CATERER

Caterers are professional hosts. They oversee many of the preparations for special events such as banquets, weddings, bar mitzvahs, and graduation parties. People often seek out catering services when they need food prepared for a large group. “Large” is relative here. It can mean anything from 5 to 5,000 people.

There are many different levels of catering. Some people may choose to cater in their spare time and run small businesses from their homes. There are also large catering companies (hotels, for instance) that may have separate catering teams who are dispatched to multiple events that are scheduled for the same day.

The food that caterers serve can vary. Some clients may request only the cheese, bread, and rolls to make sandwiches for hungry executives at a board meeting, and some may want to serve a five-course French meal. Many caterers have professional cooking backgrounds that help them immensely as caterers, whether they have worked as chefs or short-order cooks.

Caterers are hired for their expertise. Clients may have an idea of the food they would like at their event but value the creative menu and display suggestions of a caterer. People skills are a great help to any caterer. If a client and caterer cannot communicate, it may hurt the overall success of an event. Caterers also need to adapt quickly. For instance, if a caterer's usual supplier of vegetables is closed or out of certain ingredients, he or she cannot tell a client that the menu has to be changed. People hire caterers because they expect important functions to go smoothly and professionally. Food styling can come into play in the presentation of food at a catered event. Some themed functions may require advance setup in the form of party favors, floral displays for tables, or wall hangings.

No matter what the size of the catering company or the event, caterers must be extremely organized. Less than half of a caterer's work time is actually devoted to cooking. The rest is spent transporting food and hiring personnel. Some caterers do not own the majority of the equipment they use, and renting dishes and portable cookware is also time consuming. If they are serving alcohol at a function, they may need to visit city hall to obtain a special license.

Catering can open doors to other interesting lines of work. Some caterers move on to private party planning, which can involve hiring caterers and entertainment, or they may jump to other fields such as floral supply or equipment rental.