Entertaining in style

MILLIE: One of the perks of the catering business is getting to rub elbows with the who’s who and the rich and famous. But nothing beats being engrossed in the action of entertaining in style. Year after year, Nedy Tantoco’s New Year’s Eve bash is a grand affair. Nedy, “the hostess with the mostest,” is always on top of things. From planning the menu to décor, entertainment and programming, down to the minutest details of giveaways and security, it always has to have Ms. Nedy’s touch and seal of approval. One thing with Nedy, she knows what she wants and that makes it so much easier. Planning a Nedy event is always fun, and a learning experience. It brings out the best of one’s creative juices. She thinks of everything. Giveaways that showcase and promote Rustan’s products. Unique party hats and noisemakers, not just for guests but for the service staff as well. She even plans for contingencies, and had fire extinguishers on standby just in case pyrotechnics should ruin the affair!

My staff looks forward to her parties and they’re tickled pink when they are assigned to render duty for Ms. Nedy’s VIP guests no matter if it means going home at 6 a.m. They take extra steps to learn about who they are serving and take note of food and drink preferences among the guests to ensure total customer satisfaction.

KARLA: This year was the first time I was ever involved in the planning, pre-event preparations and implementation of Ninang Nedy’s event. Every year, Mom and I are invited to spend New Year’s at the Tantoco residence, and for as long as I can remember, each event seemed to outdo the last.

Ninang Nedy set up a white air-conditioned tent in her garden, with white swags and some green, red and silver décor running across the tent ceiling. There was an LED dance floor with changing colors, a mini stage with band setup, sound system equipment and mood lights around the tent. Her table centerpieces were acrylic cylinders with bubbles inside surrounded by Christmas ornaments, together with crystal bowls filled with fresh fruits. Every year, the decorations, styling and class of her events and her taste leave us in awe and admiration.

MILLIE: Champagne was served to welcome guests as they arrived in glamorous gowns and black tie. Dignitaries from the diplomatic corps, friends from media, Nedy’s special friends and family members were in attendance. For cocktails, guests partook of Raclette and Manchego cheeses and thin slices of jamon Jabugo.

Dinner was formal in traditional Nedy fashion, served sit-down style. This year, Karla was a big help in the kitchen. It was synergy in action. No words were exchanged. There was no need for written or formal instructions or specific job descriptions. She simply took over the organization, working very well with the kitchen brigade and teamwork was so evident that the end result was a smooth and flawless dinner service from cold appetizer to soup, main course and dessert. And mind you, it wasn’t easy as the main course was a choice of seared sea bass with herb butter or roast Long Island duckling à l’orange or filet of US beef with lobster medaillons in red wine gravy. Luckily, guests were asked their entrée choices when they called to RSVP their attendance, and the waiters had time to memorize who was having which main dish.

KARLA: This year was very exciting and challenging, for me and the crew assigned to the grand production including those who assisted the day before.

A peek behind the scenes: the mood was very different in the kitchen. One of our chefs remarked that it seemed like we were on the reality TV show Top Chef. For the first time this season, the chefs weren’t fooling around while working. Usually, I’d hear them throwing jokes at each other, but that day, everyone seemed serious, working briskly, almost as if they were under time pressure. At one point, I actually felt like I was one of the judges. Every so often, someone would call me to taste this and that, or get my final nod on the sample plating of the dish or the consistency and color of the red wine gravy or some other sauce. Intense! Everyone just knew it would have to be a memorable event for our top client who has been a source of inspiration and challenge to us for many years and so, we wanted it to be… perfect!

A lot more kitchen “hiccups” were encountered that day. Like how the industrial mixer of the bakeshop mysteriously wouldn’t start, or how the new blender for the kitchen would automatically stop after a few minutes and only when a certain chef was using it. A lot of things couldn’t be explained but our electrician magically reconditioned everything before lunchtime.

If not for our highly trained chefs and employees, the kitchen would be chaotic. But for some reason, it was calm and quiet; though busy, it was never panicky. Another reason for this is because the staff started preparing for the event the day before.

So for our readers who intend to entertain guests at home and not hire a caterer, our advice is: Don’t panic. There are some things you can do ahead of time. The pâtés were made the day before and just kept in the walk-in ref overnight. Star-shaped and half-moon Melba toasts were prepared in advance as well. Sauces were done in advance on the day itself and kept refrigerated, including the horseradish, dill mustard sauce and the tangy sauce for the shrimp and crabmeat cocktail. Condiments for the Raclette and smoked salmon were chopped ahead of time and kept in the chiller, together with the herb butter for the seared sea bass. The lobster was pre-steamed and cut into medaillons onsite. The individual portions of Baked Alaskan and a dessert aptly named Nedy’s Bombe Surprise were prepared a day before and kept in the walk-in freezer. These were transported to the catering site via our freezer van and blow-torched just before serving. Assorted milk and dark pralines with hazelnut filling were handmade by yours truly also a day before.

Naturally, serving a party of 50 to 100 persons as compared to a house party for 15 would differ in terms of the amount of preparation and the amount of time needed for its completion. But knowing which things can be done ahead of the event can really help you manage your time.

MILLIE: This should allow you even time to relax and get dolled up before the event starts to roll. The key to entertaining gracefully is to have fun and enjoy it! Have a ball!

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Send e-mail to milliereyes.foodforthought@gmail.com and karla@swizzlemobilebar.com.