Catering: Staff Lunch, Sargent House

When I relaunched this blog a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I’ve started catering. I love cooking more than almost anything else and my friends have been telling me for quite some time to just get out there and do it, so I had to listen.

Last Friday, I catered a staff lunch at Sargent House, an indie record label/management company here in Los Angeles. They have a pretty amazing kitchen in-house so I did some of the prep before I went but did most of the actual cooking on the premises.  I was cooking for eight that day, including one who doesn’t eat meat, so I decided to do four savory dishes and one dessert and keep it non-meat all the way.  I always feel bad for the lone vegetarian who gets a soy burger while everyone else feasts on steak- not because they’re missing out on the steak (after all, it’s his/her choice not to eat it!) but because it seems like a cop-out to hand one person a pre-made, processed thing while everyone else gets homemade food. Anyway, I made sure to make the meal hearty enough so the carnivores wouldn’t feel deprived, and did include a bit of smoked fish in one dish since all eight were into seafood.

Here’s the menu (click on images to enlarge):

And the food:

Puree of Spring Pea and Asparagus Soup

Butter Lettuce Salad with Ruby Grapefruit, Avocado and a Citrus Vinaigrette

Baby Fingerling Potatoes with Smoked Trout and Chive Cream

Savory Tomato and Basil Galette with Gouda and Aged Parmigiano Reggiano

Vanilla and Farmer’s Market Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Everyone enjoyed the meal and I thoroughly enjoyed cooking it!  What is better than seeing a smile from someone who just ate something you made?  NOTHING.  If they could bottle that, I’d buy a case.  Or a hundred.

I think the occasional, catered staff lunch is a great motivation booster, plus a great chance for coworkers to sit down, smell the roses and just relax once in awhile.  Don’t you agree?

For more info on Tuna Toast Catering, click on the “Catering/Baking” tab at the top of this blog.

And lastly- a special “thank you” goes out to Cathy and the awesome Sargent House staff for such a great experience!