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Catered Event Strategies Gone Wrong

babysteps

By babysteps
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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babysteps Contributor
babysteps
Posted

Okay, this is a premature post because the event *hasn't happened yet*.

But...

My spouse and I love dining out. We usually make reservations, and unless we are actually going directly to the restaurant ('do you have a table for 2 in 10 minutes?) we always tell them that I am gluten-free. If the reservations have been made well in advance I call again 2 days ahead...well, you all know the drill. I am flexible, I understand that substitutions may be necessary, I have gotten good at choosing menu items that require very little if any change to be gluten-free.

Anyway we are members of a dining group. Since being gluten-free it has actually gone very smoothly. I call the restaurant in question well ahead and discuss. So far they have all been very accommodating, usually with only small adjustments necessary.

Tonight (Saturday) we are having the annual catered outdoor meal (well, second annual anyway) at a member's gorgeous waterfront home. I suddenly realized Thursday night that 1) I hadn't called the restaurant and 2) there was no restaurant to call!

I immediately emailed the organizers, explained my restrictions, offered to talk to the caterer directly if they wished. I underscored that I was really most concerned about the entree, everything else I could skip if I had to - that is I could eat out of my purse :)

I will skip the details, but basically it seems the organizers wish to shield the caterer, so they recited me the menu to me (rather than naming the caterer or giving me a contact #; just my luck but it took several emails & phone calls before I even got the menu).

The menu actually sounds pretty workable (among other things, shrimp cocktail, choice of grilled salmon or beef, olive tapenade w/salmon suggests will be free of soy sauce or miso...), but I won't know for sure until I get there.

And the poor caterer will have had no warning. (I tried explaining that it worked better if the kitchen had prior notice, especially since the event is offsite so no walk-in with spare plain chicken to fall back on...in the midst of my little speech our phone connection got cut off thanks to the passing thunderstorm, so not sure if it even got heard)

The organizers, I think trying to be nice, said if the menu didn't work that we could cancel with no penalty. Also asked me if "my diet" was helping me. Hm, not the attitude I was hoping for.

So I'm viewing this as a teachable moment :)

Wish me luck!!

I'm bringing extra Lara bars in my purse in case.

And I will chat up celiac disease with the organizers so they understand a)it's not "a diet" b)it can be very manageable and c) communication is key with the kitchen :D

And for me, the next time I go to a catered event I will try to reach the caterer much earlier!! The last few catered events have gone so well that I may have been lulled into a false sense of security :(

Will report back...

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sickchick Community Regular
sickchick
Posted

MMMM tapenade B)

Good luck Girl!

babysteps Contributor
babysteps
Posted
  • Author

Okay, the eating karma worked out fine! Hooray :)

The organizers, in person, were much more understanding.

I got my "celiac is a disease, not a diet" message across in an understated, but effective, way.

Most of the food was fine, just had to skip the pasta course. Caterer was a bit in the "I can't guarantee anything, stuff gets tossed around" mode, but at least 2 of the servers were very observant and kept me 'clean'.

So, had the shrimp cocktail (lemon only, no sauce), lobster salad (lobster, mayonnaise, tarragon on endive) and figs (fresh, wrapped with prosciutto and manchego) for starters. Skipped the bruschetta. Prosecco was the wine (light Italian sparkling wine, lower alcohol but more sugar)

First sit-down course was fresh mozzarella and local tomato salad with basil (I skipped the dressing - caterer mentioned the bottles she uses for olive oil had previously been used for other dressings; however I'm guessing they may have been dishwashed between uses, but I didn't interrogate her on this point and better safe than sorry). Provencal rose.

Then the pasta course. (pass, thanks) 'Super' Tuscan (from Italy, 90% sangiovese and 10% cabernet sauvignon)

Then grilled salmon with olive tapenade, lovely flavors. Alsatian white, sorry don't remember exactly (I was table hopping when they poured it)

Beef was tenderloin, plain, sliced on a platter with roasted red potatoes with a bowl of carmelized onion. Grilled corn on the cob (nice but not actually fresh) on a separate platter; one nice gentleman at our table of 8 served everyone from the platter. Vieux Telegram (second label of Vieux Telegraphe, a Chateau Neuf du Pape)

Dessert was berries with cream and cookies, I skipped that (it was all in one bowl). Light pink sparkling wine from Savoie.

Whew!

I think we score this one as 'close, but okay in the end'.

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