BENEFITS, BIKERS, & BEER

Photograph by Ricardo Washington

48 non-stop hours of benefits, bikers, and beer. It almost sounds like the name of a B movie, but it's just a little summary of a recent trip. It was definitely one of the most intense schedules of my business adventures. It began with the Pittsburg Wine Festival and dinner benefit for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the Magee Women's Research Institute and Foundation. The efforts of everyone involved in this were substantial; roughly 4 million dollars was raised for this event. Besides the live auction, wine tasting, and seminars, the festival included a series of private home dinners prepared by five different chefs in various landmark homes in the Pittsburgh area.

I cooked in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Jane Rice. They are the third generation family owners of Utz Quality Foods - a company that produces more than one million pounds of potato chips in one week. The Rice home is palatial at 35,000 square feet; it is complete with a stunning sculpture garden and a ballroom that seats 200 people.

One of the other chefs for this event was my friend, and co-author of White House Chef, Andrew Friedman. This was a unique opportunity for Andrew because it was his first time cooking for a paying audience. Andrew confessed he had the jitters but his nerves were later eased by the fact that his dinner was a success. After completing our dinner services, the chefs and their crews took a chance to unwind at a local brewery in Hershey called Parkside; it was the perfect mix of free flowing conversation and beer.

The next morning I was off to Pittsburgh for a dinner to benefit the University of Pittsburg Medical Center at the Elias Home. La Creme Catering company assisted me with the food and they executed the dinner menu perfectly. I knew the next day would arrive in a hurry so I called the night early and took an overnight limo to D.C.

Although some may idealize how nice it is to ride in a limo, trying to get some sound sleep in one is a completely different story. I got home around 3am - showered and shaved and was out the door a just few hours later so I could be at the Marriott Wardman Tower by 6:00am. My talk and demo started at 7am. As soon as the demo finished, I was back on the road again - this time to Oxford, Ohio to pick up my son from school.

My drive led me through Newark, Ohio where I found a great country biker bar called Jacktown Tavern. I felt a little out of place, considering I wasn't wearing a John Deere cap, sporting any tatoos, or riding a Harley, but I still managed to take a break and play some pool. Losing the game wasn't such a bad thing either, particularly when you take in the local line-up.