At first it may seem a bit ironic that such a lavish menu of F&B opportunities was to be had in a place where the signature attraction is the site where Gen. Washington’s Continental Army had such a miserable, food-challenged winter in 1777-’78, but given the number of palate-pleasing plates served up on a recent meeting planner FAM trip here, it’s safe to say great strides have been made on the food front since then!
Where once some 12,000 Revolutionary War combatants were considered lucky to scrape together some bread, salted pork and rudimentary vegetables, the contemporary culinary options in Montgomery County—aka “Montco”—will sate the appetite of the most-discerning of delegates, from fine wine to farm-to-table fare.
A great starter course that our FAM enjoyed shortly after a reception at our headquarters hotel, the 327-room DoubleTree by Hilton King of Prussia Hotel Philadelphia-Valley Forge— with 24,000 square feet of meeting space and just down the street from massive King of Prussia Mall—and visits to the Valley Forge Casino Resort and Valley Forge National Historical Park to taste some historic-recipe chocolate, was a foray to forage at Cooking Spotlight.
Set in Phoenixville’s Village of Eland, Cooking Spotlight offers culinary-focused teambuilding programs that find participants banding together in a friendly competition to produce a multicourse meal, with an amiable chef instructor on hand to advise the cooking combatants. Of course, a little fine wine and various appetizer stations served to lubricate the bonding process. I’m not sure if the build-up to the main event influenced the result of my pilaf dish, but the chef-judge remained generous in spirit to help me pull it from the proverbial fire.
Near the end of the program, the culinary teambuilding took a CSR turn as we partnered with the historic landmark Normandy Farm to prepare meals for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Stone & Key Cellars, located in Montgomeryville, offers a great venue for groups to actually design their own wine from dozens of varietals, and actually bottle it and affix a custom label. Some research in the guise of wine-tasting helps inform the process, naturally. And not to be missed here are the local award-winning hard ciders on tap.
The FAM wrapped with a presentation from the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board at King of Prussia’s Sullivan’s Steakhouse, where the destination marketing organization showed off its impressive video promotion campaign in the classic old school American fare restaurant.
The big hotel and meeting facility news in the destination was its selection to host some 5,600 participants from 21 states and territories in 27 area hotels during the July 25-28 Democratic National Convention held in nearby Philadelphia.
Besides the DoubleTree and IACC-accredited Normandy Farm, which itself offers 17 conference rooms, four ballrooms and an 18-hole Arnold Palmer signature golf course, all set in restored colonial glory dating to 1730, Montgomery County meeting facility highlights visited on the trip included the following:
- Valley Forge Casino Resort, with 485 rooms in two hotel towers (Casino Tower and Radisson hotel), this Category 3 casino licensee offers gaming for guests and area members, along with 100,000 square feet of meeting space and myriad entertainment and dining opportunities.
- Crowne Plaza-Valley Forge/Liberty Conference Center, located directly across from the King of Prussia Mall, with 225 guest rooms and 24,000 square feet of IACC-accredited conference space.
- Courtyard by Marriott Philadelphia Lansdale, with 125 guest rooms and 2,700 square feet of space, and boasting the modern design elements recently rolled out in Marriott’s Courtyard brand that emphasize social spaces and stylish color schemes.
- Joseph Ambler Inn, a historic property with 52 individually decorated guest rooms and an award-winning banquet room that can accommodate up to 200 guests, along with several smaller conference spaces.
- Sheraton Valley Forge, a new hotel with 180 guest rooms, 25,000 square feet of space and a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, the largest in King of Prussia.
- Rivercrest Golf Club & Preserve, offering the flexibility of a privately owned facility and which can accommodate groups from 20 to 300, along with an 18-hole, par-71 golf course.
- Chubb Hotel & Conference Center, formerly the ACE Conference Center, which sits on 300 acres of rolling hills and woodlands and offers 38 guest rooms, 50,000 square feet of contemporary IACC-accredited meeting space and a Gary Player Signature Design golf course.
- Hub Conshy, one of four members of the cutting-edge Hub Centers for Meeting and Collaboration, boasting innovative meeting space and farm-to-table-inspired on-site catering.
