By Lindsay Stover"As far as overcoming a challenge is concerned, the Boston based Different Tastes has it all figured out as Catering Magazine's Caterer of the Year in the Overcoming a Challenge category. Different Tastes has definitely learned to stay cool under pressure."
- Catering Magazine
Jack
Milan, owner of Different Tastes, has a knack for success in a stress-filled
situation. His entry for the “Overcoming a Challenge” category highlights an
event that would keep even the most seasoned of caterers awake counting sheep
all night. Still, despite how much of a ‘logistical nightmare' the event was,
the challenges that Milan and Different Tastes had already overcome by the night
of the MIT Capital Campaign Kickoff were what made the event such an
overwhelming success.
The
MIT Capital Campaign Kickoff
The
MIT Capital Campaign Kickoff sit-down dinner for 540 people was daunting. The
event was held at a 35,000-square-foot-gymnasium that housed four tennis courts
and two basketball courts. It had no kitchen facilities, no water and limited
electricity. However, in typical Different Tastes style, John Crouter, Milan's
executive chef of at the time, faced the obstacles with an attitude of, 'as long
as I have [the basics], I'm fine.'
"In
this business, it's all in the details," says Milan when asked how one
approaches an event of this magnitude. "We had many, many meetings. This
event took about nine months to organize."
"The
key to success, no matter how long you diagram and plot, is having the ability
to solve problems," says Crouter, who is now the event producer at
Tillinger's Concierge and Special Event Production in Boston. "You must
keep people up and focused on the task. I like to break things down so you don't
get lost in the grandeur of the event. I don't think of a huge event as a party
for 800 people, but as eight parties for 100 people."
No
matter how much 'go with the flow' attitude Different Tastes had about the
event, "there was always a barrier coming up in front of us," Milan
says. Besides the fact that Different Tastes did not receive a permit to cater
the event until two days before it actually took place, cooking was one of the
biggest challenges. Working closely with the Cambridge Fire Department,
Different Tastes was the first caterer ever to be given a permit to use propane
gas ovens for cooking outside a venue in Cambridge.
"We
had to make sure that the ovens were 20 feet away from the building,"
recounts Milan. "Also we couldn't get enough electrical ovens, and even if
we did, it would have been impossible to get the meal that the organizers wanted
without the license to use propane ovens.
To
make sure that the main players were in line with the event, the chefs met twice
within the two hours prior to the actual setup. "We did a walk-through with
them one hour before the other employees arrived. Then, we had a 45-minute
meeting explaining what would be happening during the event with the other
employees," says Milan.
Crouter
adds, "Everything was delegated so that it all would 'float' with the
timing and everyone would know exactly how things were going to occur."
In 20-degree weather, Different Tastes cooked all the food outside using 10 ovens brought in for the event. All of the food was then packed into the warmers and rolled to one of five kitchens set up around the perimeter of the gym. One kitchen was for all of the hors d'oeuvres and desserts, while the other four were responsible for plating the appetizer and main course.
Working
closely with a production company hired by MIT, Milan ensured that the kitchen
areas were properly lit and that the floor plan, tables and service areas were
in the most efficient places. With approximately 35 chefs, 70 servers, eight
wine stewards and eight managers from Different Tastes, as well as other
caterers assigned to each of the quadrants of the gymnasium, each course was
served in 25 minutes. "We had this huge building and satellite kitchens,
and we had to get all the food and utensils to the dining room on time--it was a
massive orchestration," says Milan.
Ever
the considerate host, Different Tastes arranged for the guests to have the
opportunity to mix and mingle, or select their desserts and coffee in a
reception area separated from the dining room by a 20-foot black curtain. This
allowed them to either return to the main dining room for dancing, or to have
more private conversations, while not ever departing from the event.
Martha
Ballard, associate director of donor relations and events for MIT, says that
Milan was very responsive to last-minute requests. "He was calm and
effective in dealing with the myriad changes that always occur - including
delaying the service while one of our alumnus made a spontaneous speech and
donated our largest gift to date: $100 million," she says. "Needless
to say, this made the guests even happier to be present for such a special and
festive affair. Working with us on the gala dinner event held to kick off our
$1.5 billion capital campaign certainly puts Milan in the league of the greatest
and most creative problem solvers."
The
menu featured hors d'oeuvres of crab cakes with remoulade sauce, toast cups with
fig and chevre, and oysters served with mignonette, lemon and sake-lime sauce.
The first course included wild mushroom strudel with an herbed chevre/cream
sauce. The entree featured a choice of either pan seared herbed/sesame swordfish
or grilled tenderloin steak served atop Parmesan basil polenta. Additionally,
the extravagant dessert buffet featured chocolate truffles, and cranberry and
pear tartlets.
Milan
imparts with this knowledge: "The lighting, the staging, the music, the
entertainment is a huge production. You have to 'go with the flow' and make it
work. Nothing ever goes as planned-the larger the event, the more changes are
going to occur."
Lindsay Stover is a technical and freelance writer in Arlington, Va.