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from the pages of
May 2003
Dinner For 400
by Michael Ballon
The prospect of having a handful of guests over for dinner sends
some people into a panic. What to serve, which wines match, whether to
serve a plated meal, a buffet, or family style, and how to decorate the
table are just some of the considerations which can leave some
prospective hosts in a cold sweat. Imagine then the consideration and
planning which is required to execute a dinner for 400.
Dinner for about 400 is currently being planned for those guests who
will be attending the annual opening night Gala Dinner at the Jacob's
Pillow Dance Festival, being held on June 14 this year, catered by
Castle Street Cafe. The logistics and schedule of the evening are
daunting. For starters, there is no real kitchen. But those of us in the
catering business are accustomed to transforming a rented tent into a
functioning kitchen. Since there are no ovens there, one must either
decide to serve food room temperature, or use grills to cook food. In
anticipation of a lovely warm early summer evening, last year's menu
featured an entree of breast of chicken stuffed with spinach, with a
black bean and corn salad. This would have been an appealing choice had
the weather cooperated, but on the night of the Gala, it was cold and
rainy at The Pillow, and clam chowder would have been more appropriate.
This year we will be grilling.
As guests arrive, wine is served, and hors d'oeuvres are passed.
Hors d'oeuvres must be easy to eat, and provide a variety of bold
flavors. A balance of pastries and canapés, stuffed vegetables, kebobs,
and vegetable tarts are designed to ward off growing hunger pangs,
provide an accompaniment to wine, and intrigue the palette about the
meal to follow.
The dinner precedes a featured dance performance, which this year
will include The Martha Graham Dance Company. This means that guests
have a limited amount of time to dine, rather than slowly lingering over
a relaxing dinner. When the bell rings at The Pillow, signaling the
start of the performance, guests need to be finished eating. To
accommodate the scheduling requirements of the evening, the first course
is already on the table before guests even enter the tent, which helps
maintain the tempo of the evening. This year, the first course will be a
layered napoleon of portabello mushroom, fresh mozzarella, and tomato,
on mixed local greens, with a vinaigrette sauce. The first of the local
greenhouse tomatoes will be available by then, as well as local organic
salad greens.
Naturally, it takes a small army of staff to serve this number of
guests. The military terminology is apt, because there are indeed
generals, captains and an infantry of servers who deliver food, and
precision planning and timing is required.
A dance party and dessert buffet follow the concert performance,
which means that the dinner concludes with just coffee and a chocolate
truffle. While the dancers perform on the stage of the Pillow, a team of
caterers is engaged in their own dance, assembling fruit tarts and
setting out the dessert buffet. So when guests enter the dance studio
for the post concert party, they are greeted by both a swinging dance
band and an abundant dessert buffet, which includes individual fruit
tarts, chocolate confections, and homemade cookies and pastries.
A carefully considered menu which takes advantage of the best of
local ingredients, sufficient staff, and thorough preparation in advance
of the dinner are the key to hosting a successful dinner, whether it be
4 or 400. With that in mind, have a great summer entertaining guests in
your own home.
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