August 30, 2011
Blogging Naturally, entry # 7
Friday Night Dinner Survival
This was the first of what will be several mandatory Friday Night Dinners for the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts. We must arrive by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday where we are to meet the Chef and listen for instruction on what and how we will assist them with in preparation for the dinner that will be served the next evening to approximately 100 guests. Friday we must arrive by 1:30 p.m. and remain until after dinner is served.
The moment that the Chef handed out the menu and recipes and charged me with the preparation of 200 “red-lentil burgers” the adrenaline kicked in. Cindy in charge? Is she out of her mind? Did I mention this was my first Friday Night Dinner? What do I do, where do I start, OMG I felt like a deer in headlights!
O.K. I thought, perhaps Chef will assign a veteran to work with me. Just then I am assigned Melissa, she looks so seasoned and relaxed and not a care in the world. What did she just say to the Chef, it’s her first time too? Nothing we can do but get started.
The organized chaos that ensued for the next two days was intense. However it was so exciting and invigorating. I can’t remember the last time that I felt so strangely out of my realm but so incredibly ignited by the undertaking. There were a few veterans who generously lent their now seasoned expertise to so many facets of what I needed to pull off to get the job done. I truly felt like everything and anything that I once knew regarding my way around a kitchen was lost forever! How do I recalibrate this damn scale? Do I weigh the lentils before or after rinsing? Do I reduce the mango sauce, what is the proper cut for a red pepper for an Asian salad, do I rinse the mushrooms? So many questions for the adorable Chef with the springs on her sneakers, I’m not kidding, she actually had springs that allowed her to bounce from kitchen to kitchen like she was floating on air. We laughed and bounced off one another like charged electrons. The amazing feet was when it became time to breakdown from two kitchens and shove 13 semi-chefs along with our Master Chef into one itty bitty little kitchen where we then had to finish all cooking and then plate dishes for three courses and dessert for almost 100 guests!
This Chef made my first Friday Night Dinner such a pleasure that I never minded not sitting down for a moment until 9:30 Friday evening. I was relieved when the last plate went out of the kitchen and had such an incredible feeling of satisfaction to receive applauds from the diners for our assistance in the beautifully orchestrated menu of delight served that evening. I can’t wait for the next Friday Night Dinner, however I am currently searching for those spring-sneakers!
