A Wedding Meal Without Compromise

In one of those odd turns of fate that life hands us, during a full calendar of wedding catering in the summer of 2010, we at Foodisima prepared not a single wedding meal that included meat other than -- in certain cases -- some wild and sustainably caught salmon.

We did some beautiful weddings, too. They were mostly gorgeous affairs that included white dresses, rented tuxes, perfectly turned-out bridesmaids, elegant cakes and weeping mothers of the bride. In short, from the outside looking in, they were mostly somewhat traditional, beautiful weddings. And the food we prepared for these weddings was beautiful and, in some ways, traditional, as well. That is, looking at the food what you would see is elegant, well-prepared and served wedding fare.

Foodisima Catering & Chef Services have always prided ourselves on local food that is, as much as possible, handmade. We make our own stocks and sauces, our own breads. Our polenta begins with cornmeal and when we serve scones or sorbets (and a lot of other things!) they are made by hand.

Over the years, our own awareness of local, organic food has grown to the point where we are very sensitive of carbon footprints, not only for ourselves but for our clients: we recycle, of course (doesn’t everyone?), but we also expend a lot of effort thinking about how we can not only reduce our own waste, but that of our clients, as well. It turns out that if you think like that long enough and hard enough, it trickles down into everything you do. Which, one way or another, led to the summer of 2010: all those weddings. No meat.

In the middle of what I think I will look back on as a watershed summer, Chelsea Clinton got married. And it happened that while I was busy preparing stocks and sauces and dressings for what would be a mostly vegan wedding, I was hearing about how Clinton -- who is vegan -- would be serving some vegan cuisine at her wedding, but also organically raised beef. The thought of this very prominent vegan serving meat at her wedding sort of appalled me. After all, this would be her day. Well, her and her (presumably also vegan) groom. If you can not, on that very special day, ask that your friends and family respect your choices, when can you? The rationale I heard (though admittedly not from Clinton herself) was that people have traditionally offered vegetarian options at carnivorecentric weddings, so why should vegan weddings not offer meat for attending carnivores? And my answer to that is... well, it’s different.

It isn’t that we at Foodisima don’t like meat or have a problem with it. In fact, aside from the watershed wedding thing, we prepared meat for a lot of other types of functions last summer. We don’t mind doing it and we do it very well. Also, if you want meat at your wedding -- if that’s part of your personal design brief for your special day, or even if it’s just that you always dreamed of filet mignon at your wedding, or chicken kiev, that’s just what you should have. But if what you really want is a different kind of wedding, well... nothing need stand in your way.

See, here’s the thing: for many people, their wedding will be the largest party they ever host. And it’s meaningful, this party. It represents a new beginning, in a way. And the birth of a new aspect in a special relationship. A whole new day. A party like that -- an important party, heavy in symbolism and sharing -- should stand for something. Especially if the wedding couples have made choices of conviction in their lives.

And here’s the other thing: even while I was hearing about Clinton’s compromise at her own wedding, I knew from experience that it was a compromise not worth making. And why? Because by that point I had helped create a special and meaningful day for several vegetarian couples and had watched while guest after guest not only ate happily of the vegetarian and vegan food on offer, they raved about it: this including grumpy looking uncles and obviously meat-eating dads. That’s because we’ve discovered that really good vegetarian and vegan celebration food is not about what isn’t there. It’s truly about celebrating what is.

Somewhere during that watershed summer -- somewhere between Chelsea and eight or ten happy brides -- I came to a place of conviction about what a wedding meal should look like. Truly, it can take many forms: it can be a stand-up affair, with luscious tidbits handed round by cater-waiters. It can be five courses beautifully served while the wedding party sips and toasts. Or it can be a bountiful buffet. But whatever it consists of, it should reflect the convictions of the wedding couple, whatever they happen to be.

This is your special day. The most special day ever. It need not be a day for compromise: it’s the day that will take you forward into the next phase of your life. Having that day -- and that beautiful party -- perfectly reflect your beliefs is not too much to ask.

