How It's Done:
NEON SIGNS
Grainger Everyday Heroes: Banquet Chef
By Grainger Editorial Staff 5/15/20
Meet Chef K, the Executive Chef for Centerplate at the Orange County Convention Center. Hear how he prepares and stages food for 10,000 people. For Chef K, every day is different and that is exactly the way he prefers it.
I've been here 20 years. I love what I do. We do fresh food, and I love to eat.
Hi, I'm Chef K. We're at the Orange County Convention Center, and I'm the Executive Chef for Centerplate. [Come] right this way. We distribute from four different areas: the hot food, the cold food, the bakery. As you see, everything is staged and ready to go.
[All the food] is broken out into different hub areas. [We have to cook a lot of food] for 10,000 people. I love working with the food. [I do] a lot of things chefs don't do, they [would] make the food here, and then [be] done. We follow the food all the way out to the client. [From] holding [the food], the service, and the final presentation with the dessert, we go all the way through [the process]. I don't just send it out and say, "That's it."
Every day is different. I haven't had the same day twice in 20 years.
The big thing about doing this much food is [working with the] people. It's the people making the food, it's the people serving the food. If I don't have Danny in the front of the house, and I don't have the support from all of the cooks, I can't do my job. I can't. Every day we go up, down, up, up, up, up, up, down, up, down up. It's a rollercoaster of a feeling, because if you really care, you can walk out of the kitchen at the end of the day, and feel like a million dollars when you really nail it. We strive to nail it every day and 99% of the time I walk out of here feeling great.
The information contained in this article is intended for general information purposes only and is based on information available as of the initial date of publication. No representation is made that the information or references are complete or remain current. This article is not a substitute for review of current applicable government regulations, industry standards, or other standards specific to your business and/or activities and should not be construed as legal advice or opinion. Readers with specific questions should refer to the applicable standards or consult with an attorney.
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