The Tall Stacks kitchens:
40,000 meals

Post staff report

Behind the scenes at Tall Stacks '99 is an around-the-clock logistical operation that does everything from deliver meals for steamboat passengers to pick up the trash.

And it's all done by boat.

"Behind the scenes work is a very thankless job, but a very necessary job," says Alan Bernstein. "It's really the key to making the whole festival work. The people in back are the heart of the event."

Bernstein, the owner of BB Riverboats in Covington, is the official caterer of Tall Stacks and has contracts with nine boats to supply them with whatever they need.

What the boats mainly need is food - and lots of it - for their lunch and dinner cruises throughout the five-day festival.

Many of the boats have hundreds of people aboard for up to half-a-dozen cruises each day.

"We're preparing 40,000 meals," says Bernstein. "That is a lot of cooking."

A typical lunch cruise menu in cludes salad, rolls, a main course of chicken, beef or vegetarian lasagna, along with assorted vegetables and cookies and brownies for dessert.

A typical dinner cruise menu includes salad, a main course of prime rib, capon or pasta, along with potatoes and rice, with cheesecake for dessert.

Bernstein, who has a regular staff of 150 people for his riverboat operations, hired an additional 50 employees to help with the Tall Stacks crush.

"We have three kitchens working around the clock all week long," said Bernstein. "It's tough work - cooking all day and all night."

One kitchen is located at BB headquarters in Covington, another is in Clifton and a third operates in a BB boat.

Employees work 12-hour shifts - some going from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the others from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

After the meals are cooked, they are placed in warmers aboard delivery boats and ferried to where the steamboats are docked.

Bernstein also provides the boats with numerous made-to-order items like gigantic sheet cakes with paddle wheel decorations.

Regular deliveries of ice, flowers and decorations also are made.

"Each boat has a different need," noted Bernstein. "Some want china for tableware, others want something else."

And then, there's about 50,000 tons of trash to be picked up during the week.

"We pick up all the garbage from the boats by water," said Bernstein. "We have three service boats working 24 hours a day."

Bernstein, a riverboat captain who enjoys working around the river, figures the Tall Stacks festival is unbeatable.

"I get here early in the morning and I don't leave until late at night," he noted. "It's beautiful to see the sun rise over the boats and it's glorious to see all the boats' glimmering lights at night."

"I think Tall Stacks is the greatest event in the country. This is what Cincinnati's river heritage is all about."

"Cincinnati is a world class river city and the people of Cincinnati should be very proud to host such a wonderful festival."