Life is too short to eat bad food!
A few months back I received an e-mail from someone who had attended many parties which I had I catered before she moved across the country. She opened with this line: “I was thinking about you the other day, and thought I’d drop you a line, after 2 years of being away… I was at a small reception with the worst food I’ve ever had, and wished that you had been the one to cater this event…I was at a conference and everything served was pre-packaged stuff that you just pulled out of the freezer and re-heated…Yuck!” I have always been very proud of the quality of food I serve at events. I believe in using quality ingredients, and buy much of my produce at local farmer’s markets. I don’t serve frozen pre-made hors d’oeuvre or desserts, two areas where many caterers choose to trim costs. I make all my own salad dressings and sauces. Making these items in house can be labor intensive, and buying seasonal and vine and field ripened locally grown produce can sometimes be more expensive. It can be frustrating to get calls from prospective clients who don’t seem to understand that quality food always costs more. I’m sorry to say, that on many more than one occasion I have had prospects contact me saying they had a budget of $15-$20 a person for their wedding or other special event. Now, I believe these people must surely understand that you may be able to go to Denny’s and get a full meal for $15 to $20 per person, but for a fine dining experience, it’s going to cost a whole lot more than that. If you were taking your guests to a restaurant and picking up the bill, plus tip, and if the restaurant were closing its doors to accommodate only your party for that evening, surely you would expect to pay more. So perhaps it’s helpful to think of catering in this way. The caterer is picking up a restaurant and bringing it to your home or venue for the evening, and creating a dining experience hopefully way beyond the experience of dining at Denny’s. I recently had someone say to me, “no one is coming to my wedding just for the food.” Well, that’s probably true, but I am sure we have all had the experience of attending a wedding where the food was exceptionally good – or exceptionally bad- that people talked about for months, maybe even years to come. People do remember. Your guests may have traveled a great distance, bought you a gift, and spent their time, effort and money to join you in celebrating on your special day So don’t you owe it to them – and yourself – to serve great...
read moreThe Question I Love to Hate
Last night I was asked a question I’ve come to hate. It’s the one question I am most asked when I tell people I am a caterer. It is- “what is your specialty”? Now granted, a questioner doesn’t necessarily mean “what kind of food do you specialize in?” (they might mean do you specialize in private parties, corporate etc.), but often that is the intent of the question, and it is asked just that way. And unfortunately, after 12 years of hearing the question I’m afraid I don’t have much patience left for it. I’ve explained to people that I don’t specialize in any one type of food, that I believe the caterer’s job is to suit the client’s taste, and hopefully to match my tastes to theirs. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes I have to prepare and serve items that I would never serve at a party of my own. I’ve even had a client once give me her family’s recipes to work from for her mother’s birthday party. And this leads me to the insight I had driving home last night. A catering company is not like a restaurant. Diners will often pick a restaurant specifically for the kind of food it serves, as in- “I feel like eating Italian tonight, or Mexican”. But the starting point of a catered event is not the food, but the event, the special occasion. A high school graduation party where the guest of honor is an 18 football star, will require very different food than a bridal shower where the guest of honor will be a 28 year old woman. And who are your guests? Are they primarily clients and associates, or friends and family? A holiday party where clients and associates are the invited guests will require very different food than a backyard 4th of July bash for family and friends. What is the client’s intention for the event and in entertaining their guests? Is the event casual, or more formal? Is it to impress, or to kick back or get down? Even a wedding may be a hybrid sort of event where clients and associates are invited, in addition to family and friends. This may require juggling different styles of parties, and a more varied menu if your family expects a certain kind of food that may not necessarily be to the liking of some of your other guests. And yes, I will always consider my client’s tastes, and their food likes and dislikes. Are you and your guests adventurous diners? Do you love spicy ethnic foods? Or would you like to stay more “middle of the road” if there are many guests whose taste you don’t know quite as well? So, what’s my specialty? Well, I believe, it’s to fulfill the needs of my clients and their guests, and to do it supremely well, of course. Until next time- Bon Appetit! Gisele ...
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