Whale Tales From a Seattle Private Chef

Chef Tom Black, formerly of Fullers, Barking Frog, and Alderbrook Resort, has had his share of outlandish requests, but none come close to the couple he catered to aboard their private yacht in the Caribbean in 2010. He says:

They were the most extravagant as far as what they needed to have access to on a daily basis. For instance, they needed to have 6 oz of Osetra caviar onboard at all times, whether they ate it or not. That's like $2,000 worth of caviar. They just wanted that available at any point. I also had to make sure the whole caviar service was ready to go at any point, so I always had to have hardboiled eggs cooked and separated and the whites and yolks chopped, shallots minced, little toast points done—the whole nine yards. Most days, I'd say 99-percent of the time, they wouldn't have caviar.

It was the first time I ever worked for someone where there was no thought given to the money spent on food. There wasn't any result expected other than a great dining experience.

Who were these clients? The owners of Silver Oak Cellars down in Napa. To this day, they're still the most extravagant clients chef Black has ever catered for.

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[Photo: T. Black]