Many of us have worked for a caterer, either during our University years as a way to pay for tuition and pizza money, to pay the monthly bills or because we have a strong desire to work in the service industry. I must admit that I never catered because of a strong love of food service. A more finely honed sense of self preservation was always somewhere around the top of the list. But I don’t want to leave the impression that catering left me cold or disinterested. Indeed, several things really appealed to me. First off, when my depression wasn’t in full swing I really enjoyed many of the people that I’ve worked with, mostly really cool women (and men) who could make ten hours on your feet just fly by, some of the folks hosting the events were just stellar (you always remember their names and hope they'll call you again), and I’ve also met more than my fair share of really cool guests. But the strongest attraction for me was always the reward of making things look appealing, tempting, even beautiful.
Beautiful? How can a Caesar Salad or a lump of raw fish look beautiful you ask? I suppose the answer to that question has been making Chefs famous for many a century. Anything can taste good, but to also make it look good is an art in itself. Add into the mix being a responsible consumer and thoughtful human being and you’re really cookin’.(www.sushiwhore.com/sustainablesushibar.html)
I must admit I had a fantastic time this year at our annual CommOps Party. I owe that simple fact to my Husband and some wonderful helpers, Michael, Kimberly, Steve and Laurie. Bless their hearts. My Husband took the day off from work and we did all the early running around stuff together ~ what a joy it is to be able to discuss the merits of Pecorino Tartuffe versus a crumbling Gorgonzola (we chose both) a mere eight hours before an event . Our Friend Emergency Response crew simply showed up early, simple for me. Not so simple for them. Post workday traffic, last minute requests for bottle openers, ice and anything else I could imagine we might need. And they were still smiling when they arrived. They cut fruit, filled trays, stacked bamboo picks and generally just made me feel like everything was going to get done ~ before the party itself ended. I always like to think I can accomplish things alone and am humbled constantly by my actual need for assistance (okay, some people call it help). And I enjoyed our guests, my Husband’s workmates and collegues. They really couldn’t have cared less about how my hair looked or that I still haven’t fixed the hole in the wall next to our new (not so new) thermostat. Thank you to all of you for such a wonderful time. What cool people. Now I feel like it’s my turn to own up to my CommOps Party night commitments and most (actually all) of those revolve around our signature drink (and another reason to create a "signature pendant", Martini Anyone?)…
~ Chocolate Orange Martini ~
3oz of Three Olive Chocolate Vodka,
1.5oz of Crème de Cocoa &
1oz of Cointreau
Pour over crushed ice, shake
and pour into martini glass.
~ Sauce de Jacqueline, Fudge Raspberry drizzle ~
We swirled this squeeze bottle fudge
around the inside of the
Chocolate Orange Martini glasses.
A sweet thank you to Christy who helped us top our evening off with a wonderful dessert tray filled with yummy things (I nibbled on blueberries after you all departed). Oh! And as a final call out…thanks to Steve! Thanks for taking those extra steps to the freezer to feed our French Bulldog, Aelinor, frozen green beans (healthy) instead of simply feeding her little bits of the aforementioned gorgonzola from your plate (not so healthy) and making her gaseous all night long! I'm not certain what tidbits Cleopatra, our English Bulldog, managed to cozen out of our honored guests but she too refrained from "the wind". We appreciate it more than you could ever imagine, thanks for being our guests.
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