|
Chefs talking shop: Karen Hutto of The Flying Pig in Fort Myers and Todd Johnson of Rumrunners at Cape Harbour, chatting over coffee at Bennett's Fresh Roast(Brian Tietz/Grandeur)
Chef Todd Johnson, of Rumrunners at Cape Harbour, at a celebrity chefs' benefit for The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, held at the restaurant in August 2010(Rose O'Dell King/Grandeur)
Holiday dinner parties can be magical when candlelight, good company and good food blend into harmony around the table. How do professionals make that magic? Grandeur posed that question to two veteran chefs: Baton Rouge native Karen Hutto, owner of The Flying Pig, a south Fort Myers-based catering company, and Todd Johnson, a longtime Neapolitan who is chef/owner of Cape Harbour's Rumrunners, The Joint and RunAgrounds.
Each donates their services to numerous charities each year, including offering private parties as auction items. The two, who bump into each other often on the charity circuit, met with us at Bennett's Fresh Roast in downtown Fort Myers.
GRANDEUR: How do you approach dinner gatherings?
Karen Hutto: When people call us - whether it's for weddings, dinners or holiday parties - they can see their vision in their own minds. Our job is to see that vision:
The number of people? Servers? A bar? Rentals? Menu ideas? Foods to avoid? Themes?
Are you a Sonny's Bar-B-Q person or are you a Ritz-Carlton person? It's okay to be one or the other, but you don't want to serve tomatoes stuffed with baby eels if people want pigs in a blanket.
Todd Johnson: Figure out what people are going to be doing while they're eating.
KH: And how they'll be dressed.
TJ: You don't want to serve king crab legs at a party where everyone is standing up. ... One event [I attended] had enormous meatball sliders and nowhere to sit - I'm a big guy but I didn't have a chain saw to handle it.
KH: Also, if you're not going to have enough chairs, don't serve something like pasta salad.
G: What about the guests? How do you put people together?
TJ: Try to invite a well-rounded crowd ... And map the room. If you leave it up to them, they may never start eating. Say, "The chef is bringing out the food. Have a seat."
I've been to parties where you don't know where to sit, whether it's because it's a neighborhood gathering or an event that's been happening a long time. You may feel like you're taking somebody's seat. As a host, it's very important to direct people.
KH: Set it up so people flow. You don't want one big table for food and one big table for drinks. There's nothing worse than being at a party and people are lined up at the buffet. That's so '60s.
Do some passed appetizers and some set appetizers. Put the bar away from the food so that people are not clumped.
G: Atmosphere?
TJ: At our restaurants, we change the volume of music six times a night. Music should never be so loud you hear the lyrics. Same thing with lighting ... Dim the lights over two minutes so no one notices.
KH: Linens, lighting, flowers for tables, candles, music - live or your iPod.
TJ: Think about being a limo driver versus a taxi driver. A good limo driver asks you only where you want to go. He does the rest - the lighting [is right], the A/C is set, the champagne is on ice; he directs the evening.
G: How are the charitable dinners you do different for you?
TJ: The charitable events are easier. You're 100 percent in control. You do it and relax.
KH: The people who come to these events are your friends and neighbors. You don't realize that until you do a few. It's still a small town with a slower pace.
TJ: There is not a charitable event I've done where I've regretted it.
G: What are the holidays like?
KH: In December, you won't see me go to a dinner party. You can't take a breath in December.
G: What's your favorite holiday dish?
KH: My childhood favorite is Spinach Madeline. Everyone in Louisiana made it during the holidays. It's like creamed spinach with pepper-jack cheese. My new favorite is to make brown-butter pecan pie.
TJ: I do fusion, not traditional food. But during the holidays, I like to go traditional. I like prime rib with Yorkshire pudding. Or turkey with stuffing and sweet potato pie.
G: Advice?
TJ: Remember, there are a lot of great recipes.
KH: Make your evening seamless for your guests. You want to be able to enjoy your own party.
For menus and more from The Flying Pig, visit www.theflyingpig.net.
Find out more about Rumrunners and coming events at Cape Harbour at www.capeharbourdining.com |
|
