You’d think cooking for movie stars would be a glamorous gig. And sometimes it is, like when I get invited to a wrap party or as a plus one to a movie premiere. But most of the time my job is hard work. My name is Penelope Sutherland, and I’m Chef-Owner of Red Carpet Catering. I work behind the scenes on movie sets to keep the cast and crew fed during filming, which boils down to many more hours on my feet and dirty dishes than glamorous nights out on the town.
Don’t get me wrong, my job definitely has its perks. Every day brings new challenges and a sense of adventure. It’s hard to get bored in my particular line of work, because no two days are ever the same. We go where the film crew goes, wherever that might be.
Take today for example. Me and my assistant chefs packed up our mobile kitchen trucks and drove down to the beach before sunrise. We set up the catering tents, and got busy prepping lunch and dinner for over two hundred cast, crew, suits and extras. It’s a long day to begin with, made longer by the director on this shoot. He keeps forgetting to tell us when he’s running behind, and we have to keep the food from spoiling in the Florida heat while we wait for him to wrap.
After lunch my team will clean up, and then start on dinner. We’ll be cooking on the beach for fifteen hours at least, longer if filming goes into overtime, which on this shoot is a daily occurrence. Hopefully the director will get the scene he needs today, otherwise we’ll be back here again tomorrow, déjà vu all over again. But we’ll have a whole new menu.
I do enjoy watching the sunrise in the mornings when we start work. I’ve always been a morning person, I think because there’s a peacefulness to that time of day that’s hard to find later on. We’re up and on the job, chopping vegetables and portioning out proteins, when most people still have hours left to sleep, or when some more ambitious club-goers are making their way home from a late night out. But you get used to working the long days, cooking in all types of weather, in different locations and for all types of personalities. That’s where the adventure comes in.
While I work I watch the crew roll through a scene featuring my best friend and roommate, Arlena Madison. She and her handsome co-star have been running back and forth from the sand to the ocean all morning, going from wet to dry as they try to get everything just right. Every time the director yells “cut” wardrobe and makeup strip them down, dry them off and reassemble their clothes, makeup and hair and they start again. I hope after all this work they get a few minutes of film they can use.
We’ve been working on this little island off the coast of Florida for the past few weeks away from our home base of New Jersey, and I’m starting to really miss Joey Baglioni, a childhood friend who might be becoming much more. At least I hope so. He’s a police detective back home, so he’s got a crazy schedule also. Getting together isn’t always easy, but we really have fun when we do. There was always something special about Joey. I could tell even during those awkward grade school years.
To keep my mind off of missing him, I should probably focus on my work. It’s hard enough to find the time to date someone when you have a regular job, much less when you have a job that barely leaves you enough time to get a few hours of sleep between shifts, and takes you off on location for months at a time. And this shoot is proving to be more difficult than most. We’re battling the heat, dealing with a difficult director and accommodating a lead actress who’s severely allergic to seafood. Not to mention one of my favorite chef instructors from culinary school, on the island to cater a set party, ends up accused of kidnapping two young girls, who happen to be my newly hired waitresses on the set.
I just can’t believe he would do something like that, even though there were rumors about him dating students back in school, rumors that I never believed. Whatever happened, I’m determined to figure it out. I just hope I’m not too late.
Murder on a Silver Platter and Murder on the Half Shell, published by Henery Press, February 2016. Murder on a Designer Diet, the third book in the Red Carpet Catering mystery series will be released June 2016.
About the author
Shawn Reilly Simmons is the author of The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries featuring Penelope Sutherland, an on-set movie caterer.
Shawn was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and began her professional career in New York City as a sales executive after graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA in English. Since then Shawn has worked as a book store manager, fiction editor, convention organizer, wine consultant and caterer. She has been on the Board of Directors of Malice Domestic since 2003, and is a founding member of The Dames of Detection. Cooking behind the scenes on movie sets perfectly combined two of her great loves, movies and food, and provides the inspiration for her series. Visit Shawn at www.shawnreillysimmons.com
Giveaway: Leave comment below for your chance to win the Kindle or Nook editions of both Murder on a Silver Platter and Murder on the Half Shell. The giveaway will end March 1, 2016 at 12 AM EST. Good luck everyone!
All comments are welcomed.
Sounds like a good series. Thanks for introducing me to another author to add to my TBR list.
With my love of movies & food, paired with shellfish allergies, I can really identify with this series. Glad for the introduction to Shawn Reilly Simmons, Dru. Thanks for the chance in the giveaway.
Another new series added to my TBR pile – thank you Dru and Shawn Reilly Simmons!
These books sound like a fun read! I do enjoy good entertainment and luscious food. Thank you for the giveaway.
I love to read a series that cannot only entertain but also teach me about something new. I know nothing about catering or behind the scenes at a movie production, so I am definitely looking forward to this new series. Thanks for the giveaway!
Sounds like a fun, new series. Thanks for the chance to win!
Sounds like a good series. I hadn’t heard of it before. Thanks for featuring, Dru.
bpwoodfield@gmail.com
Sounds like a good series. Thank you for introducing me to another author!
I love foodie mysteries , and I read predominately on my nook , so this giveaway is right up my alley ! Thank you for a chance to win 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win the ebooks.
I can’t believe I missed this series! It sounds incredible and a definite MUST read! Thanks Dru for today’s feature! Thanks also to Shawn for her generous opportunity! 😮 My fingers are crossed. 🙂
Thanks, everyone! And thanks to Dru Ann for inviting me and Penelope on her blog to meet you today! Big hugs to you all!
A new author I haven’t read before. Excited for the chance to win Shawn’s books. Thank you so much.
Nice to see Shawn outside of Malice Domestic! I don’t know how she has time to write with all she does for that convention, but her books sound great! Looking forward to reading them.
I just read both books and I loved them, looking forward to the next book in the series. Thanks for the giveaway.
This sounds interesting. Another series to fall in love with!
Sounds like a great read.
An interesting peek into an unusual job.
sounds like a new and interesting story to me, a really different career, would love to read
We’re addicted to cooking shows at our house so both of these books would be right up our alley. Thanks for the chance to win.
Sounds like a fun job and a fun book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Sounds like a great read. I enjoy books about chefs and cooks. Would enjoy reading.
Thank you Dru Ann for the introduction to Shawn Reilly Simmons and her books. If the book is as good as the cover looks, I am sure I will enjoy reading them. robeader53@yahoo.com
thanks for the opportunity!
Thanks for the chance!
Great idea for a series. Added to TBR stack! Thanks Dru Ann for the giveaway!
Congratulations! See you at Malice.
I know your new readers will be delighted by your cosy series. Cannot wait to read the latest. The winner will be deliciously delighted in the feasts you offer.
I always wondered what and where the actors on a shoot ate.
Looks like a great series, you can’t miss with food and movie star gossip! Thanks for the chance to win!
Definitely on my TBR pile.
LOVE the covers!!! Thank you for the giveaway…..