Three Course Lunch For Thirty-Three

Today was a typical Monday in the bar. Fairly quiet, with a few rushes around the expected times. Again, I made sure my pastry section was set-up, then helped with prep for other stations – making mashed potatoes, cutting and sautéing button mushrooms, chopping shallots, washing lettuce, butchering and sealing chicken, etc. I also cleaned out the walk-in fridge, organizing it and checking all dates. 

The most note-worthy part of the day was we were expecting a group of thirty-three people to stop in for a three course luncheon. They wanted to be in and out within an hour if possible, so we planned a set menu in advance – a starter of vegetable soup and wheaten bread, a main of quiche Lorraine with a side salad, and a choice of warm apple raisin crumble with vanilla ice cream or fresh fruit salad for dessert. The big pot of soup was ready and heated. The bread was sliced – and we had thirty plates set out with soup bowls and bread, waiting to be filled. The plates were set-up at the back of the kitchen for the main courses as well, already with the garnish, and the salad just needed to be dressed. The quiches were baked and just needed to be heated in the oven. I was in charge of desserts of course, and needed to wait until the final orders for how many of each choice came in, but I had the plates and bowls ready, fruit salad handy, and apple crumbles topped and ready for the oven. I even balled some ice cream in advance. The group showed up an hour late and complained service was not fast enough. I really don’t think we could have made it any faster unless we the cooks came and delivered the food ourselves. It was all ready to go and hot – and I don’t know how they scarfed it all down that fast. But over all, it was successful and our rush of the day. I even got one of the leftover quiches for lunch – delicious.

Quiche Lorraine with a side salad

Today was another fun day in the kitchen, but for a different reason. Today there was really no pressure and we could relax a bit while getting things done. I was working with two young, friendly coworkers, and we were able to joke around with each other and the servers. I am really beginning to feel more comfortable here, and feel more like part of the kitchen family.