The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco has unveiled a new Green weddings package designed to add environmental mindfulness to the wedding experience and to provide an exclusive “Shopping with the Chef” farm-to-market experience for brides or their wedding planners.
Taking advantage of northern California’s rich bounty of regional farm and seafood products, and responding to marrying couples’ new interest in providing a fresh, environmentally sustainable menu experience for their reception guests, the Something Green package allows brides and their planners to join the hotel’s executive sous chef, Kaleo Adams, on a shopping visit to area farmers’ markets just prior to the wedding. The result will be a uniquely fresh, seasonal reception menu that shows off the best of San Francisco’s regional and organic ingredients as harvested directly before the wedding and hand-selected by the bride and chef together.
Couples can be assured that their reception cuisine will come directly from local farms and producers, meaning that a minimum of fuel will be expended on shipping. Locally-sourced reception menu highlights, depending upon season, might include Fresh California Gazpacho, Eugueni’s Pea Soup with Citron and Mint, Mishima Ranch Kobe Beef Tartare , Brentwood Farm Corn Soup, Star Route Farms Baby Head Lettuces, K and J Farms Stone Fruit, Dirty Girl Farms Tomatoes with Burrata and Basil, Strawberry Mountain Ribeye, Squash Blossom-Roasted Chicken, California Line-Caught King Salmon and Whole- Roasted Field-to-Family Organic Capon.
Shopping with the Chef is one of two Green add-ons for 100-plus-guest weddings at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco. The hotel’s Green Wedding Design service also offers use of sustainable, recycled, organic and eco-friendly tabletop elements, with a goal of making a reception less energy and resource-intensive. Natural fiber linens made of linen, flax, cotton and silk are offered as part of this green option, as are table centerpieces that avoid flowers which have been imported and sprayed with pesticides, some of which are banned in the US due to their toxicity.
Created in conjunction with San Francisco’s Floramor Studios, the hotel’s Green Wedding designs incorporate organic and/or local flowers, live potted plants, and beeswax candles that can be used again and taken home by guests or donated to local charities. Environmentally-mindful tabletop options also include seeded place cards to be taken home and planted, recycled glass centerpieces filled with organic locally-grown flowers and cranberries, succulent plants in small silver goblets used as centerpieces and then offered as guest favors, and arrangements of fresh herbs and candles nestled in beds of regionally-grown lentils, split peas and beans – all of which add color and can be composted following the wedding.
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco’s Green Wedding team may be reached at (415) 296-7465.
