Recently I enjoyed a delightful, mid-winter dinner at the
home of friends. Must say that it was an “unexpected” invitation. Although
these are dear friends, I’m not really in their age group or social circle and
I only knew one other guest. So how the dinner came about is as great a story,
as the evening activities. Here’s what happened.
One could call Dave, our host, a bit of an “over achiever” for all of the
things that he’s involved with and what he does to help others. The company he
works for provides technical computer support – and probably many things that
I’m not aware of - to corporations. I have gathered over the years that it is a
demanding schedule but not without some “perks” that few companies offer to
long-time, loyal employees.
When someone has worked at the company for 10 years, they receive
bonuses of 3-month sabbaticals. Here my actual knowledge of the details ends,
of course. But Dave recently arrived at his 10-year tenure and he created a
very unique concept as his chosen sabbatical. He decided to invite numerous
friends, family and their guests to dinner at his home.
Although Dave is not culinary expert or even amateur chef,
he planned menus of different gastronomical experiences for 6 guests at each
meal. He researched recipes. Practiced
making them. Even took a class on how to
use knives correctly. Did I mention, practice?
Last night’s meal was called Norwegian Szechuan Province and
included perfectly cooked salmon spiced with a crust of pistachios, boiled
potatoes with parsley, grilled romaine salad (rather like Norwegian kimchi) and
just the right wine – Domaine de Vaufuget Vouvray (2012). (“Note to self”
having the correct wine pairing really does make a difference.) Dave also found
the recipes for Norwegian desserts - delicious almond cake, and rosette
cookies! None of this was in his cooking or baking repertoire before preparing
for this evening’s meal! But the execution was perfect! The conversation was cordial and enthusiastic. A good time was had by all!
How we were each invited was another great story.
Being the technically savvy person, Dave wrote his own
computer program for invitations and reservations. He told us that he started
with a small list of friends, as a pilot for the program and to ascertain
general interest in the project. He sent out the original invites to that small
group – but what he forgot to disable was the next step. Before he knew it, the
program actually invited his much larger, unedited, personal email list.
The response was exuberant. Reservations quickly flooded in.
Of course, the guests for each dinner self-selected, based on their interest in
the menus and their schedules. The first two reservations for the first evening
were his boss and his mother! That could have been a challenging conversation. But the circles of guests widened and he
planned for 11 evenings. (He
said that number was where his time, culinary experience and creative menus
ended. Frankly I doubt that … but he is a goal driven person.) However, his
Mother told me that he added two more evenings and still has a waiting list!
In all Dave is preparing unique and different menus for 6 to
8 guests over 13 evenings in February including a special Mardi Gras event. And by popular demand, he has posted tips, menus,
recipes and the like on his blog, Cooking Sabbatical Blog. By the end of Dave’s sabbatical, 104 people will have experienced a gracious
evening of dining and conversation with people whom they may not have met, or
would ordinarily not spend a winter’s evening with.
What a gift – from Dave and his wife, Kris – and from a
company that honors employees so well.
“Note to self: In our busy, self-focused culture, personal
invitations and thoughtful hospitality reign supreme for nurturing friendships
and communities.”
