Off-premise catering can be an endurance event. Fifteen-hour shifts, challenging environments, demanding schedules, and the need to remain focused throughout service are all part of the profession. Now in my 60s, I routinely handle these demands with energy to spare. In fact, I believe my endurance and focus are better than they were a decade ago. That's no accident. I've spent years refining an approach to diet, rest, movement, and hydration that helps me perform consistentl

Motorcycles, SCUBA, and Event Catering These activities share some key factors; they require constant focus on fine details and also big-picture dynamics. And none of them would appeal to me if each didn't involve some significant risk and reward. Life is good. Bali, 2023 - Manta Point

An outdoor plated dinner for 70 in Aspen CO Experience (4000+ catered events) Decades of event catering, from 10,000+ events to intimate, high-end dinners. Sole Event Chef for private Hillary Clinton campaign event where Bill Clinton spoke to 30 donors at the $100K+ level. Selected as lead Chef for SpaceX company launch parties, supervising teams of up to 20 culinary staff. Chosen by Gene’s catering for two consecutive years to lead the players’ tent kitchen at what is now t

Banjo and me - July 2026 I developed this nutrient-dense oatmeal formula over several years to maximize physical performance and metabolic absorption. The ultimate refinement was introducing a 24-hour sourdough fermentation step to completely transform the grain's structural profile. The excerpt below breaks down exactly how this traditional bio-hack unlocks the recipe's full functional potential. The Sourdough Advantage: How Fermentation Unlocks Oat Nutrition "By utilizing a

It's the most important seasoning we use, and sodium level is a moving target. I say that it's the most important seasoning because using too little results in what the typical diner calls "bland" food. Add too much, and you've ruined the dish, and it's almost impossible to fix. No pressure.... The reason I call salt level a "moving target" is because our perception of the salt we add changes with time, primarily due to the process called osmosis. This is when a solution, in

Off-premise catering is all about logistics. It is also important in a restaurant setting but, is less a factor because there are less variables on a day to day basis. I've been involved in planning small and large events, for my own clients and for other caterers. This is by far the most important factor in creating a successful event. Even small catered events can involve a great many decisions that affect the finished product. There can be literally hundreds of details tha

I have a simple approach I use when assigning priority to various cooking steps. That is "Can I do this now without significantly affecting quality?" I emphasize "significantly" because in most off-premise catering scenarios there are many compromises that must be made. We want to complete steps as soon as possible, but without sacrificing too much quality. Chefs who care about quality will resist implementing a step too soon. For example, they won't start cooking steaks to

What in the world would we do without chicken breasts?! They're bland, dry, and featured at almost every event. It would help if we used skin-on breast, but alas, most of time the skin must go. If we fully cook the breasts at the central catering kitchen and transport them warm/hot, they're guaranteed to be dry, and/or tepid. If we transport them raw and cook onsite, there are significant challenges involving food safety and proper cooking. The least we can do is to avoid ove

pickled veggies in Xiamen China I recently spent two weeks with my (now ex) wife in China and of course my focus was mainly on food. She's from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and happily there was a line of family and friends waiting to wine and dine us. It's hard to overstate the importance of food in Chinese culture. A very common greeting in China translates literally as "have you eaten yet?" The first step in understanding the cuisine is to forget whatever you

"Chef Jerry was important to our operation this summer and his contributions will be valuable as we grow our business!" Cynthia Stewart, Chef/Owner - James Ranch Grill - Durango CO James Ranch, Durango CO I had the pleasure of working for Cynthia and Robert Stewart at James Ranch Grill for four months during the summer of 2018. The Grill is the ultimate in "farm to table" food since many of the ingredients served there are produced on the ranch where the restaurant is located

I once worked at a summer camp where my job was running four convection ovens and we fed 700 people, three meals per day. The bulk of the food came out of my station, and this included the desserts. I made batches of 768 brownies on a regular basis. They were made from an institutional "just add water" mix and one box made one full sheet pan of 96 brownies. I couldn't really improve the recipe, but I did find a way to streamline production. The method I was shown was the obvi