catering

Was my passion for cooking becoming a chore?

I found myself after my last post in December, falling out of love with my job!   What you may say, a Louisiana boy not enjoying cooking, much less the final product…Impossible!  Now I have always loved what I cook, sometimes though, the client isn’t always easy to  love.  Perhaps, I was doing it for the wrong reason…money, the quasi-celebrity status, the praise…not sure, but I had to find the passion once again. Reflection time!!!  Why did I start what I am doing?  Because I loved it, that’s why.  I loved the cuisine of South Louisiana and I wanted everyone to be able to experience what makes us America’s greatest food city.  What about the opportunity?  Being a one-man ambassador of all things Cajun/Creole with time for my family and friends…why of course, only a fool would pass up that opportunity. Boredom??? Maybe I should learn something new, that always keeps it exciting…enter the Flavor Bible!  It’s was time to become absorbed in food, flavors and presentations.  Guess what?  It worked!  I’ve always heard that  one never works a day in their life if they love what they do…guess I’m back to “not working”!

Can Holiday Parties Reduce The Stress Of The Season?

Every year, there are those who feel that the “stress” of the holidays is just too much!  Really…this is the time of year to come together with friends and family and revel in the season, not jump on the band wagon of  “woe is me, I am just soooo busy  to possibly enjoy anything!…blah, blah, blah!  Whatever! (those are the ones who create their own stress!)  I’ve made a point to “analyze” the guests at my fifteen holiday events in December, and after only five, I have reached my conclusion…holiday parties make folks feel good! Period!  Granted there is planning, and logistics, and a bit of work, but in the end, it is worth it!  I have never had a client in my nine years of business ever say that all of the planning and work that went into a great party, was not worth it, not one!  Parties lend themselves to fun, togetherness, love, community…I could go on.  So take the initiative to be the one who helps reduce stress by either  hosting your own holiday party or getting up off of the sofa and attending as many as you possible can…you just may be surprised at how fun parties can be.

Why Thanksgiving is Important

My wife’s favorite time of year is Thanksgiving, wouldn’t it be great if more folks shared this sentiment?  Most think it is a “special” day to get their Christmas list together and “shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop”, which has replaced the Fa La La La La La La La La!  The majority of Americans couldn’t tell you what it’s all about…in the fall of 1621, less than 6 months after their arrival in America, more than half of the original Pilgrims had either died of disease of starvation, so to give thanks to God for his bounty,  the first Thanksgiving was celebrated.  I think it would behoove the majority of Americans to redirect their feeling towards gratitude this holiday season rather than the long lines at the mall…all of that materialistic STUFF will be there later, your friends and family may not!

Great Cookbook, well not really a cookbook, more of a culinary reference publication…

Although this particular book has been around since 2008, it still resonates with all true culinarians.  Dornenburg also wrote Culinary Artistry, which, I guess would be called an abridged prequel.  Both fantastic, The Flavor Bible take it to a new level of information with regards to pairing foods that are natural flavor matches.  Chocolate and coffee or hazelnuts, naturally, but chocolate and lemon…or ginger…perhaps even violets…it works!  There are hundreds of foods listed and thousands of flavor matches listed, virtually any item you can come up with, it’s there with numerous matches, so find a used copy out there and take your cooking creativity to places you, and especially, your friends, never knew you were capable of…