http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/00010ebp.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/00010ebp Photos all taken by the lovely Kady G. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008p83c.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001741p.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/00018cpe.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/000149sd.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/00019zg9.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001741p.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml Adrianne puts a chiffonade of argula on top of our canapes. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008p83c.xml 7c36ca1d8d23274fe7dc5bf2abb9d451 image/jpeg 500 375 71771 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008p83c Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Toasted bagette, bit of cream cheese with stuff, bit of cured salmon, apple fan and chives. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008qz48.xml 630bea95eabb3f0b5d31a2cfbc1f4960 image/jpeg 500 445 65979 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008qz48 Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Work in progress. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008rd5f.xml 51a0648c04abb6e7f3897020d265a9b1 image/jpeg 375 500 63633 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008rd5f Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Toasted bagette, roasted red pepper aioli, seared chicken diced fine, sun dried tomatos, chiffonade of arugala. (I helped put a few of these together, the concept was someone else's.) 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008ss5a.xml 6e2b989c7fbcfd7a3bf5eb9f2d909870 image/jpeg 500 349 65516 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008ss5a Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Chef Richard getting our order ready. I told him I'd put him on my blog and make him famous, he asked me to make him look busy. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008t9gs.xml 35dba233cdda31809ce5fa06877f99e7 image/jpeg 500 406 54162 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008t9gs Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e This one I did work on. Toasted bagette (by me), cream cheese mixed with chopped dill (me again), cured salmon sliced real thin (Drew), wrapped around two chive stems (Drew again), a quarter cherry tomato (both of us) and a sprinkle of diced green onion (both of us). 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008w8q7.xml 532a2b7381c9bb83219645fa93174db5 image/jpeg 500 375 54916 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008w8q7 Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Drew assembles a tray of tasty snacks. Each group of 6ish has to turn out 100 canapes a day in addition to either a fruit platter, cheese board or sushi tray. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008xr9h.xml 5ce5226c1f44b0fb15d7f8f59b9030c0 image/jpeg 375 500 63928 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008xr9h Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Close up of our magnificant fruit platter. Check out the melon lotus. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008ydw2.xml d7b9e85d73ed7c8ff0ce0b6311a7b2e9 image/jpeg 500 375 73091 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008ydw2 Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e The full thing. That will be $300, please. (Seriously, once you know what goes into these things, you'll never be able to look at a banquete menu the same way.) 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008z49y.xml d399623b1f54fe241bb69f7e6cdfa674 image/jpeg 500 408 79075 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/0008z49y Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e This is what you get when the sushi group decides they're intimidated by the bamboo mats. It was their first day, so we're hoping they're over themselves. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/00090wwa.xml 9130856eaa370d736761bb12f7d0c896 image/jpeg 500 334 54476 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/00090wwa Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e How to class up spinach dip: Pipe it with the star tip, top with crispy prosciutto ham and diced red pepper. This tasted really good. 29May07 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000910zh.xml 4f24317162aace074c1fc3046e4de0ed image/jpeg 500 375 67978 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000910zh Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e You have to log 28 hours of training on the squeeze bottle before you can go solo. 29May07 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/00092ae0.xml 2cc709936e0e0b3ac795da72e2d00139 image/jpeg 500 375 74199 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/00092ae0 Garde Manger http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/0001193e Demeter on a federal office building at UN Plaza. 3June2007 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/00093hz7.xml 75503f7de36ec9c1cae2791d5e087a8f image/jpeg 457 500 67526 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/00093hz7 City Pics http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/000137ad.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/gallery/000137ad We started here. This is considered to be the first Japanese style tea house in the US. It's been open about 15 years. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000db878.xml bee94830deaecaf2731cecdf570ba020 image/jpeg 500 375 81225 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000db878 Micheal the Tea Guy brewing us all a nice cuppa Jasmine Pearls. Nice stuff. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dcqpd.xml 66aa54bc96ad0000ee7abb236ce85125 image/jpeg 290 500 62307 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dcqpd Pouring out the tea. The tray was quite cool - it was double layered with holes in the top so any spillage would be contained. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dd67w.xml f4445e8ed37f318154b9cec3125b7eff image/jpeg 500 375 47881 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dd67w This is Emperor Somebody or Another who is supposed to have been the first person to put tea leaves into boiling water in the first century. He's now their god of agriculture. I just liked the expresion on his face. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000debh5.xml 8ca8ddc6617c20dbe338bf2a84e7c8e2 image/jpeg 400 500 55442 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000debh5 Some of the teas and their acutrements. The melon-shaped things on the right are pressed cakes of tea leaves. It's a good way to transport large amounts of the stuff. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dfd4h.xml 20e9b05e3c8656e1a8688affb3947956 image/jpeg 500 375 71271 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dfd4h Tea - like wines - can improve with age. And the cost goes up accordingly. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dgkap.xml eacde676fac2a64e7fc9508e874e99da image/jpeg 500 375 51362 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dgkap As you can see, it was a rare warm and sunny day in San Francisco. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dhy1k.xml f1cf7718bb50ef310436346b2821407b image/jpeg 375 500 71267 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dhy1k We went to an Asian grocery store and checked out all the stuff. Among other things they had a whole lot of dried fish - including dried sea horse. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dk0df.xml 923a628834fce544bfaf4502edae3518 image/jpeg 500 375 77814 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dk0df Kevin and a really big mushroom cap. I dried to get him to wear it like a hat, but that was a no go. There were several M.O.U.Ses in the bin and all were about this large. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dpep5.xml c85ed15e691dede005bfc4ad88ecffb4 image/jpeg 375 500 80879 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dpep5 One weird thing about wandering around foreign grocery stores is that while you're marveling at all the crazy stuff, you sometimes trip over a display of toilet paper - or in this case, lightbulbs. Just a reminder that while it was a tourist attraction for us, it's also a neighborhood grocery store. http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dq7gr.xml ce0ca0e6c4423ef70a030da183c69c46 image/jpeg 375 500 87679 http://pics.livejournal.com/baxil/pic/000dq7gr