An innovative product, service or technology in the culinary industry from the past.

Gueridon Service

The term gueridon could be defined as “a movable service table or trolley from which food may be served”. In other means, the gueridon is a movable sideboard or service station carrying sufficient equipment for food service requirements, together with any spare equipment that maybe necessary. The gueridon originated in France towards the middle of the 17th century. The supports for early guéridons were often modelled on ancient Greek & Egyptian human traditional figures. While often serving humble purposes, such as to hold a candlestick or vase, the guéridon could be a high-style decorative piece of court furniture. By the time of Louis XIV's death in 1715, there were several hundred guéridons at Versailles, and within a generation they had taken infinity of forms: columns, tripods, termini and mythological figures. Some of the simpler and more artistic forms were of wood carved with familiar decorative motives and gilded. Silver, enamel, and indeed almost any material from which furniture can be made, have been used for their construction. A variety of small occasional tables are now called guéridons in French.

Gueridon service usually indicates serving food onto a guest’s plate at the gueridon, but may also refer to other enhanced service techniques such as service using a drinks trolley, carving trolley, cheese trolley, or a sweet trolley. These trolleys also act as selling aids as they display the items on offer to the customer.

The Approach

Gueridon service is an enhanced form of table service but is more costly as it requires a higher level of technical service, the use of more expensive & elaborate equipment & large service areas to allow for the movement of trolleys.

A gueridon service functions to prepare & serve foods in the service area such as salads & dressings, carving, jointing & filleting foods in a service area & flambage (the preparation & finishing or cooking of foods in the restaurant, which are also flambéed).

For a gueridon service, food orders are taken as usual. With that being said, all dishes must be presented to the guests at the table before the actual service of the food and especially before any portioning, filleting, jointing, carving. This is done so the customers can see dishes, as the kitchen has presented them, and before the dishes are to be served. Customers can also confirm the orders are correct.

Mise-en-place for Gueridon Service

In many restaurants where gueridon is carried out, the basic layout s standardised to ensure that the required standards are met. Following is a basic format for the lay-up for the top of the gueridon.

Dishes typically served like this include Crepes Suzette, Caesar Salad, Cherries Jubilee, and Banana Flambé & Steak Tartar.

The gueridon trolley is usually equipped with a hotplate/burner/induction. Some trolleys have a cold drawer as well. Cutlery includes Service spoons & joint forks, sweet spoons & forks, soup, tea & coffee spoons, joint & side knives, fish knives & forks.

Importance

Gueridon trolley service to me is important because it is a legacy I feel that has died down the years. And also because it’s an art where the cook gets to show his showmanship and create a wow factor. I was taught the gueridon service in my previous culinary years back in India and the pleasure and thrill of operating it was a delightful one. In the future I would like to work on bringing this service back if I ran my own setup by adding even more recipes apart from the traditional ones.

References

Cousins, J. A., Weekes, S., & Lillicrap, D. R. (2014). Food and Beverage Service (Vol. 9th edition John Cousins, Dennis Lillicrap, Suzanne Weekes). London: Hodder Education Group. Retrieved from https://login.gbcprx01.georgebrown.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=830427&site=ehost-live&scope=site