French Service
Up until the 1850s, French service referred to the type of service provided by the wait staff for guests at a special event where the food dishes from a large course menu are presented on the table all at once. This type of service required the guests to share every plate of food with their entire table. In today’s society, French service is when a waiter or cook prepares the food tableside and then serves each guest or puts the finished product on the table for everyone to share. French service can also be when entire platters are brought to ones table and then carved and portioned for each guest. The platters of uncut meat for example are brought to the table for show and then the cook would prepare the item for consumption. Typically items that utilize the French service method are:
- Guacamole
- Carving of a turkey or other meat
- Salads
- Japanese Hibachi grills
- De-shelling of lobster tail and crab legs
- Cutting of a birthday cake or other dessert
- Flambé
French service is a great way to use food as a source of entertainment for your guests. It will probably be more expensive though considering you have to pay for additional servers. Action stations such as sushi would work very well in this type of instance because they allow for the interaction of the cook and guests. Again, French service is when the cook prepares food for guests at the table instead of in the kitchen.
Aslo see Russian Service
