I catered!!!!

I catered!!!!

So a while back, I took a cooking class at one of those fancy schmancy high end cooking supply stores in Arlington. The class itself was eh, but the instructor was wonderful. Chef Kathleen and I traded emails, and she encouraged me to come to a few classes out at the Lorton Workhouse, a re-vamped former federal penitentiary turned community arts center. She's setting up the culinary arts program there, so I started working through the 6 week Intro to Culinary Arts course in early January.

Have you ever had that moment where you just realize what it is that you really truly love? It's the quintessential click moment. The planets, stars, comets, and even spaceships align in perfect cosmic harmony.

I love to cook. And now, I was finally getting the basic tools to make my food even awesomer. From the moment Chef adjusted my knife grip, things all took off.

Like most professionals in the DC area, I like my job. I do well there, but there's definitely something else I'd rather do during the day. And cooking is it. But the realization of my love brought additional frustrations...why go to cooking school after I already have a bachelors? I don't want to work in a restaurant. I did the waitress thing, and I wasn't impressed with how high stress the kitchen was—my job is high stress enough as it is. And even if I did, I don't think quitting a moderately well paying job with benefits to go back to school is a great idea. Teaching would be fun...but who wants to learn from someone without a resume?

“Hey, Chef...you have a catering company, right?” I asked while we were cleaning up after class a few weeks ago.

“Sure do.”

“Do you ever need help?”

“What are you doing on the 28^th?” Turns out, she's often short handed for the smaller dinner parties. And she just happened to have a dinner for 25 at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton!

To say I was excited for this opportunity is an understatement. I woke up every day, eager because I was one day closer to Catering Day. Seriously, we're talking, like, 5-year-old-on-Christmas-Eve excited. I may or may not have had a count down.

I got to the winery about 3pm, where I was immediately greeted by some very friendly staff who directed me to the back kitchen. A big hug from Chef, then some directions to get started on the portabello red wine reduction for the filet...then the apricot glaze for the salmon...then I did more chopping, cleaning, a taste consultation on the lobster bisque, and made a maitre'd butter for the bread plates. Finally, after hours of prepping and cooking, the dinner guests arrived and we began plating our courses. Lobster bisque...then a salad...then their choice of filet or salmon with my sauces and roasted vegetables, followed by the most luscious and rich chocolate mousse I'd ever had, topped with a raspberry sauce.

And then we got to clean each and every pot. The winery is still new, and doesn't have room for Chef to leave her equipment there between gigs. Which meant after scrubbing everything, we (Chef, her son, and I) had to load up her mobile kitchen into the back of her car.

It was nearly 10pm by the time I was on my way home. I was exhausted—my back hurt. My feet hurt. My knees hurt. My hands hurt.

And I was grinning like a slap happy idiot.

I had found my bliss.

And can I just say, this winery rocks. About 20 minutes into my catering travels, I met Jane, the winery owner. She was so warm and friendly, even though I was just the “kitchen help.” In fact, everyone is wonderful there. Honestly, I'd be ignored by the winery workers, since I was just outside kitchen help. Quite the opposite—even though we only had a few minutes to talk, you could tell that Jane was just thrilled to be owning a winery. Her sons, Kurt and Drew, were equally warm and hospitable. The tasting room manager, Ashley, was a ton of fun to chat with while she hung out in the kitchen on her breaks, as were all the other wine stewards on staff that day.

For the past couple years, I've told myself that I've always wanted to run away and work at a winery. Half way through sauteing shallots for the apricot glaze, I realized...I was working at a winery. Check one off the bucket list for Mel!

It's inspired to me to write a Foodie Bucket List—a list of things I want to cook, eat, or otherwise experience in the food world. I'm posting it as a tab on this blog as an added level of accountability for my culinary actions!

Eat well, friends!!