Creativity for a Cause: When Talent Becomes a Gift

For the past three years, Grand Hotel team members have generously shared their creativity, talents and personal stories through art, turning something they created from the heart into a gift that helps give critically ill children and their families precious moments together at Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Florida.

Now, the Grand Hotel Team Member Art Gallery & Auction, called Creativity for a Cause, is bigger than ever, featuring 36 original pieces created by 15 team members representing seven countries and four states. Guests can visit the exhibit in the Grand Hotel Parlor Art Gallery, discover the stories behind the artwork, and bid on pieces, with every dollar raised benefiting Give Kids the World Village.

The collection showcases the remarkable creativity and talents of the Grand Hotel and Bicycle Street Inn teams, giving guests a glimpse of talents they may never see during their everyday interactions with the people who make their experiences possible.

A Seat at the Table: Women Shaping Grand Hotel’s Culinary Future

Grand Hotel’s core values “Do What’s Right,” “Have Each Other’s Backs,” and “Be Inclusive” are at the heart of its Women in Culinary Leadership Program.

Behind every memorable meal at Grand Hotel is a person with a story, a passion, and a desire to grow. For the women working in Grand Hotel’s kitchens, that passion is opening doors to leadership, confidence, and new possibilities.

Five years ago, following Grand Hotel’s first Cork & Fork Culinary Weekend, a celebrated event that shines a spotlight on the creativity and talent of exceptional female chefs from across the country, Grand Hotel President David Jurcak and Director of Culinary Darren Anklam saw an opportunity to further strengthen female culinary leadership at the resort. Together, they created an opportunity to help women grow within a traditionally male-dominated profession.

“The Women in Culinary Leadership Program was established after our first annual Cork and Fork event,” Anklam says. “President David Jurcak and I saw an opportunity to create more pathways for women in culinary leadership at Grand Hotel and decided to create the program.”

The Women in Culinary Leadership Program provides mentorship, leadership development, and career advancement opportunities for women throughout Grand Hotel’s culinary operation. Today, women represent just over 50 percent of Grand Hotel’s culinary staff, the largest female culinary team Anklam has seen during his time at the resort.

But the program is about more than numbers. It is about helping women recognize their potential and giving them the tools, encouragement, and confidence to pursue it.

Anklam says the program was created to address “more equality in a traditionally male dominated profession.”

 

Three Women, Three Journeys

This year’s program graduates, Emma Ross, Paola Melendez, and Melanie Reyes, each arrived at Grand Hotel with years of culinary experience, a deep love of cooking, and a desire to keep learning.

For Ross, Grand Hotel’s pastry supervisor, that passion began in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. After studying pastry, she entered the industry full time and steadily worked her way into leadership.

“I’m excited to expand my knowledge in pastry and culinary while building connections,” Ross says. “I’m also looking forward to growing and learning more.”

Melendez, Grand Hotel’s pool kitchen supervisor, brings 12 years of culinary experience and a story rooted in perseverance and education. Originally from El Salvador, she discovered her passion for cooking alongside her mother and grandmother. After earning a degree in food engineering, she realized her true calling was in the kitchen. This season, she also completed her master’s degree while working at Grand Hotel.

“I’m looking forward to learning more,” Melendez says. “You can never stop learning.”

Reyes, a Grand Hotel banquet cook, is in her fourth season at the resort and has worked throughout nearly every corner of its culinary operation. From the employee cafeteria, the Main Dining Room, Woods Restaurant, Gate House and Banquets, each kitchen has added another layer to her experience.

Originally from Guatemala, Reyes brought 15 years of culinary experience to Grand Hotel. Her love of cooking began alongside her mother and has continued to guide her throughout her career.

“I don’t have a favorite. I love it all,” Reyes says of the resort kitchens she has worked at.

Now, after completing the leadership program, she is looking ahead to her next opportunity.

“I’m looking forward to growing and being a great leader,” Reyes says.

 

Leadership Is About More Than the Kitchen

For Anklam, leadership goes beyond becoming a chef or mastering the technical side of the culinary profession. It is about how you treat the people around you.

“It’s more about the intangibles that embody Grand Hotel’s core values: always doing the right thing and leading with kindness, compassion, and inspiring all of our team members to be the best versions of themselves day in and day out of our season,” Anklam says.

Strong leaders also know their teammates and recognize when someone needs support.

“It means picking up others around you when they are having a tough day, and being there for them because they will do the same for you when you are in need as well,” Anklam says.

That philosophy is woven into the program’s mentorship. Participants meet with Anklam once or twice each month and discuss topics ranging from food and beverage financials to management styles and working with different personalities.

The goal is to build skills that extend beyond cooking, including communication, confidence, decision-making and team leadership.

Anklam says the women who participate bring an equally important quality to the experience.

“The desire to grow personally and professionally is inspiring,” Anklam says. “They do not take the program for granted and are 100 percent vested in the process.”

 

Seeing Leadership Take Root

The program’s impact can already be seen in women who have completed it and moved into new leadership roles.

Anklam points to Ashieka Rose, now sous chef at Woods Restaurant, and Sofia Paz, now sous chef at Mackinac Island Pizza Company, as examples of women who have stepped confidently into greater responsibility.

“Watching them both step into these new roles with confidence and utilizing some of the skillsets they learned over the previous years is awesome,” Anklam says. “They have both taken on their new responsibilities and have done amazing things this season.”

For Anklam, those successes demonstrate why investing in people matters. The program does not end when a participant graduates. The lessons continue into new roles, new challenges, and new relationships, creating a growing network of women who can support and inspire one another.

Shaping What Comes Next

Grand Hotel’s culinary tradition depends on people who are willing to learn, work hard, and care deeply about what they do.

For Ross, Melendez and Reyes, completing the program is another step in journeys that began long before they arrived at Grand Hotel.

Anklam encourages women considering a career in the culinary industry to pursue their passion with determination.

“As with anyone interested in joining this industry, I would recommend giving it a try. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure,” he says. “You are working most nights and holidays. When your friends are out having fun you will usually be working. But if it is a passion of yours, go and chase your dreams, work hard, ask a lot of questions, and believe in yourself.”

Anklam says the women in the program embody growth, perseverance, and leadership that extend beyond the kitchen. Through each lesson, challenge, mentor, and opportunity, they are building the skills to lead and help shape the future of culinary excellence at Grand Hotel.