The Mad Chef of M Street: Adventures in Catering

Monday, July 21, 2008

Adventures in Catering

What a fucking weekend, 3 days off and I did nothing but run around or cook the entire time.

Lets start with Saturday morning...wake up at 6:30 am to go do a boot camp session with my trainer, and leave 2 hours later to pick up some goods from the restaurant. At 10am the chopping begins, but not without a double espresso on ice followed by a beer. Yes that's how I roll. Noon rolls around and the cavalry arrives, by way of my friends Warren (sous chef at DC Coast) and Greg (Hook restaurant in Georgetown). So yes, I have the best people I know working around me, my friends.

Fast forward to 6pm when everything is wrapping up and they are leaving. I have one more friend come by to help me clean, and 2.5 hours later (after icing everything down several times and re-packing 2 refrigerators and 6 coolers) it's time to go home. 7am Sunday morning is no time to slack off as I scramble to wake up and start all over again, because today is bound to be a busy and HOT day.

By 10am I'm pulling into Rock Creek Park and Greg and I look like seasoned pros setting up for the day to come. Warren pulls in around 11am and gets to cooking on the grill and people start arriving shortly thereafter. All in all everything went over great. Compliments all around on the food and people were asking what I was capable of doing catering-wise. This was only to get my name out there, people, and it wouldn't have been possible without the help of my friends.

It's not like it was a hard event but I am going to pull a line from the new and uber-popular Batman movie. "When you are the best at something you just don't do it for free" By that I mean The Mad Chef of M Street is ready to start charging for his expertise and that of his friends as well. I am no caterer and I doubt you will find me doing something of that magnitude ever again. I swear if I only had a video camera to show what really took place over the course of this weekend...it would be pure entertainment. For you. It sure wasn't for me.

Oh yeah, it's Monday and I am here all day without my chef...and I wont lie, I'm burnt out and I have no clue what I am going to do for special.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Chef James Chase

At the age of 12, James Chase heard the call of the culinary arts in the simple form of bacon and eggs. Whether it was for his parents or his friends and their parents, who were happy to have him stay over in order to sample his art, this dish launched him from a curious teenager to a quizzical student, and now, to a chef of the highest quality.

Born and raised in suburban Hyattsville, MD, a stones throw from Washington, DC, James attended high school at the prestigious DeMatha Catholic High School, and found himself in small, local Italian restaurant washing dishes. From the bottom he began his journey to the top. He was accepted into Johnson and Wales University for the culinary arts and began his studies.

Knowing that study without practice was under serving, James sought out employment under Chef Eric Pickens of Classic Catering, and delved deeply into the art and efficiency of catering to large crowds with food of the finest quality. Chef Pickens was impressed with James’ work and dedication and referred James to his friend, 1995 Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s Chef of the Year Bill Jackson of the Carlysle Grand Café in Arlington, VA.

While still in school, Chef Jackson took James under his wing, and was able to show him the enormous responsibilities of being a modern chef, from managing the multimillion dollar business to perfecting the smallest garnish. Under the tutelage of Chef Jackson, he was able to experience that which he was being taught in culinary school, preparing him for life as a culinary artist.

Soon James moved across the border into Northwest DC to work for former kitchen supervisor at the White House Chef Ron Reda, a favorite of famed Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, at Shelley’s West End. As sous chef, James got the opportunity to help develop the menu and manage the kitchen for the first time, learning not only the technical duties of the position, but the ethics that drive him to this day: keeping a clean kitchen, using only the freshest ingredients and leading by example.

James moved on to expand his culinary knowledge by spending time at Zola, the fashionable café beneath Washington’s chic National Spy Museum. Under French-trained Chef Philip Carroll, former executive chef at the famed Cerise at Le Meridian Hotel in Chicago, James got to learn and experience the attention to detail and delicate nature of French cuisine.

Later, James worked at Chef Todd English’s Olives in midtown DC, under one of his most trusted assistants, Steve Maneno. Exploring the roots of Mediterranean cuisine and expanding upon his prior knowledge, James was able to add a new geographical twist to his repertoire while earning the respect and admiration of two of the city’s finest chefs.

That respect came calling when he was asked to join the staff at another of DC’s more prestigious haunts, DC Coast. Known for having the best seafood in town, James was able to learn from the highly rated Chef Jeff Tunks and Chef de Cuisine Andy Brooks. Chef Brooks took James’ cooking to another level, infusing the knowledge and usage of local and simple ingredients to create fresh masterpieces with seasonal variety. James was so well regarded at DC Coast, he was asked to help start Chef Tunks’ fourth DC restaurant, Acadiana.

The Washington Post in April 2007 raved about James’ Wahoo special:

Another night's wahoo -- ah, that daily delivery -- was also served just as requested, one minute on the light side. Topped with a roasted tomato sauce (with a surprise kick of chili) and sided with a slightly sweet gingery polenta, it was one of the nicest and least showy seafood entrees in several months.

James sees food as a personal interaction from chef to diner, and continues to implement his mantra of fresh ingredients presented in an exquisite fashion, simple as his bacon and eggs all those years ago.

The Mad Chef of M Street

Monday, July 21, 2008

Adventures in Catering

No comments:

Chef James Chase

Blog Archive

Contributors

Chef James Chase