Sometimes Less is More

In the 11 years we've been in business, we've noticed a curious phenomenon. It seems sometimes people tell us what they think WE want to hear. Because many of the menus we do for clients (whether it is home meal delivery, private dining in our clients' homes or at the Castella Room, or catered events) are customized to suit our clients' palates, we often use an in depth food questionnaire. This tells us what our clients like and don't like. Sometimes we will submit a menu that, based on the questionnaire, is a little more on the adventurous side only to have to simplify it. I'm not sure if it's the rise of television shows about food, but it seems people don't want to appear to have simple tastes. If you want meatloaf and mashed potatoes instead of grilled ostrich with a blood orange hollandaise and passion fruit salsa we're more than happy to accommodate you. We've certainly made our share of meatloaf in 11 years! We even did a rehearsal dinner for someone that wanted meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes. They even prefaced asking us to do the job by saying, "I don't know if you would want to do this but...".

Everyone has a unique sense of taste. It's what makes you you. Chefs on television have done the industry a real disservice, in my opinion, by pitching a fit and acting condescending when asked to accommodate someone with more simple tastes. So often I see chefs say it is their job to educate people on what they should be eating. I feel chefs are in business to satisfy their clients not educate them (unless of course they're asked to). Parents should educate their children about what they should eat. Chefs shouldn't treat their patrons as children. If someone reaches adulthood and knows what they like, who am I to force feed them softshell crab for instance (which in my earlier days as a chef I did). Our friend ate it, but I'm sure she hasn't eaten it since. It made a big impression on me because some 13 years later I still feel bad about it! We once did a dinner for a couple that had quite different food preferences. She was from the Midwest and preferred only beef, chicken, corn, potatoes, and onions. He would eat anything and was quite adventurous at the dinner table. We didn't try to force her to eat foie gras and truffles. We worked out a menu that made them both happy. As a chef, I feel that's what I'm here to do - make people happy.

So whether you like foie gras, sweetbreads, and truffles or chicken fingers and fries, stand your ground and eat what makes you happy because Sometimes Less is More.