MasterChef Mayhem

Maybe its because both my parents were chefs, or maybe because I endured boarding school food (if you can call it that) for my high school years. What ever it is, I am a self confessed foodie and take that with me into pretty much all aspects of my life.  As an event manager, I am always on the look out for the latest new foods being dished up by chefs and caterers at events I attend.  

Time and time again though, I see organisers who pour money into elements such as marketing, themeing, entertainment and AV, only to stop short at the food they are serving. An amazing event should appeal to all the senses. You need to see it, feel it, hear it, smell it and taste it.

Food is a crucial component to any event large or small, and failure to deliver can leave a bad taste in the mouths of guests (pun).

I will admit that like millions of Australians I am trying to fill a void in my life.....a void left behind by Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Meaghan. Yes, that’s right for the past few months at 7.30pm each night I tuned into Masterchef, yet now after the end of the 2011 season I feel a little lost, and I know I’m not alone.  

The success of this show and the overall popularity of cooking shows in Australia means suddenly event guests, who may have once been happy with some sushi and a chicken sandwich have a whole new awareness of what the world of food has to offer, and expectations to match. Skimping on the catering can result in the post event talk being focused on how bad the food was, how there wasn’t a cured salmon blini or a Pea and Mint Shot with Summer Truffle Foam in sight, not to mention any vanilla bean panacotta topped with persian fairy floss!!!

Hungry people lose focus, and rather than concentrating on the main message of the event,  they can spend their time huddled at the service door, pouncing on poor unsuspecting wait staff as they try to make it through the pack!

So the moral of the story is, if you want your event to be memorable for all the right reasons feed your guest and feed them well. In the words of famed literary Virginia Woolf “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Bon appétit!
Claudia
x

Ps. If you’re in Melbourne and after a new place to eat, Chin Chin on Flinders Lane is the new kid on the block and definitely worth your while.  Believe the hype, everything from the cocktails to the food is to die for!
www.chinchinrestaurant.com.au