SELEM 2023 Sign Up Thread (SELEM 16!)

[Shadow]

You guys got a logo?

[Shadow]

If not maybe something like this?

[Bradfo69]

If not maybe something like this?

The shirts are done but, save that thought for 2024!

[Shadow]

Alrighty. You guys have a good SELEM 16!

[hakzaw1]

800 info on ES sucks-- worthless help-- (We had one many Sat. nights or as many as 5 suites there) each has (or had) a nice kitchen--afaik they are pretty much all the same.. I have Pecans, Peanuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts ,and BIG bunch of both Black and English Walnuts.-- AND marsh mallows-chocolate chips and coconut...etc see me to get some cookies or walnuts to take home-- I have MYB 5 or more pounds of Walnuts. (food bankage)

[buffo]

I hope to do some baking if I can (Cookies!)

Don't sweat it, Len. The venue has a full size commercial kitchen with all the extras. Multiple "smart" ovens, multiple gas stoves, a blast-chiller, two warming ovens, an enormous deep-fryer... the works! So any baking you might want to do can easily be done at the venue in this massive kitchen. (Remember, the facility is a banquet hall that is normally used for things like weddings, school proms, family reunion parties, etc, so the kitchen is sized to be able to provide food for hundreds of guests at once.)

To give you some example of how easy it is to cook stuff: last year during load-out we were super busy because we were also trying to get set up for the concert that same evening (we did lasers to accompany a Pink Floyd tribute band), and we realized that we wouldn't have enough time to go out and grab lunch. Instead, Brad simply asked if anyone would be interested in some chicken wings... After everyone said "hell yeah!", he ran into the kitchen, and in no time at all he brought out something like 6 dozen wings. And he had another batch in the deep fryer that came out like 5 minutes later. Needless to say, we were impressed.

Regarding ingredients - don't try to bring them with you. Instead, just get with Brad and let him know what ingredients you will need. He can order pretty much anything through the restaurant supply company they use, and they get deep discounts compared to what everyone else would pay at a grocery store.

Chances are good he's already got most of the ingredients you'll need on hand in the pantry or one of the walk-in coolers. But let him know what you'll need so he can make sure we'll have it on hand for SELEM.

Adam

[hakzaw1]

looks like the free covid test kit are no longer free== I will have enough (25 tests) for anyone with symptoms and no recent testing..

[Bradfo69]

The venue has a full size commercial kitchen with all the extras. Multiple "smart" ovens, multiple gas stoves, a blast-chiller, two warming ovens, an enormous deep-fryer... the works! So any baking you might want to do can easily be done at the venue in this massive kitchen. (Remember, the facility is a banquet hall that is normally used for things like weddings, school proms, family reunion parties, etc, so the kitchen is sized to be able to provide food for hundreds of guests at once.)

"Slightly exaggerated" but, Adam doesn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen so, he's doing it from memory. Yes there are multiple smart ovens and a blast chiller. Only one stove. I started to post "and no warmer" but then remembered we do have the big Alto Shaam. The deep fryer is only two basket. But... the point is the same. It ain't Newton! And... you don't even need to set a temperature on the oven for cookies... just push the "cookie" button. It will tell you when they're done. It's funny... our smallest hall, the Lazeretto Ballroom up near the Philly airport has the bigger fryer, larger gas stove and the multiple warming ovens. But only one smart oven. What MY kitchen has the most of, is actually refrigeration. 6 large reach ins, 2 walk ins and a walk in freezer.

I have flour in bulk and sugar in bulk. I don't have things like vanilla extract or baking power/soda or other "baking" things since, we're not actually bakers. Closest we come is cookies and they come frozen, already portioned in 1.25 oz. gobs you just drop on a pan and go. We actually do very little "cooking" either. The joke is, we select and heat up frozen food better than anybody. Lol It's high volume food service.

[buffo]

HAHA! Yeah, I was going from memory. I couldn't remember if the gas stove was one unit or two, but I remember it had like 8 large burners, making me think that it was 2 stoves side-by-side with 4 burners each. But one massive 8-burner unit would also fit the description!

As for the deep fryer, it may only have 2 baskets, but it's still bigger than any deep fryer I've seen apart from the ones at McDonalds... (It's definitely bigger than the one we had at the restaurant / diner I worked at when I was in High School!) You were able to crank out a mountain of chicken wings last year, in what seemed like no time at all (once the oil was hot anyway).

And yeah, the warmer I was thinking of was the big unit off to the right that could hold hundreds of pre-plated entrees and warm them all up at once. I figure you can keep all sorts of things warm in that beast...

But the computer-controlled ovens are really something else. I remember you explaining all the different features (including a water supply so they can "steam" things!) and being amazed by the tech. (Although I didn't remember that they had a "cookie" button...)

Bottom Line: The kitchen is *worlds* apart from anything we've ever had access to in the past, and that is very, very cool.

Adam

[Bradfo69]

Some of those pre-programmed things are a little off. I remember once buying a frozen pizza from the grocery store and hitting the "pizza" button. It came out a briquette. I figured out later (and it's amazing to watch) that the correct time to cook and be ready to eat a frozen, store bought pizza is about a minute and forty five seconds.... Who knew??