ROCKETS ON THE RIVER

Photograph of Mt. Vernon
Stained Glass by Linda O'Leary

I recently had the opportunity to cook and speak at Mount Vernon, just south of Washington D.C. Mount Vernon was the home of George Washington and was also the site where the Kennedys hosted a state dinner there in honor of Pakistani President Ayub Khan where the guests arrived on the Potomac River by boat. My event was a special dinner hosted by AAA for their top California and Western State agents and their spouses. For this occasion I was able to work with an old friend of mine - Heiko Meisel. We have worked together, on and off, for the last 20 years. Heiko Meisel currently works with Design Cuisine. We were fortunate that our event actually got off the ground considering there were torrential rainstorms thundering through Washinton D.C. that afternoon. Two inches of rain accumulated within about an hour and a half, taking its toll by flooding our tent and the rest of the Mt. Vernon grounds. The staff managed to somehow get everything in order for us to work. The sky cooperated and miraculously cleared up at the last minute; the function went off beautifully. Our dinner ended in fireworks - literally. Just as I finished my speech a fireworks display begun over the Potomac. Guests were treated to a spectacular show of rockets on the river.