Cookbooks: Veganize This! by Jenn Shagrin

In a very general sort of way, I dislike books like Veganize This! (DaCapo) because, rather than celebrating all that can be really wonderful and freeing about the vegan lifestyle, it serves to make what is an alternative way of eating seem like a freakish aberration to be gotten around. The subtitle tells that story: “From Surf and Turf to Ice Cream Pie: 200 Animal-Free Recipes for People Who Love to Eat.” And, fair enough: there are people for whom vegan choices are entirely social or moral and who miss what they no longer have.

My own approach to vegan and vegetarian cooking tends to be one of celebration for what is rather than intense focus on what isn’t. And there are lots of cookbook authors who agree with that approach: increasingly, their beautiful books become more and more available.

Actress, comedienne and vegan chef Jenn Shagrin has a different approach and her book seems to celebrate food in disguise as other food. Vegan Veal Chops with Sunchoke Caponata. Tofu Scallops. Even Vegan Twinkies. Shagrin uses a small arsenal to fake her way to delicious results: her recipes tend to be heavy on seitan -- a wheat gluten-based meat substitute -- as well as several commercial ingredients.

Now all of that said, Veganize This! is clear, well laid out and the recipes are easy to follow. If you’re the kind of vegetarian who misses your meaty treats but is no longer comfortable eating meat products, Veganize This! is for you.

Wedding Catering on Galiano Island

After a full summer of wedding catering on Galiano Island, followed by a quieter but still busy fall, we’ve settled in for a peaceful winter. The events we’re doing right now are smaller and less stressful -- yoga retreats, corporate shindigs and the occasional film industry event in Vancouver -- but it’s difficult not to miss the excitement of a wedding and being a central part of someone’s special day.

We have already taken bookings for weddings in 2011 and even one for 2012, even though 2012 still seems so far away! Still, it is important to do your legwork and homework as far in advance as possible. You want to be certain you find a caterer you feel comfortable with and who makes you feel confident they will deliver the meal you’ve been dreaming about.

Foodisima catered eight weddings in the summer of 2010. One of the things that really came home to me as we worked our way through a fun and busy summer was the fact that providing the catering for a wedding is so much more than making sure the food is on time, as ordered and delicious. For a lot of people, the meal associated with their wedding is the largest and most important party they will ever host. It’s essential that the caterer not lose sight of that: that they stay focused on being part of the team that will render wedding dreams.

I realize that some of that sounds ethereal, but it’s not really. It means working with the wedding couple for months before the big day, thinking through menu possibilities and permutations. It means being ready for bridal melt-downs (though I feel lucky not to have seen one yet, I’m always ready for the eventuality!) and pitching in when details outside of the kitchen have been overlooked.

Weddings are special. It’s different than any other type of catering. A corporate dinner for 100 just can’t compare to a wedding dinner for the same number. People are happy, laughing. Love is in the air and everyone comes prepared to have a good time.

If you’re getting ready for your wedding on Galiano Island, we’re looking forward to talking with you. We anticipate another summer of love and laughter, perhaps playing a part in your special day. ◊

Note: we created the menu above at left for one of the weddings we catered during the summer of 2010. This is a special service we provide, including one for each of your guests as well as a few extra for your scrapbook or wedding album.

Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free by Silvana Nardone

It seems that, over the last decade or so, even the simple act of feeding ourselves has gotten to be a lot more complicated. I’m sometimes undecided: was it just that we all suffered in silence -- or at least in ignorance -- when we were kids? Or are we all just more vulnerable these days in a world gone mad with GMOs and other attacks on our delicate systems? Whatever the case, gone are the days when whole platoons of people could relax in the comfort of their “meat and potatoes” preferences. Lately it seems everyone I speak with is dealing with some sort of food sensitivity somewhere close to them. And as anyone who has dealt with these sort of issues knows, anything from a simple (and increasingly common) peanut allergy to lactose intolerance or gluten sensitivities can wreak havoc with a whole family.

This is just what Silvana Nardone had to deal with when her 13-year-old son, Isaiah, was diagnosed with food sensitivities to gluten and dairy. Nardone was forced to rethink every aspect of the way her family ate. The book that resulted from this exploration of whole new food worlds, Cooking for Isaiah (Sprig) could well be life-changing for less talented chefs in a similar position.

