CHENNAI: The cake tray laid out on the table said it all. It was cut down to size — big enough for a mid-sized family cake...or a large personal one if you’re ambitious. Small bowls arranged around the tray carried the usual accompaniments, from dry grapes and nuts to multi-coloured jelly and spices. Then, there was the bottle of Old Monk rum. Instead of the usual order by the dozen, there stood a ‘half’ in its place. It’s unlike any cake mixing you’ve been to so far but not one without the usual cheer you know to expect from one. Amid the prevailing fear of the pandemic, Courtyard by Marriott braved the odds and personalised their annual cake-mixing ceremony to delight the locked-at-home cautionist, who has been craving for some festive fun.
All this was with the intention to ring a different sort of bell, muses Amit Kumar, the hotel’s general manager. “The past few months have been really very tough. So, we wanted to be the first one to host a cake-mixing event. But it’s really just a reason to connect back with the guests who’ve been the most dear members to us, connect with our partners and patrons who’ve been with us throughout the crisis. Most importantly, given the dent that the crisis has left on our team, it was time to get back some smiles on our people’s faces,” he recounts.
Amit was banking on the event’s big moral booster status and its ability to spur the energy levels of the guests, and he wasn’t wrong. The small group of patrons gathered at the hotel’s Paprika Cafe proved him right — that all it takes for some festive cheer is some wine, good food and like-minded people to get messy over a cake with. All this fun was not without due caution. While the number of participants was down to one-third the usual strength, they were separated around 20 small tables that held smaller versions of the usual cake mixing assembly. Every guest was let to the table only after being armed with gloves and masks.
But the guests needed little reassurance. “We’ve been here for the cake-mixing before. So, we knew that we will be taken care of and all the norms will be followed. We were assured enough that we were in good hands,” report food bloggers Richita, Ghunjain and Damini. Sure, they miss the usual grandeur of the event that allowed them to meet so many people. But, going the ‘it’s the thought that counts’ way, they are immensely pleased that the hotel decided to host the event despite the challenges; they had to pay their regards, they say.
For Courtyard, this is just the first step, says Amit. Given the warm response to Saturday’s event, and people’s growing need for an escape that has them looking to hotels and staycations for fulfilment, they will host more events in the festive season. With all precautions, of course!
But first, Safety
While the number of participants was down to one-third the usual strength, all of them were separated around 20 small tables that held smaller versions of the usual cake mixing assembly. Every guest was let to the table only after being armed with gloves and masks.