Sam's mother was to be eighty years old and he and his wife, Barb, wanted to have a special celebration for this "coming of age" achievement.
Their idea was to invite all the closest relatives from all around the US for a surprise birthday banquet. Not just a dinner but a marking of the moment. The dress would be black tie, there would be champagne toasts, and most definitely no fancy dessert. This would be a time for cake and ice cream. It's the birthday girl's favorite. And your eightieth, that is a time for the favorites.
The Sky Is Not The Limit
Sam and Barb asked us at Shackamaxon to join them in the plans. The sky was not the limit as they'd be paying for it themselves and they did have two children who were already siphoning off all spare cash to the diaper and college funds.
First off, we, at Shackamaxon, all were familiar with Barb and Sam's house as we had done two corporate parties there already for them. We all agreed that the house and garage (the garage is for our kitchen as the real kitchen will just be used as a "showpiece" with a chef chatting to the guests while she finishes off hors d'oeuvres) would work well if the guest list was to be under thirty but over . . .well, we'd all have to confront that one when the RSVPs come back.
Over 80
Because the age of the group will be mostly over seventy and substantially over eighty years old, Barb, Sam and we - all knew that traditional menu items, traditional service styles, and traditional table decor would be the direction to go. There is no point, other than brassy thoughtlessness, in applying thirty-five year old tastes to an eighty year old crowd.
A key issue here will be to put our collective feet in the others' shoes. Barb, Sam and we will have to keep our own thirty-five year old to fifty-five year old tastes under control. Part of this process necessitates that we give details in our kitchen meeting about this birthday party such as "easy on the herbs, very few spices, just a touch of garlic, heavy with the salt, light on the vegetarian parts, light on salad, but by all means hit that butter and cream for all they're worth." Remember, this is to be a celebration - a time for "yummy" taste rather than a time for the "healthy" refrain.
Violin No - Hearing Aids Rule
Ambiance: we all thought about adding in a violinist - "Waltzes and gypsy music, that would be the best," from Barb. But the consensus veered into hearing aids with the resultant difficulty and annoyance factors of excess ambient sound for the hard of hearing. Those hearing aids always seem to trouble folks when there is unfocused noise coming at them.
So, no music. We'll need more conversation. What if many of the relatives dislike each other? Touchy subject in families. We'll skirt that issue for the moment. You'll see it pop up again in the oblique way that Carolyn, the supervisor for the party, has when we talk about table seating.
Tulips at 6AM
Carolyn touched on flowers. It will be the last week of February so we decided on just tulips and daffodils set simply in small round crystal bowls. Essences of the coming spring. We'd handle them at Shackamaxon where we get all our flowers each morning from Pennocks Wholesale Florists - a great way to spend your 6AMs - surrounded by bloom. Clients even get a kick out of getting up early to be there with us.
Keep The Staff Invisible - No Show
Staffing: we all concluded that we would not need to "overdo" the staff; the evening must not appear excessive, yet still be comforting and celebratory. Our primary guests will have grown up during the depression and they likely think that to have a catered party is itself extravagant so we'll keep the staff at the lowest possible level. Everyone will just have to wait longer for service but as everyone will feel comfortable with each other the conversation will be flowing and no one will notice or care about a little bit of a wait. This is unlike the corporate dinners that we've done at the house for Barb and Sam, where conversation was inevitably going to be strained because the guests and spouses hardly knew each other, while looming over everyone was the presence of the "boss".
Caviar and Blinis
Food: it gets really easy for us all to start to make decisions here: passed caviar and miniature blinis will be our hidden asset - and that will go with the butlered champagne and champagne cocktails. As liquor choice "back-up" we'll have a bartender butlering out of a visible wet bar. She'll be going out to the guests and asking if they should care for anything else. Alcohol service would be important, again, because of the age group: vodka, gin and scotch will all be in play.
"Caviar's great for Mom and her gang but isn't it over-the-top-crazy for the budget?", from Sam.
Carolyn smiled that wry nose of hers up a little bit and came out with, "I've got a surprise there. We'll use farmed sturgeon caviar from Tennessee. The taste is fabulous while the cost is not. We get it from Assouline and Ting and last year we did a tasting of caviars from the finest Russian Caspian Beluga on down the line and we actually thought that the Tennessee was the best. But please, please don't quote me on that to the world."
Hors d'Oeuvres Simplicity - But No Kethup on a Ritz"By keeping the hors d'oeuvres simple and few in number, yet all great, we'll hold to budget. And don't forget that the nibble food is what your mom's age group likes best - anything but big entrees that they feel they're wasting when they leave 75% of it on the plate and then say that "that caterer always gives much too much food"."
"And then if we pass dim sum - the older crowd loves them - and put down one little stationary hors d'oeuvres such as an isolated fine French cheese with toasted French Bread rounds and the decor of Provençal herbs with the smell of lavender, we'll have kept it all real low key but great all around."
Carlolyn brought up the call to dinner, "Thoughts on how to do it, anyone?"
"What's to do?", from Sam. "Chow's on, bingo, done!"
"Well, that could be just the point - we'd be letting a moment go by that we could rethink and make special for your mom."
"So?"
