Working at Shorewood with the Culinary Arts students this year has been fun and eye opening.  I have a new respect for high school students and their age group.  The quality of work they put forth was impressive.  The variety of events they catered were numerous.  Often I was sceptical an event would be completed in time, but it always was. I watched them work with Seattle's top chefs without fear.  They jumped in, did their best and always left these chefs wanting to come back again.

I learned to trust after a while and I became Shorewood Culinary Arts' biggest cheerleader.  My first year at Shorewood has been the best year.

Recently, the Shorewood Culinary Art students were evaluated.  This can be a tough situation for a student who is in the process of learning. I was pleased to see their efforts as they prepared their grocery lists and discussed mise en place with those who agreed to help them.  When the day arrives, volunteer chefs come from all over Seattle to review and provide feedback; Catering Chef Diana Kallaway, Chef Nate Crave, Chef Chris Hill and Chef Peter Levine all took time from their busy schedules to break down, advise and rebuild.  I want to say I was impressed.  Thinking back upon my high school years, I don't think I had an opportunity like this.  If I had, I am not sure I would have had the guts to put myself out there to be judged.  I want to say "great job" to all the students who pushed themselves and thank you to the chefs who gave their time.

Tabletop Matters

We know that the tabletop items we choose to set our table with can help make the meal more memorable. But, since we’ve always used the traditional place setting or maybe we’ve only used round white plates….we’re not quite sure where to begin in making our tabletop more interesting – and, hopefully, the meal more memorable.

When just starting out changing the serving pieces, a good place to start is “around the edges” of the meal…..the beginning and the end. Try, for instance, bringing the bread out on a board. It can be something as simple as a cutting board with homemade bread or several types of rolls on it. If you have a salad course, you can change up the salad plate to an antique, glass, or even metal plate. The dessert course is another place where you can easily begin your tabletop creativity by using a wine glass to serve an ice cream parfait while using a colorful disposable spoon. Changing the texture of the serving pieces you use helps to also to change the tone of the overall experience.

Creative doesn’t necessarily mean complicated. In the beginning, keeping it simple will allow you to experiment. Once you are comfortable serving your guests in something a little “unexpected” you can move on to more adventurous serving pieces. A great meal is all about the dining experience and tabletop helps in elevating that experience.

 

Be creative with your tabletop….and, most importantly – have fun!

 

Remember, tabletop matters!