Pasadena Center Scores Big with Desserts

The Pasadena Center and Civic Auditorium produces BIG events. It is one of the only indoor banquet facilities in the Los Angeles area that can comfortably accommodate over 2,000 people. Connected to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, it also offers separate dining and entertainment venues.

Yves Pelletier, director of food services, has been working in hotels and catering facilities for over 30 years and still gets excited about producing big events. "Because of our size, we are involved with many conventions and important special events like the Emmy Awards and centennial celebrations," says Pelletier. "Since many of these events are staged annually, we must keep coming up with new and different events ideas and menus.

"Desserts are one of Pelletier's favorite ways to create excitement at events. "It is the last thing that people see and the course that is most remembered," says Pelletier. "I like to serve a dessert that is memorable, that people will talk about.

"The Pasadena Center produces approximately 100 large functions a year and at approximately 70 percent of them Pelletier serves personalized chocolate desserts. "My goal is to create goodwill and make the event organizer look like a hero," says Pelletier. "If I succeed, then the event succeeds and everyone is happy. I have founded that personalized desserts really help make all events special."

Pelletier says that the personalizing doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive. For example, for large luncheon functions, he likes to have the logo of the organization imprinted on a chocolate disc that he places on the dessert plates. "It can be a relatively inexpensive cheesecake dessert, but once I add the personalized element, it becomes special," he says.

In many cases, Pelletier doesn't even tell the event organizer that he is doing it. "It may cost me 85 cents to do it, but the goodwill pays off big time with repeat and new business." Pelletier is most proud of the annual galas he does for the Pasadena Symphony. One year he placed different chocolate musical instruments on each dessert at a table," he says. "To top it off, I presented the conductor holding a pair of chocolate hands with a conductor's baton. The audience went wild and clapped for several minutes.

"Another time the Pasadena Symphony honored the United Nations. On each table was a centerpiece with a large chocolate globe with musical notes and white doves around it that tied together the message of music and world peace.

Pelletier works closely with Chocolates à la Carte to produce his personalized chocolate desserts. He likes the good service and high-quality products that the company produces for him.

For instance, for the 100th anniversary of the Sunkist Orange Growers organization, the Pasadena Center produced a party for 2,400 people. Pelletier had Chocolates à la Carte create a chocolate orange to give each quest for dessert. "They looked so real, they even had the red Sunkist stamp on them," he remembers, "I had to go around and tell everyone that they were a chocolate dessert and edible.

"The guest were impressed and Pelletier learned a valuable lesson that evening when 400 dinner napkins disappeared as people took chocolate oranges home as souvenirs. He now provides guests with elegant paper bags to take home the chocolate creations.

Pelletier also helped the Pasadena Convention and Tourist Bureau create a personalized chocolate hexagon box amenity from Chocolate à la Carte that it gives to VIP's and potential customers.

At the Pasadena Center, where Pelletier has worked for seven years, new desserts sensations are developed regularly. He keeps trying to come up with difficult chocolate ideas to challenge the creative team at Chocolate `a la Carte. "I keep giving the company hard items to develop for me and they have yet to disappoint me.