The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-08-17
A WATERING PLACE HOTEL.

A correspondent of the Newark Cou-
raer writes from Cape May concerning
the mysteries of hotel kitchen, as fol
lows:
From eight hundred to one thousand
guests can be dined at IA single sitting in
the immense dining rooms Of either the
Stocton House or Congress Hall. To
satisfactorily provide and properly pre-
pare the food for such large number of
people requires rare skill and long ex-
perience. Mr.. John Thompson is the
caterer at the Stockton, and ex Senator
Ware at Congress Hall. By the courtesy
of these two friends | was thoroughly
initiated into all the mysteries of that
part of the hotel keeping, of which the
guests know but little. Like a reliable
time keeper is a we'll managed caravan
sarie The dial and indicators move
with regularity, but there is complicated
machinery concealed from public gaze
that must be we'll oiled and closely
watched to keep it running smoothly
This machinery in a large hotel is the
appetite slayer. The caterer, as before
remarked, is a parsonage that the ordin-
airy guest of hotel will not often come
in contact with. He does not part his
hair in the middle decorate his shirt
front with paste diamonds, nor affect
a fragrant bouquet IN his coat button
holes His objective point is a cold re-
frigerator.
In the beef line nothing but ribs and
sirloins are used in either Congress Hall
or the Stetson. This is cut up as wanted
by skillful carYers, not an ounce being
wasted. The fat and bones go to make
lard and soup stocks. One thousand
pounds of poultry is required for daily
consumption, and is furnished by the
farmers Of the surrounding country they
likewise supply nearly all the vegetables
and berries. Four barrels of flour is the
daily allowance for making bread, pas
try, etc. Two hundred pounds of butter
and one hundred gallons of milk is the
daily draft on the dairy. Oysters and
fish are supplied in Unlimited quaint
ties, fresh every morning, by old vet
Grams.
When the caterer has his store-room
we'll stocked, he has little difficulty in
keeping it so, and can always manage to
have one or two days supplies ahead.
His breakfast bill Of tare is prepared
over night, and that Tor dinner early in
the morning. At three o'clock in the
morning the fremen are called and the
fires lighted, and an hour later the en-
tire kitchen force is ready for duty.
For broIling purposes q charcoal fire is
deemed the best. while for boiling steam
is used. For baking and frying an
anthracite coal fire is the cheapest and
most desirable. The cooks proper number
sixteen, seven Of whom are men, and
nine females, each of whom has the bill
Of fare for the meal to be provided be-
fore him. Six hundred guests will or
der at single meal six thousand Dishes
and there is not much idleness in the
kitchen during the hours devoted to
feeding the guests. The empty dishes
as fast as removed from the tables are
passed to the washing department, where
one class of servants handle the crockery,
another the glassware and third the
cutlery. AS soon as cleansed it is return
to the crockery room and again dis
bursed. About five per cent. of the
table furniture is annually broken or
Clipped, Notwithstanding The utmost
care. q