It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Annual Chairman’s Luncheon season. Each year, the Greater Memphis Chamber hosts the Annual Chairman’s Luncheon at the Peabody Hotel to celebrate the past year and how our city became GREATER. This is an afternoon full of excitement and recognition as Memphis business leaders come together to reflect on the progress we’ve made and look forward to what is ahead. One of the highlights is the menu carefully crafted by the Peabody team. 

“It was more or less the pastry chef and executive chef sitting together trying to come up with [ideas],” said Executive Chef, Andreas Kisler. “It came together because we said we wanted to do something special and wanted to do something different.”

In preparation for the big day, I previewed this satisfying menu uniquely designed for the event. Though it may be different for some, the entire meal was delicious for all.  

Kicking off the luncheon with our first course is a Mediterranean Fall Salad. Roasted spaghetti squash, mezzi rigatoni, cucumber, dried cherries, and feta are mixed together with a lovely balsamic dressing. The fall salad was bright and palatable, making the perfect start to the luncheon. 

For the main course, we have filet mignon and Morelle mushroom. The filet mignon is flavored with breadcrumbs, chives, and shallots. This course has a sophisticated southern touch, and pairs whipped butter grits and a variety of root vegetables including beets, carrots, onions and more with the filet. The upscaled dish still hits home like good southern comfort food always does yet has a classy touch, perfect for the signature event.  

The grand finale to the meal is our “Celebration Dessert Trio” created by the talented pastry chef at Chez Philippe, Chef Konrad Spitzbard. If dessert isn’t your favorite now, it will be after you taste Chef Konrad’s trio! Beautifully presented, the trio is comprised of Eggnog Opera, Pumkin Latte Cheesecake and Cranberry Vanilla Tart. Each of these desserts were inspired by the season. The flavors of each dessert transport you straight into the heart of the holiday and satisfies your sweet tooth.  

With the food alone, this year’s Annual Chairman’s Luncheon will be one to remember. We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for you.