Feb. 11 marked the first culinary event in a slew of Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Moments events created to attract more members to the hotel company’s loyalty program. The SPG Moments program allows members to redeem points for exclusive experiences by bidding on them online. This year, members can bid on Culinary Moments experiences—kitchen tours, tasting menus at world-renowned restaurants and access to top food and wine festivals—and meet some of today’s hottest chefs.
The event on Feb. 11 at Atelier Morimoto XEX with Morimoto in Tokyo included a cocktail reception, sushi demonstration and teppanyaki dinner with an omakase menu. Future events that SPG members can bid on include:
Girl & the Goat with Stephanie Izard
Feb. 18
Chicago
Cocktail reception, sneak preview of Duck Duck Goat, and tasting menu with wine pairing
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Feb. 24-28
Miami
Events include Amstel Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Rachael Ray, Fireman Derek’s Midnight Breakfast hosted by Chrissy Teigen, Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents & KitchenAid Culinary Demonstrations and Chicken Coupe with a meet and greet with event host Chef Andrew Carmellini.
Maude with Curtis Stone
Feb. 25
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Cocktail reception and tasting menu with wine pairing
Daniel with Daniel Boulud
March 17
New York
Cocktail reception, kitchen tour, five-course menu with wine pairing and cooking demonstration
Le Bernardin with Eric Ripert
March 24
New York
Cocktail reception, kitchen tours, six-course tasting menu with wine pairing and cooking demonstration
Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
March 31 to April 3
Monterey, Calif.
Events include Opening Night Reception, Fabio Viviani Cooking Demonstration with meet & greet, Booze & Bites, Lexus Grand Tasting and Graham Elliot’s Deliciously Whimsical Cooking Demonstration.
BottleRock Napa Valley Festival
May 27-29
Napa, Calif.
Events include VIP and GA tickets with access to 70-plus bands on four music stages plus celebrity chef and vintner performances on the culinary stage.
Later this month, Starwood will also launch SPG Cravings, a new culinary guide that offers members exclusive culinary content, special dining experiences and up to 30% off at one of the 1,500 SPG restaurants and bars in more than 100 countries, where they will also be able to earn Starpoints.
