina Compton’s stint at Malliouhana, from July 13th-16th, Tyler Cole’s inventive restaurant Uchi which originated in Austin and now also has branches in Denver, Dallas, Houston and Miami is taking over the Prospect restaurant at Aspen’s Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection to showcase his out of the box takes on Japanese cuisine. Also in July, from the 1st to the 10th, New York’s creative, secret cocktail bar Please Don’t Tell is taking over the bar and culinary destinations within Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection on Mexico’s Riviera Maya mixing Mayan influences and distinctive urban mixology.

Diners hoping to score a table at San Francisco’s perennially in demand Saison known for its impeccably sourced ingredients, wood fired cooking and creative $298 tasting menus can get a glimpse of the restaurant’s two star Michelin creations at Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection on November 4th and 5th. The chefs will be working with local ingredients from the property’s Austin location, conducting a fire cooking workshop and multicourse dinner accompanied by the unique fermentations foraged and created by the restaurant’s team. Also in November, on the 26th, Mexican and New Mexico cuisine will fuse with a collaboration between chef Jorge Vallejo of Mexico City’s Quintonil, a regular on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and Executive Chef Pablo Peñalosa of the restaurant Skyfire at Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection in Santa Fe.

Another upcoming collaboration promises to deliver not just an assortment of different flavors but also health-encouraging benefits. Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection, the wellness retreat near a long life Blue Zone in Costa Rica, is welcoming chef Shennari Freeman of New York’s Cadence, named one of the best new restaurants of 2021 by the New York Times. Guests can learn the keys to the restaurant’s plant-based Southern soul cuisine with wellness and sustainability as a focus in curated dinners, a cooking class and holistic health workshops. All will be held from July 7th-17th.

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The pandemic, geopolitical events have rebalanced global supply chains, creating opportunities for India: N Chandrasekaran

The pandemic, geopolitical events have rebalanced global supply chains, creating opportunities for India: N Chandrasekaran
The global supply chains are rebalancing, and it is a megatrend of the future that India must leverage to its benefit to become a global leader in manufacturing, N Chandrasekaran, the chairperson of Tata Sons said Wednesday.

He was noting the five megatrends that, according to him, will be shaping the future of business and society while speaking at the CII ‘Being Future Ready’ Business Summit 2022.

The other key trends that business and government leaders must take note of include the adoption of digital, sustainability, importance of healthcare and the changing realities of the global talent pool, according to Chandrasekaran.

“Already proprietary AI and data are separating top-performing companies from the rest. Soon all businesses will have to become AI and data businesses. No industry can escape this trend,” he said.

India can leverage the adoption of digital technologies to not just prepare the domestic industry for the future but also play a role in shaping industries globally, he said.

Meanwhile, the pandemic and geopolitical events have rebalanced global supply chains. The focus is no longer on creating the most efficient supply chains but the most resilient ones, according to Chandrasekaran.

“India has an important role to fill the void that is getting created in the global supply chain by taking a leadership position. I call it the India-plus opportunity because we will need partnerships,” he said.

TV Narendran, the managing director of

said that with the recalibration of global supply chains the world over, Indian Industry has a unique opportunity to expand its global footprint. Industry should move away from the risk averse culture, he said. The industry should also step up expenditure on research and development (R&D), he said

Sustainability was creating a dual trend globally where climate change concerns are putting pressure on traditional companies while at the same time promoting newer, more sustainable businesses. India should participate in this new ecosystem and play a pivotal role in leveraging green technologies, Chandrasekaran said.

Companies will also have to increase their focus on health going forward, even in sectors that seemingly have no connection to health. “A focus on health and wellness as well as safety and convenience at workplaces should play a significant role within companies to stay ahead,” he said.

The global talent pool will move to newer models. There will be new technology platforms to engage with talent, like a talent cloud where there is uninterrupted access talent from any part of the world.

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Legacy on the Bricks takes worry out of creating special events; now booking into 2023

Legacy on the Bricks takes worry out of creating special events; now booking into 2023

KEARNEY — Bailey Bolte always dreamed of being a wedding planner. Now she has achieved that dream.

On Dec. 1, Bolte and her husband Cody opened Legacy on the Bricks at 16 W. 21st St. It’s a venue for weddings, receptions, anniversaries, graduations, quinceaneras, birthdays, bridal and baby showers and more.

It can seat up to 450 people. Its large windows allow sunlight to warm and brighten the dining room. Its walls are white and the floor is gray so clients can decorate in any color scheme they choose. They can choose from black, white or gray table linens.

Legacy on the Bricks has been three years in the making.

Bolte was a paramedic with CHI Health Good Samaritan for five years until she married Cody in the summer of 2019.







