Jill Demeter has been named catering sales manager at the new Sheraton Orlando North in Maitland Center. She will oversee catering for meetings, conferences, weddings, reunions and other special events.
"Jill knows this business inside and out," says Peter Valenzuela, general manager of the Sheraton Orlando North. "Her contacts throughout Central Florida's food and beverage industry will be invaluable as we build our reputation as North Orlando's venue of choice for meetings, conferences, weddings and social gatherings."
Before joining Sheraton, Jill owned a successful event planning business. She specialized in meetings and weddings for up to 500 people at major hotels throughout Central Florida. Prior to that, Jill served for six years in dual roles as director of catering sales as well as food and beverage manager at the Embassy Suites Orlando North. While she was there, the wedding business tripled, contributing to substantial growth in hotel revenue and profitability.
Jill literally grew up in the catering business. Her parents owned a catering hall in Ohio that specialized in weddings, dinners and dances. "I started working in the family business as a coat check girl when I was 12," she explains. "Later, I graduated to serving, bartending, cooking and wedding planning."
Before coming to Central Florida, Jill owned a healthy cuisine catering business. Taking her inspiration from the heroine of the "Andy Griffin Show," she named her business Aunt Bea's. "People were always stopping by my house to see what I was cooking," she explains. "My friends nicknamed me Aunt Bea because I was always feeding people." Jill turned her hobby into a profitable business, serving up healthy-style home cooking with the same conviviality as in her own kitchen.
Central Florida's thriving hospitality industry drew her to the area nearly 15 years ago. At Sheraton Orlando North, Jill will plan events from menus created by Ennio Riga. Formerly with the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, Riga became known as Chef to the Stars for serving as preferred chef for such celebrities as Frank Sinatra and opera great Luciano Pavarotti.
"Riga's menus for the Sheraton feature everything from continental breakfasts to elaborate buffets and everything in between," Jill notes. "Guests will be able to build their own menus, too, offering tremendous flexibility."
Some of Jill's personal favorites on the Sheraton's new menus: leg of lamb, filet mignon and grilled salmon with tequila lime butter. "Our Launch Selection will be a wonderful display of desserts," she notes, "including petit fours, chocolate truffle and New York style cheesecake."
Jill lives in Downtown Orlando. She is active in numerous professional associations, including: National Association for Catering Executives, Wedding Professionals of Central Florida, Meeting Planners International, and Wedding Guild of Orlando.
The Sheraton Orlando North is a 400-room conference hotel located in the heart of the bustling Maitland, Fla., business corridor. The property, scheduled to open in the summer of 2006, is close to Downtown Orlando and the Orlando International Airport. It also is convenient to major Orlando theme parks, golf courses, shopping, restaurants and entertainment. At 296,000 square feet, the new Sheraton will house 15,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a 2,000-square-foot spa, 24-hour business center, state-of-the-art gym, restaurants, bar, concierge lounge, game room and outdoor swimming pool with dramatic water features. For information, call 407-660-9000.
About the Owners: AMC Delancey and Paramount Hotel Group
The new Sheraton Hotel in Maitland Center is owned in partnership with AMC Delancey Group, Inc., and Paramount Hotel Group, LLC. The partners have an impressive track record. Their joint venture acquisitions include the award-winning Radisson Hotel Jacksonville Butler Boulevard and the new Radisson Hotel, Largo, Maryland/Washington DC.
Paramount Hotel Group, founded in 1999, is a premier hotel management and development company. As an independent operator, the Fairfield, New Jersey-based company has successfully managed hotels under every major brand, including Marriott, Hilton, Radisson, Sheraton, Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn, Ramada and Howard Johnson. For information, visit www.paramounthotelgroup.com.
Philadelphia-based AMC Delancey Group, Inc., is a leading real estate investment and development firm that co-invests with a growing number of real estate operating partners throughout the U.S. The company's current investment programs include hotel, office, retail, multi-family, condominium, mixed-use, and land development. More information is available at www.amcdelancey.com.
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