Our Encounter with James Beard, as Guests!
By Kim Preish
Photo by Isabela Elizondo
In the midst of event prep, our entire TuttoToscana team was invited to be clients at the James Beard Foundation for dinner. James Beard was a renowned chef, author of many cookbooks and food related articles, and laid the groundwork for the food revolution in the US. The James Beard Foundation actually used to be the house of James Beard himself. You can even see the remnants of his shower on the balcony upstairs. Knowing that this was his house added an element of personality and awe when we dined here.
The chefs from The Harrison, a restaurant located in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan. They cooked a 6-course, Creole-style meal for us that ranged from octopus to gnocchi to a lamb rack. The main thing that stood out to me was how quickly and efficiently the wait staff worked. They were very professional, as well as friendly and interactive with the guests. We also observed the flow of the food service in order to be prepared for the following day.
Dining at the Foundation helped us learn how things were performed, and definitely increased our motivation to improve and rise to the occasion for our own lunch and dinner events.