Monday Mornings..........

Hello All,

Well lets jump back to Friday we had the launch of AirTel East Africa, 1200 for dinner, was only a buffet though so not so bad...................
Friday morning we are looking good, Sous Chefs have been well briefed all week, the prep has mostly been done, just the finishing needed, to be then told the guests would eat 2 hours earlier!!!!

So i rattle a few of the troops, cuss and swear to myself a bit then get down to it!!!

We will be ready!!!!! oh yes we will,

So service time approaches i final brief all the banquet team and the buffet runners, time for final checks, my plan is i stay in the kitchen with the Banquet Sous Chef a lovely fella called Edwin, and the rest of the banqueting crew.

Guests are split into 2 areas that link onto each other, In the main room i have my Exec Sous Chef Robert.
In the garden area i have my Restaurant Junior Sous Chef Ephraim, each of them has 2 buffet lines serving around 300 guests each line and 2 runners to fetch and collect the food/top up as needed,

Both the Sous's have walkie-talkies ( a first for me in a kitchen and i gotta say a litttle strange)  and in the kitchen itself we have one walkie talkie, idea being as soon as something starts to run low they call us and we have it ready by the time iots needed and out there for the guests who will be lining up like mad.

So we start slowly, it picks up and we run, no we walk a little quicker sending chicken,topping up, saucing the fish, sending more salads, gettting people to jump on the pastry to help them top up, then..............

Wallop!!!!     

We are done and 1193 people are fed and very very happy.

This brings to a close a function which for me started on the Monday and was looked at each day as we got closer and more ready to serve.

I can honestly say i have done canape parties for 100 and sweated more, had more stress and ran round more than we did that night,  but the team is relieved and happy, for many of my boys and girls this is a first, in their past employment in Kenyas 5 star hotels, 300's yes, 500's yes and the odd 900 pax function but no-one has done over a 1000 and done it well, so i tell them look guys i didnt want to say anything or make you all nervous but i have never done a function bigger than 600 either!!!!!!!

Sunday was all about the day off, slept well and got to spend the whole day with my girls which was a bonus, we went out for the day Kasia met her 1st Giraffe (that she knew about this time) and was close up enough to feed them, well she didnt i did for her, then off  lunch in the garden of Talisman restaurant, a few cheeky cold ones and back home via the dude selling pirate DVD's at the side of the road so we got Sherlock Holmes and another one i cant remember 2 for 500 shillings, or about 3 quid to you and i!!!

Cheaper then blockbuster.

A busy week not sure yet what it will bring function for 550 at the weekend, lunch is busy all week and the house is full so dinner in the restaurant should be busy too!!

Our fine dining restaurant plans are coming to a close as is the gym and spa so busy days ahead.............

Have a Good Un...

Kevin