Chapter 10 - Starch

In my career, I've cooked for some extraordinary events where money wasn't an issue—weddings, cruise ships, and corporate events. One particularly memorable event occurred in Redmond, Washington, home of the Microsoft CEO Summit.... We already knew today wasn’t going to be like any others ... CEOs and representatives from over 100 of this planet’s top corporations.

... I grabbed a hotel pan full of hot potatoes from the oven and set up shop next to the ‘tall as hell’ banquet chef. The door sprung open suddenly, and Bill Gates’ personal assistant walked into the kitchen like he was on an assignment from the principal’s office. He came over to the Executive Chef and announced, “Mr. Gates is ready for the entrée now.” It took me a second to process, but this is a moment I will never forget. Yes, that, Mr. Gates! There was no time to think about how cool this moment was because we were smack dab in the middle of this lunch rush. (Look for the recipe in Vol. III).