Facing the challenge in New York – part 3

From July Roland Oláh, formerly the chef of Café Erté, tries his luck in the USA. He regularly reports to our magazine: “Starting at the Boulud – this is all I think about, but renovation works are still under way. I receive an e-mail from Gavin, the head chef of Boulud: he needs help next week at the Daniel (two Michelin stars and four from the New York Times)! I start at 9 am on Monday. We have to prepare for a 600-person event on the following day. Two young French chefs organise the work – there are more than 40 cooks and a few confectioners. The two guys I work with graduated at CIA (The Culinary Institute of America). Cold and warm meals for 600 guests in unbelievable quality, from lamb backbone to foie gras. I select arugula and cut tiny grapefruit triangles. The next day there is a meeting where everybody is told where to go and what to do. I am in the lamb section; I will serve the lamb to the guests at the party. The party is given at the Museum of Modern Art. Everybody is really tense, the guests start arriving at 7-7:30 pm. My job is to cut slices of the lamb and to put them in mini rolls, in which there is arugula and parmesan. Boulud comes over and asks for one; he says I should cut thicker slices and chip off both ends of the rolls. I can hardly believe that Boulud stands next to me, explaining things – a dream came true!”