your opinion needed

[ppfuf]

I'm thinking of teaching a class on basic feast planning and organization at A&S, or maybe at the next West Coast Culinary Symposium. If you were thinking about volunteering to cook your first feast, what would you want to know? 

Tentative class description: An in-depth discussion on the necessary steps to plan and execute an SCA feast. Topics will include planning, budgeting, basic food safety, working with your autocrat, and kitchen management. The goal of this class is to give you the tools to confidently prepare a feast so that hot food is hot, cold food is cold, and everything is served on time. We will not be discussing cooking or specific recipes.

I am thinking of including a section on "The 4 big things I did wrong at my first feast". I'll have some spreadsheet examples for the shopping  plan, and some example budgets.

Comments

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of including a section on "portion control" in the section on budgeting. I've seen a lot of feasts where the cooks try to serve a full-size dinner in each course.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Right. And I've been at SCA buffet lines where the second half of the line got pretty much nothing because the people that got their first were out of control.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

That's why I never do unmonitored buffets.

I'll add that to the table-service section, and mention it under budget planning.

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

Yep, the 'meat last' table setup.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yet another reason I tend to eschew feasts any more: I get too overwhelmed and have to try everything and end up with heartburn.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

I try to tell people to think "tasting menu" or "tapas" when it comes to SCA feasts, but sometimes the food is hard to resist.