“I am not a doctor,” Nardone writes in her introduction. “I am not a nutritionist. I am not a trained chef. I am not a food scientist. I am just a mom who wants to feed her kids.” While all of this is undoubtedly true, more things are true, as well. For instance, unlike a lot of non-chef moms who “just wants to feed her kids,” Nardone is the founding editor of Every Day with Rachel Ray (in fact, Ray writes the introduction here). She’s also a cooking instructor and food consultant and the co-author of Saveur Cooks Italian. However, her understatement is your big gain. Cooking for Isaiah is anything but the floundering amateur chef mom’s attempts at getting dinner on the table. Cooking for Isaiah is simply stuffed full of recipes anyone could feed anyone. Beautiful food, simply prepared, gorgeously presented, lucidly shared. All of us should be as lucky as Nardone’s Isaiah.

Warm Beet Salad with Beet & Red Wine Emulsion and Feta Cheese over Arugala

Though I’ve been evolving this dish over the last several years, I created this particular version for a wedding Foodisima catered earlier this month. The bride’s colors were “fig” and green and the gorgeous red of the beets on the bold green of the arugala fit the bill perfectly.

It’s fun when you can tailor a wedding menu to not only suit the wedding couple’s lifestyle and tastes, but the colors they’ve chosen for their special day, as well.

This salad is at its most delicious when served just slightly warm. Warmth brings out the earthy sweetness of the beets and the rich, salty flavor of the feta while arugala’s sharp bite provides a welcome counterpoint. Vegans take note: without the feta, this is a gorgeous vegan first course.

2 pounds beets
1 cup red wine
½ cup balsamic vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
4 wedges feta cheese

Scrub beets, remove greens and roast beets in a casserole with a tight-fitting lid at 425 F for 90 minutes or until beets pierce easily with a fork.

Allow beets to cool before removing skins. The cooked beets should slide easily from their jackets. Slice beets in ¼-inch rounds, set aside reserving approx. one quarter of the cooked beets. Place the reserved beets in a medium-sized pot with the wine and balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until liquid reduces by half: approximately 15 minutes.

Puree beets, wine and vinegar with an immersion blender or food processor, adding salt and pepper to taste. When puree is very fine pour mixture through a fine sieve, pressing with a wooden spoon until as much liquid as possible has been pushed through. Set aside.

To assemble, warm cooked beet rounds slightly.

Arrange a bed of arugala on the plate. Mound one quarter of the sliced beets at the center of the plate. Surround this with about two big tablespoons of the beet and wine emulsion. Top with wedge of feta and serve.

Photo by David Middleton.

Cookbooks: The Geometry of Pasta by Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kennedy

I was absolutely astonished to discover that The Geometry of Pasta (Quirk Books) is not some obliquely named self-help book, but that it is actually about... pasta. Not only that, it takes a sober, educational -- and even a little art school -- approach to the subject. The end result is the kind of cookbook that seems likely to find resting spots on chef’s bookshelves for a long time to come. It’s just very, very good.

The Geometry of Pasta is a collaboration between designer Caz Hildebrand (who has, among other things, designed the tastiest of Nigella Lawson’s rich and lovely cookbooks) and Chef Jacob Kennedy, co-owner of London’s very successful Bocca di Lupo.

The resulting book is, I think, probably one of the definitive works on pasta of all time. It is, as I said, low-key and considered. It is as much discussion about food as it is creation of it as Kennedy walks us through the history and evolution of hundreds of pasta shapes and recipes. And so we learn that corzetti are “large coins of pasta from Liguria,” and that fusilli “are an industrial semolina pasta, a triple helix, like an elongated propeller or fan blade.” There are tips for making pasta, for choosing it and for plumbing it for maximum enjoyment.

Many of the pasta entries are accompanied by Hildebrand’s gorgeous black and white illustrations. In her introduction to the book, she writes that the duo here offer “a guide to the geometry of pasta; pasta at its simplest and best, to be enjoyed as the Italians do.”