Arnold Palmer Story

Making your guests at a dinner party feel comfortable is an important goal. While I don’t know if Arnold Palmer, the great golfer, was a Supper Clubber, I do know that we all can take a lesson from his playbook in how to make guests feel welcome and special. Arnold Palmer passed away three years ago and it is truly amazing how many people have Arnold Palmer stories where he had a positive impact making his fans feel special.

In 2002 I went with a group of buddies on a golf trip to Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida. We had played 9 holes on the golf course and there on the range (near the hot dog stand) was Mr. Palmer, practicing for one of his last Masters tournament. My friends headed right over to meet him, even as I protested that we should not disturb him while practicing.

Arnie was as gracious as can be and quickly asked what the guys thought of the course. One guy responded that the course was great, but the greens were a little rough. Arnold explained that they were just transitioning from the winter over-seed to the summer Bermuda grass. To which my friend responded: “At Germantown Country Club in Germantown Tennessee we have Champion Bermuda grass on our greens and we have a great year round putting surface”. I was mortified, my friend was telling the great Arnold Palmer, that had forgotten more about grass than my friend would ever know, what kind of grass to put on his greens.

The amazing part of the story was Mr. Palmer’s response. Instead of telling my friend to pound sand, he said: “Really? I will have to look into that.” To this day, my friend thinks Arnold Palmer learned something from him. He made the guy feel special.

So often in social situations, we focus on ourselves. I have a tendency to half listen to people, thinking about what I am going to say versus listening and thinking of others. Arnold Palmer has a legacy of making people feel special, something that every supper club host/hostess can aspire to.

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.

It Is Better To Look Good

There is not much more rewarding than getting rave reviews to a meal that you serve to friends. One key is the fact that people “ If a meal looks good, chances are people will say it tastes good. A second key is layering in flavor. Really great dishes are quite often multi dimensional where the chef as added flavors in multiple forms. The third key is the power of suggestion. If an expert tells you that this is going to taste great, chances are you will think it tastes great.

Think of the importance how a plate is presented at a good restaurant. The good chef will go to great pains to make sure that the first impression that people SEE is good. There has been considerable research on the subject that all points to the importance of the fact that “people eat with their eyes”. The key point for the supper club is to go an extra step to make sure the food presentation is good. I am a huge fan of plating dishes versus serving things family style. In plating you get to add a few touches. Arrange the food well. Dress the plate with herbs. Pay attention to how you serve a sauce. It doesn’t take all that much effort but presentation is important.

Great chefs will layer in flavor. They season a dish multiple times. One great chef told me that at culinary school she was taught that if you don’t get at least one complaint a night about too much salt you are not adding enough. The proteins are quite often marinated or brined. At Kraft Food Ingredients we had a line of flavors called the “The flavors of cooking”. (Grill, Roast, Sauté etc.). We had marketing tag line that said: “Nothing influences the flavor of food more than how it is cooked. Think about it. A good chef will go to great lengths to sear, grill, sauté, roast, braise etc. What they are doing is layering in flavor.

If you want people to like a dish, have an expert, or someone people think knows something, whisper in their ears “Oh you are really going to love the rack of lamb”. In my last blog I talked about flavor panels. When working at Kraft I worked with one of the world’s greatest cheese experts. Larry Woodford developed the cheese sauce that was used in Kraft’s Mac and Cheese for over 30 years. I used to tell my kids that I worked with the guy that invented Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. To which they would say wow he must be rich. To which I would say no he is just fat. Kraft made all the money. However, Larry had forgotten more about cheese than I would ever know. One thing about Larry, whenever we would have a blind taste test, he was notorious for going around beforehand and whispering to folks “you are going to love sample B”. Invariably sample B would win out. We all figured if Larry who invented cheese likes something, it must be good..

And when all else fails remember the old quote from the great American philosopher Billy Crystal on Saturday Night Live: “It is better to look good than to feel good. You look marvelous darling”.

Flavor Combinations That Work

Some flavors work together better than others. And, sometimes you hit the jackpot in bringing together flavors that are a big hit. I made a dish up in Ottawa for my daughter and son in-law that they raved about. Who would have thought that: Spiced Meat, Hummus, Sautéed Zucchini, Fried Eggs And Guacamole With Sweet Chili Sauce, …Would be declared the best dish I have ever made. While it was really good, I can think of several creations that I might pick for a last meal before being led to the electric chair.

The genesis of the dish came from a 6 am flight out of Memphis. I had brought along a few foodie magazines to browse during the flight. I have gotten into the habit of taking pictures of pictures in magazines with my cell phone to capture ideas. My goal was to come up with a dish that was relatively healthy/low carb, flavorful and easy to make. I saw two recipes, one for a Chili Crisp Sauce and another Spiced Lamb with Humus. The Chili sauce I made with red peppers from India that a neighbor had given my daughter. The sauce turned out to be so hot that it was inedible. The flavor was great for a second or two, but then the heat kicked in. The net result can be described in one word: PAIN! I substituted a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce that worked wonders. The other piece of inspiration came from a recipe for Spiced Lamb with Hummus. My daughter has a problem with eating lamb. It isn’t the flavor. It is either the thought of eating Little Bo-Peep’s friend or the fact that she is still scarred from our telling her that lamb was steak when she was a child. Either way, lamb isn’t an option for her and the ground turkey is a lot healthier.

I have been told that I have gotten pretty good at flavor combinations. For example, I know that you can put bacon with anything and people will like the dish. I haven’t always been good with flavor combinations. My first victim was my buddy Tom Julian who was my roommate after business school. TJ was famous for saying my cooking was “mishconbrul” which was Utica’s/Italian slang for wacky a combination. My father was famous for asking: “Can’t you cook anything without onion and garlic in it?”. They both were right. Somehow exposure to cuisines around the world and working with fantastic chefs has helped improve my ability to create a palatable dish. But when in doubt, add bacon and your victims will be happy.

The Hero dish is really a combination of 5 recipes and a bottle of sweet chili sauce.

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (Buy a bottle)

This dish works really well for a party of four. Served on a large platter where you can all serve yourselves family style. A benefit of this dish is that it isn’t formal and the Flavor Combinations Work Well Together.