One can cook for 2 people or 200 with no difference in quality. Quantity has nothing to do with it as long as quality is maintained but that happens less often than one would like.
There are several factors at play. I turned down a friend who wanted a barbecue for a party of 100 a couple months ago because the budget was $1200--less than half of what I'd charge. Would his guests have noticed a difference had they sampled my spread vs. the guy's who got the gig? Yes. Would they have valued my food at better than twice the price? Hmm. Some might, maybe many, but not knowing the guests it's hard to say. It depends on what people are used to, their level of taste sophistication, their sensory and
intellectual appreciation of quality.
Many people I cook for don't even ask about the fee ahead of time. Yes, that says a lot about their pocketbook but it also says something about their expectations. They know that quality costs more and, like me, demand it, and more important, are used to getting it.
I could buy spices from some warehouse store, canned pork and beans, already made marinades and sauces, vinegars, oils and mayo from Sysco but I don't. It's not what I nor my clients are used to.
I realize this sounds elitist and I can't really help that. But I certainly do not mean to condescend. However, I've had numerous heated 'discussions' with people who seek intellectual leverage by reminding me that barbecue has always been a 'down-market' repast, nothing 'fancy'. I hasten to remind them that while that is quite true, in barbecue's early days--and for a significant period thereafter--feedlot beef and mass-produced pork were not the norm, 5-gallon buckets of food service mayo or dressings were not the norm, canned products were too expensive to be the norm, frozen vegs treated to retain color were not yet standard--and so on. Though I cetainly get 'fancy' with my barbecue (it's fun), I'd argue that my version of a traditional Q spread is far closer to its historical origins than most you're likely to find at joints or catering trucks who have succumbed to food-service-products-as-acceptable mentality.
This mentality has been the norm for some time now and not, of course, only where barbecue is concerned. Couple this with the mass market predilection for low prices and, well, they get what they pay for and what they get is quite obviously acceptable to many. That's fine but I think it's unfortunate.
There is nothing difficult about maintaining high standards when ramping up to produce food for a large party or even when making the jump from home cook to caterer or restaurateur--but it costs money and takes more time. It requires serving or cultivating a clientele who understand, appreciate or demand the quality and who will pay for it. Cracking and whipping a dozen free-range eggs for mayo instead of just one takes time (even opening small jars of quality mayo takes more time and costs more than opening a bucket of food service mayo), juicing a dozen lemons and zesting a half-dozen takes time and certainly costs more than simply buying a bottle or reconstituted lemon juice.
It's possible to ramp up production by employing key pieces of equipment, buying meats less expensively in bulk from a meat wholesaler or possibly a warehouse store, even buying a few food service items. But care must be taken when choosing where procedural details or food or flavoring items can be changed without compromising quality. Many people do not do this because, frankly, they either don't recognize the compromises themselves or think that their customers won't notice much difference. They're often quite right. Let's face it, how many likely Q customers
ever barbecue themselves? Of those, how many carefully determine and select smokewood, perhaps grind their own spices, make sides from scratch?
Quite a few of us have commented to newbies here to be careful--that soon enough the Q they make will be much better than anything they're likely to buy somewhere. This can, of course, be expanded to include the sides and sauces, the apps and desserts. It can be expanded still further by seeking out quality spices and grinding your own, zesting and juicing a fresh lemon or a pineapple for a sauce, even growing your own tomatoes and chilies: It can be expanded as far as you wish to go. The food you produce then becomes a
revelation.
Perhaps the time, circumstance and/or expense involved makes this approach daunting, only occasionally possible, or frequently or at times difficult. Sometimes the pineapples are green, tomatoes out of season, time constrained. I'd argue, then, that it's worth, when possible, taking the time and doing some experimenting to determine where procedural or food item details can be altered and still maintain a quality acceptable to
you. This was once standard in restaurant menu development, irrespective of price point. The nearly complete hegemony of corporate restaurants at the low end (fast food) and lower end (the sundry chains like Chili's, Applebee's, Smokey Joe's et al.) with their reliance on foods prepped and/or cooked off site and merely finished in house has made competing at those price points virtually impossible or at least very difficult for the solo restaurateur with high standards. It hasn't helped that the decades-long push into the market of highly processed, artificially flavored, chemically stabilized food occurred. Many, many children, now grown up, were raised on practically nothing but. To answer Gary's question, we are sold the illusion of quality, the illusion of homemade, the illusion of fresh. The quality bar has been significantly lowered and, hence, expectations lowered--at least on the lower end.
There are glimmers of hope here and there. As much as I can't stand the Food Network, its audience does get at least some education from at least some of the chefs on the importance of quality of at least some of the items; the importance of adhering to some perhaps more time consuming procedural details rather than cutting that corner; the greater appreciation one feels from good foods prepared well. The movement of Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joe's and other specialized food retailers into more markets has upped the ante in many areas and caused existing chains to expand their offerings of higher quality (and yes, often more expensive) specialty and/or artisan items. Many more guests at parties I cook ask for specific details about ingredients and procedures than did, say, a dozen years ago--a good thing.
I will never be able to compete on price which is fine with me. There are people out there with the wherewithal and appreciation for quality so I don't have to. They are in the minority, yes, but that minority is growing.
Food snob? Absolutely. Guilty as charged.
Kevin
P.S. Stir the pot!
