by Chandra Clewley

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills has three events this week that are all challenging in various ways. The first event is for a group of young entrepreneurs. And by young, they mean, 17 year olds. The young Hollywood Schmooze Fest is assigned to Chef’s Manouschka and Sasha who are surprised that the host can’t vote, can’t drink and can barely drive.  The next party is a Food Dinner and Wine event where the client Larry is adamant that the food be perfectly paired to the very expensive wine that will be served with dinner. Larry even sent Chef’s Stuart and Brian the wine list to make sure the food compliments it. Brian and Stuart know how important their menu will be.  The last party is a Dinner for Six that Jesse is cooking for. 

The Young Hollywood Schmooze Fest requirements are that the food be fun, flashy and interactive, so Manouschka and Sasha come up with a crepe bar and a zeppoles bar.  The crepe bar includes Adobo Chipotle Chicken, Smoked Salmon with Dill Herbs and Sour Cream, Spinach, Tomato and Basil and a Turkey with Blue Cheese option. The boys come in and want to try the fillings for the crepes and you can tell they are going to be picky. When the party starts, there are a hundred more people than expected, and with the boys breathing down the chefs necks about the lines, Sasha is about to break. She finally loses it and cries a little, but regains her composure to hit it out of the park with the Italian Donuts.

The Foodie event is so anticipated that wine connoisseur Dan is introduced by Client Larry to the chefs and they discuss what wines they will be opening. The chefs have created a tasting menu of: Foie Gras with Three Preserves, Fresh Raw Pacific Oysters, Blood Orange Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette, Roasted Sweet Potato and Onion Soup, Pan Fried Black Cod and Filet Medallions, and Pan Seared Halibut and Grilled Hangar Steak. For dessert, the chefs will be serving a Duo of Chocolate with Pots de Crème and Fresh Strawberries with Hot Chocolate Ganache. The clients want to taste everything to give everything a try and make sure of the wine. During the service, the chefs realize that they have forgotten the oysters! The client Larry is really upset, and the chefs are concerned with how the food is going over. The fish dish goes over with mixed reviews and they know they need to kill it with the beef. The problem is that the broiler isn’t working and Chef Brian is flipping out. Finally, they serve the beef it goes over great! Everyone is impressed with the food and the wine pairing.

The final event is a Dinner for Six. Jesse shows up and the menu is: Appetizers of Deconstructed Seafood Gumbo and Spicy Calamari Salad. A main dish of Creamy Red Snapper Jalapeno Pot Pies and Mascarpone Corn Chowder. For dessert, Jesse is serving “Lemon Lime” Country Apple Dumplings. The Client Tom’s wife, Marishka, can’t cook and says her husband berates her and there is a disaster whenever she cooks, so she asks Jesse is he will teach her while she cooks. Jesse complies, but when Client Tom comes in, he is skeptical of his wife’s cooking.  After criticizing her, Jesse starts to criticize him so he knows how it feels. The meal turns out great, and everyone is impressed with Marishka’s cooking! 

Catch an all new episode of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills on the Food Network, every Friday.

(Image courtesy of Food Network)

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