Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
New general manager of the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, Louis Philippe (right), and outgoing manager Michael Hoe-Knudsen (centre) listen attentively to president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, Pauline Reid, during a cocktail reception to mark the changing of the guard on Tuesday night. - PHOTO BY JANET SILVERA
WESTERN BUREAU:
A LARGE gathering of Montegonians, hungry for a mid-week soiree, turned out to welcome new general manager of the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, Montego Bay, Louis Philippe, while saying adieu to 'five-month-old' Michael Hoe-Knudsen on Tues-day night.
Mr. Hoe-Knudsen handed over the great Holiday Inn tradition to the 'Jersey Boy', who has spent the past 21 years with the Intercontinental Group having served as general manager in places such as Toronto, New York, Miami, Puerto Rico, Panama, Venezuela and Colombia. This is Louis Philippe's first sampling of the Holiday Inn product and his colleagues made sure he savoured Sunspree at its best.
Through the gastronomic expertise of the resort's executive chef, Omar Gordon, and executive sous chef, Rickardo Foster, the tastebuds of guests were titillated with delicious fried coconut shrimp, lamb provençale, ackee and codfish crêpe, smoked salmon tartar with caviar, beef tempura with chestnuts, seared tuna canopy and roasted pepper.
THE COLD STATION
On the cold station, oyster, snow crab, clam, lobster and crab legs caressed not only the eyes, but also the oesophagus shamelessly. Those with a sweet tooth were not forgotten as Jamaican coconut drops and gizzarda made their way on the menu.
It was a nice evening to network and play hosts to the Second City's movers and shakers. Mr. Philippe was handed the unofficial key to the friendly city, when First Citizen Custos Clarence Nelson welcomed him, Senator Noel Sloley blessed him and president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, Pauline Reid, said 'chin chin'.
General managers of the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club, Dermott Connelly, Half Moon's Peter Komposch and his wife Eleanor, Sunset Beach Resort and Spa's Evatt Bloomfield and Sandals Montego Bay's Horace Peterkin and wife Dominique were on hand to meet the new GM.
LARGE ATTENDANCE
MBJ Airport Limited's Jorge Sales, wife Adel and security manager Norman Tomlinson turned out. So did Clive Taffe and Norma Taylor, Jaime and Camille Delagdo, Heinz and Elisabeth Simonitsch, Mark Hart, Ray Howard, Everton Anderson, Serena Lue, John Waite, Joy Clarke, Denzel Sinclair, Tom Scarlett, Claudeth James, Neville Malcolm, Ewan Ward, Mathew Hall, Neil Burrowes, Fiona Bloomfield Brown, Courtney Hamilton and Judy Farmer, Vivia Lysaith, Sandra and Trevor Lyn, Warren Clarke, Danny Schroeter, Devon Dobson, Peter and Helene Dahl, Lars Pihlaer and Merete Norskov Madsen.
