When it's done right, food can make an event memorable beyond the programming

Renowned Prince Edward Island-based chef Michael Smith recently returned from Whistler, B.C., where over 40 days he led a team of 100 chefs who prepared 12,000 meals a day for the 2010 Winter Olympics athletes. "To say I was excited," says Smith, "is an understatement."

The food ambassador for Tourism Prince Edward Island, Smith is also the author of three cookbooks and the host of three Food Network Canada shows, Chef at Home, Chef at Large, and Chef Abroad. When he isn't filming, he's often catering high-end events throughout North America, plating for anywhere from 50 to 1,000 people at a time. So who better to offer sound advice on how to get the most out of your conference meal? "Too often, the menu is overlooked in place of the programming for the event," says Smith. "We're often too quick to serve the rubber chicken and beef."

While you probably won't be noshing on roast duck and foie gras, the more savvy conferences offer such choices as a salmon dish, vegetarian option, and a red meat such as lamb or beef. "Chefs recognize that there will be special dietary needs to be accommodated and respected," says Smith. "Offering choices makes us better prepared to satisfy everyone's needs."

The meal should also offer some entertainment value. "It's not just for feeding; it's a chance to tell a story, to add entertainment value to make the event memorable beyond just the programming," says Smith. "Often we're too quick to just call it chicken, when you should tell the story about the chicken, like how it was raised and whether it's local and was hand-fed by the farmers who raised it." In addition, he always serves a five-course meal, plating the main dish right in the dining room. "Chefs are sexy right now," he says. "Attaching a face to the person who prepared your meal is a nice personal touch. The chef can come out to introduce the meal and tell its story."

What does Smith define as a culinary faux pas? Ordering your beef well-done. "You have no idea the work that goes into preparing beef to get it perfectly medium-rare," he says. "From choosing the cut, to preparing it, to letting it sit in its juices, to cooking it for just the right amount of time. And then someone orders it freakin' well done! I may have to serve it that way, but I don't have to like it."

If the conference menu can complement the event, and if your goal is to show that you're a leading-edge organization, then you have to put serious thought into the meal you plan to serve, as well as the people you'll hire to make it. "Chefs will jump at the chance to prepare creative, local, and healthy food," says Smith. "If your goal is to be productive, then the food you serve needs to be great."