Barb adds from the kitchen, where she's getting the toddler's dinner ready - giving the blender a noisy start, "You mean like having a bagpiper pipe us in to dinner?"
"Same wavelength, but the budget couldn't take the piper, I'm afraid. What's your mom wild happy about in her life?"
"That easy - her dogs. She's got two adopted greyhounds. She adores them and lives for them. They are her closest family now, her really "good" grand-kids all rolled into one", piped Barb over the blender.
Dogs?
"So - let's put some ideas together on that one. It's a surprise party - what's your plan on that by the way? No, wait on that one, let's keep to the dogs. How about if someone gets them from her house and we bring them in with bells on their collars and a big note asking everyone to please eat quick so that they can have the leftovers before they're sent home . . ."
"That works," from Sam.
"Oh yes, let's do it - she'll be in tears with happiness", from the blender. Just maybe it will stop soon; purée of baby food is one thing but we must be getting down to split atoms by now.
"Where to now? OK, that part is solved -"
"I never knew that there even was a "part" to sitting down at the tables", again from the blender.
"Right, let's talk about the sitting part. I need to tell you that the greatest way to do a party like this is to set up one long banquet table - long and narrow, with the seating pretty tight so that it's very ease for the whole table to talk together, to hear and be heard. Then we can make it even more fun and celebratory, I'd also suggest that everyone switch places for each course and trundle off with their glass and napkin to the next place. Sounds crazy, I know but it makes it like a kids party rather than a stodgy grown-up business party.
"Makes sense to me - then I only have to sit next Uncle Steve for one course," - again from the blender.
That done, we moved onto the rest of the menu for this birthday party in Philadelphia.
The Birthday Party First Course
The discussion narrowed in on two first course ideas:
Birthday Party First Course Thought One was - a large rainbow colored pasta purse stuffed with butternut squash and walnut purée accented with a compote sauce of caramelized pear and cider with a star anise garnish. The thought here was to create an essentially simple concept with a some complicated accompanying flavors for the younger set.
Birthday Party First Course Thought Two was: a paella taster with a garnish of braised lobster. Again, simple food but with a complicated enough structure to keep the younger foodies at bay.
The Birthday Party Main Course
The main course choices for the party again came down to two:
Birthday Party Main Course Thought One - rare sliced filet of beef with portobello mushroom slices interleaved with the rare (must be rare!) meat and a sauce of cabernet and caramelized onion reduction; accompanied by a purée ( yes, puree!), of sautéed creamed spinach - as a hearkening back to Horn and Hardart days - set in a white French ramekin with a "ruff" of spinach leaves held in place by a raffia tie and, then, a trio of differently flavored mashed potatoes served in a display of silver dessert spoons radiating out from the ivory colored Bavarian bone china plate. In this way we'd have small, even petite, servings of food but with classically styles "holders" of the food that will flesh out the finished plate.
Birthday Party Main Course Thought Two - leg of baby lamb stuffed with mushrooms and tapenade, rubbed in coffee essence, wrapped in puff pastry and then sliced; accompanied by the same menu items as the beef choice: potatoes and spinach - with all those classic twists.
The Intermezzo - the break and refresh
Then an Intermezzo Course: just one thought here - Earl Grey tea sorbet balls on a "frozen" plate shape with tulip leaves captured inside. Chef was intent on accenting the Earl Grey taste with fresh mint leaves. Yes, we know that it sounds like a Moroccan intermezzo but it works as a wow between the courses.
Dessert - now what could that be?
Dessert: just one thought here, too: - no, it's not going to be rice pudding. But that's not a bad idea - with a super rich, Venezuelan chocolate sauce and with a banana purée (again) in the pudding and a "crackle" or two of caramelized almond sugar as an accent. But, no, it's not going to be that. It will be this: a waterfall cake of a creamed Scottish short bread with whipped cream and fresh berries - accompanied by two kinds of vanilla ice cream: a French Vanilla with a whiff of Crème de Cassis and a strong, strong vanilla bean on its own..
We'd break away from the tables for coffee and serve it directly from the living room with the guest of honor poring at the sofa: an at-home feel.
The service of the evening would be done using French Service: this style of service presents the food not plated but served to each plate at the table from silver trays. It's more "at home" with a formal but not "restaurant" feel.
The Planning Finishes Round One
And so the planning went on. No Music. Two Dogs. Cheap (inexpensive) caviar from Assouline and Ting. Tight tables. Revolving seating between courses. And then two weeks out from the birthday, we got the call from Barb. It looks like we've got 46 acceptances. "Barb, how many of those accepting are possible drop outs at the last minute?"
"No one. Really, not a soul."
"OK, so we could do a small plate buffet - but that, of course, would take away the sense of a special celebration."
"Really don't want to do that after the planning and the anticipation. Can we find somewhere to do it?"
"We'll look into what we can secure that fits the guests and is available on a Saturday in February. We'll find the right place for you"
Our first choice as an option is a private canoeing club overlooking the Schuylkill with an all wood, warm interior, a tremendous fire place, and burnished wood canoes hanging from the ceiling. Warm, unique, no attitude, but with a sense of "special-ness".
We'll try.
Stay tuned for the next installment in the "Life of a Client and A Caterer".
