Last Saturday we were participated in an event at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. The event, called Mangia del'Arte, was a sort of live theater in the round laced with performances, food and wine. I have catered a wide variety of events in my 40 year career. This event was one of the most unique in concept and complexity. It was described as controlled chaos by John Daly. The juggling magic was not just on stage but also in coordinating the plating of the dinner to mesh with the performances.
David Asbell, the director of the theater, and the renowned event planner John Daly, created the event. Nine restaurants and catering companies prepared 13 courses of "small plate" dishes. We plated 2275 servings in 2-1/2 hours, served by 25 service staff.
The producer of the entertainment was Peter Lesnik. In his words, " After 27 years as an Executive Director of 5 successful performing arts centers, I have created The PLAN, a company dedicated to making art a part of daily life. I accomplish this by producing accessible, meaningful work, programming shows and series that are audience-centric, and by working with arts executives and their boards to create a common language and help define roles, responsibilities and structured interactions. Quick, direct and articulate are terms that have been used to describe my modus operandi. The bottom line is where we all end up, so keeping that in mind is critical for avoiding surprises."
Preceding and during the dinner, there were some 12 acts performed by a sort of Medieval style troupe that performed magic, juggling, acrobatic feats and more. The performers included Tandy Beal, Jeff Raz, Saki, Calvin Kai Ku, Wang Hong, Andrey Moraru and SoVoSo. The performers hail from theater and new wave circus backgrounds.
A special thanks goes out to my staff including Hugo Alvarado (kitchen) and Carlos Santana (service captain) and the forty other back-of-the house crew that labored in the kitchen.
This past Sunday we catered an event at Girls Inc. in Carpinteria. A Taste for Carpinteria is a major fund raising event for Girls Inc. Carpinteria. This year, over 500 participants, vendors and sponsors came together to celebrate and support STRONG, SMART, BOLD girls and young women of the Carpinteria Valley.
Chef, Michael Hutchings lead a group of local restaurants who served delectable and tantalizing tastes of their delicious culinary creations along with wine from local vineyards and our own local brewery, while guests perused the silent and live auctions selections which included incredible items such as a 2 hour sunset cruise aboard the beautiful Condor Express.
The The Berryman Produce was a major food sponsor and donated generously to the event. The Berryman Produce is the premium produce supplier in Santa Barbara Country and was founded by Guy DeMangeon. Located on Montecito Street in Santa Barbara, The Berryman offers a full assortment of produce as well as dairy, specialty dry goods and dessert selections. For more information contact Jean-Pierre at 805 965-3772.
Hollandia Produce provided a bounty of their Live Gourmet lettuces for the chef's salad. Hollandia Produce LLC. is a multi-faceted agricultural concern specializing in greenhouse-grown vegetables. A California Corporation family owned and operated, Hollandia is located in Carpinteria, California, just south of Santa Barbara. In 2011 the company celebrated 41 years in business.
Chef Michael prepared a salad from Hollandia Produce products using a recipe from chef Freddy Orduna. Chef Freddy runs the kitchen at Sly's restaurant in Carpinteria.
Hollandia Produce Product Line
This favorite and fun event benefits local girls and young women ages 5 to 19 by providing funding for essential programs that empower them to realize their potential, gain confidence, learn new skills and exchange ideas in a safe, friendly and fun environment.
These programs include project BOLD, Friendly PEERsuasion, Media Literacy, Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy, and Operation SMART. In addition to these already great programs provided by Girls Inc, this year, Girls Inc is looking to bring Eureka to Carpinteria. Eureka is a three-year program that takes the “whole girl” approach (strong, smart, bold) while expanding their sense of what is possible for the future. During the first two summers, girls spend four weeks on a college campus participating in hands-on activities in math, science, technology, sports, personal development, college readiness, and careers. The third summer, girls participate in a four week paid internship in a career field of their choice hosted by successful professional women.
