9/24/2007

Schoolcraft Funday

Schoolcraft College had its annual Culinary Extravaganza on Sunday and we have been doing it so long it felt like old home week. In the past we had taken a Jura superautomatic machine for the convenience of a one-button cappuccino but it made a lousy espresso shot in spite of its price. Now I bring a traditional one group Cimbali espresso machine with a high-powered Azkoyen grinder. Each shot is ground fresh and the Junior Cimbali has plenty of pressure for an excellent pour of our espresso blend. This year there were not as many restaurants as wine importers/distributors and while I am not complaining maybe they should have put out a basket of baguettes to sop up all the alcohol. Being the coffee guy at a food and wine event must be like being the ugly girl at the prom where no one really pays attention to you until they are a little tipsy towards the end of the night. That’s okay, though, we have confidence in what we do. We recently put our coffee into the student cafeteria and many of the trustees came over to thank us for the delicious upgrade from Starbucks. All too happy to oblige.

We obliged mainly the cognoscenti in the beginning with espressos: Jim the guy with the unlimited wine cellar whose collection always ends the event; Caroline from Traffic Jam whose table was fortunately next to mine; the Schoolcraft student chefs with whom I chatted about cooking. Once I started pouring I did not stop for almost three hours. Traffic Jam’s brewmaster Chris traded me an oatmeal stout for an espresso. It was an excellent brew with a long persistent finish not unlike an espresso. Espresso for beer, now that’s what I call Fair Trade. Perhaps I should start a certifying agency. Our espressos and cappuccinos were certified platinum. I used the Fair Trade Organic Hydro espresso blend with no-hormone, full-fat, locally-produced milk. Those people requesting regular coffee were sent down to Cadillac Coffee with a wink and a nod. Our irregular coffee drinks went over so well that I ran out of milk about three-quarters of the way through. One of my favorite Schoolcraft ladies came by for a cappuccino and I knew she was our last, best hope for milk. She went off bravely and navigated the Byzantine back-kitchens of the college returning valiantly with a gallon. She wanted the milk in her cappuccino extremely hot and I burned (the milk) for her. She took pity on my poor estate by bringing me a piece of prime rib from Fleming’s Steakhouse. The piece my brother had brought over earlier was still sitting on the edge of the table, not what they mean by “dry-aged.” My cappuccino gal asked if I needed the prime rib cut since I was still kicking out the drinks. She even fed it to me while I worked. I was going to ask her to dab my lips but I barely knew her. To think I was going to stay home and watch the Lions.

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