2005-09-27 - 10:26 a.m.

Well, most of you know about my 2 weeks leading up to Cattle Raids...

My having the flu for ten days, the car breaking down, Curtis gone to Costa Rica, my son crashing his bike and getting a minor concussion, Curtis coming back from Costa Rica with a ten-day flu of his own...

But I have to say, the Cattle Raids kitchen was fantastic. About four months ago I asked Therasia (Tracie), who is my good friend and the wife of Curtis' squire brother, if she wanted to do the feast and have me sponsor/teach her. I had done the feast last year, and Ymir's feast the year before, and had agreed to do Cattle Raids again this year. The problem was, I really felt that it's time to have the next generation of cooks get the opportunity to shine. T. has worked in every kitchen of mine since 2001, and I was hoping she would want to try being head cook. Turns out, she's a really, REALLY talented woman.

So, we planned the menu together, and decided to repeat alot of last year's foods, since a) everyone loved the menu last year and b) the individual dishes were relatively simple to cook for her first time out and c) early rural Celts didn't eat a whole lot of complex sauces and exotic dishes and d) I already had the quantities and more complicated recipes redacted. She had also spent time talking to other cooks in the months leading up to the event to firm up what she wanted to do.

Beatrice Villani from Buckston agreed to do all of the breads (flat-bread, rye, and whole wheat) and I have to say that girl is one talented baker (my kids were fighting over the one leftover loaf of rye I managed to bring home post-event). She had done the breads for last year, and Therasia was grateful to have her.

So we shopped Thursday and Friday, toted the Baronial kitchen gear, got the grill in place (okay, Oisin from Attillium is by far the BEST grill cook I know, with the exception of Robear, who trained him) and went at it. it was fun to see how T. grooved on buying in bulk. Meat by the case, 30 pounds of butter and such are very impressive at the checkout! She watched and learned everything, soaked it up like a sponge, and I could see her brain clicking away all weekend long. She and I have very different organizational styles, but we complemented each other very well.

The best moment of the event was at the feast, when the cooks were called before Their Excellencies Windmasters' Hill, and Master Eldred and Mistress Clare, who were also sitting at High Table. Mistress Clare declared it the best feast she has ever eaten in the SCA, which is huge since she is such an amazing cook herself. Then Master Eldred presented Therasia with a link from his Laurel Collar of Maintenance, something he has never, in all of his years in the SCA, done before.

Okay, I had to cry a tear. It's like watching someone close to you graduate with honors.

By Sunday, we closed the books on the event, and even with all of the extra ice we had to buy (the kitchen is hideously primitive on the site) she came in within $20 of budget. She fed 300 people lunch at $1.00 per head, and 128 people a 14-dish feast with three types of meat and lots of yummies for $7.00 per head.

No dramas, no injuries, no tears, fun kitchen, good friends, great food...

This is why I'm in the SCA.

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