I love a Foodie event as much as the next person, and once a year I get the opp to work one of the BIGGEST in my city. Let me tell you it is VERY different than simply putting on a cocktail dress and attending one!
A few years ago I was contacted by an old friend from High School who wanted me to work with him when he came to town for Bon Appetit’s Vegas Uncork’d. Initially I demurred and said that my skill set wasn’t what Tim thought it was, and then, after much persuasion, I relented and participated. And I have been doing so each year for T.W. Garner – the makers of Texas Pete Hot Sauce.
When you walk into an event like this and see all the uber-cool Chefs and sample all their food, did you ever stop to wonder what goes into it? Well, let me fill you in on a LITTLE bit of what I saw.
Weeks, in some cases MONTHS, before the event, chefs start working on their sampling menu. Should they showcase something on the regular menu? Feature a potential NEW item to get customer reactions? Create something exclusive for this event? In the case of Texas Pete (TXP from here on out), because there is no brick and mortar location here in Vegas, whatever we make is to showcase the sauces and it changes every year.
Because TXP travels in from Winston-Salem, NC, there are a LOT of logistics that go into making the whole scene happen. Product, banners, logo merchandise and specific food items need to be shipped in. This year pork bellies from Newman Farm arrived for braising (previous years included Wagyu beef, Newman Farm pork tenderloin and edible flowers), chef’s jackets with embroidered logos and cases of sauces arrived. The biggest challenge is that because TXP doesn’t have a restaurant here, we work as guests in a local hotel kitchen, and sometimes the shipped in products don’t end up where they are s’posed to go. There is undoubtedly confusion on the part of the shippers AND the receivers and the packages get misdirected. A few things did NOT arrive and there was last minute knees bent running about to fix the problems.
This year we had the pleasure of working with Caesar’s team and Chef Scott Green. They were incredibly accommodating and it was even better that the event was held AT Caesar’s and we didn’t have to transport all the goods from another property the night of the event as we have done in the past (major pain in the ass). We did, however, walk MILES of underground tunnels to get from the loading docks to the kitchens to the pool area (where the event was held) and back. (Moment of Truth – I lost 5 lbs this week because of all the walking, “weight” lifting and lack of time to eat). I worked in the kitchens and tunnels and I worked in the booth helping to put out Chef Tim’s creations.
I have no horse in this race so why do I do it? I can promise you that it isn’t the money. It’s mainly for the challenge I guess. I LIKE problem solving. I like being behind the scenes, knowing that I helped pull together a good event and seeing all the insider stuff. For those of you that don’t know, I am NOT a CHEF (I am a really good cook) and I work from home. Each year after this event it takes me 3 days to recover from the week of 16 hour days. I am physically and mentally exhausted. Is it because I don’t work full time that I don’t have the stamina to do this on an extended basis? Am I a wimp, a whiner, a cry baby? Yeah, maybe a little…I think next year I may just put on the cocktail dress and attend rather than work it…nah, just kidding. One thing I know for sure is that I DON’T want to be a Chef. They work too hard.
Biggest downer? My apron was stolen/lost at the Grand Tasting and my phone with all my cool pics on it is now GONE, along with everyone’s contact info. So there’s only one pic and I am not in it! If TXP shares the photos with me, I will post them in an addendum blog.
Left to right – Chef Larry McFadden, Chef Tim Grandinetti, and Chef Nate Duensing – I am their cohort in crime for this event.
This week’s Food Memories include some great bites at The Grand Tasting, Saturday Night Truck Stop at Tommy Rockers and Mother’s Day Brunch at Simon complete with a Bloody Mary bar.
Because I failed to get cocktail sauce for my shrimp, I added them to my Texas Pete spiked Bloody Mary. Oh, and BTW, Chef Kerry Simon tweeted Texas Pete Garlic Hot Sauce as his hot sauce of the week.
Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.
