Al Gore likes my desserts, a lot. And so does S. Bear Bergman.

When you are a chef in an establishment where humans come to dine, there is the opportunity to feed your heroes and heroines, friends and foes, past, future and present lovers and everyone in between, all on the same night or, hopefully, as the case(s) may be, spaced out as the days and weeks and years go by.

A few weeks ago Al Gore came to Sens to eat. He created a happy flurry of notice but managed to have dinner in a public space without flashbulbs or too much fawning.

Al Gore's clean dessert plates.

{My sous chef took these photographs well away from Mr. Gore himself, in the farthest reaches of the kitchen behind a closed door. She knew that I would want to have a record and also saved Mr. Gore's ticket for me as well.}

And just last week S. Bear Bergman came into the restaurant for lunch with an old friend. S. Bear also loved the food at Sens and wrote a little something about the meal. In your mind perhaps these two people have nothing in common but for me I feel honored to have had the opportunity to have fed two heroes of mine.

I love feeding people I love and appreciate either near or from afar. Whether I actually shake their hand, exchange an embrace or see them from across the dining room it warms me to know they chose my food to eat.

When I read a book, whether fiction or true, I am being given the gift of a glimpse into another person's mind and maybe heart and soul, depending. I listen to music to feel a similar closeness. And because I am a cook myself, when I am fed by a chef I respect and admire, I feel another level of nearness: a kind of compassionate understanding, even if fleeting, to how that person thinks, feels or crafts.

I hope that if you come into Sens you'll say hello. It's never a bother to meet a new person and put a face and voice to the ticket number whose order me and my team are plating, creating for.

Comments

[genderfork]

That's really neat that you got to feed Al Gore and all, but

YOU GOT TO FEED S. BEAR BERGMAN!

AWESOME!!!

[chadzilla]

Al came through our classroom kitchen at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island sometime around 96 or 97 when he was VP to Billy Clint.
They made us take all of the knives out of the kitchen then told me to pretend I was filleting the salmon that was on my cutting board. They did let me keep a meat mallet, though. I still wonder how my life would be different if I had taken the opportunity to smack him on the head that day.
Just a thought.

[Alice Q. Foodie]

Chadzilla - did you graduate from J&W? If so, could you please let us know where you work? I just want to know where not to go - I wouldn't want anyone with such incredibly bad judgment to be in charge of the food I eat!

[Monkey Wrangler]

That is soooo cool! Although not nearly as famous, I had the honor of feeding some of the BFM farmers at a party and it was immensely satisfying to hear people say they liked something, or watch the contented looks on their faces as they simply sat and chewed......then snuck off for seconds.

Love it. Hugs.

[lindsey]

oh, you did *not* just post Al Gore's plates...well, you did. too funny.

[shuna fish lydon]

Ms Alice Q--

"incredibly bad judgment"?? for thinking?! Come on now-- have a sense of humor here. Don't tell me you've never had an odd or off thought in all of your life.

Me, I would always rather that my food was cooked by humans and not unthinking, unfeeling machines!

[jennywenny]

Its wonderful to see those scraped clean plates, whoever they were from. Congratulations on making such delicious creations. Not many things make me happier than people I like or love absolutely loving my food. It happened yesterday, I made a big creation which will be revealed later in the month, and it was gone in literally a matter of seconds!

[Mercedes]

Ha, that's great. The Gores are old family friends of ours (my grandparents and his parents were both from the same town in TN), we are very happy about him accepting the prize today.

[sam]

I seriously cannot believe you posted that picture. Good job I am not Al Gore else there might have been a new meaning coined for 'peace prize'.

[kudzu]

Hope you also saw haddock's lovely review of his dessert experience at Sens.

And thanks for reprimanding Alice Q. That was a pretty insensitive comment.

Always thought Al Gore might be a bec fin. Now I know.

[French Laundry at Home]

Congrats on your WellFed nominations!

[Cakespy]

Wow! This is one of those "you know you've made it when..." moments. How cool!

[cookiecrumb]

Yo! Did those plates go into the dishwasher, or do you still have his DNA?
Piece Prize to you!

[chadzilla]

Thanks for defending my strange sense of humor, Shuna. Truly, my urge to smack people on the head with a meat mallet is partisan neutral. It was just the importance of the moment and the desire to do something that is forbidden beyond belief... to smack the Vice President of the United States... I can't help where my mind goes, just the choice to act or not.
It's great to see that Sens is slamming right now, and you (all of you) are getting some great recognition.
Now I have 2 places I absolutely must eat if I'm ever on the other coast... Sens and Il Canto.

[delilah]

I'm not famous, but we did meet briefly a few weeks ago at Shauna's book signing at Book Passage. And, you fed ME and my bf last week at Sens. Loved the butterscotch pot de creme, loved the dinner too. Must come back again to try more desserts, appetizers and the baked fish.

[Tea]

Bear? Aww, that's awesome.
That Al guy too...

The Dessert Dominatrix strikes again!