Each summer, the Chevy Chase Club in Chevy Chase, Md. holds a special club function known as the Cocktail Shindig. Over the years, reports Banquet Manager Carolyn Langdon, the club’s membership has eagerly anticipated the event, as a showcase for the special creativity and inventiveness of the club’s staff, and in particular as a display of both the culinary and presentation talents of Executive Chef Joachim Buchner, CMC.
The event has sold out for five consecutive years, and everyone on the club staff now looks forward to seeing what Chef Buchner comes up with for his latest idea, and then to working with him to help create a new, lasting memory for the members.
In his presentation on “Buffets That Keep Them Coming Back for More” at C&RB’s inaugural “Chef to Chef” Conference, held February 22-24 in Las Vegas, Chef Buchner featured the steps that were taken to create a unique “water buffet” for this past summer’s Shindig, to fit with the Asian Fusion theme of the meal.
After hearing about the Asian theme for the 2008 Shindig, “Several [members] mentioned how amazing it would be if we could create a water feature,” Langdon reports. That was all that Chef Buchner needed to hear. He walked the Chef to Chef Conference attendees through the steps taken to first find the needed materials, largely from items that were already on the property, and then to assemble the unique square buffet table, which would feature flowing water and a “rock garden” motif.
Chef Buchner and Frederick Nixon from the club’s staff built the wood framing for the buffet, while the maintenance and grounds department found stones, tiles and bricks in their respective areas. The only items that needed to be purchased for the event were some lumber and matting, along with Chinese to-go containers, fans, and chopsticks that were used as added touches, as described below. The total cost of materials needed for the event was less than $500.
Once constructed and hooked up to pumps provided by the grounds crew to start a flow of water inside the buffet, the setup “encompassed a visually appealing display of delectable food and flowing water, and these elements solidified the tranquil and Zen-like atmosphere we strived to achieve,” says Langdon.
To add to the ambience, upon arrival to the Cocktail Shindig members were greeted and presented with a red, Asian-style hand fan that indicated their table for the evening. And warm white and glowing red lanterns that the club staff already had on hand were hung across the function site.
To start the unique dining experience, each member was presented with a Chinese takeout container filled with an Asian-inspired salad.
“Greeting the members with a fan displaying their table number was [an idea] created by our Catering staff; the lighting was the brainchild of Engineering, and serving the salads in to-go containers was an idea from Culinary,” says Langdon in describing the across-the-board departmental teamwork that went into executing the event.
“The event was a huge success, with most every member in awe,” she adds. “It was very well-received and has enhanced our operation by maintaining the reputation of this summer gala. The difficult challenge will be how to once again top it next year!”
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