   |
| yabadabaclue |
 |
| Irony As defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary... i·ro·ny1 [ahy-ruh-nee, ahy-er-] –noun : An Agnostic freelance Chef preparing a Rosh Hashanah Dinner Party for a Black Caterer |
 |
 |
|
|
| Summer 2005 The MIA Wedding Cake This last summer, I catered a wedding in Lake Forest. As usual, we arrived, the dj arrived, family showed up with favors and guest book, champagne flutes and cake knives. Pretty standard stuff for a wedding reception. Everyone was on cue: the dj played some warm-up music, the buffet was beautiful, the tables were set... ALL EXCEPT the Wedding Cake. For those who have ever catered or coordinated a wedding reception, one knows vendors run a little late sometimes, or their Mapquest map wasnt quite accurate, what ever. So 20-30 minuntes late is nothing unusual. When the bakery doesn't deliver and guests will be arriving in 15 minuted... "Houston, we have a problem !!!". Being connected in the community, I quickly ran down my mental rolodex seeking a local bakery. Black Forest Bakery, in Lake Forest, came through like TRUE PROFESSIONALS. One call and flavors and how many tiers and a delivery address were all arranged. They even delivered... and this was 45 minutes before their shop closed... God Bless You Black Forest Bakery. The Brides sister even did a videography of how the caterer saved the situation... so the bride could look back and laugh later. We stole a few flowers from here and there, built up the tiers, embellished the table, and were over run by family with cameras. See their wedding cake at the bottom of THIS PAGE |
 |
 |
 |
|
| More stories to come... Check back soon!!! |
| May 2002 The Sturtevant Wedding After becoming friends with the manager and spending time hiking to and visiting Sturtevant's Camp (deep in the mountains above Pasadena)... a fateful Saturday afternoon brought us (Shhh, the ex-fiance' and I) to the camp once more. As always... the manager greeted us as we huffed and puffed our way into camp. "This is coincidental you guys hiked in... I have a bride and groom that are getting married here and they can not find a caterer or chef to hike out to do their reception," announced the manager. If you didnt already know... Im sort of fond of nature and the outdoors and hiking and camping, etc. Knowing this... this was a match made in heaven. We exchanged phone numbers and within 48 hours, I had the bride on the phone. The bride and groom were from Los Angeles and were working their way up thru the ranks in the Independent Film Industry. After several weeks, several thousands of phone calls... the arrangements were set. The group (47 people) would hike in on Friday night and stay thru Sunday afternoon. NOW, Sturtevant's camp is not accessible by any roads. The only way to get in or out of the camp is to hike or be airlifted by helicopter. As for the 670 pounds of goods I was schlepping in for the food service... there was only one way in: MULES!!! Yes, you read correctly... Mules. The Big Santa Anita Canyon (home to Sturtevant's Camp/ served as a back drop in the movie "Seabiscuit") boasts the last remaining working mule train in the United States. All goods and refuse brought in and out of the canyon are moved by mules. So early that previous Thursday morning... I drove the supplies to the pack station and assisted loading the animal's cross bucks. I hiked ahead of the train (for obvious reasons). Arriving at camp... It was hard to decide if I was in heaven, or at a paying gig. Cooking out in the forest? Forget about it.... it was heaven. I spent the remainder of Thursday and all day Friday cooking and napping at the base of a 80ft Cedar and helping get the camp ready for the guests arriving that evening. And arrive they did... met by gallons of coffee, hot cocoa, lemonade, and Sangria... and platters mounded over with fresh baked fudge brownies. Needless to say, I was well liked from the getgo. The party started THAT NIIGHT... with water balloons and... after the generator was cut, a roaring fire was lit in the lodge and 47 people (plus me and you know who) sat around on the floor sipping red wine, someone was playing a guitar, another reading some really bad poetry, and the herb "was-a-burnin". I swear it was a genuine love-in from 1969. Wow, what a weekend... I cooked and split wood and hiked and chased a raccoon. The guests ate and slept, and ate, and drank and ate, and hiked, and ate and... I felt then that I could die a happy man... having my two favorite worlds colide in such a special place, over one special weekend. PS... yes, I even packed in the wedding cake. It was a two tier chocolate on chocolate. I found all sorts of greenery and flowers near by for decoration. Ya wanna know how the cake made it there in one piece??? See their wedding cake at the bottom of THIS PAGE |
| s |
| s |
| Home | Personal Chef | Commercial | Menus | Catering| Special Events | Cooking Classes | Biography | Testimonials | Photos | Tales | Contact me | |
| s |
| Really... look it up!!! |
|
| s |
| A Good Day Being Self Employed... almost everyday is a good day. Every once in awhile, a particular day stands out from the rest. I was booked for a Private Chef gig on short notice in the Inland Empire. I showed up, things went well, the host tells me he hired some girls to come in and help, serve beer, and what have you... Yeah, well these girls were "Girls" as in "Working Girls". Not really my thing, but they seemed nice enough. I think one thought that any guy could be bought with a wink and a smile... yet I wasnt having any. In the end, I did get felt up, I did eat a really great Rib-Eye Steak, the client was overly impressed and over paid me, and traffic was a breaze coming back into Orange County. It was a good day. |
|
| The Women In My Life Summer of 2006, I was contracted to teach a cooking class for a birthday party... An eight year old girl's birthday party!!! So off to Huntington Beach Central Library I went lock, stock and barrel. The mom was a pleasure to work with, the facilities were brilliant... and then they arrived... 20 eight-year-old girls. I do believe many traights of womanhood begin at birth, and this gig sealed that deal. They were procacious and funny and excitable and so much wanting to help and win my attentions. We played a food/ cooking trivia games with mini chocolate bars as the prizes (Women + Chocolate = Peace), we made Caesar Dressing from scratch, we rolled 120 meatballs [with washed hands of course] and had one hell of a time. Even at eight years old, they still managed to ask of my marital status.... God Bless 'Em!!! |
 |
| s |
|
| s |
| A Meeting of the Minds June 07 lead me to a cooking class for a group of ladies in Chino Hills. What did I walk myself into? We not only learned how to make Mini Gravlax Tostadas, the infamous WILD SAGE CHICKEN with Sweet Potatoes and Bananas Foster Royale... But it was a meeting of the minds as far as tearing apart the Chefs personal relationships, womens evaluation of their husbands, whats expected and desired in modern day relationships, and so forth. All in all, I gained a new respect for the fact that women really are from Venus and men are from, hmm, where ever. Thank you Ladies of Chino Hills, CA. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
