Beyond the Sea with Foodz

on April 10, 2018

When industry leader Melissa Jurcan, the current ILEA President of the Seattle Chapter, called and asked us to cater this year’s Emerald City Applause Awards I was a bit hesitant.

We catered the event the previous year and I wanted to be sure no one else was being overlooked for the opportunity. Melissa assured me, she wanted US to do it. So, I said yes! I mean – its Melissa Jurcan asking! Once I joined this year’s team, I was excited to discover PJ Hummel & Co. was doing decor and Ileigh Reynolds of Animate Objects Physical Theater was doing entertainment.

Talk about an “A” team.

There would never have been any hesitation had I known! ANY chance I get to work with these superstars I am ‘All In’!

Plus, the event took place at one of my favorite venues Fremont Foundry and Cort Party Rentals — full sponsors. Then there was the whole list of amazing sponsors from Crimson Haze to Fun Frames Photobooth to Caren Morris Photography to BPM Entertainment. The stars aligned for a magnificent event. And, so it was!

Catering an event for all your industry peers can be extra pressure, but I feel it is an opportunity for my Chef, Pieter Dijkstra, to shine. I wanted him to have an opportunity to “play” and show off new menu ideas, be out of the box, and enjoy the moment. This was not a situation where our sales team or client is driving the menu, so I thought, “why not?” I know that can be risky, try new things on industry peers, but not only do I trust him, I know if he is driving the menu that he is 110% behind its success.

Consequently, he immediately set to work on a menu and we went back and forth, did some drawings of dishes on whiteboards, and focused on “Food of the Future”. This menu concept was the only direction I gave Chef Pieter at the time. “Food of the Future” is a great current trend and something we have focused on recently. Essentially, this concept is based on food sustainability, for example, using ‘Ugly’ produce, coffee flour and plant-based dishes.

However, the first menu did not coincide with the theme of the event. It wasn’t until we had a team meeting at Fremont Foundry where I learned the theme was to resemble a cruise ship, under the sea styled event. So, we went back to the drawing board on some items. We did keep the general idea of ‘Food of the Future’ but also focused on ‘Under the Sea’ menu items.

Original Menu

Appetizers

Cornmeal Macaron with BBQ Jackfruit

Entree

Bone Broth Braised Organic Rainbow Carrots topped with Brown Sugar Croutons

Gratin of “Ugly” Portobello Mushrooms and Yukon Gold Potato

Sou Vide Lamb with “Ugly Red Onion” Marmalade and Fresh Herb Salad

Dessert

Rhubarb Custard Tart, Basil Sable, Orange Blossom Meringue, Fennel Fond Caramel Sauce

Honey Chamomile Cake, Candied Pistachios, Bee Pollen, Rose Water Berry Honeycomb, Browned Butter Creme Anglaise

Ultimately, the final menu ended up being a collaboration between Chef Pieter and myself. I wanted to be sure we had enough vegan and gluten-free items for all the guests. Also, I added an hors d’oeuvre to the menu as Ileigh, of Animate Objects, created a new costume just for the event that would have a tray to serve food. The style of the tray was not a good fit for the items we had at the time. As a result, I added vegan sushi just for this purpose.

Lastly, I asked for a ‘fun’ way to serve the mini ice cream sandwiches we had planned. Our amazing Pastry Chef, Shannon Lewis, makes fantastic French macarons. Therefore, we decided to make ice cream sandwich macarons using our Anti-Griddle as an interactive element of the event.

Final Menu

Passed Hors D Oeuvres

Vegan Sushi

Vegan & GF

Mini Coffee Flour Cone

Maple Carrot Bacon | Micro Lettuce | Cured Tomato | Vegan Aioli

Vegetarian