Krista Simmons Gets a Taste of Emmys Governor's Ball

Hi, I'm Krista Simmons reporting for Young Hollywood. We are at the Primetime Emmys Governor's Ball tonight. It's a fabulous event. Now, I know that you've been watching the red carpet, seeing these beautiful women slinking around in their teensy-tinsy dresses and probably thinking there isn't much room for food in there. But after the awards are over, all of the stars head here to one of the most fabulous parties in Hollywood, catered by Joachim Splichal and Patina Catering Group. I'm a food reporter and a judge on Top Chef Masters, and I've seen a lot of kitchens, but let me tell you, this production is so incredibly grandiose. And we are getting a sneak peek at the kitchen as well as the ball itself. So, let's go have a look. So, we're here with Joachim Splichal. And he is the executive chef of Patina, and is the mastermind behind all of this beautiful dinner that he has prepared for all the celebrities that are here tonight. So, Joachim, they're Top Chef was nominated for an award tonight, and you are serving 3,800 diners. Do you think you would hang on Top Chef?

I definitely would hang. I would win. I would win. There's no doubt.

That sounds like a challenge.

I I I will put Tom to shame.

Oh, snaps. We gotta get that one on camera. That'll be the next episode. Okay. Um, so now I know that you're preparing for diners who have some dietary restrictions, um, is there anything this year that's sort of new, any kind of fad diet that you have to prepare for?

Well, the main course is beef, so, you know, everybody loves beef, but then we have a vegetarian we have a vegetarian option, which is ravioli, corn ravioli. Which entreals, we have a fish option with with fresh vegetables and a braus. We have a vegan option, and we have fruit, and we, and we have a couple of guys at the supermarket, they can pick up anything they want.

Yeah, so that's actually a really interesting point. So, there is a guy waiting at the supermarket with a walkie-talkie right now, just in case there's someone with some sort of strange dietary restriction, right?

May maybe they like jello, so we we get them the jello.

Joachim Splichal always makes something terrific. It's always beautiful. With a dinner that size, it's all about expediting. It's all about um having a huge team that really is working together every step of the way. So, for every step of the process, for the for the for the prep, for the cooking, for the plating, and then for getting it out. It's not only about the cooks, but it's also about the servers and about really being a massive team. They must have hundreds of people getting this dinner out together.

We are here at the beef pickup station, and as you can see there are a lot of chafing dishes waiting to be picked up. And the goal here tonight is to get the food out fast. So, once those guests arrive, we need to have the waiters coming in and moving. And the goal is to get them giving the food to their guests within 50 seconds of picking it up here at these tents.

I think that um someone like Joachim Splichal who does this every time, um there's no question that he has gotten used to and has already faced every possible challenge. So, you just every experience teaches you a little more, gets you a little more prepared for the next time. Um, and I'm sure that they are making sure that they have all hands on deck.

You've been doing this now for 17 years. Has it gotten any easier or is it always just kind of crazy?

It's not, I mean it's crazy but it's not crazy. We have done it for 17 years. We have a great crew. We have great leadership. We have many of our restaurant people are here all from the Patina Group and we just do a great job.

I am so excited. I hope there's a little leftovers for me, especially of these beautiful white chocolate cakes because I have a sweet tooth and they look fabulous. So thank you for taking some time to talk to us.

You want to eat one now?

Well, we've had a great time here at the Governor's Ball, and now it is time for my favorite part, which is dessert. So, guys, we'll see you next time. Bon appétit!

I like the Emmys.