Chef Philip Weingarten
Signature Cuisine: “With a large percentage of repeat clients, we are very adept at creating menus from a large variety of cuisines. We generally never repeat a menu for a client –unless requested to-even if we are working with them for 30 consecutive days. Menus change daily based on the best seasonal products available and I am very flexible in accommodating special requests and dietary restrictions.”
Favorite Experiences:
• Cirque du Soleil openings in Los Angeles and San Francisco
• A holiday party at the home of Roseanne and Tom Arnold (when they were still together)
• Catering for Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, David Bowie, the Spielbergs, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Madonna, Jack and Jennifer Nicholson, will Smith , and Halle Berry
Funny Stories:
“Some years ago, while catering a holiday party for Roseanne Barr in her new Brentwood home, we set up a very elaborate holiday buffet. Ten minutes before the guests were to arrive, we put out a beautiful glass punch bowl in the center of the buffet for hot apple cider. We didn’t warm the bowl before filling it with the hot liquid and it exploded all over the buffet. The walls and floors-including a new, very expensive carpet-were covered with cider and glass. What a mess! Another time we were serving an elegant summer sit-down dinner at home of a record company executive. One of the guests (a very spicy female) sent the first course of gazpacho back to the kitchen because her soup was cold. I also catered and produced the wedding for Sharon Stone and Phil Bronstein. She recently joked that I should do her divorce celebration, as well.
Holiday Party Tips:
“Any good party should delight all five senses, and this is especially true for the holidays. Wonderful smells, beautiful things to see and touch, a plethora of tastes, textures and flavors-familiar and comfortable, new and exotic. Scented candles can evoke the feeling of the holidays. Also, having a pot on the stove simmering with mulling spices can fill a home with that wonderful Christmas scent. Having an abundance of food and treats throughout the party for guests to help themselves to is always a good idea. A punch bowl with eggnog, warm mulled wine, or spiced cider not only looks beautiful, but can help control the crush at the bar. Finally, bottles of champagne on crushed ice in a large silver bowl will always add elegance.”
How Far in Advance He’s Booked:
“Lately, people have been booking events more and more at the last minute. Even weddings, which would usually be booked up to a year in advance, have been coming in less than three months before the actual date. I think people’s busier lifestyles and schedules, as well the serious overall feeling of not knowing what the future holds since September 11, has had a big affect on the way people have been planning special events. The most popular days for things like weddings or private parties are still Friday or Saturday. If the event is business related, people generally go with a school night, usually a Wednesday or Thursday. Hollywood premieres generally happen on Monday nights.”
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