First Impressions Are Key

Whether you are having a dinner party for 2 or 200, it is important to set a positive first impression that establishes the tone for the evening. It doesn’t have to be over the top awesome. It can be as simple as having something beautifully aromatic in the oven (Potatoes Gran Mere ) or an enticing cocktail (Cranberry Mint Mojito  ). Giving your guests the impression that they are in for something special will set your dinner party apart from the ordinary.

Marketing can be fun!

Speaking of over the top awesome, Chef Lucien Vendome and our Marketing team at Kraft Food Ingredients put on many spectacular events, but the event we staged at The Research Chef’s Association in Montreal was something special. An Ice Pyramid that highlighted our brands set the first impression. KFI sold industrial ingredients to major food manufacturers. One thing we offered that most of our competitors couldn’t was the ability to license the use of our brands along with the sale of bulk ingredients. So today, whenever you see an Oreo Lava Cake, chances are that our Ice Pyramid imbedded with Kraft brands, planted the seed of the idea.

This is where you are probably thinking…It is easy to set a phenomenal impression when you have an enormous Marketing budget. Well the reality at KFI was that we had great ideas and virtually no budget. The key was that we did most of the work ourselves. As for the Ice Pyramid:

  • We designed the pyramid ourselves
  • We built the base for the pyramid in Lucien’s garage and reassembled it ourselves
  • We found and ice sculpture at Mont Tremblanc who did the ice work for self promotion
  • We had our entire Sales and Marketing team on site at 6 am on the morning of the show putting all the pieces together
  • We were scrambling 5 minutes before the doors opened to get all the final touches in place. (I still remember our friend, Chef John Li, showing up just as we needed him and rolling up his sleeves to help out).

To this day, attendees thought we had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to host the event. The truth is we spent a fraction of what people thought. We got it done with creativity and sweat equity.

The funny story behind the pyramid was in the assembly of the base. To save money we had to build the base ourselves. This base had to be strong and stable enough to support 3,000 lbs. of ice. Lucien, in addition to being a world renown chef, is an expert furniture maker. He had built the base in his garage. He and I had assembled it in his driveway. It was made with the highest grade of wood. We knew it was perfect. Then we took it apart and shipped it from Memphis to Montreal. At 6 am on the morning of the event, we got everyone together and had two teams reassemble it from each end. When we got to the middle we were 6 inches off. Panic set in! Instantly, Lucien came out with the circular saw to trim the extra six inches. I started screaming NO!. We took it apart, and started from one end and it came together perfectly.

The Pyramid

The Base

The Team

If that pyramid had crashed, we would have made an unforgettable first impression and it would have been the end of my Marketing career.

First impressions are key. The next time you are hosting a dinner party, think about how you can impress your guests at the start. Quite often, it is that first impression that lasts forever.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

 

What Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong

“A disaster beyond your imagination will occur!”

This line from “Phantom of the Opera” is with me every time we host a Supper Club event. No matter what happens, with a little planning and some quick thinking no one will ever know you had a problem.

Working with Kraft we staged culinary events around the world. And, pretty much what could go wrong did go wrong. With that said 99% of the attendees at those jinxed events had no idea we had a problem.

The two biggest issues that occur are:

  • Something gets over cooked
  • You run out of a feature item

Having backups is the easy answer. Most cooks will have an extra or two in the hopper. A microwave’s defrost features work wonders. Quick substitutions are virtually never noticed.

Then there are those disasters that you can’t plan for:

We once hosted a culinary event in San Diego that was disrupted by the outbreak of the war in Iraq. The show went on and we got to watch lots of action as the event was held on a beach in site of the Naval Air Station.

There was the trade show in Säo Paulo where our kitchen equipment short-circuited. Every time a chef touched a pan he got shocked. We had an electrician do the cooking until the problem got fixed.

The classic was a trade show in Chicago where we were featuring an Oreo Lava Cake. To this day I don’t really know what happened, but after day one of a 3 day show we ran out. We bought the chef that short ordered the lava cakes a new calculator and served lots of Oreo cheesecake.

When in doubt, over order. To this day my wife Susan complains about me overcooking. Guilty! In my opinion leftovers are never a disaster!

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.