Daniel Capra, the executive chef and a partner at Paula LeDuc Fine Catering & Events, a culinary event design and production house in Emeryville, Calif., expects a lot from his wedding menu.
“There needs to be a visual wow, a pop of unexpectedness, amazing flavors, variety and abundance with what you’re serving,” said Mr. Capra, 53, who annually oversees 30 to 40 weddings.
His company produces about 300 events a year and has worked with clients like Cartier, Apple and Facebook, as well as catering Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. But Mr. Capra said wedding meals were often a bigger challenge.
When building a menu for a couple, he can prepare as few as five drafts, or as many as 35. “Part of the complexity,” he said, “is making sure you’re telling the couple’s love story through food authentically and correctly.” For example, a bride and a groom who once summered in Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, may want to highlight clambake memories in one course.
Clients may also want their culture reflected. “You’re fusing several components paired with emotional connection, recall, and shared experiences,” Mr. Capra said, “while making guests feel included, and still trying to have a voice in the meal as the chef.”
Mr. Capra recently discussed the business of catering weddings.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.
What is your food focus?
I like creating dishes that center on simple, humble ingredients, from a farm or garden, like peas, carrots and tomatoes, and then featuring the same ingredient in multiple ways. For example, a scallop dish with fennel, a purée of fennel under the scallop, a dusting of fennel pollen, a pickled fennel relish, fennel oil and a crispy fennel chip. Then I layer. I’m interested in flavor, color, texture and whimsy.
How do you orchestrate a meal?
The meal is a performance. Your first bite, usually passed during cocktails, is the opening act and an introduction to what the culinary experience and evening hold. Food stations are for assembling a magical bite of food and interaction with the chef. With each new dish, flavors, portions, complexity and texture build from there.
The amuse-bouche is usually whimsical, and starts the performance at the table and buys the kitchen time. First courses generally have a focal point, something from the garden, often built around a signal ingredient. The flavor profile starts to change. Different parts of the taste buds are being stimulated. Your palate is on alert. Beverage pairing is happening as well, which builds in flavor and excitement with the meal. The entree is decadence, think caviar or shaved truffles, and helps tell the couple’s love story.
Then there’s a food pause. Speeches are made, a first dance happens, maybe the cake is cut. There’s physical stimulation. Desserts, which come to tables or might be wheeled out on carts, add another level of stimulation because there’s sugar paired with a celebratory, sexy indulgence.
What challenges do couples bring to the table?
Sometimes it’s hard to steer them away from a certain dish because it won’t pair well with other dishes being served or the execution is temperamental.
Some couples will not take no for an answer or are convinced that, because their business partner had a flaming dessert at a rooftop bar in Manhattan, we should be able to offer it indoors at the Asian Art Museum. Outrageous postings on some social media platforms have made it hard to understand that a cheeseburger on a skewer over a martini glass is not a realistic option to pass through a crowd of 250. And then there’s competition. The bride’s best friend had a chocolate fountain at their wedding, so she wants a chocolate river.
How do you recreate a personal recipe from childhood that a couple might want to include?
This is something you want to perfect because it’s so important to couples and their families, but also because there are many ways to interpret food. Aside from testing the recipe they’ve given us in our kitchen, I’ve dropped off dishes at a couple’s home for them to make sure I’ve gotten it right. I’ve also gone to their homes to have them make it for me. I did a wedding for an Iranian couple, and was having trouble creating an eggplant, yogurt and dried mint dish. I went to the mother of the bride’s house, and she cooked it for me. It was such a joyful connection. To see the bride enjoy the dish at her wedding was everything.
Couples may also want to highlight a meal that is significant to their love story. How do you go about it?
I will research the restaurant or reach out to the chef who made the dish they had. Or I will experience it for myself. To make an authentic version of a dish and understand what the couple is looking for, it helps to see how something is presented and served, where the ingredients are sourced from; get a sense of style of dining; and feel inspired. I went to a barbecue joint in Texas to try a smoked brisket, and to Osito in San Francisco to see and smell their wood-burning stove.
Where have your taste buds, and menu development, been inspired?
I’m always looking to expand my menu and technique. At Sebastian, a restaurant in Deià, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, I experienced a butternut Bundt cake surrounded by whole and puréed mushrooms, with pomegranate seeds and yogurt sauce. It was stunning and absolutely delicious. L’Abattoir, in Vancouver, was gasp-worthy, specifically a duck dish with cherries; sweetbreads with apple and puffed farro; and a salad of shaved celery root, celery leaves, cumber and mint. From that dish, I’ve created a celery-focused salad and a halibut entree with celery three ways.
How do you work around food restrictions guests might have?
Our approach to menu development is to strip down first. That means something vegan with no dairy or gluten, like butternut squash, and seeing how many different iterations we can create from that, like a purée, a powder or juice, so that it stands on its own and can be served as is. Then it’s about adding additional elements like duck confit, bacon or other ingredients.
What cuisine is currently trending?
Japanese food is popular. It’s sophistication, artistry, simplicity and unusual ingredients on plates. Their cuisine’s art isn’t just in their food, but in their pottery, cookware and serving pieces. A lot of chefs are spending time there and putting Japanese technique-forward spins into their dishes.
The post This Chef Can Help You Share Your Love Story in 4 Courses appeared first on New York Times.