Legacy on the Bricks

Bailey Bolte, right, consults with a couple about an upcoming event. She prefers that people make reservations to meet with her, but walk-ins can sometimes be accommodated.




Then, seeking more conventional working hours, she opened The Wedding Sisters in June 2020. She runs that business out of her home with the assistance of her sisters Brianna Paxton; Kimberly White and her husband Mahlon, and sister-in-law Chelsey Petersen, who lives in Minden. They rent linens, custom centerpieces, aisle runners, tables, chairs and other items for weddings and other celebrations.

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She loved that venture, but she and Cody still dreamed of owning a wedding event venue. They scouted the region for a location, but came up empty. “We started planning back in 2019, but then COVID hit, and that stalled everything,” Bolte, a Minden native, said.

One morning, not long after Bolte delivered son Ryker in October 2020, she happened to drive by the building at 16 W. 21st and noticed that the east end, the former home of Jacobi CarpetOne Floor & Home, was empty. Jacobi had relocated to a new site on Kearney’s north end.

“I was driving with my little newborn and I saw the ‘for lease’ sign. We looked at it that afternoon and ended up buying the whole building,” she said.







Legacy on the Bricks

Bailey Bolte poses outside with the sign on the door at Legacy on the Bricks at 16 W. 21st St.




The purchase was final in June 2021. They spent the next six months renovating the 8,000 square feet they use for Legacy on the Bricks. Fitness 101, a 13-year-old business, remains in the building’s other half.

The Boltes tore out everything except the support beams. They put in new plumbing, heating and air conditioning. They painted, installed carpeting and put in a state-of-the-art speaker system, along with seven 70-inch television screens, a sound system, six chandeliers and lights to change the color of the room.

They also put in tables and New York-style venue high-end chairs rather than standard banquet chairs. While the venue can seat up to 450 people, Bolte said tables and chairs can be arranged for groups of any size. “We can get creative,” she said.

So far, business is off and running. Bolte has planned 23 events for 2022, including birthday parties, anniversaries, quinceaneras, weddings, preschool programs and quilting shows. The entire month of June 2023 is booked, and July 2023 isn’t far behind. “We still have available dates for 2022, and a few open weekends, but the community has embraced us. It’s been awesome,” she said.

She and her husband run the business by themselves. They expect their second child, a daughter, on March 15.

Bolte knows how critical wedding planning can be. She and Cody were to get married at the Younes Conference Center on Aug. 3, 2019, but when floods tore through that structure on July 9, those plans suddenly changed.







Legacy on the Bricks

Tables are elegantly understated for events at Legacy on the Bricks, including weddings, birthdays and showers.




“I was working that day helping move guests out of hotels, and I knew right away our wedding wasn’t going to happen there,” she said. But they couldn’t find another available venue that would hold their 600 guests.

Then Barb Petersen, Bolte’s mother, called the Kearney County Fairgrounds in Minden. The fairgrounds were to be closed that day in preparation for the county fair, which was to start the day after the wedding. “But I prayed about it,” Petersen said. “The next morning, the fairgrounds called. They said they would let us rent it if we had it cleaned up before Sunday morning.”

Peterson, who owns her own design business, Classic Interiors, led 80 friends and relatives in transforming the fairgrounds into a beautiful wedding venue.

“We put lights on the ceiling. Friends steamed all the tablecloths. It was so special. So many helping hands showed up. Neighbors, the community of Minden and our family really came to our rescue,” Bolte said. True to their word, they had it all cleaned up by 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

That’s partly why Legacy on the Bricks can accommodate 450 guests. Few event sites in Kearney can hold large crowds.







Legacy on the Bricks

Flowers and big, bright mirrors make the ladies room an inviting place.




Bolte also did last-minute wedding planning for her sister Brianna’s wedding in May 2020. The ceremony was to happen in Minden, but Brianna’s fiance was in the U.S. Air Force, and when COVID-19 hit, he was not allowed to leave Georgia.

“We all loaded up in a 49-foot motor home pulling a 14-foot trailer,” Petersen said. “I sent blueprints to a landscaper in Georgia, and he built a stamped concrete patio and a pergola. We transformed her backyard in just three days, even staining the fence and doing landscaping.”

Bolte added, “It was an intimate wedding, with fewer than 20 people, but we made it beautiful. We love thinking on our feet. We’ve probably been through any situation people might bring us.”

She and Cody named their business Legacy on the Bricks because both lost a beloved grandparent in May. “We started talking a lot about legacy, and we realized people can start their legacies in our venue. We like to say, “Your legacy starts here,” she said.

maryjane.skala@kearneyhub.com