Sunday, August 29, 2010

Doing an OTE, Watching the Calories (Updated)

Sunday:
Le Cordon Bleu has a very respectable reputation in the culinary world. One of the perks, if you will, is the students from Le Cordon Bleu get called to work while they are still in school. These are called OTE, or One Time Events. We even get paid to work them. Ten bucks an hour. Oscar parties, Golden Globe parties, just about any Hollywood event involving film, or theater or TV will include a catered affair. Tonight, is the Emmy Awards. TV's award show and Wolfgang Puck is catering the HBO after party in West Hollywood. I only mention this because I will be one of hundreds prepping and plating the entrees for the celebrity folks who show up.

Two weeks ago I worked an event for the AAJA. That's the Asian America Journalists Association. They liked sweets. The table center piece was all sweets. Chocolate, candy, cookies, caramels, you name something sweet and it was on the plate. We plated 580 Air-lined Chicken Breast's with Risotto in 10 minutes. Then plated 580 Chocolate Soufflé's with fresh berries and topped with White Chocolate. Like I said, Asians love their sweets. I knocked down a cool $52.50. That was before taxes and the $20 I had to pay to park. Good thing I'm not in this for the money.

I'm know that dinner tonight is Rack of Lamb with a Rosemary Wine Sauce. But since it's Hollywood, I would imagine they will be light on sweets. Celebes need to watch those extra 10 lbs TV seems to put on everybody.

Monday Morning:
Seems old Wolfy Puck couldn't care less about counting calories. Lots and Lots of sweets. I was in the dessert tent, plating cookies, cutting baguettes on the bias, topping lemon tarts with blue berries (5) each, and stuffing donut holes with cream and rolling them around in raspberry sprinkle sugar. I think I may pass on donuts for a while.
The Soft Shell Crab Sliders were really good. I had a bite out of one. Oh, and we fed 1500 people. Seems HBO is a pretty big employer. I would have to guesstimate that this shindig cost over $2 Million.

That doesn't include the $70 I made last night.




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