[Sca-cooks] OT: how NOT to run a feast

[Jim Fox-Davis]

Olwen the Odd wrote:


[snip]

>
> Our guild has gotten professional enough that for a couplefew years now we
> have 3 ring binders (one for the head cook, one for the staff, one at
> troll
> for gentles to look at, and usually another near the door of the
> kitchen in
> case they missed it at troll) with the menu, each dish recipe in order of
> service and in the kitchen versions, the suggested or planned plating
> vessel, with each page placed in one of those plastic protective sleeves.
> When someone gets assigned to work on a recipe, they pop it out of the
> kitchen staff book and set about the task, then return it to the book
> marked
> done when it is done.  The head cook can make notes, etc. in their
> book and
> use it as a reference.  They also get to keep their copy.

Y'know, people looked at me funny when I started my notebook for the
upcoming 12th night, but you've taken it a step further and I think I'll
copy it.  The one addition I think I'll make is a chart to be put up on
the wall about which dish needs to get started when and where.

>
> We have a couple of folks who are really really good at doing the
> shopping/budget spreadsheet and it is broken down, including all the
> spices,
> by cost or whether we have it in stock.  We also have a complete list of
> what "hardware" the guild owns, what the Barony owns and most of us
> know who
> has "fancy" ware for special plating.

I need to do inventories of not only our supply, but that of three other
folks who've offered their collections.

One of the things I came up with last night, on the way back from the
baronial council meeting where, as Selene mentioned, we won the point
about not making servers pay for the privilege, is to prepare a complete
list of the meats and poultry I'll be using, and necessary quantities,
and submit it to several butchers for bids, remembering to tell them
we're a non-profit group.

For aprons this time, I'm thinking of doing badges that folks can move
from apron to apron.  I also want to make a series of badges that say
things like "Sous Chef", "Pastries", "Chef, First Course," "Chef, Second
Course,"  etc.

Jared
(who's having the first stirrings of "ohmigod the planning's over, I'd
better get busy", even when the feast is almost 4 months away.)