This week has been a wild, culinary Iditarod. No two days were alike. And it was food, food, food from Monday morning at 9:30 until last night at 5:30. Then I came home, ate dinner, and slept for 12 hours. I wish I had one of these weeks ever month.
It started with a private cooking lesson on Monday, for a retired UMass professor. We did all kinds of seafood things, including crab cakes and salmon cakes with freshly poached salmon. Not only was it a blast, but his wife also liked the food. Always a plus…
Tuesday was a regular personal chef day, cooking for the famous multiple-bestselling author (New York Times list, of course), Michael Palmer.
Then, Weds was a doubleheader. I try to avoid those, because they usually make my head explode (implode?), and I usually start to mix the two jobs In my mind, with me then asking myself what I’ve forgotten. But this time, everything went smoothly. I started with a demo of Pad Thai (this will be a theme) at the Women’s Business Expo for the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, which was a ton of fun. Then, that night, I did a class with roasting chickens and flank steak (not in the same dish, though. That would’ve been scary). It was a fun evening, AND everyone loved the food.
Thursday night was another highlight. I did a private cooking lesson party in Longmeadow. More Pad Thai, and Bananas Foster. We laughed and cooked all evening. The guests had a good time, and so did I. I really do love doing the cooking lesson parties.
Friday began two days of mass quantities of food. It started with the Great Chefs for Jimmy fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund. It was at Chez Albert in Agawam, a banquet facility, and raised over $100,000 for cancer research. I made Pad Thai (there it is agai!), non-stop, for the 1,000 attendees. Karen was there, with our friends Mollye and Brooke, who did all of the heavy lifting while I made Pad Thai. And more Pad Thai. And more Pad Thai…
But I have to say a word about Chez Albert’s executive chef, Marcel Ouimette. I’ve worked with and for many chefs, including a Michelin rated one. Chef Marcel is clearly at the top of my list of impressive chefs and people. He was gracious. He offered me use of his kitchen. And his kitchen crew treated him with a respect and friendliness that is not always show to an executive chef. And on top of that, his food was wildly creative, AND it tasted great. I’m hugely impressed…
Which brings us to yesterday. I cooked Alaskan wild-caught cod and salmon at the Boston Wine Expo. I cooked non-stop from 10:45 until 4:45. It was a blast. The Alaskan Seafood guys in the booth were fun, the attendees were having a great time (just a wee bit wine-fueled?), and I learned some new cooking techniques.
So, all in all, a great week. And a great food week.
It started with a private cooking lesson on Monday, for a retired UMass professor. We did all kinds of seafood things, including crab cakes and salmon cakes with freshly poached salmon. Not only was it a blast, but his wife also liked the food. Always a plus…
Tuesday was a regular personal chef day, cooking for the famous multiple-bestselling author (New York Times list, of course), Michael Palmer.
Then, Weds was a doubleheader. I try to avoid those, because they usually make my head explode (implode?), and I usually start to mix the two jobs In my mind, with me then asking myself what I’ve forgotten. But this time, everything went smoothly. I started with a demo of Pad Thai (this will be a theme) at the Women’s Business Expo for the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, which was a ton of fun. Then, that night, I did a class with roasting chickens and flank steak (not in the same dish, though. That would’ve been scary). It was a fun evening, AND everyone loved the food.
Thursday night was another highlight. I did a private cooking lesson party in Longmeadow. More Pad Thai, and Bananas Foster. We laughed and cooked all evening. The guests had a good time, and so did I. I really do love doing the cooking lesson parties.
Friday began two days of mass quantities of food. It started with the Great Chefs for Jimmy fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund. It was at Chez Albert in Agawam, a banquet facility, and raised over $100,000 for cancer research. I made Pad Thai (there it is agai!), non-stop, for the 1,000 attendees. Karen was there, with our friends Mollye and Brooke, who did all of the heavy lifting while I made Pad Thai. And more Pad Thai. And more Pad Thai…
But I have to say a word about Chez Albert’s executive chef, Marcel Ouimette. I’ve worked with and for many chefs, including a Michelin rated one. Chef Marcel is clearly at the top of my list of impressive chefs and people. He was gracious. He offered me use of his kitchen. And his kitchen crew treated him with a respect and friendliness that is not always show to an executive chef. And on top of that, his food was wildly creative, AND it tasted great. I’m hugely impressed…
Which brings us to yesterday. I cooked Alaskan wild-caught cod and salmon at the Boston Wine Expo. I cooked non-stop from 10:45 until 4:45. It was a blast. The Alaskan Seafood guys in the booth were fun, the attendees were having a great time (just a wee bit wine-fueled?), and I learned some new cooking techniques.
So, all in all, a great week. And a great food week.
posted by ChefBill at 11:27 AM
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