Off-Premise

Off-Premise Recap: Home-Cooked Moroccan
by Irwin Mencias, Lokahi Event Services Group

Although we tried to push for having an Off-Premise Luau in August, we immediately focused our attention to making sure we would not let our diners go another month without another event. Kevin from Off-Menu Catering Services has been keeping in touch with Chef Kamal Jemmari of Shogunai Tacos since he’s been on the lookout for a great chef to cook a Moroccan dinner. Moroccan restaurants on Oahu are a rarity, but luckily we found a Chef who was willing to host a truly unique dining experience for guests seasoned and green to the cuisine. The anticipation heightened when we learned that Chef Kamal’s mother would be cooking alongside with him, bringing a home-cooked, authentic meal to our hungry diners.

Our biggest hurdle for this event was finding a venue that would serve as the canvas for our event. Some of the available places we found would have hindered the ambiance or would not have been conducive for this particular dinner. Fortunately, a thoughtful regular diner had offered the long driveway of his apartment complex to host the dinner. After we confirmed we would use the location, we had to double check that spacing would not be an issue for tent setup and guest seating. Luckily, we were able to address potential sizing issues and agree on a layout that would work best for the area.

Sadly, I have not personally gone to Morocco but Jaymi voluntarily spearheaded designing the theme and decor for the evening. Moroccan style lanterns from Event Essentials Hawaii provided the basis and inspiration, with colorful sheer linen, mocha table cloths with fuchsia table runners and peak tenting from Royal Party Rentals to tie in the bursts of bold color combinations. Koa wood bowls served as usable hand washes for guests using rose petal water. Everything came together so wonderfully, as we were complimented by Chef Kamal at how the finishing touches reminded him of Morocco. We were pleased to have Mark Kwiatkowski as our photographer for the evening, offering his skills as a wedding, portrait and landscape photographer to capture the details of this Off-Premise event.

As guests began to casually arrive, they took a shot at our Moroccan Trivia game to win two seats to the next Off-Premise dinner. We anticipated a few parties to arrive late since the area had minimal parking accommodations. Once the majority of our diners were seated, Kevin from Off-Menu welcomed everyone and introduced Chef Kamal and his mother who were warmly greeted by everyone with applause. The servers prepped the tables for dinner service, which involved a family-style dinner of the menu below:

Salad de Kasbah

Cauliflower, Potato, Carrot, Beets, Red Wine Vinaigrette Marinated Tomatoes and Red Onion, Cumin Seasoned Rice with Tuna and Mais

Bastilla
Layers of Chicken, Eggs and Crushed Almond encased in Phyllo Pastry, Topped with Cinnamon and Powder Sugar

Vegetarian Couscous
Homemade Steamed Couscous in a Very Flavorful Broth, Served with Potato, Carrot, Zucchini, Pumpkin and Garbanzo Beans

Chicken Tajine
Famous Moroccan Chicken Tajine with Olives and Preserved Lemon

Chef Kamal and his mother were hard at work in the Shogunai Tacos food truck, passing dishes for each table along to the servers. One by one, the dishes were plated and served to each table in quick succession and laid out for the taking. Upon each dish being served, guests momentarily paused in awe as they were both captivated by the look and aroma of each dish. I would have loved to just sit down at a table and dig right in with everyone else! Before I knew it, all the dishes for the evening were served and we were passing out French Baguettes so that guests would be able to soak up the juices from the Chicken Tajine. Nothing was left untouched, and every bite – rather, every drop – was savored to the last.

The Moroccan dinner focused solely on the main dishes, while dessert offered a Cupcake Design Bar by Hokulani Bakery. Vanilla, Chocolate, Lilikoi-Lemon and Strawberry-Guava cupcakes were left for each guest to take, along with a cute origami holder containing various toppings. Jaymi and I manned the frosting bags and piped either Cream Cheese or Buttercream to their content. The servers poured Moroccan Mint Tea concocted by Chef Kamal, which was such a delightful treat to cap the night.

Did we do justice in pleasing guests who have gone to Morocco or dined at a Moroccan restaurant? Let’s not forget those who have never before experienced the cuisine itself. If empty plates and eager volunteers for left-overs are any indication, then I think we did just that.