From Passion to Paring Knives: JBF Prep in Florence
Special Event Management and PR Team Member Rachel Murphy presents updates on the food and wine for the renown James Beard Foundation event located in the heart of the Village in NYC. The TuttoToscana team will be testing out recipes for the contemporary Chianti-themed lunch and dinner. What happens behind the scenes when preparing for such a large event?
The kitchens at the Apicius kitchens are busy with preparations for the James Beard Foundation events in New York City. They have been testing out recipes that will be presented in a few weeks at the James Beard House, and a part of that task is finding the flow with each other in the kitchen as well.
The kitchen brigade starts off each day prepping for the dish they will be working on. They then sit down with Executive Chef Andrea Trapani in order to review the recipe and to give guidance and suggestions; the students are welcomed to give any question and comments in order to produce the best product possible. Chef Andrea describes how they are working within the kitchens and how there is not much time to waste once the event has begun. Evonne Everett describes Chef Andrea as “very through and passionate about what he does. He allows everyone to give an input or suggestion about a dish and it gives us confidence to the process of preparing”. Once everything is reviewed, they are split up into teams to test out multiple recipes or collaborate as a whole.
Everything is measured to a tee so that the right amount of product is ordered for each location in New York. Questions are constantly being asked to make sure that each part of the dish is completed properly before the event. Everyone is constantly communicating back and forth about the status of their portion of the dish (today they were working on cannoli di pasta with rosemary with cinghiale, with a chickpea and cauliflower coulis and demi glace). The last part the team works on is the plate design and speed of plating the food. The set up is explained by Chef Andrea and the students prepare themselves for the large 80 setup that must be done at the James Beard event. They have to redo plates a few times to allow a rhythm between the students so that each element can reach the plate in a timely manner. Christina Kandalepas describes her time in the kitchen as “a learning experience of trial and error in class. It is very different working in another country with a very different quality of products than we are used to back home.”
Wine management classes have also been in session all week with Camilla Carrega teaching them about different varietals of wine. They are now learning more about Chianti specifically and will start testing the wines that will be served at the James Beard events. Sangiovese grapes are used to make Chianti wine. Common characteristics of the wine consists of high acidity, deep red in color, has flavors of black fruit and violet, and is wood aged which increases tangents and complexity. Chianti has been known to be produced as early s 1398, but it wasn’t until 1872 until Baron Bettino formulated the first blend containing Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, and Malvasia Blanca. By the mid 1900’s Chianti was being produced mostly out of quantity and not quality, which diminished image of the wine. 1960 Chianti was revised so that it was a full body wine. The producers began adding international varietals in aged barrels and the Supertuscan blend was a mix of Cabernet, Sauvignon, and merlot that would be added to the local Sangiovese. Soon, DOC and DOCG were put into place in order to protect the quality and integrity of the wine being produced. The blend of Chianti must be at least eighty percent Sangiovese grapes with twenty percent local or international red grapes that is aged for at least one year. Classes end with a tasting of wines in order for the students to test what they had learned. They practice looking at the wine, swirling, sniffing, and tasting it in order to completely appreciate the wine. Camilla tests the students to see if they can pick up on the different colors, smells, flavors, and tangents in the wine.
More information about our two events based on a Chianti theme at the James Beard Foundation can be located by visiting the JBF website for the lunch on October 26, 2012 or for the dinner on October 27, 2012. Also, look for tomorrow’s post with notes about our wrap up of the week and improvements we are making for the dinner and lunch menus at the James Beard Foundation.
We will be sending updates, news flashes, and behind the scenes sneak peaks over the coming weeks. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!