Chef William Bloxsom-Carter, executive chef of Playboy Mansion West in Los Angeles, contributes a light and easy way to prepare an exotic fruit salad that definitely brings some adult culinary entertainment to this month’s traditional Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day picnic meal plans. Combining an interesting array of the season’s fresh harvests, the chef tosses strawberry papaya, jicama and yellow watermelon with red onion, cilantro, fresh hot pepper, ginger and lime! The salad gets better as the dressing seeps into the fruit, so make a secret second batch for later!

While the Ginger Lime dressing is what really puts this salad over the top, the same recipe also makes a great marinade for chicken, halibut or any other fish. So, since we’ve decided that you are making an extra large batch of the salad, do the same with the dressing and refrigerate the leftovers for up to seven days. However, schedule a marinated meal of your favorite fish or fowl sooner than later while the dressing is still fresh. Remember, fish cannot be marinated long, as the lime will “cook” it.

Chef Carter’s official title is Executive Chef, but at the Playboy Mansion West this is a position that defies definition, as it’s a one-of-a kind job that requires the artistic sensitivity of a symphony conductor as well a tax accountant’s acute sense of organization.

“The Mansion’s two kitchens support a private household, a private hotel, a fine dining room and is the central entertainment hub for most all promotional activities of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. on the west coast. Overnight guests of the company, usually business partners from around the globe, enjoy the same service offered by any five-star hotel that they might have chosen for their trip. Then there are the numerous promotional events, luncheons and dinners that we host here for our marketing partners. The Mansion grounds are also the setting of several celebrity-studded charity galas throughout the year that each take weeks of preparation. It’s a very busy place; keeping it all running in sync is the challenge that motivates me each day. It’s actually hard work that’s great fun,” Chef Carter said, with a surprising enthusiasm that belies his twenty three-year history at The Mansion. This man obviously loves what he does for a living and it shows in his easygoing approach to what seems like a daunting job.

The chef supervises a crew of 18 chefs, plus support staff and interns, working around the clock to stay ahead of the calendar of events hosted by The Mansion as well as the daily menu to service the needs of residents and guests. Chef Carter is especially proud of the visiting intern program that he has developed in collaboration with some of the best culinary schools in the country.

“Our criteria for acceptance is quite rigid, but once accepted, the students enter a program that is focused on maximizing their talents in a non-intimidating, professional atmosphere. Because of the diverse culinary demands here, our interns are exposed to many levels of the hospitality industry. No matter the event or occasion, everything we do here is designed to instill a work ethic that accepts nothing short of excellence. It is that work ethic that I am hoping they take with them when they leave,” said the Chef.

While Chef Carter certainly has reason to think he has the perfect job, his ready smile and humor comes from something that many chefs working in a far less complicated kitchen make little time for, a balanced home life. At the end of each day, which at times may be very late in the evening, the chef makes a 50 mile trek along the famed Ventura Highway to his foothill home in a rural setting north of Los Angeles where he lives with wife Katherine, two sons and super dog, Sierra. This drive is a very necessary separation that gives Chef Carter the temperament and confidence to orchestrate such a large culinary challenge. At home, William Carter is a father and husband who makes the time to enjoy hiking, landscape photography, dining with friends and traveling. He also lends his expertise to one of his son’s high school culinary arts program as well as being in demand throughout California as a professional judge at wine competitions. Chef William Carter says it’s a very whole life and he is enjoying every single second of it, both at home and at his unique office.

So perhaps, besides a dazzling fruit salad, the chef provides us all with a second recipe that can be used outside the kitchen. His emphasis on maintaining a healthy balance of life outside the office, even one with 18 chefs in it, is a formula that serves as a main course for life. Melissa’s counts Chef Carter as one of our most exciting foodservice partners. Our staff works closely with him on each food challenge that he brings to us, large and small; it’s actually a very fun part of the relationship, and one that we hope to enjoy for many years to come.