Here's Why
Roblé explains why he decided to serve meat to the pescatarians.
According to my Twitter feed most people understand why I did what I did and went against my clients wishes for the Guest of a Guest event. However, there were quite a few people that didnt understand. This ones for you. . .
First off, this event came up very last minute for me and I walked in to that meeting with the clients with a game plan. I had to follow my game pan as closely as possible to make sure that I could get these 150 plus guests fed -- and fed well -- in the short amount of time I had. The client requested pescatarian food, basically fish could be the only meat on the menu. I decided that I would give them three great fish options in the form of a ceviche station.
After Molly visited our kitchen I compromised with her and moved the grouper from the ceviche station to the taco station where it was the least requested option of the four total offerings (including pork, beef and chicken).
Why did I do this? First off, after that meeting I was ready to walk away from the whole thing, but I figured that it would be a good look for me to do this event as GuestofaGuest.com has a good amount of reach. If I could impress the guests there it would surely translate into more business. I can't impress 150 people by forcing them to adhere to the eating habits of one person. Thats not how you throw a party, and certainly not the way to entertain a large amount of guests. You try to cater to the likes of the group as a whole. The goal is to make everyone happy. I know more people who dont like seafood than I do presbyterians by about 8 to 1.
At the end of the day, my client was happy and my gamble paid off. I knew that she didn't know what she really wanted. Sorry if that comes off cocky but it's true. If you dont take risks, you'll never make it anywhere interesting.
And yes, I know that I typed presbyterians before. That was a joke.
P.S. Please follow me if you're on Twitter: @ChefRoble