Different Tastes - Catering to Perfection, Jack Milan

Tucked inside a double brownstone building in Chelsea is one of the most critically acclaimed catering operations in North America.

Jack Milan's "Different Tastes" catering company has captured a remarkable number of awards based on recognition by industry peers. Not only has Milan's operation won more CATIE awards (Catered Arts Through Innovative Excellence) than any caterer in North America, but it has twice been named "National Caterer of the Year" by Catering Magazine and, in 2006, was named "International Catering Company of the Year" by Event Solutions magazine.

The little catering powerhouse has remained purposefully small compared to most competitors in order to maintain consistency and quality for its clientele of corporate and social event sponsors and wedding planners. "We want unique and beautiful presentations and consistency of taste every time," says Milan, the former exclusive caterer to the Wang Center for 14 years. "What distinguishes us is our focus on simple elegance," he adds, noting that "we avoid presentations of vertical piles [of food] and we don't make things that are overly spiced or sauced."

Milan instead aims for clean and uncluttered presentations and tastes. "You should be able to taste the individual ingredients. If you mix too many colors on a palate, you always get brown, and the same principle applies to your food," he explains.

Thus, a Different Tastes meal consists of unique courses offered for a memorable taste experience. For example, at MIT's Capital Campaign gala, Milan served: crab cakes with remoulade sauce; oysters with mignonette, lemon and sake-lime sauce; wild mushroom strudel with an herbed cream sauce; pan-seared swordfish with sesame-sprinkled herbs, tenderloin steak on Parmesan basil polenta; chocolate truffles and cranberry/pear tartlets for dessert.

The visual presentation is also memorable, featuring creations such as edible soup spoons or mashed potatoes made to look like pears. "Our goal is to make conversation pieces for every event, and the challenge is continuing to top our past performances, which are eventually imitated by others," says Milan.

His company also focuses on "consistency of service," so he trains staff with the use of a 40-page manual setting specific standards for every part of the service experience, from the proper setting of tables to the proper methods of serving food and drink. "We also stress friendly service and willingness to accommodate people with specific requests," Milan says. "It is attention to the smallest details that makes an experience," he asserts.

The eldest of seven boys, Milan learned how to "take charge" at an early age. "I always knew how things should be done and how I wanted them done," he recalls, noting that his parents encouraged him to take chances and to listen to the beat of his own drum.

So it was hardly a surprise to them when Jack turned his back on a successful career as a data processing consultant more than 30 years ago to build his own business based on his passion for great food. Milan explains that it was not a willy-nilly decision, noting that he had been hosting some of Chicago's best cooks at private dinner parties for some time while he was attending graduate school, soliciting their advice and asking each of them to grade him on presentation, creativity and consistency from first taste to last.

After a period of soul-searching, Milan finally decided it was time to open his first restaurants on Newbury Street and in the Galleria Mall, known as the "Stockpot." It offered five special soups that changed daily, a fresh salad bar and desserts. The restaurants were a success, but it was not long before Milan was looking for a bigger challenge. So, he and his business partner sold them, and he sought to perfect his training under the tutelage of Odette Bery, a renowned caterer and owner of the once fashionable Beacon Hill restaurant "Another Season." There, he learned the classic French techniques that form the basis of culinary art, doing everything from kitchen prep work to making sauces and eventually running the catering operations.

"I felt so loyal that I could never have gone into competition with Odette, but when she decided to give up the catering business, that is when I got into it [in 1981]," Milan recalls, noting that he first targeted corporate clients for their event work.

"My business training really helped me in those early years," says the chef who holds a Master's in Business Administration for finance. "I've known a lot of food people who were very artistic but failed because they were not capable of watching the bottom line," Milan adds.

He suggests that attention to legal issues, like attention to business principles, is also essential to survival and success. "Burns & Levinson keeps me legal. They do all my filings for things like permits, licenses and trademarks, and they help protect my business from trouble," says Milan, adding that he has trusted Robert D. Friedman, partner, as his principle counselor for more than 25 years.

"Bob pays attention to details and he is a perfectionist, just like me," Milan says. "But he also calls me just to talk, and he shows a real interest in me and in my business," the long-time caterer adds.

He also suggests that having a reliable and consistent legal team behind him allows him to focus on his own business. "It is like the relationship I have with a client who says to me, 'I never worry about turning things over to you because I trust you to take care of the details and make everything come out right."

Milan says that Burns & Levinson provides him with the same kind of first-class service he provides to his own customers. "My company is not large, but I always feel prioritized and valued as a client, and I always get the feeling that my success is their success," says Milan.

In fact, Milan's success has been so consistent that he has constantly sought out new and greater challenges. He has diversified his offerings to include floral arrangements, music, entertainment, and other key elements of an event experience. Now, he's working on "Edibles by Jack" which consist of edible hors d'oeuvres spoons, a line of gluten-free muffins and brownies, and picnic lunches of elegant simplicity.

For those who think they cannot afford the best during tough economic times, Milan has advice: "There are creative ways to reduce costs without reducing quality, and a great caterer will work within your budget to achieve your objectives in different ways, just as a great lawyer will find more than one way to get a result."

This interview was published in the Winter 2009 issue
of our newsletter, Focus
Click here to view the entire 2009 Winter Focus