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Executive

Director Hugh Austin recently unveiled plans for the new Georgia International

Convention Center during a meeting of area business leaders in the convention

center's Culinary Arts Center.

Austin introduced

architectural drawings for the new center, which will be built at Camp

Creek Parkway and Roosevelt Highway in College Park and completed in

early 2003. The gathering was at a holiday chef's table presented by

Proof of the Pudding Catering.

The center

is moving because the current facility has been purchased by the city

of Atlanta and Hartsfield International Airport for construction of

the airport's fifth runway.

Austin enthusiastically

presented a finalized schematic of the facility's floor plan, which

was recently approved. The plan for the new 400,000-sq. ft. facility

includes a 40,000-sq. ft. ballroom, making it the largest in the state;

150,000 square-feet of exhibition space; 15,000 square feet of flexible

meeting space; three executive board rooms; a VIP green room; and a

20-person capacity tasting room, in the Culinary Arts Center.

After Austin's

remarks, leaders from area businesses, including the Clayton County

Chamber of Commerce, Beers Construction, Benchmarc Sites, Delta Air

Lines, Beulah Heights Bible College, NACOM, The Alliance, AT&T,

Mt. Paran North and the Sheraton Gateway were treated to the holiday

chef's table.

Guests sampled

an array of cuisine prepared by Proof of the Pudding and the convention

center's executive chef, Dennis Graeff.

The menu

items represented a variety of foods that can be personalized for social

occasions and corporate events conducted at the facility.

The menu

included ox tail soup, seared scallops with beet vinaigrette, carpaccio

of beef with fresh artichoke and tomato salad, braised veal chop with

horseradish demi glace, lamb shank oven-roasted with lentils and wild

yukon river salmon with orange beurre blanc.

Decadent

desserts served to the group included a pear tart, fresh lemon tart,

chocolate-coffee praline mousse with chocolate glaze and a caramel crunch

tart. Below is a recipe for one of Proof's holiday desserts.

Proof of

the Pudding's Simply Scrumptious Cranberry Pecan Torte

24 ounces

cream cheese

1 1/2 cups

sugar

5 whole eggs

24 ounces

dried cranberries

2 cups pecan

pieces

Mix cream

cheese and sugar together. Add eggs. Fold in cranberries and pecans.

Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes in a nine-inch spring form pan in

a water bath.