Oui, Chef!
This May, Chef Anthony was invited to join the London chapter of Les Marmitons to lead an evening of Indonesian cookery at Fanshawe College’s cooking lab. Each month Les Marmitons invites local chefs to create a menu for the group to prepare and enjoy, it’s up to the visiting chef to simply provide the recipes and guidance, then join the group for the meal and provide a little appraisal of each course’s execution. We knew this would be a great opportunity to highlight Indonesian cooking and showcase our detailed and guest-focused approach service design to a new group of potential clients.
As soon as Anthony was invited, we began brainstorming dishes and menu ideas. We knew we wanted to highlight popular Indonesian dishes like Soto Ayam and Mie Goreng but we also needed to ensure they could be executed within the tight timeframe and by cooks with varying kitchen skills. Pulling a little inspiration from Kimi’s recent visit to Nusa in Jakarta for the menu structure, we developed the following menu:
Amuse-Bouche Spicy Coconut Beef Meatball
1st Course - Hors D’Oeuvres Spicy Corn Fritters with Balado Sauce
2nd Course - Soup Soto Ayam (Chicken Soup)
3rd Course - Noodles Mie Goreng with Crispy Fried Duck Egg
4th Course - Main Chicken and Shrimp Satays with Nasi Lemak, Atjar Tjampoer and Peanut Sauce
5th Course - Dessert Pandan Coconut Panna Cotta
As we do with every event project, once the menu was established we created a detailed service plan including a detailed description of each course and list of the tools, equipment, tableware, glassware, and serving dishes required. We arranged a site visit with Chef Patrick Hersey at Fanshawe College. The visit allowed us to visualize and run through the event’s planned denouement both in the kitchen and dining room. We made adjustments and edits to the plan as we conducted the walk through. Ultimately the visit helped minimize any issues or roadblocks that inevitably present themselves on event day and Chef Hersey’s advice and insight allowed us to refine our service strategy.
Right after our site visit, we re-strategized our evening’s program by imagining the event’s activities from the perspective of those participating. We adjusted the timing, determined in advance how many group members would be required for each course, organized the ingredients in boxes by course and updated the recipes to include a list of the kitchen tools and equipment needed. By making these small changes the event would stay on time and allow the group members to spend their time doing what they wanted to do the most: cook!
During dinner, we were provided the opportunity to talk about our business, how we are differentiating ourselves from the competition, and what value we bring to our clients’ events. As new entrepreneurs, talking about these three elements can be difficult. You know what makes you great but being able to effectively communicate it to your clients or potential clients is crucial in earning sales. Take any chance you are given to practice your ‘elevator pitch’!
In the end, the evening went off without a hitch. All our preparation and planning gave us a lot of confidence and allowed us to focus on getting to know group members, instead of putting out any fires. We had a blast cooking with Les Marmitons and talking about their favourite foods and cuisines. It’s so nice to spend time with people who are not only passionate about eating food, but learning about new ingredients, flavours, skills and methods. We were so energized by everyone’s enthusiasm and good spirits.
Many thanks to the organizers and members of Les Marmitons, Chef Hersey and the hospitality staff and students (pictured below) at Fanshawe College, and Chef Dave Lamers at Abruzzi Ristorante.