Savoring the Challenge

Preparing a multinational menu worthy of Sports Night

Executive sous chef Shaun Keenan of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo has twenty-three years of cooking knowledge under his tall white toque. That includes stints at Level 41, Pavilion on the Park, and Fratelli Paradiso in Sydney. But the cheerful, quietly confident Australian, while gravitating between some of the best restaurants in Australia and Japan, doesn’t often receive a culinary challenge quite like the celebrity sports dinner The Tyler Foundation is hosting on Friday, September 29.

Four months ago, Mark Ferris and other Tyler Foundation representatives began huddling with Shaun and the Grand Hyatt to devise something truly special for the evening. Offering the chance to rub shoulders with a bevy of bona-fide cricket and rugby stars such as Kapil Dev, Mike Gatting and Joel Stransky, the event was bound to attract fans from several nations.

“Considering the different countries that would be involved—Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, India and Pakistan—we came up with the idea of presenting dishes from each place,” Shaun says.

He began researching the possibilities, particularly South African dishes, one cuisine he was largely unfamiliar with. “I found that African cooking uses a lot of grains and stews. South Africa is also something of a culinary melting pot, with Dutch, German, Indonesian, Malay and English influences.”

Chef Shaun Keenan sets down the mini-entree selection that will begin the meal for nonvegetarian guests.

The five mini-entrees, featuring (from left to right) Karachi kebab, mini pork pie, Bombay potatoes, steak sandwich, and Cape grain salad.

Knowing that the guests would include expats hungering for a rare taste of real home cooking was a definite spur. “For instance, the recipe for bobotie, a spicy, savory beef stew. Apparently every South African family has a secret bobotie recipe. Our resident manager is South African born, so he got involved in the testing. Our first try was too sweet, but we worked it out. We also had Indians tasting the Indian food, and so on.”

One universal favorite was the Cumberland sausage, a famous link up to 50 centimeters in length from the north of England traditionally served to farmers for breakfast before they headed out to the fields. “During the tasting process everyone said this was such a great sausage, so we’ve decided to drop the recipe we use at the Oak Door for this one,” Shaun says.

Great Reach
The Hyatt’s international presence gives it fantastic resources for such unusual culinary events. “When we can’t find the ingredients locally, we’ll put out the feelers to the country where the cuisine is from, getting someone who’s coming over for a meeting to bring a recipe or spices or whatever we need,” Shaun explains. “To ensure the original taste and original design of the dish, we’ll even call in a chef.”

The hotel recently brought an Indian chef from Mumbai for an event. “He brought a whole collection of spices and recipes, and we’ve still got the fresh spices he hand-ground in India,” Keenan says. “We’ll also have an Indian chef who’ll be working with us in the kitchen.”

Another recent assignment prepared Shaun for the logistical demands of the foundation event. “We catered a special party that’s part of a Jewish national holiday, cooking everything here for 150 guests,” he relates. “Everything had to be made kosher. That included boiling the tongs and all other prep tools in a huge stockpot for three hours. All the plates, cutlery and cutting boards had to be brand-new, too. No wheat products or gluten products or special oils were allowed.

“Also, because a lot of the products were local and their labels were written in Japanese, we had to get the text translated to ensure they were kosher,” he adds. “That was tough, but the party was a success, and they were extremely happy.”

A sampling of the night's cuisine, including bobotie and turmeric rice, the Cumberland sausage, and potato curry and naan.

What's on the Menu?
The foundation sports dinner will feature grilled lamb cutlets and seafood from Australia and New Zealand, such as New Zealand green lip mussels. English favorites such as bubble and squeak, Lancashire hot pot, and steak and Guinness pie will be on the menu. Besides bobotie, the South Africans dishes will include lobster medallions gratin, Joloff rice, and gombo stew, while India will be represented by chicken tikka, lamb tandoori and various curries, along with biryani rice. From Pakistan, there will be beef masala, butter chicken, and dry potato and fish curries.

Mild red peppers accent the spicy chicken tikka.

“I did steer away from particular dishes,” Keenan notes. “For example, there’s no pork other than the Cumberland sausage—which wouldn’t be authentic otherwise—because on the Pakistani side they’re Muslim. All the other meat we’re using—lamb, beef, everything—will be halal. And the different cuts of meat we’ll be offering, like lamb cutlets on the bone, are favorite cuts that you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to buy for home.”

Shaun has also ensured that there are plenty of vegetarian dishes, and is employing only vegetarian stock so that even strict vegans will have no qualms about digging in. The desserts, he adds, are all European, and the wines will be coming from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

“There are now thirty-some dishes on the menu,” Shaun says. “My concept was to provide as many options as possible so that guests can sample throughout the night. I want to overwhelm people with the choices, to generate some wow factor.”

Perhaps the word is getting around. The event was originally planned for a few hundred guests, but the numbers have already gone far past that. The Hyatt’s spectacular Grand Ballroom can accommodate around 550 guests, and if the reservations keep coming, it will be a full and very satisfied house.