Dinner with a side of protocol: cooking for royal visitors
'It's a little bit like directing an orchestra'
A retired Government House chef says every detail in the kitchen is accounted for during royal visits, but sometimes things don't go as planned.
Daniel von Kanel spent 15 years as the executive chef at Victoria's Government House. During his career, he planned and cooked high-calibre meals for visiting royals such as Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana.
"It's a little bit like directing an orchestra," von Kanel said. "Behind the scenes, sometimes we get a panic. But I tried to be as calm as possible."
The meticulous planning includes menu approvals by Buckingham Palace, extensive security at the venue and health inspectors that monitor all food preparation in the kitchen, von Kanel said.
- William and Kate land in Kelowna for wine tasting and volleyball match
- Royal tour planners create "narrative," says expert
- Royal Canadian Mint issues collector coin for royal visit
But staff have to be ready to handle anything that could threaten a seamless dinner party. In the case of a visit by Queen Elizabeth in the 1990s, von Kanel said, a stray bat threatened to throw an evening into chaos.
The bat flew into the dining room, just 10 minutes before the Queen, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries were set to make an entrance, which was being broadcast live on television.
"You can imagine a bat getting into somebody's hair," he said.
The situation was solved thanks to the quick action of a waiter who grabbed a towel and shooed the bat into a stairwell off the dining room.
"He expedited the bat out of the window, and just as he had finished doing that, the doors opened and the formal dinner began," von Kanel recalled.
When staff travelling with the Queen heard about the way the waiter saved the evening, he was offered a job at Buckingham Palace, von Kanel said.
Von Kanel shared memories of his time as executive chef at Government House with host Robyn Burns on CBC Radio's All Points West:
-with files from Jean Paetkau, All Points West