Restaurants and Hotels Brace for Hurricane Irene Hit

As the East Coast of the United States braces for the impact of mega Hurricane Irene, restaurants and hotels from North Carolina to New York City are getting ready for a major hit – financial as well as physical. 

The approaching storm is now being compared to the legendary New England “Long Island Express” Hurricane of 1938 which caused over 400 million dollars-worth of damage and resulting in the death of over 600 people. President Obama has even addressed the nation via T.V. and advised everyone in the Hurricane’s path to take this storm VERY seriously.

The cancellation of the long awaited dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington D.C. is further confirmation that this storm is big, very big and very, very dangerous.

The many restaurants and hotels in New Orleans, who endured the very slow response to the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina under the George Bush, Jr. Administration, are watching and wishing the best for their colleagues on the heavily populated eastern seacoast.

Because two-thirds of all hurricanes make landfall within the more southern region of the Gulf Coast, residents there are more historically acquainted with the possibility of stronger breezes and heavier gales. They have even adapted their Victorian wind-blocking “hurricane lamp” into the perfect glass that holds their favorite post-storm beverage: the famed Hurricane Cocktail.

During World War II, the owners of Pat O’Brian’s Bar had to purchase large quantities of the more available rum under wartime regulations in order to be able to obtain any amount of whiskey, bourbon or scotch. Faced with over 55 cases of unwanted rum, there had to be a way to save both the day and the Bar’s profit.

And that is how the rum-based Hurricane Cocktail came to be. Soon it was a must-have before, during and after any storm… be it actual or personal, for such is life.

Just be prepared: stock up, buy extra batteries and have a great network of professional friends to help you out if the waters rise. And be assured that the many chefs of New Orleans, who have not forgotten how the northern chefs aided them during their time of need, are standing ready to help their now storm-threatened colleagues in return.  

Let us all hope such aid is not necessary, but be ever grateful that it is a given within our industry. Now that’s something we can all raise a glass to!

The Hurricane Cocktail (it's the perfect beverage for a benefit fund raiser!)

Ingredients:

1 ounce Fresh Lemon or Lime juice
4 ounces Dark Rum
4 ounces Passion Fruit Syrup

Crushed Ice
Orange and/or Lime Slice
1 Maraschino Cherry

Preparation:

In a cocktail shaker, add lemon juice, rum, passion fruit syrup, and crushed ice; shake vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes.

Strain into a hurricane cocktail glass (but of course). Garnish with an orange and/or lime slice and a maraschino cherry. Serve with a long straw.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Golden Rolling Pin Awarded to Ledbury Restaurant for Guest Defense during London 2011 Riots

Your Culinary World is proud to award a Golden Rolling Pin to Australia's Chef Brett Graham and his staff for their valiant defense of their guests and kitchen during the sadly still occurring London Riots.

Diners were enjoying dinner at The Ledbury in the affluent west London suburb of Notting Hill when 50 to 60 rioters smashed their way into the restaurant with machetes, knives and cricket bats. They demanded that the stunned diners hand over their wallets, cellphones and wedding rings.

As soon as the staff realized what was happening, they charged the looters with rolling pins and any other lethal-looking culinary tool they could find in the kitchen.  

Yelling and screaming they drove the robbers, all 50 plus, from their restaurant back into the street.

They then calmly served glasses of complimentary whisky and champagne to their shaken guests. What style! What composure! For this alone they deserve the Golden Rolling Pin Award.

But the story of their courage and professionalism doesn’t stop there.  When it was realized that the front door had been smashed, making the restaurant’s entrance onto the street unsecured, the staff first sheltered their guests in the restrooms and then the wine cellar, urging them each time to lock themselves safely inside.

Their decision was a wise one. The rioters did return, breaking and smashing everything in sight.

When it was all over, the restaurant’s guests emerged safe and sound to a scene of mob destruction few will ever forget. Yet none of those present could doubt that, first and foremost, the staff had thought only of them during the mayhem that wrecked the once elegant restaurant.

Amazed and thankful, the grateful guests offered to pay for the dinners never served as some small way of saying “thank you” for the staff’s brave efforts that evening. In a gracious response worthy of the great Alexis Soyer himself, the staff declined payment. 

Professionalism, as you known, requires that one never accept payment for a dinner unserved. That would not be honest. What a difference their attitude was to that of the looters outside.  They protected while those outside destroyed.

Bravo, bravo and so well, well done! How truly all those at The Ledbury deserve the Golden Rolling Pin Award for a night of remarkable bravery and professionalism!

One can only hope that one day compassion and hospitality will reign and that all of humanity will feast together at a "table of brotherhood" in mutual peace and understanding.

Post Note, August 26, 2011: Due to the threat of potential harm from the massive approaching Hurricane Irene to the hundreds of thousands expected to attend, the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial has been cancelled.

"It is with a heavy heart and enormous disappointment that we announce that, in the interest of public safety, we are forced to change our plans," Mr. Harry Johnson told a news conference today.

Instead, the historic event will be moved to September or October when the skies have cleared and any damage(hopefully minor) to roads and cell towers has been repaired. After years of effort to make the Memorial a reality, the decision to delay the dedication must have been a hard one, but the right one.  Safety always comes first – something every great hotel knows and practices daily.

Post Note, August 22, 2011: As the U.S. begins a week of celebration honoring the memory of Martin Luther King, many visitors to the new King Memorial are delighted that the installation promotes freedom as a universal human right, not merely a singular American occurrence.  Congratulations to the Martin Luther King Memorial designers for their personal courage and global perception.

Post Note, August 12, 2011: Many of Washington DC's leading hotels are working hard to make rooms (and tickets) available for the upcoming August 28th dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial. If you were not present when King made his famous "I have a dream" speech, here is another choice to be present when history is made. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011