“When it comes to the Opera Ball in particular, it is an event very dear to my own heart because it was the first grand scale event that I had the opportunity to participate as maitre d when I started at McCalls. I love this event.” -Patrick McAteer

In this sixth installment of the Behind-The-Scenes series of producing a major Charity Ball, Vivanista sat down with the Catering Director at McCalls Catering, Patrick McAteer.

What is the secret to McCalls being able to serve as many people as they do for an event like the Opera Ball and make the guests feel like they’re at a dinner party?

Mainly, I think it’s because we keep regular, professional waiters on staff rather than calling in a group of part-time waiters. We hire a lot of restaurant professionals who maybe only want to work part time. They have small businesses of their own and do other things, so they can have more flexibility than the day-in, day-out life of a restaurant.

Actually, we have one gentleman now who spends most of his time foraging for mushrooms. He sells them to restaurants and so on. He is able to go out into the woods and forage for mushrooms, then come back and work a party.

And to make guests feel like they’re at a dinner party, we break down the staff into smaller teams within the larger room so that way, no one feels like they’re seated in the wrong end of the room. We want them to feel treated like a VIP no matter where they’re seated.

As for the menu, we focus on making quality food on a larger scale. Our chefs are constantly monitoring the local restaurant scene and are friends with local restaurant chefs. Over the years, we’ve had prominent local chefs work for us.

What’s on the menu this year?

I’m going to leave the official unveiling of the menu to the opera committee, but it will feature the best of local, seasonal ingredients with an interpretation fitting the evening and theme. With Aida, that will involve Italian, Middle Eastern, and Egyptian flair.

How many years has McCalls catered the Opera Ball?

It was when I started working at McCalls in the early nineties that I first worked the Opera Ball. We love to cater it and each year, we don’t take catering it for granted. We always give it our best shot in the proposal stage, developing menus and so on.

What is the largest dinner you’ve ever done?

In 1997, we had the 100th anniversary of the Big Game between Cal and Stanford at the Cow Palace. It was a seated dinner for 2,500 Stanford and Cal people.

In charitable fundraising every Chair and committee member knows inevitably something always goes wrong. What was an obstacle your team overcame during one of your events?

We had a truck stolen that was full of equipment and ready to go to an event. We got it back a couple of days later but without much remaining.

Luckily, we had really good vendors to come to our aid, plus we have a lot of back-up equipment ourselves. So, we loaded up another truck and got it to the event on time!

Also a few years back, we had an event powered by a generator because it was in a tent. The generator was parked on the street, and someone decided to hitch it to their truck and drive off with it. Thankfully, we had a good generator company who got us another within an hour and we were back in business!

What is the most outrageous request you’ve been asked (that you’re willing to share)?

We were asked for a 1,000-year-old egg to be served as a first course in honor of a visiting Asian dignitary. It’s not really 1,000 years old but it looks that way; it’s actually a duck egg that is about 100 days old. It’s a Chinese tradition and it’s all about the method of preserving and preparing it.

Also, in the late nineties, the de Young Museum had a Faberge exhibit. For our event, Faberge dinnerware was sent for the dinner; each plate came in crates with security and had to be handled with white gloves all the way. Someone even came to the facility and supervised all of the washing. This was one of the only times people were allowed to be seated in the gallery because so many people wanted to see this exhibit.

Besides food and service, what makes a catering company great?

It’s like an opera: you see the stage, set, and performers but it takes months of planning and rehearsals to get to that point. It’s the same with what we do behind the scenes. The backbone of the company is the warehouse and kitchen infrastructure and all of the support and planning. It takes months of planning before everyone gets to City Hall for opening night. And even on that night, we have support and back-up behind the scenes. We don’t have the luxury of a great kitchen facility in City Hall, so our food has to show up that day and prepared in a tent on the pavement outside the building with a generator providing power. We use mobile ovens and stoves, not to mention trucks and trucks of equipment. If you walk around City Hall that night, you will probably see 20 of our trucks parked outside.

What is one trait you most appreciate in an event Chair?

There are so many, but one that I think of is clarity: a clear vision of what they want and a clear way of communicating it. A great communicator can really get what they want. Enthusiasm and imagination are also important, among many other qualities, but it really comes down to that clear vision.

Any fundraising tips you’ve learned along the way from different event Chairs?

You know, I think there was something a couple of nights ago: an audience response system. It’s a mobile device with a card that has all your information. You type in your bid on an auction item and it gets flashed on the screen so you can see who’s bidding what. It takes away the need for those old auction cards and numbers. It’s all about audience participation.

Also, I’ve learned that when it comes to fundraising, a successful event has to be something that people want to come back to each year so that it becomes a tradition, but not too predictable. The surprise factor is really important… as long as it’s a pleasant one, of course.

How has large-scale catering changed over the last 10 years?

Clients are requesting and expecting more elaborate food service, like a restaurant experience. You can go online and find a ton of party planning and bridal websites, and there’s the Food Network and the Cooking Channel and so on. Event Chairs have a lot more access to information and they come with a lot more ideas.

On our end, the food and service aspects have changed. We have more elaborate menus and a lot more service at the table. Now we’re pouring soup at the table rather than guests just being served a full bowl of soup. There’s more of a presentation.

What is your favorite dish to prepare at home?

It would have to be my kids’ favorite: spaghetti. That’s the one they ask me to cook. We’ll sit around the table and everyone will enjoy their dinner. My daughter is 25 and she has moved out, but if I cook my spaghetti, she’ll come around for dinner!

What chef do you admire most (outside of Dan McCall or other local caterers)?

There are so many great chefs in San Francisco and I don’t want to hurt any egos, so I would have to say Guadalupe at Pancho’s on Polk Street. I like her cooking when she’s in the kitchen.

If you could live in any city or location for one year, where would it be?

Spain, right in the middle of Madrid. I love the way of life, culture, and food. I spent time there a few years back, and you can get anywhere else in Europe pretty quick.

Previous segments in the Behind The Scenes series include: