Friday, August 6, 2010

FOOD HEROES

I popped into the office, which is sharing space with the kitchen staff...

Jim Jewell and Paul Shipp were chopping away.

Where to begin...

How do you make those sandwiches?

Well, we put the wheat next to the white...Ok, this really can be an interview

They wear rubbers on their hands. They hold sharp knives and dig into a packed refrigerators. They figure out how to feed the hordes. They work hard. or do they?

How long have you been doing this part of the festival?

Jim- this is my fourth time. The first time I did it I won the Mazen. I was the kitchen Mazen.

Paul- this is my fourth time I think - third or fourth. We like to work together.

Do you always work together?

Jim: I’m all married with kids so I never get to see my friends, so I Make them work with me. I pick whatever weekend Alex is not doing and I call up Paul and…

What’s changed over the years?

When I think back, I use to bring the food in for Tina La Plant and Heidi Darchuk. It use to be more potluck and now it’s more Kraft services. We didn’t have a set menu. There are more donations. Though a bit more tough this time -because of location. There is no QFC or grocery store to hit up fast here. Last time at Act we actually had access to an oven so we could make fresh breadsticks, that was great.

What’s working for you here at TOJ?

It’s a nice kitchen set up, bigger than we had at On the Boards. The only downside is the museums that use to be housed here has an air control system that is so sensitive that it makes it hard to have anything that could cause any smoke so nothing can be kept in the gathering room to make grilled sandwiches etc.

Do you even have a break in the day?

It slows down right after lunch. The fact that we couldn’t grill made it a much easier and a slower lunch for us-less cleanup.

What’s your favorite part of doing kitchen?

When you feed people, actors in particular, they are sooo happy. You can’t really screw up. I like to keep my expectations low. It’s a good way to be a volunteer and be a hero all around.


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