Driving up dust-stained roads lined with huge trucks and construction equipment, the shadow of the newly opened Grand Hyatt at Deer Valley Resort’s East Village base area looms large. Across from the hotel’s entrance, the ear-screeching sounds of construction are nonstop as crews prepare the groundwork for what will be another brand-new hotel, this one even closer to the brand-new ski runs.
But the Grand Hyatt is well-insulated. Inside the lobby, the thunderous booms of machinery and rock are silenced. Much better to be in here than out there, at least for now.
A lounge to the left is dotted with large fireplaces and clusters of couches, armchairs and tables, and an expanse of windows overlooks the Jordanelle and the snow-dusted mountains beyond. They’re calling the space the “living room,” designed for people to stay a while, so the food and beverage team has created a menu specifically for the extra-casual lounge.
Their most popular order? A High Chocolate Experience, inspired by Executive Chef Viktor Merenyi’s European background.
Merenyi arrived at the hotel in June, a Hungarian who spent most of his career in Washington, D.C., then recently a three-year stint in Tampa Bay. For him, these mountains are like a return to his roots.
“For me, this climate, this view, this ambience, it’s more home,” Merenyi said.
And with the mountains continuing to collect snow around the hotel, he knew he wanted to create a signature hot chocolate to offer people through the winter season.
“It took me about two months to come up with the perfect formula. How we started, we ordered samples from Paris, from New York and from Italy. We started to search famous hot chocolate places and try to do the testing — the consistency, the sugar level, the color, the flavor. So we did testing, testing, and after, we created our own blend,” he said.
He formed a partnership with Millcreek Cacao Roasters, based in Salt Lake City, using their 70% Ecuador chocolate to create a rich, velvety chocolate drink that isn’t too sweet.
“(Millcreek Cacao Roasters) are taking the raw cacao beans from Ecuador, exclusively from a farm. The farm, it’s a heirloom preserve, so it’s very selective, high quality and under preservation,” Merenyi said.
Fair trade is essential when purchasing cacao because of unfair labor practices in the chocolate industry, he said, and Millcreek Cacao Roasters goes one further. Ten percent of the profits are returned to their farmers in Ecuador and Nicaragua through financial education.
“They’re supporting the farmers to teach them on the business, how they know they’re making money, how they know they’re losing money. Where is the critical steps that they need to look for it, so it is very, very meaningful to me to be a partner with this,” he said.
When ordered, a team brings out teacups with white fluffy balls like a snowball, and another person holds a dark kettle. This is where the experience piece comes in — the cups are adorned with a house made cotton candy topped with a s’mores dust, powdered marshmallow, chocolate, cacao powder and crackers. Then the liquid chocolate is poured over the snowball, and it melts, just like snow, collapsing into the cup and sweetening the drink as it dissolves.
Tiny pitchers of steamed milk are served on the side so people can customize the thickness and milkiness of the drink, and a chantilly whipped cream with decorated chocolate pieces is also included to customize the drink.
“I can play a little bit on the season as well for the chocolate decoration, so now snowflakes and maybe Mother’s Day I can put flowers, and summertime, a mountain bike or something,” Merenyi said.
Each cup is also served with a seasonal cookie designed to dip in the thick chocolate drink.
“At this point it’s white chocolate red velvet. When it’s spring, it will be some lemon lavender. In summertime, I can move to something more strawberry, something berries,” Merenyi said.
Guests at the living room can also add on an order of house-made pastries, a tower of either a half dozen or full dozen.
“A little European inspiration, because of my background, and also some traditional American, kids-friendly, easy to recognize,” Merenyi said.
They started with traditional french pastries like macrons and financiers, but after feedback, found their customers were looking for something more familiar, especially for the kids.
So, for the six-piece order, the tower includes a red velvet whoopie pie, oreo cupcake, Italian apricot linzer cookie, seasonal berry cobbler, s’mores chocolate chip cookie and a dark cacao snowball — the last, a Hungarian recipe usually made with rum and eaten during holidays.
The High Chocolate Experience is currently reservation only, which can be made on their website: remingtonhalldv.com/high-chocolate-in-the-living-room. There, learn more about the dining options at the Grand Hyatt, and for an extra treat, ask about their table-side tiramisu service. Complimentary valet is available for guests using the dining outlets, which includes the living room.
“I did a lot of research, testings,” he said. “The very famous Angelica coffee shop in Manhattan, New York, it took them 200 years to figure out the recipe that’s on the website; I had two months. So I’m really proud for this.”
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