Enlarge, a good chef spends more time and effort planning a meal than actually cooking it - Flavor is developed through selecting the right ingredients, aligning them correctly in order of appropriate cooking times, selecting the right method of cooking, and sketching out the presentation are all things that must happen before the first vegetable is trimmed or the first oven is turned on.

Running a kitchen today requires more than good prep skills. Being prepared for virtually any situation is as much a function of our responsibilities as menu planning. Marriott chefs play a critical role in the incredibly detailed approach on hotel preparedness. We are a uniquely global company with strong roots in individual communities.

Mark Quitney is the executive chef of the New Orleans Marriott, and is no stranger to the need for preparedness. The challenges the people of New Orleans have faced are well known. When events such as the recent hurricane Gustav threaten the community, our hotels launch a series of actions to insure the safety and security of their guests, associates, and sister hotels. As the storm approached, Mark initiated planning sessions with the other Marriott, Renaissance, and Ritz-Carlton hotels to insure water, supplies, food and emergency menus were in place if needed. 

Mark and his team provided 5 days of meals for 140 of New Orleans emergency responders, and even got to know Al Roker from NBC while he was there covering the storm. Luckily the storm was weathered and the city is back on track . This may be National Preparedness Month, but we approach being prepared as a regular part of every month.

Speaking of Chef Quitney and the New Orleans Marriott, the newest dining star in this ultimate food city is 5 Fifty 5, the new restaurant garnering great reviews. The chef and his team will even take the Big Easy to the Big Apple. The James Beard Foundation has scheduled Mark to cook a "Crescent City Christmas" at the James Beard House, where he will pair his unique style of cooking with the wines of Napa Valleys' Reynolds Family Winery. Trust me, Mark will be very prepared.

What's on YOUR plate today?

Brad Nelson is the vice president culinary and corporate chef of Marriott International, he has worked to build an international culinary team that continues to raise the bar in dining. He takes his respect for nature's simple, clean flavors and instill it into the philosophy of the numerous kitchens he oversees. www.chefblog.marriott.com/aboutBrad