|
|
L’Herbette said
he would like to cater weddings as well. Those would be priced similar
to dinner parties.
Fabulous Feasts has been in business in St. Martin since 1988. L’Herbette,
a native of France, did his professional training in Chauffry, France,
and worked throughout France and Switzerland through the 1980s, finally
coming to America in 1986. He worked at French restaurants in the
Washington, D.C., area for about two years and got married in this
country.
In 1988, he and his wife decided to go to the caribbean. Rather than
stay for a while, they opened Fabulous Feasts and made St. Martin
their home for more than a decade.
With no seating for customers, they focused almost exclusively on
catering dinner parties of eight or more to renters of villas. They
found a niche there for their gourmet food and upscale service.
“The villa is very expensive to start with, so to throw in the
chef and butler is nothing compared to that price”,
L’Herbette said.
“We do not offer the weekly chef
service, but we offer a chef service for as small as an eight-person
party.
The L’Herbettes, who have two children, ages 15 and 12, moved
to New Canaan for the schools but maintain control of Fabulous Feasts
through monthly trips back to the caribbean – a general manager
runs the operation in L’Herbette ‘s absence.
Now, L’Herbette is hoping for the same success in another location.
He has marketed the business through some cooking classes and with
some local advertising. He also plans to redesign his Web site. www.fabulousfeasts.com,
but, he said, “It’s really a word-of-mouth kind of business.”
Fabulous Feasts can be reached at 966-9498.
|
|
| |
Bertrand L’Herbette’s commute just got easier.
On the average, anyway. L’Herbette has spent the past four
years living in New Canaan and traveling to
St. Martin in the French Indies about once a month to work at this
catering business, Fabulous Feasts.
He’ll still make that trip, but as of Aug. 2, he’ll
also be driving across town to tend to his newest Fabulous Feasts
location at 31 Vitti St., the site of Culinary Concepts, which L’Herbette
remodeled the inside and now presents a breakfast and lunch business
with a small seating area, fresh coffee, fridges full of bottled
drinks and a good selection of soups, salads and sandwiches that
get a little more creative than the tipical deli, such as a ham,
honey mustard and warm brie for $5.50.
Feasts also offesr dinners to go.
Customers can place orders before noon and come in the afternoon
to pick up dinner entrees like Beef Welington with port wine ($23),
roasted duck à l’orange ($15) or a veal chop with mushroom
fricasssee ($24).
One might also go for a mesclun salad with caramelized pecans ($6),
and for dessert, chocolate-dipped strawberries or crepes
Suzette ($4.50).
All that, however, hides a much larger kitchen from which L’Herbette
intends to replicate his St. Martin business in New Canaan and provide
upscale, service-oriented catering of gourmet international cuisine.
Fabulous Feasts specializes in chef-and-butler
service for dinner parties and cocktail parties in a night in St.
Martin.
|
|
His fledgling New Canaan operation can do two or three in
an evening. As of last week he had booked very few but said he had
seen a lot of interest in his services.
For $55 to $80 per person, a chef (possibly L’Herbette) and
butler can serve dinner in the customer’s home.
The food, naturally, is prepared fresh, but as much as possible
is done beforehand, so use of
the customer’s kitchen is kept to a minimum.
"We come prepared”, L’Herbette said.
“We finish the sauces and cook the meat there, but most of
the prep work is done before.”
Bertrand L'Herbette
Owner, FABULOUS FEASTS
Menu choices run the gamut of international cuisine but lean heavily
on fish and seafood dishes, like Dover sole with Champagne sauce,
grouper provencale or seafood fricassee.appetizers might include
a vichyssoise with crab, seared sea scallop salad with bacon or
lobster medallion salad. Meat eaters might prefer grilled filet
mignon, breast of duck with raspeberry sauce or baby chicken with
honey.
For $15 to $20 per person, Fabulous Feasts can serve cocktail parties
with hot and cold d’Oeuvres, like seared tuna and wasabi canapés,
shrimp tempura with mango dipping sauce or roasted duck spring rolls.
|
|
|
Contact us