Chapter 1 - An introduction to banquets. After reading the material in this chapter, you should be able to: Describe the processes for creating job and task analyses, describe the components of a job description and list the guidelines for creating one, identify legal issues surrounding hiring and employment. | An Introduction to Banquet Service Chapter 1 1 Describe the history of banquets, from the classical period, to the Renaissance, and through today. Describe the types of banquets and different styles of locations. Explain the banquet service team’s roles and responsibilities. Learning Objectives Being invited to dine signaled social recognition and said a lot about one’s power. Guests dined on couches, resting on their left sides. The meal was divided into three courses. Servants brought large dishes from the kitchen and each guest chose his favorite portion. The Greeks served their guests wine mixed with water. Earliest Banquets: Greeks and Romans In the late fourteenth century, people began to think of food and its service as art forms. The host would display their wide collection of silver on shelves, known as a buffet. The placement of the salt cellar determined the status of diners. High status diners ate “above the salt,” and the rest below. The sequence of dishes was cold foods | An Introduction to Banquet Service Chapter 1 1 Describe the history of banquets, from the classical period, to the Renaissance, and through today. Describe the types of banquets and different styles of locations. Explain the banquet service team’s roles and responsibilities. Learning Objectives Being invited to dine signaled social recognition and said a lot about one’s power. Guests dined on couches, resting on their left sides. The meal was divided into three courses. Servants brought large dishes from the kitchen and each guest chose his favorite portion. The Greeks served their guests wine mixed with water. Earliest Banquets: Greeks and Romans In the late fourteenth century, people began to think of food and its service as art forms. The host would display their wide collection of silver on shelves, known as a buffet. The placement of the salt cellar determined the status of diners. High status diners ate “above the salt,” and the rest below. The sequence of dishes was cold foods were warm, light foods before heavy. Banquets in Medieval and Renaissance Europe We can thank them for traditions that help determine what the place of honor is, who is seated next to whom, who is served first, and even the sequence of courses. Only those above the salt were seated on chairs. 4 Dining and service became more elaborate, just as art and music did. Cleanliness was a new focus, and tables were covered with cloths and kept clean. Except for the hanging sides, which were used as napkins. Tables were arranged in a “U” leaving an area for entertainment. A brigade system was introduced, lending to pomp and protocol. The Renaissance Written menus were often prepared for banquet dinners in France dating from around the 1550s. The written menu listed the dishes to be presented in the second course, giving guests a graceful way to pace their consumption while maintaining their appetites. 5 Today’s formal service style has its roots in service à la française. As guests entered the
