Last year, the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village hosted a conference bringing together the group’s food and beverage leaders from across North America to examine “The Art of Epic”.

Ahead of the event, Chef Jesus Medina collaborated with the Craster team on the breakfast displays for each morning of the event. Following this inspirational experience, we spoke with Chef Medina to discuss the recipe for creating an epic breakfast.

For this event, what did you want to achieve, especially for the breakfasts and displays?

The theme of the conference was “epic,” and we wanted our food displays to reflect that. We aimed to move beyond the standard buffet setup and create a self-serve but luxurious experience. With your help, we achieved a setup where guests could grab pre-prepared, pre-assembled items with an elegant touch. We wanted a restaurant-like experience rather than a traditional banquet, or a bakery where everything you see is available to you. This allowed us to have a clean display without needing a huge space, resulting in an appealing aesthetic.

It certainly felt organic without appearing like a huge operation behind it. What was your approach to achieving that balance?

Exactly. It was clean but not industrial. We aimed for a look like an exclusive cheese store with nicely arranged cheeses and beautiful labels. For this event, we used Craster’s equipment to create a market-style display, loading carts with strawberries, raspberries, or artisanal bread. It was interactive, with someone slicing pastries for guests, adding a touch of finesse to the setup.

The pastry cart was intriguing and original, allowing guests to try before they committed. There was also a DIY fruit station, ready-made breakfast sandwiches and in-dividual servings of avocado toast on display. Is it typical for your events to have variety and abundance not just in the menu but also in the ways the food is served?

Yes, and the look remained consistent while we changed the food each day. Despite being a significant event with 140-150 people, we avoided large containers that guests would have to scoop from themselves. It was designed for your own individual B&B plate, for guests to pick up their items and enjoy them without mixing different foods. It was more like a reception-style setup, offering a clean and separate dining experience.

For us it is the norm, but I know that it’s not very typical in a lot of venues because it does involve labor. It involves more plates and more hands. Instead of doing 30 avocados on a platter, I am creating 30 individual plates. So, it requires organization and a different mindset. You’re not just doing a classical buffet, you’re elevating it. All of the elements complemented each other and worked very well together utilizing the Craster equipment. We played around with the products to decide what to do with them, like the triple beverage dispenser where we decided to do three different flavored waters and it looked great!

Thinking about elevations, how important is the material that food is displayed on?

The quality and durability of the display material are crucial. It needs to look beautiful and be durable, considering how often it’s moved and stored. We want to ensure the equipment we purchase is durable, and I know that Craster will consistently provide beautifully crafted, high- quality, and durable products.

Were you inspired by any trends in the way that guests interact with the displays or trends in food and beverage?

For trends, I was inspired by a minimalistic approach, adding as little as possible to keep it simple. I wanted to bring the feeling of walking through a farmer’s market or a place like Gjusta in Venice Beach. They have all the breads you could imagine on display, but the attention remains on the food.

We also focused on using fresh, local produce. One of the lunches highlighted Apricot Lane Farms, which is close to us in Moorpark. We used what was fresh and available from our farmers. For example, we received organic eggs from a local farm with hundreds of chickens. It’s about being sustainable and local. There was not a strong emphasis on Instagram trends, but we did incorporate a variety of juices like you might see at Erewhon. We labeled them like a fresh juicery to emulate that feeling.

We truly appreciate the opportunity to work with the team at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. Our gratitude goes to Chef Jesus Medina, Chef Narayanan Jaya and Director of Catering and Conference Services Amy Semler for their time, dedication and hospitality.