BUFFETS

MO DU LE OUTLI NE

Module 22 Code 901 583 45 hours

Ove ra ll Objective s
 This module introduces the students to various types of
buffet made and created with and for food
presentation. The students are expected to participate
the planning and execution of the work. The Buffets
module is twinned with the Culinary Decoration module
combining the cooking of food with the presentation.
This allows the students to have the opportunity of
display the food in a visual attractive manner. In the
Buffet Module the students also have the opportunity of
dealing directly with the clients and sharing their new-
found knowledge of the foods the have prepared and
decorated.
Ex pected p erforma nce
 The student must :
 Attend all MEP classes and Buffet services
 Wear complete and clean uniform. No jewelry, no watches and
shaved for the male student.
 Be prepared and organized – have a pen/pencil, plastic covers for
recipes and a complete tool box.
 READ THE RECIPES BEFORE TO START PLANNING THE
WORK.
 Work in an assigned station with fellow classmates in a positive
manner and be able to receive an d carry out orders given by
classmates
 Season and present foods correctly in order to accentuate them
 Bring forth new-found Culinary Decoration skills and blend them
into the Buffet
 Participate in the planning and execution of the work.
 Define the basic principles of Buffet styles
 Observe Hygiene and Safety rules
Fin al Ev aluatio n
Final practical exam consisting of an evaluation of all buffets services
where all must participate to very best of his/her ability and meet all
the following requirements .
The student must:

Plan the work 25 %

Adopt a professional attitude and behaviors during all MEP and 20 %

services classes
Do the mise en place, decorate, and arrange a buffet 30 %

Make a correct interpretation of the order and needs during MEP and 5%
Services
Produce high quality and attractive products based on the given 10 %
recipes, specific recommendations and models shown in class .

Show a determined effort to work in a methodical and organized 10 %

fashion, to apply appropriate storage and cooling methods.
Work pla nning
 Work planning must be done
individually and coordinated with
others. Teams must meet to plan at
every service. This is assuming the
menu package has been read and
understood.
 Work plans must be clear and easy
to follow.
 A copy of individual and team work
plans will archived for evaluation
purposes
 Re member
 Who ? The name of the cooks and the tasks
they are responsible for.
 When ? A time-line indicating when task(s) start
and when they finish for both MEP day and
service day .
 What ? A list of equipment the station requires
for the day.
 Where ? How will serving of the dish be
organised on the table.
 Why ? The final product that will be presented
on the buffet table.
 De finitio n

 "The word buffet means a large tiered

table often set near the entrance of a
restaurant, on which dishes of meats,
poultry, fish, cold sweets, and pastries
are arranged in a decorative manner.
The buffet of a large restaurant is, in fact,
a show of choice edibles..."
---Larousse Gastronomique
 De finitio n

 "Buffet. A form of food service whereby diners

move along the length of tables set with
various cold and hot foods. The word, from the
French and dating in print to 1718, also applies
to the sideboard or cabinet on which the food is
placed."
---The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink,
John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York]
1999 (p. 47)
 Buffets are effective for serving large numbers
of people. They are also popular in that they
give customers a great deal of choice and the
ability to closely inspect food before selecting
it. Since a buffet involves people serving
themselves, it is generally viewed as a less
elegant form of dining. However, it's the
preferred serving arrangement on holidays and
similar occasions to minimize the required
number of staff.
Ca feteria
 One form of buffet is to
have a line of food
serving stalls and
customers take the food
they require as they walk
along and pay at the end.
This form is most
commonly seen in
cafeterias.
All yo u c an e at
 Another form known as the "all you can
eat" buffet has a set fee and customers
can help themselves to as much food as
they wish to eat. This form is found often
in restaurants, especially in hotels;
 Sm örgåsb ord

 A traditional Swedish smörgåsbord

(literally: buttered table) consists of both
hot and cold dishes. It is customary to
begin with the cold fish dishes (generally
various forms of herring, salmon, eel etc),
continue with the other cold dishes, and
round off with the hot dishes (of course
including meatballs, and other Swedish
specialties like Janssons frestelse). There
may or may not be desserts.
Hist ory
 While serving oneself at a meal
has a long history, the modern
buffet was developed in France
in the 18th century, soon
spreading throughout Europe.
 The term originally referred to
the sideboard where the food
was served, but eventually
became applied to the form.
Fif teenth Ce ntury

 When the possession of gold and silver has been a

measure of solvency of a regime, the display of it, in
the form of plates and vessels, is more a political act
than a gesture of conspicuous consumption.
 The Baroque displays of silver and gold that were
affected by Louis XIV of France were immortalized in
paintings by Alexandre-François Desportes and others,
before Louis' plate and his silver furniture had to be
sent to the mint to pay for the wars at the end of his
reign.
Six teenth
Century
The 16th-century French term
buffet applied both to the
display itself and to the
furniture on which it was
mounted, often draped with
rich textiles, but more often as
the century advanced an
elaborately carved cupboard
surmounted by tiers of shelves.
 In England such a buffet was
called a court cupboard.
Prodigal displays of plate were
probably first revived at the
fashionable court of Burgundy
and adopted in France.
 Nineteenth Century
The private luncheon
 The informal luncheon or lunch—originally the light
meal eaten between breakfast and dinner, but now
often taking the place of dinner, the fashionable hour
being one (or half after if cards are to follow)—is of two
kinds. The "buffet" luncheon, at which the guests eat
standing; and the luncheon served at small tables, at
which the guests are seated....
 The knife is tabooed at the “buffet” lunch, hence all the
food must be such as can be eaten with fork or spoon.
As a rule, friends of the hostess serve... The following
dishes cover the essentials of a “buffet” luncheon.
Beverages: punch, coffee, chocolate (poured from urn,
or filled cups brought from pantry on tray); hot entrées
of various sorts (served from chafing dish or platter)
preceded by hot bouillon; cold entrées, salads, lobster,
potatoes, chicken, shrimp, with heavy dressings; hot
rolls, wafer-cut sandwiches (lettuce, tomato, deviled
ham, etc.); small cakes, frozen creams and ices.
 The informal luncheon at small tables calls for service
by a number of maids, hence the “buffet” plan is
preferable.
Twe ntieth Ce ntu ry
All you can eat buffet

 The "all you can eat" buffet has been

ascribed to Herb Macdonald, a Las
Vegas hotel manager who introduced the
idea in 1946.
Ou r se rvi ces
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Thursday January 29th 2009 Thursday February 5th 2009

 India Dreams  Grand-Hôtel Buffet

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Buf fet Planni ng
To plan the se B uffets th e follow ing inf ormation
needed to b e gotten well in advance:

 Number of covers: 40 people

 Price per cover: 20 $ plus taxes & service
 Time of serving: 11:45 AM
 Location for display: East side of dining room
 Menu
 Number of serving lines based on number of covers: 1
 Special equipment: Overhead lamps, carving board,
chafing dishes, baskets for bread
 Types & shapes of tables required, tablecloths
 Non edible pieces needed based on theme: ice
sculpture, table center pieces & fat sculptures
 Other elements needed to enhance theme or
atmosphere: decorations, music etc.
Bo n Appétit!