Dinner Pick ups.....

[shroomgirl]

Interesting development, I'm still working through the specifics.
Several years ago I personal cheffed for several families.....right now I'm only cooking for a priest every other week.
One of my past clients is having foot surgery and will be laid up for 3 months....she wants low-fat, high in veg food.....(not vegetarian).
Pricing this out is interesting. Normally with PCing, I cooked in their kitchen, made meals just for them and they bought the food. Now, I'm cooking in my kitchen.....they are getting some things not specific to them but I'm essentially cooking for them once a week. I may offer this to some of my past clients and see if they are interested.....thus I'd make food they are familiar with and enough to make it worth my time......this was not the direction I necessarily wanted to go in but........

Do any of you provide meal service, if so how are you pricing it out?

I may just start making freezer fillers.....soups/stews/saucy meats.....

[shroomgirl]

One of the things that pulled me out of pcing was that PC clients don't hire you to cater events. It didn't translate. I'd fill a fridge and walk out after 2.5-3 hours normally....unless I'm braising something big which wasn't normal.
One goodsize wedding would net more than cooking for 1 family 50 weeks a year....and be considerably less work.

Market is ending for the season and I need to bump up catering, figured this would be an ok stopgap, did not want it to take over......
thoughts?

[Cheri]

It can work out for you if you stick to a menu, like any good chef would, that allows you to have ingredients that go in a variety of dishes. I know you must be such a chef, so it works for me! I started small, made a menu, nothing takes me longer than 20-30 minutes, to prep and par cook except sticky chicken. I have another business but in January I plan to go full tilt. Many of my friend's social catering clients want just such a thing and are willing to pay for it. I price the same way I price for other things email me privately and I'll tell you more.