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London kosher caterers - Articles about Lol's catering's gourmet skills
Kosher catering in London | Testimonials | About us
Kosher catering in London | Testimonials | About us
Savoy Va Voi
It's a tough job working in the kitchens of one of London's top hotels, as Simon Round finds out when he grills a Savoy chef
If you value your free time and look forward to leaving working at 5:30pm each evening, then being a chef at the Savoy Hotel will not be your first carer choice. But Lawrence Goldberg, the only Jew in the hotel's banqueting kitchen, gets as much satisfaction from the long hours, the intricate preparations and the intense atmosphere as from, well, the perfect hollandaise sauce. "On a busy day I can work from 9 in the morning until 11 at night. I don't feel it because when I'm busy I'm enjoying it. I don't even mind the heat that much, although none chefs find they can't take it". A typical day in the busy diary kitchen actually starts the night before# when Lawrence attempts to get a head start on the next day's lunchtime banquet. "There are things that might need to be prepared well in advance - we can't leave everything until the last minute. That's why we have a meeting at the start of the week with the head chef to discuss the functions coming up and decide what we need to do and when".
It's a tough job working in the kitchens of one of London's top hotels, as Simon Round finds out when he grills a Savoy chef
If you value your free time and look forward to leaving working at 5:30pm each evening, then being a chef at the Savoy Hotel will not be your first carer choice. But Lawrence Goldberg, the only Jew in the hotel's banqueting kitchen, gets as much satisfaction from the long hours, the intricate preparations and the intense atmosphere as from, well, the perfect hollandaise sauce. "On a busy day I can work from 9 in the morning until 11 at night. I don't feel it because when I'm busy I'm enjoying it. I don't even mind the heat that much, although none chefs find they can't take it". A typical day in the busy diary kitchen actually starts the night before# when Lawrence attempts to get a head start on the next day's lunchtime banquet. "There are things that might need to be prepared well in advance - we can't leave everything until the last minute. That's why we have a meeting at the start of the week with the head chef to discuss the functions coming up and decide what we need to do and when".
Although Lawrence loves the creativity of his profession, he is also more than happy to do the more routine jobs.
"Even if it's peeling garlic for an hour, I don't look upon it as a chore. It's important to work really fast to make a deadline, and try not to cut yourself, of course he laughs. As the one Jew in the kitchen it is occasionally up to him to explain the intricacies of kashrut to bemused newcomers who don't know their latkes from their lockshen.
"Nothing happens without a shomer on site, but of course it is useful to have someone like me who knows about kosher cuisine to advise those less familiar with it".
Lawrence is certainly more than knowledgeable in this respect. Born in South Africa, he moved to Israel as a child and perfected his culinary skills at the country's top hotels, including the Hyatt in Jerusalem. After the lunchtime banquet Lawrence may only have enough time to sharpen his knives before launching himself into the evening function. For a larger affair there will be up to eight chefs working on the cold section, and eight more on the hot food - and that doesn't take into account specialists like the pasty chefs who cook only deserts, and the Japanese sushi chef who has trained for years in the arcane arts of slicing raw fish. Lawrence is happiest when he is stationed on salads and starters. "For me, presentation is really important. I love to play around with the dishes to make them look more special. But it's also vital to concentrate on perfecting the flavours."
The evening finishes long after the guests have been served their petit fours and coffee, as Lawrence and his team turn their attention to the next day's canap?s.
Long-term, Lawrence sees himself running his own kosher catering business, giving himself the chance to use the valuable experience he has gained from working in one of London's premier kitchens.
But there is one simchah he won't be catering - his own wedding, which takes place this summer.
"I'm taking the day off for that one. Although I'll be having a good look at the menu, I doubt I'll have much time to eat."
Just like a normal day then.
Kitchen Caterer
Anyone who's ever made a "mini" simcha - bris, sheva brochos or family reunion for example - is likely to have faced the dilemma of whether to host the function from home or in a small hall. After all, simchas at home can be more intimate, friendly and atmospheric - but the amount of work involved is enough to put off even the more proficient of hostesses. Three months ago, South African born London resident Lawrence Goldberg came up with something of a compromise, when he launched his new business venture Lol's Catering, under the supervision of the London Beth Din. Having worked in some of the top hotels in Israel, Australia and the UK, Mr Goldberg has plenty of experience catering for lavish and expansive functions. But he feels that holding a small simcha at home can be a far less stressful experience for the hosts than going to the trouble of arranging a hall and all the accountrements that go with it. To this end, he will cater for simchas, Shabbos meals and even family barbecues out of your own home, using our kitchen and equipment and thus keeping the costs down considerably.
Anyone who's ever made a "mini" simcha - bris, sheva brochos or family reunion for example - is likely to have faced the dilemma of whether to host the function from home or in a small hall. After all, simchas at home can be more intimate, friendly and atmospheric - but the amount of work involved is enough to put off even the more proficient of hostesses. Three months ago, South African born London resident Lawrence Goldberg came up with something of a compromise, when he launched his new business venture Lol's Catering, under the supervision of the London Beth Din. Having worked in some of the top hotels in Israel, Australia and the UK, Mr Goldberg has plenty of experience catering for lavish and expansive functions. But he feels that holding a small simcha at home can be a far less stressful experience for the hosts than going to the trouble of arranging a hall and all the accountrements that go with it. To this end, he will cater for simchas, Shabbos meals and even family barbecues out of your own home, using our kitchen and equipment and thus keeping the costs down considerably.
"My main aim is to ensure the function is a success, the food is tasty and everybody is happy!" explains Lawrence.
"Whether you're hosting an entire weekend of large family meals, a small bar mitzvah or a themed dinner party, I can make it so much easier by doing all the hard work for you."
For those who like to be prepared well in advance and would prefer not to have someone chopping, saut?ing and grilling in their kitchen on the day of the event itself, Lawrence can even prepare the meal in advance and freeze it, leaving you to heat it up and serve when the time comes. Of course, he can also cater for functions at the venue of your choice.
For more information, contact Lawrence Goldberg at Lol's Catering. Telephone 07951 390 985, fax 020 8 202 2617 or e-mail lg_chef@yahoo.co.uk
Kosher caterers for small and large functions - bris, bar/bat mitzvah, wedding, sheva brochas, barbeques, themed dinner, family dinners and more.