Behind Casino Night curtain, Culinary Society takes a bite out of catering

The stakes were high, the chips were stacked, and the appetizers were the wildcard.

On Thursday, the undergraduate student governments hosted Casino Night, an event filled with music, performances, gambling, and, of course, food. But while guests were able to relax and enjoy the games, the Columbia University Culinary Society was busy churning out appetizers in the Lerner student kitchen. Oftentimes, students fail to realize all the work that goes into catering such a large campus event.

The week before an event, the society brainstorms ideas for the menu, depending on the allotted budget. Usually, the Culinary Society has most of the creative control, though sometimes it is given a particular theme. Everything from the prices of different ingredients to the presentation and the balance of sweet and savory is discussed. Particularly important for a student-run catering project is making sure that the limited kitchen space is put to effective use—the menu must balance the number of dishes cooked on the stove, in the oven, or served raw, as well as the flavors.

Then, the day before the event, the society purchases ingredients. Though procuring such large quantities of groceries might intimidate many a student, the Culinary Society has “gotten grocery shopping down to a science,” co-president Felix Vo, CC ’11, said. So much food was purchased for Casino Night that Culinary members had “two Westside guys following [them] all the way back to campus [with groceries],” member Claire Bullen, CC ’11, said. “It’s the first time that’s ever happened.” Members of the Culinary Society used their own fridges to store the ingredients overnight.

On the day of Casino Night, the Culinary Society cooked for hours. Arriving at noon and working all the way through the event, members shuffled in and out of the kitchen between classes. Music played in the background and the mood felt hectic, but light. The biggest challenge in catering, according to co-president Tiffany Mitchell, CC ’10, “is just keeping food out.” Fortunately, since the planners of Casino Night wanted food to be served throughout the event, “all the food didn’t actually have to be served at 9 p.m.,” Bullen said.

The Culinary Society cooked over 1,500 appetizers and desserts, with a French motif to go with the evening’s Moulin Rouge theme. The menu included lamb meatballs stuffed with goat cheese and served with tomato compote, prosciutto salami and melon wraps, mushroom-onion-Gruyere mini-quiches, cream puffs with chocolate ganache, and chai chocolate truffles.

While some people might doubt the expertise of these student chefs, the on-campus demand for their catering seems to suggest otherwise. “We take pride in the stuff we put out,” Mitchell said. “We get a kick out of doing things that are difficult and fun.”