| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 06.20.05 12:00 AM |
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| Roundtable: Menu Tastings |
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David Bowen is the former managing director at Lisa Lori Communications, a marketing and event company. "There is a perception that tastings are fun, but the reality is that it's business, and there's an agenda to accomplish. It's the last time for everyone to get together for the sign-off. We usually hit the 'fun' elements—ticket sales, attendance, centerpieces, linens, music. I schedule tastings only a couple of weeks in advance of the event. It gives us time to change elements or have a follow-up tasting if something changes. Early in my career, a socialite came in and talked about the veal Milanese she'd had in a restaurant. She insisted on having it for a dinner for 500 people. That's hard to pull off! She ended up being disappointed, and the caterer got fired. You have to be sensitive to the client's needs, but steer them in the right direction."
Sean Driscoll is a partner at high-end catering firm Glorious Food. "Two people at a tasting is enough. You can't please three or four people. They all have idiosyncrasies about food. It's like a group therapy session because it's what they think the guests would want. Clients and caterers must walk through the event space before the tasting, too. You have to see what the kitchen situation is going to be—it could be in a hallway under the stairs—and work all those problems out ahead of time."
Jane Emerson is an independent planner who works on nonprofit events for clients including the American Ballet Theater, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and God's Love We Deliver. "Caterers sometimes like to get fancy, but simple is often better. You have to consider whether the caterer can reproduce the food in the middle of the night in a tent for 1,400 people. You also have to think about what large crowds actually like to eat—what do people object to, and what is socially acceptable? And you have to look for what is difficult to eat. Do people really want to cut apart a pheasant? No, they don't. Presentation matters, too. I recently tasted a salad in a martini glass. The waiters couldn't manage it, and people would knock it over."
Cathy Morrell is a partner at Match Catering and Eventstyles. "A menu tasting can be used to establish a foundation of trust between the planner and client. [The planner] can show the client that they're sensitive to their needs, that they've been paying attention to what the client has said so far and know what the goals are. Do the tasting in the venue when possible. The environment is a factor in how the food is chosen and presented. Being in the venue can give a better sense of food presentation, and the planner can better understand the limitations for food prep, or if it really makes sense to use china, flatware, and glassware or if plastic is more practical. You can't appreciate the logistics unless you see the hoops caterers go through to pull things off at the tasting."
Jane Katcher is vice chairman of the board of directors of the Museum for African Art and co-chair of the museum's gala benefit. "It's hard, as a person not involved in the food industry, to make decisions for 500 people. For years, I picked chicken because I was petrified of serving fish, red meat, or something
adventurous. I have learned to not be so worried about serving something slightly different—an interesting soup, something a little spicy, Cornish hen. If people don't like it, we always have back-ups of fish, chicken, or just vegetables."
José Fong is director of catering for Restaurant Associates at Lincoln Center. "I usually hold tastings at 1 PM. People are hungry then and have lots of energy and focus. The tasting should not last longer than two hours. People's attention span isn't that long. I always limit the tasting to three options per course to keep confusion to a minimum. And I try to teach planners about the rationale behind the platings, and try to explain to them about balancing the colors and shapes of items on the plate and the compatibility of flavors. You advise them of that, try to give them options, warn them of problems. But if they insist, you have to do it."
—Ellen Sturm Niz
Posted 06.20.05
This story originally appeared in the June/July 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter. |
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