One of my favorite songs growing up was "Pressure" from Billy Joel. As I grew up working in kitchens, it made a lot of sense to me. My favorite line is "you have to learn to pace yourself, you're just like everybody else." I have always gravitated to high pressure jobs that can put you under the microscope at every turn. I guess it's how I deal with the pace at which my mind is working; if it's occupied, all is good. Great Performances certainly keeps me in that state everyday.
On Wednesday we had the opportunity to do the Today Show Wedding live on camera! Not only was the event going to be televised, but I had to do an interview, guess the amount of meat and fish that were going to be ordered, keep it cost effective, make it look beautiful, keep the kitchen team in check, deal with commercials and time changes, and feed a wedding at 10 am. "Pace yourself" is what I kept telling myself. To top if off, the menu that I wrote for this wedding had never been plated before or served to guests. They had had no tasting, and I never had the chance to meet with them intimately to find out their likings or food preferences.
The day for me started at 4 AM. I woke up, took a shower, made some coffee, and got into the car with a list of items and bullet points to help me prep for the interview. I put on my favorite tunes (a live 1970 Grateful Dead album) and relaxed on the drive. The roads were empty and it gave me time to create a zone in my mind for positive reinforcement - it's a methodical process. I arrived at The Plaza, and the busy hustle got my juices flowing right away. I headed straight to the kitchen to plate the first course: Katchkie Farm Tomato Terrine with Mizuna and a Peekytoe Crab Vinaigrette.
The terrines looked good but I didn't like the way they sat centered on the plate. We cut them on a diagonal which highlighted the color better. I was satisfied, but now we had to do that for 200 plates. We went through the same process with the entrees, plating them, and reserving them for the show so I could present them on television. Soon after, I was connected to a microphone, and I thought, "Now it's real, I'm live on camera." I walk out to meet the today show team, and they were fantastic, well- organized and relaxed. They shortened my speaking time to two minutes tops. But I've had media training, and I knew I'd hit all of the talking points.
Then it's show time, and I just let it go. My friends reminded me later that I called myself a "tomatoholic", but I do love the tomatoes from Katchkie farm, so that sounds right. I love the food that we present every day. It's easy to talk about it; I am truly blessed to be where I am. I forgot about the cameras and I got to talk about one of the biggest passions in my life: food.
Once the first course was out on the table, I realized that we had successfully catered a wedding on national TV without issues. We have a great team at the Plaza and at Great Performances.
It's now eleven AM. My chef calls and he is not thrilled about the sauce for the braised pork belly that we are doing at a Farm to Table dinner that night. Among the attendees will be our sales team, clients, future clients, the president of the company and the owner with her parents. Time to turn the tap dance into my crusade. Pressure!
