Thursday was a cinch. Only 3 of us were tasked to come in for the pre-event prep day. Prepping was simple with the basic cutting of vegetables, shredding duck confit, blanching/shocking some ingredients, roasting garlic, essentially creating "kits" for each appetizer, and cooking the family meal. I made a pasta meal for the family meal with sauce that was already in the walk-in, threw in some herbs, charcuterie meats and served with bread. It was a sunny day, the kitchen door was open allowing the vineyard view to spill into the kitchen. We chit chatted as we prepped. I tried to conceal the whole airline pilot thing, but inevitably it becomes obvious that since I only cook someplace else 1 day per week as an intern I am either a trust fund baby, or I have another job. So a flurry of questions ensued about how and why. I steered it back to the cooking. It was a fun relaxing day. I dropped my guard and allowed myself to be completely complacent. My soft underbelly was exposed and I was a prime candidate for a sucker punch. I went home feeling confident and was ready to do battle the following day.
Friday proved to be a cold rainy day as I made my way over to Napa valley. I felt prepared, having reviewed my list of tasks for the day. I wasted no time as I jumped right in to my final prep and began checking items off my list. I took a glimpse at one of the experienced cook's list and I was really impressed that she could actually pull off such a comprehensive list. The Chef came over and said "Mark, the appetizers are where things always fall apart. Getting 3 hot apps out simultaneously for 110 people will be tough. Do your best". My thoughts were "he must know something that I don't know, because I am ahead". I looked at my list again and felt good. I grabbed some serving platters and staged the plating area for the apps. I went to the garden and hand picked some garnish herbs for the serving platters. I whipped some crème fraiche and folded in the salmon roe and some chives and salt. The list was looking good. I looked at the clock and realized that I had 30 minutes to cook the family meal. Once again, it was a simple plan using mostly things that were already in the walk-in. After knocking that out, I got back to my list. With only an 1.5 hrs to go, It was time to attack the items that needed to be cooked and held in the warming cabinet. It was here that the plan began to unravel. First on the list was pan toasting 125 bruschetta. The Chef specifically wanted them pan roasted and not oven baked which would have been much faster. "Toasted on one side and lightly toasted one the other with a slightly soft middle" were his exact instructions. I began using 2 large teflon pans for the job, but it was taking way too long. I switched over to the flat top. For some reason the flat top wasn't getting hot enough and this was where I fell way behind..I still needed to spread the bruschetta with the roasted garlic, fry 110 quail eggs and ring mold cut each one, fry the shredded duck confit, etc... The weeds were rising all around me...SHIT! I had chosen to skip eating the family meal to stay ahead and now I was falling behind. As everyone else returned from family meal it was like the cavalry riding in with reinforcements. Sweat on my forehead and what must have been a look of panic on my face must have given me away. George jumped on the quail eggs, Abby spread the garlic, etc..it was crunch time and the kitchen was in full motion. The next 30 minutes were a complete blur but somehow we managed to crank out all three hot apps, plate, and get them out. The Chef came over and with a smirk on his face said "what did I tell you, it always happens". My specific job for the night was done, I was now the extra hand to help with the remainder of service just as everyone had helped me with the apps.
The kitchen was completely cleaned and dismantled and retooled for the next course. This was the pumpkin risotto and pancetta with salad and a kids pizza plate. The chef quickly assigned stations for the plating, demoed one plate, and once again we cranked out 100 plates. Even the dishwashers were brought in for the plating. It was an assembly line. Again, the stations were wiped down and reconfigured for the main entrees. A halibut mounted on braised gigante beans and mussels surrounded by chanterelle broth or a roasted NY Strip and braised shoulder served with a wild mushroom confit and vegetables. Again the chef demoed, and we all plated and cranked them out. The scene was replayed with cheese plates and the dessert. And just as quickly as it started, it was over. Throughout the night guests came in late and wanted a course that had already been served. I was the guy who was in charge of making the straggler plates. Also, each of the above dishes had a vegetarian version. I was also the veg. guy who made all of those dishes.
It was a blur of a night. The 4 hours of service evaporated like it was 10 minutes. The Chef allowed a free- for-all run of some of the food that was left in the kitchen. Honestly, I didn't have much of an appetite. Chef told me to get out of there because I had started a little earlier than some others. I thanked him, shook hands with everyone and headed out to the cool drizzly night. Phewww. I didn't know how to feel. Had I done a good job? Is it always this crazy? I had mixed emotions about my performance. It was a huge learning experience. Where as my internship Chef gives me very little latitude, the winery Chef expects me to just run with it. It's a nice but difficult transition from restraint to freedom.
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