Turning the Tables: Brigade Dines at JBF
By Gabriella Torcise
Last night the students of FUA were able to dine as guests at the James Beard House with the impressive chefs Jeremy Hansen, Tyler Shales, and Lynette Pflueger. The theme was Washington State of Mind. The goal was for us to experience how service runs from the perspective of guests, so what better way to understand our service for the Gala tonight, and it was extremely effective.
Walking in, we immediately felt excitement with the aperitivo reception. The room was a little packed due to the patio being too cold, but we appreciated the time to talk to each other before the dinner and discuss our expectations. Once dinner began, we noticed how each table was neatly and perfectly set up, our first glass of white wine waiting for us. We sat down and glanced over the menus and all decided which dish we were most excited for. The service was clean and smooth, with no time waiting between dishes.
The wine service was quick and efficient. The food was incredible and wine pairings harmonious. Afterwards, we all spoke about our experiences and what we noticed during our evenings so we knew what to work on or how to adjust our performances for the Gala tonight. Because of this experience, we are better servers to our clients, both front and back of the house brigades, and we appreciated it immensely.
Front of the House learned how we wanted to be interacted with during our dinner so we can apply that to our service. We realised when we wanted to be spoken to and how often, what we wished to have explained and how much interaction we wanted to have that wouldn’t disturb our evening or dining experience. Back of the house discussed plating techniques, flavours combined and cooking methods. They also felt grateful to see how guests will feel during the dinner that they will be cooking. We appreciated this dinner immensely, and we learned a lot of valuable knowledge for our futures.
Photo by Pauline Garza