The spark of talent that helped ignite creative dining

The words “progressive dinner” strike fear into the heart of pretty much anybody who reached early adulthood in the semi-trendy ‘70s. These debacles-in-the-making always started off with the best of intentions: Everyone gathered at the first house to sip and bite this or that. Then they all piled back into the car (let’s hope the cocktails were virgins!) and drove to house number two. More sips. More bites. More sips. This is where things began to unravel, because although society had not yet cracked down on synchronized drinking and driving, low-level skirmishes over designated-driver duties would erupt.

The arrival at house number three marked the inevitable spiral into chaos and anarchy. Stomachs filled faster because of the interval between meals, so the current host would end up in a snit as satiated diners eschewed the feast in favor of the couch, football and perhaps more liquid refreshment. It was a pretty good bet that this particular group would probably never meet again, at least not in that form.

In order to inject a bit of civility into that ‘70s brainstorm-gone-wrong, SoDel Concepts and Atlantic Transportation Services teamed up over the past couple of years to offer a much more efficient application of the progressive dinner concept;  generously offering it to the RehobothFoodie.com/Touch of Italy Culinary Scholarship Fund as a fundraiser auction item. By eliminating the three obvious glitches in the original plan, (1) food made at home while possibly “under the influence,” (2) the inescapable question: “…OK, who’s gonna drive!?” and, (3) premature satiation before all the venues were visited, SDC and ATS brought the idea into the realm of reason. They prepared first, second and third courses at three SoDel Concepts restaurants. The happy auction winners gathered at the first restaurant for appetizers and perhaps a sip or two. Then Atlantic Transportation provided luxury limo service to and from the other two eateries. By the time they returned to restaurant number one, the partygoers were full, and hopefully any residual cocktail effects had worn off. I can’t help but think that pioneer TV chef Julia Child would have loved the whole idea.

The mysteries of the kitchen have become familiar to many, thanks to Food Network and the like. But much of today’s fascination with all things culinary can be traced back to Chef Julia herself. The networks, publishers, websites, retailers and restaurant columnists that followed have her to thank for engaging the public in the art and science of cooking.

Several years ago I had the honor of being asked to host a panel discussion that marked the denouement of Rehoboth Beach Museum’s Beach Eats! exhibit. On the last night of the year-long event, the museum powers-that-be (or were) played host for an exclusive screening of her cooking show, The French Chef, created and hosted by Julia Child and broadcast by WGBH in Boston from 1963 to 1973.

The lights dimmed as our roomful of foodies, restaurateurs and foodie wannabes watched the very tall, very talented and always out-of-breath Julia prepare her famous French onion soup and chocolate mousse. Like the groundbreaking “I Love Lucy,” these early black and white episodes were shot using multiple cameras. The difference was that Lucy was shot on film, which allowed for creative editing before the show was aired. The French Chef, however, was shot using TV cameras, so what the viewers saw on the screen was determined in real time as the director “switched” among the cameras as Julia was cooking. Retakes and edits were few and far-between. When she spilled the cognac, well … she spilled the cognac for all to see. If an unruly onion eluded her knife by skittering off the cutting board, we witnessed her deft moves to corral the little fugitive.

In both episodes it was obvious that she had finished earlier than expected, and she responded to off-camera “stretch” signals by filling her half-hour any way she could. Digital time manipulation was at least 50 years in the future, so the allotted minutes had to be filled - one way or another. She accomplished it with grace and aplomb.

So with a humble nod to the lady who started it all, we are excited to again offer SoDel Concepts and Atlantic Transportation’s version of the progressive dinner as an auction item when our fundraiser gets back on track this September. What started with tiny TV screens and on-air resourcefulness has helped to spawn dining experiences using beautiful limos and tried-and-proven restaurants. Julia Child had no idea of how many things – including columns such as this – might never have existed without her groundbreaking presentations. So, in tribute to all our generous contributors and sponsors - and in particular to Julia Child - I’ll top things off the way she topped off her shows: “Bon appétit!”