Feastocrat: Difference between revisions

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:Chefs and specialist chefs prepare and cook complete meals, banquets or specialty foods, such as pastries, sauces, soups, salads, vegetables, meat, poultry and fish dishes, and create decorative food displays. They supervise cooks and other kitchen staff and may plan menus as well as requisition food and kitchen supplies.
:Chefs and specialist chefs prepare and cook complete meals, banquets or specialty foods, such as pastries, sauces, soups, salads, vegetables, meat, poultry and fish dishes, and create decorative food displays. They supervise cooks and other kitchen staff and may plan menus as well as requisition food and kitchen supplies.


:Other titles are saucier, chef de partie, corporate chef, specialist chef, executive sous-chef, head chef, chef de cuisine, pastry chef, garde manger, chef.
:Other titles are saucier chef de partie corporate chef specialist chef executive sous-chef head chef chef de cuisine pastry chef garde manger, chef.


:Within the SCA, the term “cook” seems to suit most members who strive for an authenticity title.
:Within the SCA, the term “cook” seems to suit most members who strive for an authenticity title.

Revision as of 18:48, 24 August 2008

It's the Feastocrat's job to organise food for the event. They will usually arrange for a group of people, a feasting team, to be involved in the preparations and cooking both before the feast and on the day, and delegate different tasks or dishes to be made to each person, organise kitchen space, a clean-up crew etc. They are frequently involved in redacting recipes.

They are responsible for: the estimated food budget, doing the shopping, and obtaining any utensils necessary. Delegation is your friend. Everyone working with food must abide with all health and safety regulations.

Feastocrat vs Feast-o-crat

The following question and answer concerning the word "feastocrat" was originally posted to the SCA Food and Feast list List on Yahoo Groups:

Q - Feastcrat or Feast-o-crat – which term is correct?
A - by Mistress Rayne Moyra O'Ciaragain, OP, Meridies
Hmm, this is an interesting question. If you are asking what the correct title is for a cook during historic times, then neither word is “correct”.
When the SCA first started, there was a huge drive to use words that would sound more Medieval to the ear. A word that was quickly incorporated into the SCA vernacular was “autocrat” - meaning “one who has undisputed influence or power”. It did not take long for everyone to latch onto the French noun combining form “-crat”. Which meant “a member of a specific dominant class”. Thus you ended up with reservationcrat, feastcrat, class-crat and a number of other “–crats”.
In the Middle Ages the person who cooked the meals was usually called the COOK. Within the SCA, there is a growing movement to use the more historically correct term. Other variants are Feast Cook or Head Cook. Some areas use the term “Steward” – which means one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution.
Within mundane cooking institutions there are a variety of names for the different people that prepare a meal:
Executive chefs plan and direct food preparation and cooking activities for different food establishments. They plan menus, ensure food meets quality standards, estimate food requirements and may estimate food and labor costs.
Sous-chefs supervise activities of specialist chefs, chefs, cooks and other kitchen workers. They may plan menus, requisition food and kitchen supplies, and they may prepare and cook meals and specialty foods.
Chefs and specialist chefs prepare and cook complete meals, banquets or specialty foods, such as pastries, sauces, soups, salads, vegetables, meat, poultry and fish dishes, and create decorative food displays. They supervise cooks and other kitchen staff and may plan menus as well as requisition food and kitchen supplies.
Other titles are saucier, chef de partie, corporate chef, specialist chef, executive sous-chef, head chef, chef de cuisine, pastry chef, garde manger, chef.
Within the SCA, the term “cook” seems to suit most members who strive for an authenticity title.