Jamie's Big Night Out!

This event was by far one of the most enjoyable and best-coordinated functions I've done yet at Fifteen. Kate and the rest of the team did an incredible job planning the event, and everything ran smooth as butter. There were lots of VIP's in attendance, most notably Jamie Oliver and performer Jamie Cullum, who as a part of the auction "sold off" a performance of Beyonce's "Single Ladies." I'm still unsure whether it was entertaining, perplexing, or just frightening... but that's beside the point: he helped us raise loads of money for the organization. At the end of the night, we had raised approximately £200,000 for Fifteen Foundation. Job well done!

The only contact I had with Mr. Oliver was when I was standing at the bottom of the stairs, literally right in his way, and then stood there sort of dumb as he politely said "excuse me." Greeeat first impression!

As the night came to a close, there were left-over slices of a chocolate coffee truffle tart with crème fraîche ice-cream. I couldn't resist! I had two slices, oops.

Christmas Goodies...

One project that I've been working on recently has been our Christmas baked goods project. In a couple of weeks, we will begin to sell puddings, mince pies, and chocolate truffles at the restaurant. Although it may seem fairly straightforward, organizing a project like this takes quite a bit of effort. Lots needs to be done: ordering materials, communicating with the pastry chef, creating ingredients lists and cooking instructions, evaluating costs, and managing sales.

I've never undertaken a task like this, so everything is new and interesting. It has been really educational to follow the project from start to finish; I've worked with marketing to develop designs, the food-labeling people at Jamie Oliver to create nutrition labels, and even alongside Ed (the pastry chef) slicing up figs for the puddings. Look at the picture below of the dried fruits macerating in brandy (nearly 4 liters of it)! Yes, that's a full-size trash barrel. We plan on selling 200 puddings this year.

Borough Market

One of the best foodie experiences I've had in London so far has been Borough Market, London's largest open-air food market. Just look at this cheese!!

The food was definitely more upscale and artisanal, with farmers selling their organic produce and meat, fishmongers with their daily catch...

There was also lots of really fine food, like pâté, foie gras, and truffles. I couldn't believe that one of the truffles was priced at £90!