Masters Tournament, day 1

Well, I stopped by the local Wal-mart after work today to get a 6-pack of Fat Tire Amber Ale (does putting "local" in front of Wal-mart subconsciously make it less offensive?) so as I lay here on someone else's bed in someone else's house drinking an amber ale, I write.

I went in this morning at 9am, a gracious morning compared with the 5am shifts that will start on Monday until next Sunday. Today was an "orientation" day of of sorts for everyone but my coworker and me. We were lacking our two lead chefs! So the day was spent re-organizing our kitchen to suit our fancy and bringing dairy and produce down to our kitchen to stock for the week. I am working in the kitchen of one of the Hospitality Suites which are 4 cottages set off the beaten path for the Big $$ sponsors- namely, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz and CBS. These are the tournament's biggest sponsors who pay lots and lots of big money to have a cottage where they can relax and get fed all they want, watch the game, socialize, bask on the back porch in all the pollen. The Masters stands apart in that there is an immense amount of privacy, exclusivity and secrecy. For instance, to become a member of the Club you must be invited. Rumor has it that Bill Gates has wanted to become a member but no amount of money can buy them out: he must be invited by a member and by the Club itself. Initiation fees have never been divulged and the green jackets are absolutely coveted by all (except by me).

I am so excited about this week despite my lack of concern for golf and the stuffiness of the Club. The chefs are amazing and nice - so far everyone works really well together and assumes the best about everyone. Some menu items for the week: Monte Cristo with maple syrup, Danish filled pancakes, smoked salmon on a cedar plank with red onions and capers, poached eggs with lump crab, lobster baked macaroni and cheese (YUM YUM YUM), bourbon glazed quail with grits cakes, orange and red onion fruit salad, rib-eye burger, to name a few. Oh, and did I mention the Masters gets the Masters Blend coffee especially made for the week?

I'll leave you with a fun fact. And if you see this blog mysteriously disappear it is probably due to power pressure. Well, on the bar in the Rolex cottage is a toaster oven. Why in the hell would we put a toaster oven in the bar when it belongs in the kitchen? Well, it only belongs in the kitchen if the kitchen needs to cook with it. The kitchen doesn't need to cook with it this week...Rolex needs it so that we can have nuts toasting in it while they mingle and relax. Oh, yes, you read that right. Rolex just prefers the aroma of toasted nuts while they spend their hours being served booze and gourmet food while watching The Masters tournament.