Wellness Dining - The New Era of Hospitality

The New Era of Hospitality: Food for the tongue, medicine for the body and soul.
Introduction to Wellness Dining And the wonder is….? What is food? Many answers for this wondering. Food is a necessity and a biological requirement for life, at the
same time food it is entertainment, it is communication, it is expression, it is enjoyment it is culture.

welness-dining

by Konstantinos Kokkinaris

Food is all the above, yet so much more.
Scientists describe food in lengthy and complicated definitions but in simple terms, the food we consume is the energy that keeps us alive.

The evolution of food has gone through many phases in recent years, reflecting social, economic, and technological changes.

In Hotels where guest preferences have changed and technology has advanced, food has
become a more and more important aspect of tourism. Back in the early 18th century the first hotels, served solely very simple meals, often consisted by the most basic options. Guests dined in a communal dining room, choosing from a limited set menu with only a few available options.

Later on, from the middle to late 19th century with the appearance of the grand hotels in the major capitals like Paris and London, food became a significant factor. These hotels provided a more elegant dining experience with much more complicated and fancier menus. (1,2,3)

With the expansion of travel and globalization in the 20th century, hotels began serving food from various countries to cater to guests from diverse backgrounds. Nowadays many hospitality brands are known for their restaurants and as gastronomy becomes more and more popular, nearly every hotel hires the best chef they can find and serves gourmet food.

Throughout the years, in this evolution of food, the largest hotel groups in the world, always aiming to satisfy the most demanding customers, often use the best raw materials from all over the world.

However, it seems that, in the pursuit of harmony in the presentation and taste of a dish, they sometimes set aside the primordial essence of food, that the food must nourish and containing all the necessary substances and elements needed to for us to survive, evolve, repair our cell damage, and prevent chronic diseases.

That is what great chef's do, they take raw ingredients and change the entire chemical composition, the taste, the texture and the aroma resulting in a final product that is pleasing to the palate.

However, we must wonder whether this final product fulfils the purpose of its creation, because nutritional value is so severely decreased and often times is reduced to zero. Over the past few years, a new trend has been gradually developed in the Food and Beverage departments of hotels and in the catering business, with a growing demand for healthy eating and sustainability from customer's perspective.

Hotels have responded to these requests with organic items, local produce, and "green" menus.
Cookery schools too, are increasingly adding sections to their classes on health food, raw ingredients, and local products. (4)

As this trend is maturing, leaves room and creates a demand for what I like to call Wellness Dining: Food for the Tongue, Medicine for the Body and Soul. As the "Father of Medicine," Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates (5) quoted 2,000 years ago, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food".

Antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids all work together to accelerate human cell regeneration, to unlock the mechanisms of our bodies that allow us to reverse organic damage through nutrition, and ultimately to prevent chronic diseases.

The correct food choices and combinations can actually change the structure of our brain, change our psychology and make big difference to our lives. All this above combined with the love and skills of master chefs, is what I'm talking about: Something that appeals to all the senses.

As more and more travellers around the world begin to look for such options, Luxury Hotels should consider including professionals who have the love and knowledge of this new category that will surely prevail in the coming years. Undoubtedly Wellness Dining deserves a dedicated speciality restaurant category.


Restaurants that focus on high-quality food and beverage menus, crafted with knowledge and care, using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, emphasizing to organic and self-grown produce, drinks and herbal elixirs can elevate the guest experience from a unique perspective.

Last but not least this holistic dining approach will have a significant impact on hotel revenue as well as waste management, bearing in mind a health-focused restaurant relies not only on using the right raw materials but also on minimizing waste by sourcing those materials from a more sustainable approach.

So, what is food?
Yes, food is one of our basic biological needs, but it can and should be much more.
It can be Medicine, but at the same time, it can be a Luxurious treat.

1. https://workforce.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Food_Production_Service_and_Culinary_Arts/Culinary_Foundations_(Cheramie_and_Thibodeaux)/01%3A_Professionalism_and_Saute/1.01%3A_History_of_Restaurants
2. https://daily.jstor.org/the-first-american-restaurants-culinary-concoctions/
3. https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2012/09/16/taste-of-a-decade-1820srestaurants/
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363890796_Need_Importance_Of_Food_Scence_Nutrition_In_Hospitality_Industry
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates


kokkiniaris
Konstantinos Kokkinaris, with studies in Tourism Management, is an experienced Operations Manager with extensive expertise in the hospitality sector, particularly in Restaurant Management, Beach Clubs, and Hotel Food & Beverage Operations. Co-founder of Beerology; one of the most renowned Beer-Restaurant brands in Greece awarded with the Gold Taste award, during its successful 10-year operation. He has worked across various environments, from independent establishments to Luxury Hotels. Certified in Wellness Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine by Harvard Medical School, Konstantinos now contributes his expertise to Marriott's Luxury Collection within Saudi Arabia’s prestigious NEOM megaproject on Sindalah Island. {alertInfo}
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