Stratospheric Catering


The world of catering that is explored in this book is not your run-of-the-mill catering, unless you happen to be a multi-millionaire. This book shows what it is like to produce $2,000 or $3,000 a plate meals in makeshift kitchens, night after night. Or even some $10,000 a plate dinners, and sometimes for thousands of guests. This stratospheric level of catering requires chefs and staffs with every bit of the skill required for top restaurants, but it requires a very different personality type. The Lee's book alternates between chapters based on interviews and chapters based on their own experiences as they take on the lowest level responsibilities in the catering kitchens. They set the scenes well, making me feel as though I were in, say, the Metropolitan Museum of Art to cook for a fundraising event or at the estate of an uber-wealthy client serving up a highly individualized wedding feast. The customers, whether they are event planners or pampered brides, are more than just caricatures. Full characterization, however, is reserved for some of the top players in the catering world. The Lees provide a historical perspective on the development of personalized catering as they wonder just how far this trend can go. Some really fantastic food is described, but the only recipe in the book is for pasta salad for 600 created in a bathtub, which still has me somewhat squeamish about catering food. Overall, this is a fascinating read. 

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