Considering Catering

[ADayInTheLife]

Hi!
Next week, my school is having a career fair, so I've begun to research the companies that will be attending. There are two catering companies that I am impressed with and will probably want to talk to at the event. I have a few questions about catering, though. What exactly does a catering employee do? What are the hours and how much can one expect to make? Also, I am a Pastry student, and want to know if there is a lot one can do in the catering field, regarding pastry? Thank you for any help !!

[Sarada]

Hi, there:

From where do you hail -- or, more pertinently, where are the caterers for whom you are considering working located? Prices (and, therefore, salaries) vary tremendously from city to city, state to state and region to region.

What catering employees do can also span the gamut -- you may be expected to field phone calls, price menus, order (or pick up) stock, manage supplies, do prep work, do service work (set-up, waitering, clean-up, etc.), do short-order or line work, manage overhead... the list goes on! You should ask any potential employer pointed questions and get specific answers before committing yourself to anything at this point.

Our company, based out of Western Massachusetts (right across the NY, CT and VT borders), is a "new kid on the block" (we've been open a little less than a year), and does not have any "real" employees (we hire people for individual jobs), but we pay our workers between $10 and $40/hour, depending on exactly what they are doing for us. As an employee, you will likely be entitled to a higher salary and benefits.

Pastry making is a great field to go into -- you should mention your skills to any potential employer, who may well want to have you start working on desserts for him or her (we certainly would!). A lot of caterers do buy at least some of their desserts (as they are very labor intensive), but most have at least SOME "specialty desserts" that they are known for (for us, it's our triple chocolate fudge brownies, our cheesecakes, our chocolate mousse torte and our lemon mousse parfaits in chocolate cups).

Hope this was of some help to you -- feel free to e-mail me as you get further along in the interview process if I can be of any more assistance!

GOOD LUCK!

Dawn

[ADayInTheLife]

Wow, thanks for such a great and helpful response !! I am attending school in Philadelphia and the catering companies that are coming to the career fair that I am interested in are Callahan Catering and Jimmy Duffy Catering. I have only worked in a supermarket bakery part-time as a summer job and this is my first semester in Culinary school, so I didn't know what to expect. Thanks again for all the help and the offer to ask you about any questions !!

[Sarada]

Good luck -- keep us posted on what you decide to do!

[tigerwoman]

Originally Posted by ADayInTheLife

Wow, thanks for such a great and helpful response !! I am attending school in Philadelphia and the catering companies that are coming to the career fair that I am interested in are Callahan Catering and Jimmy Duffy Catering. I have only worked in a supermarket bakery part-time as a summer job and this is my first semester in Culinary school, so I didn't know what to expect. Thanks again for all the help and the offer to ask you about any questions !!

Dawn covered most of the bases but what I wanted to add is that I know of two excellent caterers on different ends of the spectrum in the Philly area that you should apply to.

One is
Maggio's Presents: Catering by Gina Miriam
P.O. Box 1518
Southampton, PA 18966

Contact
Gina
(215) 364-4983 tel


the other is feastivities catering



Feastivities Catering, Inc.

Interested candidates should submit their resume and qualifications to
Jim Weyant, HR Manager
via email to staffing@feastivitiescatering.com
or mail to Feastivities Events 440 Domino Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19128

they are both large catering companies that would probably afford you the opportunity to work as a cater- chef on events - which is a great way to get your foot in the door and gain experience. If you don't have enough food experience yet, you can work as a prep person or even as a cater waiter.

check them out.