The Theory of Everything Delicious

Chef Brad Toles’ award-worthy dishes are starring at the Palm Spring International Film Festival Gala

Arianna Menon Attractions

 

Savoury’s Catering Chef Brad Toles is supervising the Palm Springs Convention Center’s two kitchens like a captain of a tight ship.

He and his team have been working non-stop for the last four weeks in order to deliver another impeccable dining experience to the 2,400 guests that will attend the Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala on Jan. 3.

A lot of time goes into planning to assure that every table will enjoy a high quality service. From the food stations to the 200 servers grouped in 14 color-coded teams, every detail is meticulously organized. It’s no coincidence that Toles has been the official gala chef for the past 18 years — he has always provided a consistent, top-notch service.

 

One of the main entrées is the signature mouth-watering short ribs.

 

“The guests are supposed to have a flawless experience,” he says “We put all the pieces together to build a restaurant in a few days and serve the guests in an hour.”

Time is indeed the essence because serving can’t interfere with the programming. “I have to make sure that we’re perfect on our timing. We don’t want to throw the show off,” says Toles with emphasis.

 

Fun and colorful: A variety of fresh vegetables arranged in a small tower showcases Chef Toles' creativity.

 

This year’s menu is colorful and sophisticated — every dish is accompanied by a variety of vegetables arranged in beautiful compositions. The main entrée are the signature mouth-watering short ribs and a gluten-free, vegetarian option that will also satisfy vegans. Toles anticipates that he will have about 150-200 vegetarian guests. He’s preparing these dishes in advance because the percentage of vegetarians has grown every year.

The dessert is an elaborate composition made of chocolate and other surprising flavors sure to appeal to every palate. Chef Toles revealed that 10,000 chocolate sheets, 6,000 blackberries, and 4,500 raspberries have been used to create this work of art.

10,000 chocolate sheets, 6,000 blackberries, and 4,500 raspberries have been used to create the dessert.

 

Other ingredients including 13,000 pieces of asparagus, 5,000 sheets of zucchini, 2,400 short ribs, and 350 pounds of risotto will be used in the main courses.

“This is my 18th gala, when we first started these events were around 700 people and it grew to 2,400,” he says. “Last year it was the biggest one, but this year it’s even bigger. It keeps growing every year. If it keeps going at this pace, we’ll need a bigger building.”

And more zucchini!

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