Feast stewart at the crossroads was Re: [SCA-cooks] Pulled sugar

[Jim Fox-Davis]

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Selene has already responded, but I felt a need to stand up for my lady
and her reputation and skills.

Jonathan and Rebecca Barber wrote:

>>The autocrat announced this whole fait-accompli complete with a budget of $1,500
>>for food, and I know they are planning a 'box lunch' type arrangement for $5, so
>>my guess is that would take about a third of the budget.  Either they get dinner
>>for 100 [we could have sold 300 tickets easily last year, if we had the room for
>>them] or I get a slashed budget.  I typically budget $10 per paying diner for a
>>major feast such as this.  I'm still working on my reputation here and I won't
>>do some scaled-back snack when the event truly calls for a Meal Fit For A King,
>>literally.  I'm trying to figure out what to do;  I want to be a team player but
>>I won't let them force me to do a mediocre meal.  Or:  is my next challenge to
>>do a boffo, razzle-dazzle extravaganza on the halved budget?  Am I up to this
>>challenge?
>>
>>
>
>I've NEVER had more than $6/head for a feast budget, and have regularly served 3 courses with either a roast chicken or beef or some such in each course as well as multiple sides for each course.  A smaller budget means you have to plan better and shop better.
>
By way of example, M'lady, at our last 12th Night, I had a budget of $10
a head for food.  I served seven courses of documentable 15th century
French recipes, included chicken in one course, pork in another and beef
in another (and yes, I went way overboard), fed 260 paying customers+
the Crown, servers and cooks, and still came in well under budget, for
abotu $8.72 per person.  Yes, that's high, but I gave them their money's
worth.

>I would go back to the autocrat and point out that $5 a head for lunch is a bit high.  For $2 I can do a wonderful sideboard.  Boxed lunches waste a LOT of food.
>
>I would also go back and point out that if she caps your spending it will cap the number of tickets that can be sold.  That is, of course, the autocrats choice, but there is a limit how far you can stretch the food.  If last year could have sold 300 tickets, than they need to plan on that many again and budget accordingly.  You can always wait to buy the expensive stuff until the date is closer and you have a better idea of the numbers.
>
>Then you have to start doing your homework.
>- Watch for sales, buy stuff and freeze it.
>
We do.

>- Shop at your local or not-so-local costco, bjs, sams club, whatever and buy in bulk.
>
We do.  Especially meat I like to buy in case lots.

>- Start talking to local food wholesalers.
>- Know any hunters?  Venison is totally period and inexpensive in some parts of the country if you can find someone to go out and get one for you!
>
I'm sorry, but I wanted to do that this year, but I had it pointed out
to me that meat from an unverifyable source could have problems and lead
to liability issues.

>- Shop a little first, THEN do your menu - you can plan with an idea of what is available in mind.  (for example, costco carries slivered almonds, not whole or ground, and they still have the brown part on them when they get slivered.  That makes a difference in the appearence of a dish.)
>- Look at what will and won't be in season and keep that in mind as you plan your menu.  Out of season produce will be FAR more expensive.
>
PAINfully aware of that, m'dear.

>When you look at your menu, pick a focus:  either LOTS of different foods or a few fabulous ones.  You can't do both, so pick and choose.  I've often done one showpiece dish per course accompanied and surrounded by things that were less showy but were filling and less expensive.
>
Been there, done that.

>Keep in mind that many of us have done fabulous feasts for much less than you are talking about.  It requires you to shop well, think more creatively and get more help to do things manually rather than buying prepared foods.
>
All of which we have done.  F'rinstance, this year, making all the pie
crust by hand, peeling all the pears for the pears in wine, and buying
larger cuts of beef and slicing them ourselves.

>One final thing:  You comment about "still building your reputation" kind of sets the hair on the back of my neck on end.  You don't build a good reputation by cherry-picking your projects.  You build it by living up to your commitments, working well (or at least working things out) with the people around you and than producing a quality result under whatever circumstances you are handed.
>
Forgive me, my lady, but you do not know either my wife (Selene) or
myself.  I have been doing feasts in the SCA since 1976, and she since
1980.  We are neither novices nor do we do things stupidly (any more, at
least -- I've made some real boners).  We shop well and thriftily, but I
will confess that I will happily spend a bit more on a better cut of
meat, the right fresh vegetables or good spices than have complaints
about the quality of the food.  She was kingdom 12th Night feast
mistress two years ago, I was feast master for this year, and she has it
again next year.  We do an average of 3 feasts a year in this kingdom,
from the smaller (50-75 people) to the huge (250+).  I think my lady
wife will think she's 'building her reputation' until the day she dies
<grin> (That's a joke, honey)

>A budget with 8 months to plan for is far easier than the kitchen missing the racks in the oven, with half the burners dead, no refrigeration, pouring rain on the leaky tarp you are cooking under, etc.
>
Like I ran into this year, when one of the big ovens didn't work when I
got to the site.

> You will certainly lose face if you back out now.  Talk to the autocrat, explain the realities of what is and isn't possible (mostly in terms of the number of people you will feed and its relationship to the budget) and than get to work.  Yes, for $10 a head you can serve extravagant food and lots of it, but you will impress people even more if you feed them great period food for half that price.
>
Hmph.  You obviously don't live in Caid. <grin>  After the spread I gave
them this year, I heard the various comments:  "It's a shame you didn't
spice the food more,"  "You used 'way too many spices,"  "You shouldn't
have used such period recipes; you need to cook to please the audience,"
"Why don't you cook things in a more period fashion," "The portions were
so small," and "There was so much food!"  One thing I have learned is
that no matter -what- you do, someone -will- complain.

I think what Selene was more concerned about was that in January, she
was approached by the committee and asked to do the feast (while we were
in the middle of this year's), then -changed- the agreed-upon theme,
approved the site without letter her look at the kitchen, and -then-
told her the budget was half than she'd originally approved.  THAT is
the issue at hand.

Thanks for listening to me rant,

Jared


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