Whom
would you hire to cater a
revolution? Presumably, you’d
want someone with experience putting
on A-list political events. If it’s
the French Revolution you’re
talking about, their food had better
be top-notch. As we all know, July
14, 1789, is the day the French stormed
the Bastille. For our celebration
of the important French national holiday,
we have invited the company that Washingtonian
magazine readers consistently vote
as the “Best Caterer Overall”
in the D.C. area, Occasions Caterers.
Since 1994, the chef
behind the food at the best parties
in the capital has been Sina Molavi,
who joined Occasions Caterers as executive
chef after a career in fine restaurants
and hotels. Molavi grew up in England,
where he worked in his mother-in-law’s
Italian restaurant. He came to college
in the United States, and soon discovered
he liked cooking better than studying.
He helped Bill McNamee open Café
deBec Fin in Old Greenwich, Connecticut,
and then moved to Washington to help
Yannick Cam open Le Pavillion. Molavi
joined the team at Aux Beaux Champs
in the Four Seasons Hotel, and then
worked with Kenneth Juran at Melrose
in the Park Hyatt. Catering jobs at
Design Cuisine and Susan Gage Caterers
readied him for the challenge of managing
the 30 chefs working for Occasions
in their new 9,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art
kitchen.
Among those in Molavi’s
kitchen is pastry chef Martin Frowd.
A native of South Africa, Frowd learned
his way around a pastry kitchen in
the United Kingdom. His success at
his first full-fledged pastry-chef
post at Hulingham Club demonstrated
that he had a gift for glorious sweets,
and he set about using it at Peers
Restaurant and then at the Mount Nelson
Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.
Frowd was lured back to England by
a Michelin two-star hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon,
and then he moved to the Craiglands
Hotel in Yorkshire. He arrived in
the United States and the top pastry
spot at Occasions Caterers in May
2000.
Hosting a surprise party
for Larry King with Ted Turner, Bernard
Shaw, Jane Fonda, and other VIPS on
the guest list? Do as InStyle magazine
recommends for just such an occasion,
hire Sina Molavi. Having a Bastille
Day celebration? We suggest you do
the same. |
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Reception
Avocado and Grapefruit
Sip with Chesapeake Bay Jumbo Lump
Carbmeet and Blue Potato Chip Chive
Crêpes with Foie Gras, Rabbit
Loin, and Apples
Brioche French Toast Bites with Royal
Trumpet Mushrooms, Serrano Ham, and
Laura’s Farm Chévre Mousse
Basserat De Bellefon Blanc De
Blancs NV
Dinner
Seared Mediterranean
Rouget with Eastern Shore Silver Corn,
Fresh Palm Hearts, Red Currant Tomatoes,
Mussel Jus, Saffron Essence, and Chervil
Hedges Fumé Chardonnay
2002
Mille-Feuille of
Purple Cherokee Heirloom Tomatoes
and Artichoke Bottoms with Lemon Verbena
Oil, Baby Beet Greens, Italian Parsley
and Endive Salad, and Zucchini Blossom
Chips
Château De Chamirey Mercurey
Blanc 2001
Lobster, Shaved
Black Truffle, and Fried Salsify Charlotte
with Celeriac and Tarragon Emulsion,
and Osetra Caviar
Château De Rully Blanc 2001
Rainier Cherry and
Orange Blossom Water Granita
Roasted, Farm-Raised Duck Breast with
Braised Green Lentils, Barley, and
Toasted Walnuts, Foie Gras Gréme
Brulée, Pure Port Teduction,
and Poached White Peaches
Duboeuf Fleurie Prestige 2000
Assiette of Desserts
Honeycomb and Apricot Parfait with
Spiced Rum Toffee Sauce and Candied
Donut Peaches; Chilled Grand Marnier
and Bitter Chocolate Soufflé
in Thin Nougatine Saucepan; Dulce
de Leche Créne Brûlé
Studded with Virginia Berry Farm Blueberries
in Crisp Sugared Phyllo; Poached Tamarillos
with Maple Syrup, Persian Cinnamon,
and Tellicherry-Preserved Raspberries;
and Compote of Hurst Farm Wild Currants
with Elderberry Jelly
Besserat De Bellefon Rosé
NV |
