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Caterer
Everybody
has to eat. And on special occasions, food can make or break an event.
If you are creative, like meeting a variety of people and can handle
many tasks at once, there are career opportunities for you in catering.
Weddings, conferences, retirement parties and other special events
usually aren't complete without food. Unless you can wave a magic wand
and make an appetizing menu for hundreds of people appear out of
nowhere, a caterer will probably be part of the planning.
Catering involves food preparation and serving. It also involves
understanding each client's unique tastes for menu and atmosphere and
providing them with an event to remember.
Ann Walker is a caterer from California. She learned almost by accident
that she had abilities that could be turned into a profitable career as
a caterer.
"In 1976, my husband and I were entertaining guests from England who
had not been in the country for several years. We were having 20 to 30
people a day visiting us, and I was feeding them all!"
Walker spent six years learning everything she could about food and
cooking. "I decided that I could get paid to do this and put an ad in
the local paper. That was the last time that I ever advertised, except
for a wedding guide that I keep an advertisement running in."
There are many things that Walker loves about her work. Her favorite
thing is working with clients to create menus and help them realize
their dreams.
According to Walker, successful caterers have intelligence,
flexibility, people skills and the ability to follow through
consistently.
Walker's business is well established, so she no longer does the
cooking. She relies on her staff to make sure that everything is
exactly as the client wants it.
"We have several accomplished chefs and excellent site staff, so I know
that what I plan with the clients will be executed beautifully. I
firmly believe in my staff, and they don't let me, or themselves, down."
She says that catering is a leap of faith. "We must believe that the
food will be great, the staff and rentals will all arrive, it won't
rain and the photographer, party planner, etc. will show up, do their
job and...that everyone will have a great time."
Caterers just starting a business probably won't have a staff like
Walker. But she also started small. "My business grew slowly," Walker
says. "Good tools are necessary and expensive."
Since she started catering, Walker has seen many changes in the
industry. She's thankful that her business is grounded in weddings.
"The dot-com businesses that were spending like crazy the past few
years are gone, but those creative people will return with new ideas,"
she says. "Meanwhile, the same people are still getting married, having
birthdays, babies and so on. Many caterers prefer corporate accounts,
but I like the personal ones."
Walker prides herself on her customers' loyalty. "I catered my first
wedding in 1976, and that couple are still my clients. I catered their
children's bar mitzvahs, graduations, the parents' major birthdays and
the grandparents' memorials."
Walker sees more communication affecting the industry. "The way that
people plan their parties has become much more businesslike....I spend
a lot more time revising menus endlessly. In the 1980s, a client would
call up and we'd discuss their needs. I'd send out a proposal, and that
was it. With e-mail and computers, there is a lot more exchange of
information."
Amy Ho is an events manager for a hotel. She's also the president of a
chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE). NACE
represents executives in the catering industry and promotes catering as
a profession. It offers a certification program to become recognized as
a catering professional.
Like Walker, Ho notices trends in the catering business. She's been in
the industry since 1992. "Catering is now perceived as a profession,
just like an accountant is considered a professional. People now say
that they want to be a caterer or an event planner. They study and
train to go into this profession. In the past, that wasn't the case."
Ho also sees communication affecting the industry. Technology makes
catering planning more extensive. For example, some clients now want
things like video conferencing added to the event.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook says food and beverage preparation
and service workers should have abundant job opportunities through
2012. Someone interested in being a self-employed caterer needs to be
aware of the skills and qualifications of the competition.
Professionals in any field are usually willing to share advice with
others about their work. Walker's final bit of advice comes from years
of experience and her sense of humor.
"First of all, know that only crazy people go into restaurant work or
catering," she jokes. "Seriously, it draws some very different people.
I love them, but I'm very tolerant and have made my business an
extension of my family."
She also adds that catering is not glamorous. "This is a service
business, and you really need to enjoy taking care of people," she says.
"I always tell new staff to remember that catering is theater. We are
creating an atmosphere for our clients. And behind the scenes, if
anything is amiss, the client should never know about it. The client
just wants to have a lovely catered event, and that's what you're there
for." If you start to dislike your clients, it's time to get out of the
business.
Catering is a rewarding business that allows you to become an important
part of people's memories. When someone leaves a catered event, says
Ho, they don't leave with something to look at or touch. They are left
with a feeling. Successful caterers create memories that last a
lifetime.
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Net
Sites
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How Catering Works
Get an overview of catering, and see if you have what it takes!
http://www.howstuffworks.com/catering.htm
Ann Walker Catering
See Walker's business online
http://www.annwalkercatering.com/
National Association
of Catering Executives
An organization that represents the catering crowd
http://www.nace.net/
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