When Franz Sydow took over the Food & Beverage leadership at the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort Casino & Spa his charter was to create a culinary ambiance that is more Boutique-Hotel inspired. With his small, gourmet restaurant background - where chefs enjoy the luxury of fussing over a plate presentation for as long as it takes to get it superbly right, Franz stepped into an operation that had it all from mass banqueting to casual dining & fine cuisine at the same time, on the same evening.
The Wyndham reserves a considerable number of rooms for its popular all-inclusive program. Guests stay at the property for most meals and must be surprised each time by great taste and variety. On the other hand a beach front restaurant, Azull, is marketed as a honeymoon’s evening activity, tossing romance in with culinary greatness and spectacular sunsets. You understand that it takes the audacity of a juggler and the strategic thinking of a chess-master to go through a day at the Wyndham Food & Beverage Department, especially when the large conventions are in-house, or when an over-the-top local wedding with 500 champagne-sipping guests unfolds. And the hotel has been full with overseas guests due to its unique positioning in the Aruba tourist market. Apparently, the Wyndham has found that perfect balance between value and price, hitting all the right notes in guests’ perception of a well priced, nicely packaged Caribbean vacation.
I recently visited Franz in his office. He was cool and collected through our conversation. Executive Chef Gerard Costa, a Frenchman naturally, walked in with some menus for upcoming functions and joined in the conversation. There is good chemistry between the Venezuela born Franz and the Spanish speaking chef. As they confer over sumptuous inventions, they looked like two kids plotting to take over the world and fatten it up. Besides developing Azull into a favorite spot, Franz reports Baci is doing fabulously well as the little Italian. That small lobby eatery is blessed with many covers each night. And the unpretentious, hearty food receives many accolades from hotel guests and outsiders. Franz also orchestrated the re-positioning of Pago Pago into an American steakhouse and his new advertising campaign spans the globe with Blossoms, the elegant oriental in the lower lobby partnering in the promotion.
However, there’s more to come. Resort owner, businessman Alfonso Riverol, has additional aces up his sleeve. He is busy completing an extension to the ballroom, doubling the resort conference space. Riverol reports that the Wyndham’s ability to host large conferences will be enhanced by the construction. The finished product will allow theater-style meetings followed by sit-down banquets in the adjoining rooms. As the island of Aruba recently hired a group expert, the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association new CEO, Jorge Pasquera, the Wyndham is simply forecasting the future. The island will be attracting more group-business and the Wyndham will be prepared.
With all of that going on Franz still finds time to write. And you, dear reader, know him best from his Sunday, weekend edition food column in the back of the newspaper writing about Oysters and Champagne, Angus Beef, Ceviche, wine production, in short he delivers a self-penned column highlighting all aspects of food, each week. The weekend edition, says Franz, contains much food related materials. Food is a subject of great interest to many people, especially when on vacation. Franz’ column naturally promotes The Wyndham’s eateries, but he does so in a subtle, soft approach educating people in the process and sharing many recipes, among them Pago Pago’s Caesar Salad, prepared table side, a true must-have.
What’s next I asked? A cook book, he replied. This year Franz traveled to four food shows in the US in an effort to stay on top of his game and introduce the latest to the island. Having met some food writers along the way, he was inspired. He agrees that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. The cookbook will necessitate considerable collaboration with Chef Gerard. Fresh seafood, tropical fruits, tempting rich desserts, Franz is compiling a file, and debuting the pieces in the NEWS each week.
