It’s a Big Job: Cooking for 60 in a Creek

Plumes of smoke billowed from Cherry Creek when I arrived at the Bacon & Lox Society’s (BLS) Full Circle Meal, the smoky white clouds immediately connecting my olfactory sense with memories of long-ago summer camp meals cooked on an open fire. Chefs were discussing different kinds of woods: how they burn, what kind of flavor each adds to food. It could have been a discussion in any kitchen anywhere.

But it wasn’t. This discussion was taking place in a creek where four chefs—knee deep in water—worked at four prep tables while tending fires at two makeshift “hearths.”

Chef André deWaal of André’s Lakeside Dining in Sparta, N.J., led the creek dinner’s food effort, working with the planning team to ensure the menu resonated with the event’s style and focus. Of course, the food needed to celebrate culinary creativity and sensual pleasure, but it also needed to reflect BLS’ belief in the power of a shared meal and how that sharing nurtures relationships. The meal’s sensibility needed to suggest the abundance of a feast of friendship as well as food.

To that end, deWaal created the day’s menu as a reflection on relationships as courtship.

first date

Wheel of Ceviche
Rainbow of Fruit and Vegetable Salsas

Cook Your Own Skewers
Vegetables and Sausages with Herbed Crema

first kiss

Baked Sea Bass in Banana Leaves, Salsa Verde

the courtship

Quail a la Plancha, Honey citrus, Flowers and Nuts

time spent

Slow Roasted Goat Legs, Mole Picante

the family

Frijoles de la Olla
Arroz con Fruito Secos
Tortillas

the celebration

Tres Leches Cake

Additional factors influenced menu planning. Since the meal was intended as a feast, all dishes would be served at once rather than clearing after each course, so the meal’s abundance would be underscored. This meant food would be on the tables for longer periods of time, and deWaal planned accordingly.

Sea bass was wrapped in banana leaves, which would keep the fish warm longer (as well as add flavor); quail was intended to be served close to room temperature because it would marry better with its fruit accompaniment; the goat was served with a thicker sauce that would keep the meat warm longer, and its spice would add an illusion of warmth.

It’s a big undertaking, cooking a meal for 60 in a creek. Chefs brought their own tools, but it was a little more challenging to transport ingredients: for example, five pounds of sausage and 10 pounds of vegetables for skewers; 10 pounds of fish for ceviche; and, for the main course, about 15 pounds of sea bass, 60 quail and two goat legs, each about eight pounds.

These ingredients, then, begged the question: How would the food be cooked?

Two water “hearths” were constructed by master builder Will Croasdale, owner of the property that hosted the dinner. Just above the water’s surface, two 4- x 4-foot sheets of plate steel, where the fires were built, rested on cinder blocks anchored in the creek. Cooking grills above the fire rested on more cinder blocks.

Considering the logistical issues of cooking in a creek, I asked deWaal why the Full Circle Meal menu featured hot foods when cold foods seem easier. “Everyone is bringing their ‘A’ game to the event,” he said. “The decoration, the invitation, everything is over-the-top. A cook-ahead menu would not be bringing my ‘A’ game.”

He added: “Cooking over the open fire is part of the romance. It makes the food a one-of-a-kind experience, an experience that will never be duplicated. That’s what makes it fun and interesting and worthwhile.”

The four chefs invested about 17 hours in planning and prep before they got to the event, deWaal said; at the creek each added another three to four hours to the time they contributed. This is deWaal’s fourth year of involvement with the Full Circle Meal. Why does he keep coming back?

His answer: “I was driving here today thinking … why am I doing this on my day off? When I got here and came around the corner to the creek and saw the table, I got chills. That’s why I do it.”

He added, “Creatively, it’s a huge inspiration.”

With thanks to the Full Circle Meal Chefs

André deWaal, Mike Carrino, David Felton, Emily Downs
And Chef’s Assistant Tracey deWaal (“I couldn’t do it without her,” says André.)

By Susan Gottshall

A freelance writer, Susan wrote a restaurant review column for The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., from 2001 - 2015. Her work has also been published in Ms. and Prevention magazines along with Lehigh Valley Magazine, where she was senior editor.