I catered my first event for a friend who recently launched her career as a lawyer with a graduation party. On the menu for her graduation party was The Jumoke ~ Snails sautéed in a fiery sauce of tomatoes, peppers and onions, and The Danielle ~ Beef Suya Sliders.
I have to say it was an interesting experience cleaning snails well into the wee hours of the morning; especially thirty-five snails. They are laborious but anyone who enjoys eating them will understand that it is well worth it. On the morning of the event, I got the usual bout of nerves. It’s always nerve wracking knowing that you have to cook for others, especially when you are very particular about food. Before I knew it, the morning whizzed right past and it was time to get my show on the road and drive to Manhattan. I can say with confidence that driving to Manhattan, through Manhattan and around Manhattan is more challenging than cleaning a ton of snails. I’ll take the snails any day! However, until I can employ a chauffeur, it looks like I will be doing both.
Thankfully, I along with the food arrived in Manhattan safely and after a long day, it was time to get busy and deliver on my promise. Everyone seemed very curious about what I was doing with the plates for the snails. I had a distraction for them … The Danielle. The suya sliders were doing a great job of keeping people occupied. Once the Jumoke was ready to serve, everyone dug right in and they all seemed very happy. I was also happy for many reasons, seeing someone move a step closer to their dream always warms me up with joy and seeing HBK take its first baby steps gave me a feeling I really can’t describe. Here are some pictures from the event. Enjoy!
Re-introducing the Danielle
What's not to love about these little bites of deliciousness?
Our brand new lawyer enjoying The Danielle
With everyone busy with the slider, I go to work on plating The Jumoke
The HoneyBee brings her kitchen to you
The garnish continues taking shape, all that's left now is the star, the snails
So many plates but almost ready
A friend who moonlighted as HBK's apprentice for the day
The snails appear and so does "The Jumoke"
A close up of the beautiful and feisty dish, The Jumoke
P.S. If you’re having a small intimate event and you would like to have gourmet African cuisine featured, send me an email or visit my website. Links are on the side bar of the blog.
