A few weeks ago, Chef Peter Dewar asked me to help out cooking with the Scanway
Catering team as they got ready for the Concert on Commons featuring the Black Eyed Peas. I got the opportunity to work with them for a few days, in
their kitchen in the Four Points Sheraton just off Barrington Street preparing
food for the concert. I couldn’t work the night of the
concert because I was already committed to another function.
When I was asked back
to help out for the recent Country Rockfest concert, I made sure my schedule was clear.
This
was huge opportunity for me. Scanway Catering was taking care of all the food
for the commons. This included food for the corporate sponsored tents, event
staff, beer and liquor tents, and general concessions for concert goers… That’s
a whole lot of food. And it was a two night event. On top of that, there were three weddings. Two off site, and one at the hotel that was a seafood spectacular
that involved ice sculptures and over 400 pieces of sushi (rolled by Peter and
myself). This would be about five times bigger than any catering event I have ever
been a part of. It was almost too much to wrap my head around.
With
much planning, and great organization and co-ordination, such a huge feat of
feeding the masses can be achieved. The Scanway team were great to work with.
Although Peter and I mostly concentrated on the corporate tents (essentially
sky boxes on the ground, tasty food and servers included), we helped out with
whatever was needed… and there was always something needed. We started basic prep
on Tuesday, and got into the swing of things on Wednesday. Both were half days,
setting ourselves up for the upcoming three days of organized chaos. Thursday we
were full on. We added another person to our crew. Mandy Chapman, a recent
graduate of my alma mater, NSCC Akerley, joined us in the kitchen. At 5pm,
Peter, Paul Thimot (NSCC Kingstech), and head Banquet Chef for Scanway Jamie
Knorr, left the kitchen to go set up the venue… the Commons.
Two thirds
of the Commons was a maze of tents and security guards. We were given golf
carts on steroids to move propane and drove around the commons in a pick-up
truck moving monstrous BBQ’s that were hours away from grilling literally
thousands of sausages and burgers. There were already food operations happening
onsite for all the set up staff. Three square meals a day, with several
choices. Popcorn was being popped and
bagged up, and the fryer truck’s 8 deep fat fryers were filled and ready to go.
It wasn’t stocked yet because the food supplier, Sysco, was arriving the next
morning with an 18 wheeler full of food that would be cooked and sold by the
end of the day. We picked up and dropped off supplies for the next day, trying to keep ahead
of the game. We were at the commons until dark.
Then
it was back to home base, the Four Points, to do final checks of lists and mise en
place for the next morning, which was looking like it was an early one…
This
event was so big, I think it deserves two posts… coming soon, Country Rocks Cookin’
on the Commons: Cookin Up a Storm!
