Black Box at the market

[shroomgirl]

For the last 2 years I've lined up chefs to give cooking demonstrations at the market. It will be an experience this year....revamped....each week a chef will shop and give a tour of the market selecting items to cook. We'll wash and then give a demo with the items at the market!!! Upside is that the demos will all then be local market food....downside is that we're in the middle of the street on Sat. without the resources of a kitchen.
What do you think <feasibly> I should haul around for supplies? I can call and talk about weekly available products to the chef prior so they can bring in some condiments/herbs/spices......but this should be easy/fun and not a hassle for either of us....Suggestions?

[katbalou]

dear shroomgirl,
are the chefs cooking or are the veggies to be shown raw? i think maybe a small propane grill could work for grilling. i guess you'd probably need cutting boards and knives too, i've found that milk crates are an effecient catch all for tools and they can easily fit in the back of a car. what do you have for water supply? do you need to bring that in too?
kat

[momoreg]

I'm guessing you have a cart with wheels. I guess the greatest concern is heavy items such as pots and pans, utensils, and heating devices. Are you the one in charge of hauling all the stuff, or do you get help? How much is too much?

[cape chef]

Hi Shroom,

A couple cassette fues, 8 and 10 inch saute pans, chef, boning and pairing knives, vegetable peeler, two cutting boards, a few display platters, cold water (to drink)

Is it just produce? or meats, cheeses ETC

[shroomgirl]

I carry 2 burners and fuel, last year the chefs brought in their own supplies....pots or pans, etc.....I provided the sampling cups, plates, forks and spoons. One of the problems was that a few chefs used non-Mo products...<scallops????>you know I don't get that connection. We do have access to a couple of restaurants on the street....it's called Julie has a key to shtuff all over town. Using this new format I still would prefer the chefs bring in their own knives, cutting board, condiments etc.....just trying to figure out how to realistically do it when they may not know what they are making before hand.

[Athenaeus]

It seems that you run quite an exciting life Shroom

[Live_to_cook]

If the chefs are really happy to do it, and not just participating because you twisted their arms, I'd imagine they'd be more pleased in the long run bringing their own knives, condiments, etc.

I'm not a pro, but when I'm going to cook out of my kitchen, it's what I do, to make sure I have the knives I'm comfortable with and precisely the right oil, soy, fish sauce, etc. that I think I'll use. I do it because when I don't, I'm always pining for that perfect knife or little bottle of something special back on my shelf.

It doesn't cost the chefs much, I'd guess, it's generally easy for them to carry, and it narrows the variables in their cooking equation down to the one you want to focus on: the veg from the market.

[shroomgirl]

No twisting of arms involved....I try to spread the wealth out amoungst the chefs and for those that really pitch in I give them first option to cook for visiting chefs when they come to the market.