There’s a huge gash through my right middle fingernail – yes, I just completed catering job #2.  Still not a professional, I muddled through with a relatively nominal amount of cuts and no burns.  The assignment – 50 people, 5 hours and various chicken parts.  I made Italian-inspired braised chicken.  I called it, “Tuscan chicken with tomatoes and olives”.  The flavor combination was black olive, tomatoes and orange with mirepoix and herbs thrown in.  The starch was a savory bread pudding with roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic and herb de Province.  I was afraid the bread pudding wasn’t going over well –a few plates come back to the kitchen with substantial pudding remnants left on them, but I had two guests compliment the pudding specifically so…it think it went off well.  My vegetable was a roasted zucchini/mushroom medley and my salad was romaine lettuce with roasted red and yellow peppers, pepperoncini, fennel and toasted pine nuts.  The soup was pea with ham.

Overall, I’m happier with this evening than my first attempt, but, damn, those five hours flew by. Luckily,  I had some kitchen helper assistance in the last hour or I’m not sure I would have made it.  Even though I only worked six hours total, I was absolutely and completely exhausted at the end.  This cooking stuff’s not for wussies.