I was the center of attention backstage at the Tuleh fashion show on Sunday. (As foodies, you may not know this, but it's Fashion Week. All the top American designers are showing their fall 2005 collections under the tents at Bryant Park in NYC.) People crowded around me and took my picture. Why all the fuss? Let's face it, I'm not some teenage 5-foot-10-inch Eastern European beauty. No, the source of my mysterious attraction was… my panini. That's right, I was working the panini machine, cranking out toasty Nutella and peanut butter sandwiches. "Oh, Nutella!" a model squealed while jumping up and down and clapping. "I love this! I eat it every morning!"
I should explain. Like any live performance, fashion shows have craft services. After all, someone has to feed the almost 200-strong army of stylists, dressers, roadies, and models (yes, contrary to popular belief, fashion people do eat). Oliver Schwaner-Albright's Oliver Cooking first catered the Tuleh show in 2004. He's known Tuleh's studio manager, Delphine Rubin, since childhood and is friends with the designer, Bryan Bradley. He really does the craft service for fun. His girlfriend, Christine, came up with the Nutella panini idea. It was a huge success. So much so that people were sneaking in from other shows to nosh. This year, he invited me to witness the phenomenon, and I have to say I was impressed. One staffer revealed she'd bought a sandwich press after the last show to make them at home; hairstylists talked about looking forward to Tuleh every year… for the food. Reportedly, the usual fashion buffet is cold cuts and coffee. "I try to do good, fresh food that people will really want to eat," Oliver said. And who wouldn't love a Boucheron cheese, asparagus, and truffle oil panini? Best of all, even us regular folks can engage his services. E-mail [email protected].
Originally posted on Epicurious.com