[Sca-cooks] Re: question: Medieval restaurant at Pennsic

[Sudden Service #5]

Hej!
    As someone who has made a short lived attempt at a restaurant at Pennsic
XXII, I can make some suggestions:
1)  Arrange for lots of help before arrival, at least 2 or 3 times as many
people as you think you need-  you will have lots of people flake out on you
after they realize that they are not having as much fun as they could be at
Pennsic because they are working-HARD, Hot, Sweaty work, too.  In fact if
you could hire non SCAdians it would be best.  I have noticed that the other
SCAdians who were running places have all disappeared in the gap of time
since I ran the New Cheshire Inn/Olaf's Plunder & my return to Pennsic 8
years latter.  I would not have done the Inn the next year even if I had
been there as a merchant because of the lack of reliable competent helpers
(I did not attend because of personnel problems)
2)  At the time I was not required by the Coopers to get a food handling
license, that may have changed, it was felt that since I was serving to a
closed group, not the general public, it was not required of me.  If you are
not doing catering outside of the SCA you most likely will find the
requirements for a Catering License (insurance, equipment, on site
refrigeration, inspections & such) staggering.  You do have to get a Sales
Tax License & pay the sales tax like any other Pennsic merchant.
3)  Most people will eat any well prepared food that looks & smells
appetizing.  If you are making dishes that are good tasting they will come
back & bring friends, Period food will bring in many SCAdians IF it meets
the previous criteria.  Some of my dishes were period, most were periodal,
but then I was much less educated on the subject back then.  I did cook over
charcoal braziers though.
Pax,
Olaf of Trollhiemsfjord
who misses Battlefield Bakery as well