Okay, so I admit that I completely suck at disciplining myself. I should sit down every single day for at least ten minutes and talk about all the food I make everyday. But I don't because I would rather waste a bunch of time on FB and drink a lot of wine. True story.
So way back in July, we catered the Port Huron Yacht Club Commodore's Cocktail Party. It's on Boat Night, the evening before the Port Huron to Mackinac Sailboat Race. About 500 invitations go out, meaning 1,000 people
could show up. They never do, but we still do about 400+ people. Please mind the word "Cocktail Party". Appetizers. Hors d'oeuvres. Finger food. Small bites. Pain in the Ass. Whatever you call them, we had to make a shit ton of them. Don't get me wrong...appetizers are probably my favorite thing to make. It just so happened to be the hottest week of the year when we had to make thousands of pieces of food for a lot of people.
This party was FUN! We set up tables full of food downstairs in the club, and also upstairs where they are also making Hummers. People wait outside in line to great the Rear Commodore, the Vice Commodore, and finally the Commodore. People have a routine....bar for drinks, grab as much food as possible, and then head upstairs to get hummers. By the time the line is gone, and everyone is inside, the downstairs is like a ghost town, while upstairs is PACKED. It's a fight just to refill the food.
It reminded me of working on the farm. You'd be bringing hay out to the horses in the pen. One would lift it's head, and signal to the others in horse talk: FOOOOOD!!! And then the stampede ensued. They were out of cocktail sauce upstairs. I grabbed three big bowls and mixed some up. Taking two stairs at a time, I arrive to find masses of people blocking my path. I hold the bowls over my head. Then I see it. A head pops up, sees me and shouts "COCKTAIL SAUCE!". Like the parting of the Red Sea, a path is cleared, and as I set the bowls down, the crowd attacks it like the horses and the hay. I'm surprised no one got kicked or nipped at.
Don't mess with hungry buzzed people. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was trying to refill the Sausage, Pretzel and Mustard tasting board. It was forced as a red-faced
gentleman started grabbing food off my tray before I could even get it onto the board for others. He raised a sausage my way. Nice.
All in all, it was a great party. We spend 6 months planning for it, and in an hour and a half, the food is gone, the people are drunk, and I cannot wait to get home to bed. It really doesn't sink in for a few days that it is over and done.
I ended up with heat exhaustion that night after the party. I was hallucinating that "the trees won't let me get better" and then I started crying and pacing the floor. My husband threatened "Hospital" so I lay down and let him cover me with Ice pacs, cold towels, and I think some frozen carrots. My temp came down, and I was able to sleep a couple of hours at a time. I finally got out of bed about 4pm the next day.
But here's the thing about being in the food business. If they ask me to do it again next year, I will. With bells on. It's a sickness, and I don't mind having it. My husband doesn't get it. He should. He's a musician. With a lot of musical crap that they have to set up and take down every time they play out. It's basically the same thing. I guess it's the same with anything you are passionate about. You'll do whatever it takes, time and time again, even if it kicks your ass, and kicks it hard. Because you love it, and can't imagine doing anything else.
Honestly, I hope we do get asked to do this party again next year. And I hope they want something completely different so I am challenged again. It's a great time with a bunch of people I love to feed time and time again.
I love this pic my husband took....you can see the sweat on the shrimp tub. And, of course, my dad's amazing smoked salmon. It's rare we do a party without his salmon. It is Just. That. Great. And then there is this one:
The Man and His Fish. I love this one. So for now, I will put away my notes on the cocktail party and focus on the weddings and Christmas gigs we have coming up. But I love to look through these pictures and think back on a very long, very gratifying day.
I hope you enjoyed the pics. I'm getting hungry, how about you?
~J
