School's Out for Summer

Where do teachers go immediately after the last school bell rings for summer? Orcas Island! I met this great group of teachers at my concert from Ridgecrest Elementary School in Puyallup. From left to right are Laurie Laramie, Heather Holdeman, me (Christopher Peacock), Barb Frye, and Sue Gronhovd. Heather sent this kind note I want to share:

I was so thrilled to be able to introduce them to your beautiful music and a little history behind Rosario Resort. I first saw you last summer with my husband and fell in love with the sounds of Orcas that magically emanated from you - throughout the school year I was instantly transported to my "happy place" even in the midst of the chaos of my 2nd grade classroom! Your music never failed to calm the buzzing energy of my kids (or at least direct it in a productive direction)! Thank you!!

I will see you again on my next trip!

Sincerely (rested and relaxed),

-- Heather

Thank you Heather!

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Manager of the Quarter

Rosario Resort & Spa's Director of Food and Beverage Art Woods (left) and General Manager Dan Dohner (right) congratulate Executive Chef Steve Lutz as the Manager of the Quarter. Chef Lutz began his culinary education near the sunny beaches of Long Boat Key, Florida at the L’ Auberge Du Bon restaurant, where he trained in the French classical methods, butchering meat and preparing stocks and sauces. With solid training, Steve left the L’Auberge Du Bon to join a new restaurant opening on Anna Maria Island, Florida, called the Beach Bistro. During his tenure as sous chef, the Beach Bistro became a Zagat recognized, destination restaurant.

The next stop on Steve’s journey landed him at The Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso New Mexico, where he worked for seven years before departing as executive sous chef to begin his own venture. In 1997, Chef Lutz and his wife opened their own restaurant, Dr. Steve’s Kitchen, It’ll “cure” what ails you, the name originating from his love for “curing” meats and seafood. The boutique-style restaurant featured a blend of French, Cajun and regional Mexican cuisine that became a local favorite. Prior to joining Rosario, Steve returned to the four-star, The Inn of the Mountain of the Gods where he served as chef de cuisine for Wendells, the hotel’s restaurant.

Congratulations Steve!

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Lunch to Go

Our 2008 Limited Edition Rosario Resort “Fanny Pack” is a hit with groups and guests on the go! The packs are available for purchase by individuals (with our without lunch included) at the Cascade Bay Grill. Perfect for guests wanting to spend the day exploring Orcas Island!

Below are photos of the fanny pack itself, Chef Lutz preparing lunch packs for a recent group of 100, beautiful "fanny pack" models and a recent group enjoying their pack lunches on the deck of the Discovery Conference Center.



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No More Disposable Cameras

Tirzah Fiorito, Rosario Resort & Spa's Director of Catering, recently introduced me to a great event idea: rent sets of digital cameras instead of getting disposable cameras. She recently worked with a company called CameraRenter for one of our events. It was quite cool. A set of fully insured digital cameras were delivered to the resort, then all the event guests used the digital cameras for the whole weekend. CameraRenter then created a website with the pictures and videos. The digital cameras were easy to use and took great pictures, and the website solves the issue of your guests never actually sending you any of the pictures they take!

CameraRenter seems to be great alternative to disposable cameras, so feel free to check them out at: www.CameraRenter.com.

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Rosario in Bloom

The grounds around Rosario Resort & Spa are in full bloom! I thought it would be fun to show you the spectacular beauty of the lilacs, rhododendrons, iris, apple blossoms and more around the resort:







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Manager Wednesdays

For the last few months, Rosario Resort & Spa managers have gathered for a few hours every Wednesday to help out on maintenance projects around the resort. Here we are moving lumber to the Eagle Vista Lawn to be used as flooring underneath our wedding reception tent. The group effort helps to get projects done quicker, are good for team building, and for many of us it is a good break from our offices... oh yes, and we laugh a lot!

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