Glorious Brownies

Glorious Food wrote the book on upscale catering in New York City during the 1980s and 1990s. It was the go-to caterer for major events at the city’s museums, cultural institutions, and large private venues.

It was also an incredible place to work. The kitchen—located on East 74th Street by the FDR Drive—was clean, well-organized, and had the feel of a serious professional operation. Everyone wore a full chef’s uniform, including the classic tall hats. The days were long, but even with multiple parties for hundreds of guests on the books, we always sat down for a one-hour, multi-course lunch. This was a stark contrast to my previous job, where lunch meant takeout, wolfed down standing up or while perched on a flour sack.

The co-owner chef, Jean-Claude, ran the kitchen with quiet authority, relying on knowledge and presence rather than volume—no shouting, no theatrics. He was at every major event through dessert, and when the crew was prepping late into the night, he was there beside us.

Being at Glorious Food meant being part of special New York events, which was exciting even from our vantage point. All these years later, I remember so many of them, along with the glitches and Jean-Claude’s unique way of doing things. Among them:

• Walking into the Winter Garden in Battery Park NY in 1989 the night of a formal dinner for Princess Diana and seeing the magical space and spectacular table settings.
• Driving at daybreak to the reopening of Ellis Island in September 1990 via New Jersey and seeing the morning light rise over the lower Manhattan skyline.
• Looking down a long row of banquet tables filled with silver trays holding dessert adorned with sparkling spun sugar, a signature Glorious Food finishing touch.
• Piped whipped cream was the finishing touch on many Glorious Food desserts—Praline Soufflé, Ice Cream Bombe, and others served at large events. Jean-Claude insisted it be whipped on-site, so there we were: in a hallway at the Met or the back of a truck at Caramoor, armed with a wire whisk and a giant metal bowl, hand-whipping up to 10 quarts of cream.
• One December evening, I walked into the Polo Restaurant pastry kitchen on Madison Avenue to borrow a Christmas tree and star cutter. A furious hostess on Park Avenue had just discovered that her tea sandwiches, meant to be cut into holiday shapes, had arrived as plain rectangles. The pastry chef barely looked up—he simply slid over his bin of cutters and told me to take what I needed.
• Then there was the time we delivered six metal catering cabinets to an upper floor of the Citicorp building for a corporate dinner—only to learn that the party was actually across Lexington Avenue, in a Citibank office. Back at the loading dock, I spotted an empty Conran’s truck and handed the driver $40 to shuttle the cabinets and us around the block.

While Glorious Food’s menus were often rooted in classic French cuisine, many events—especially the larger ones—featured sophisticated comfort food. The best example: the pheasant or quail pot pies, served in polished copper oval dishes alongside killer mashed potatoes. I bought two of those copper ovals for myself years ago at Zabar’s, and whenever I use them, I’m reminded of the hours spent rolling out and carefully placing pastry lids on hundreds of those pot pies.

In the dessert realm, a star comfort food was the Glorious Food brownies. Countless dessert buffets and passed dessert receptions included these round chocolate delights, lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar, sitting on fancy serving trays. Such a simple thing, but it was all part of the Glorious Food look.

In the kitchen cutting rounds out of an 18″ by 26″ sheet pan was always a happy time for the staff, as the inevitable scraps were a great afternoon pick me up with a cup of strong French press coffee.

The original 60 egg recipe has been scaled down as much as possible. It will make two 8″ by 8″ brownie pans. They freeze beautifully.