When Steve Brockman, was invited to be a guest chef in China, he jumped at the opportunity. “It’s an absolute dream,” he said. We sat down with Vibrant Table’s Executive Chef post-travels to explore his experiences running the kitchen in a foreign country, the sights and smells of Beijing, and his general impressions of China, its people and culture.
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The Events

Why were you in China?
I was invited to support Culinary Capers, Beijing. Culinary Capers is a Canadian-based company with a Beijing branch, and they were contracted to cater a series of high-profile car shows across China over a period of several months. They were looking for management staff to lead these events as well as events for other clients.

What sorts of events did you lead?
I was there for three weeks and worked in two different cities, Beijing and Shenzhen. The events ranged from high-end investor meeting of 12 people to a cultural fair for a private international school for about 200 guests.

Which event was the most exciting for you?
Oh, the car show. Imagine a convention center three times the size of Portland’s with every car manufacturer you can think of. Each manufacturer created a lot set; it was mind-blowing. I was assigned to (a luxury British manufacturer) which had two floors.

I was also amazed at how Culinary Capers catered in cities across China. That’s like Vibrant Table catering in Houston! You have to figure out where the resources are, what food to bring with you – and how to get it there – what food to purchase there – and where to get it – not to mention how to transport staff, etc.

What was it like running events in China?
From a kitchen perspective, I learned that events are pretty much the same no matter where you go. We begin the preparation two to three days in advance. The client asks for last-minute changes that you scramble to honor. For one event, they completely changed the menu the day before.

Was there anything that was different about running events there?
There were a few things that were different. Produce isn’t washed in the fields, so it’s covered in dirt when it arrives. My host kitchen runs all produce through a giant washing machine that gently rolls and washes the fruit. In the U.S. that would be done at the farm.

Also, they bring only the exact amounts required to the event, with no overage. It’s great for managing inventory and costs, but there’s no room for error. In my experience, guests drop forks, a biscotti garnish might break in transport. Our kitchen at Vibrant Table adds a little extra to make sure we’re covered for these types of scenarios.

What about purchasing? Were the markets different?
Most of the shopping for events is done via wholesale vendors – similar to Food Services of America – or European importers. Sanitation-wise it gave me better peace of mind, but I was a little disappointed at first because I really wanted to experience a traditional market. I did get to visit one though. It was amazing. Huge mounds of spices, hanging meats. It’s really similar to the open-air markets you find in Latin America and other parts of the world.

There were two big differences though. First, there’s no fresh milk and dairy products from China. Our dairy came from Europe or Australia, and the milk was usually in tetra-paks that don’t need to be refrigerated. The other difference was more subtle. When I asked where items were from, vendors couldn’t answer. The awareness of food origins isn’t there, at least not yet.

The People, Food & Landscape

What did you think of China in general?
The people are very nice. Most people went the extra mile to make me feel comfortable. There was the occasional rude taxi driver, but those are ubiquitous. I was surprised at how safe it was, too.  I never felt afraid in the slightest.

What about Beijing?
Beijing is New York on steroids. It’s very fast paced and a fascinating clash of new and old world.  There are these beautiful ancient buildings and right next door they are building a modern sky scraper. Construction is everywhere.

Car horns are constant background noise, but they beep like radar, kind of like a ‘hey, I’m here’ rather than a ‘get out of my way’ like in the U.S. And people drive crazy. I saw like three accidents. In fact, one taxi I was in got into a fender-bender.  Even as a pedestrian on the sidewalk, you have to be careful. Cars will suddenly drive onto the sidewalk and park. It’s very dangerous.

You traveled to the Great Wall, right? What was that like?
I wish I had been able to spend more time on the Wall. It was everything you hear… absolutely beautiful and mind-blowing. The road trip there was interesting, though. Everything is behind a wall, even the farmland. You see a huge compound and know they were growing something behind it, but can’t see what it is.

As a tourist, what was your biggest challenge?
The usual language barrier and navigation. I got lost a lot and outside of the high tourist sections no one spoke English.

What was the food like?
Oh, the smells were divine. As you’d expect, there were some unusual ingredients and the street vendors wouldn’t pass a Portland health inspection, but the food was absolutely delicious.

What was the most unusual thing you tried?
Chicken tails. They were chewy but not bad. The staff didn’t want to tell me what they were at first.

What your favorite dish you tried?
The Peking Duck from Da Dong, a chef known for molecular gastronomy. I was on a quest for Peking Duck and it was the best I’ve ever had. They sliced it the traditional way with 200 slices per duck and it was served with traditional pancakes, a variety of vegetables, and course sugar to dip the skin in. I ate the whole thing!

From the street vendors, I tried a phenomenal pickled cuttlefish that was breaded and thinly sliced. It was spread on a plate like sashimi and absolutely delicious.

Pick up any new tricks?
Well, I’m proud of my new chopstick skills. I can even pick up peanuts now.

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You Might Also Like To

• See some of Chef Brockman’s creations for Vibrant Table
• Explore our catering menus
• Learn more about other key Vibrant Table staff
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