Printing Co. Info

One of the least favorite parts of my business is coming up with copy.....I'm catering an ISES (International Event Planners) lunch next week and need propaganda about my catering company.....so what to emphasize. I have NO set menus. Give me your budget, tell me your guest profile and where you want to have it and I'll design a menu specific to your party...no problem. But to come up with "standardized menus" is a total drag...I can't wrap my mind around the box. Even looking at other similar caterer's websites I'm still flopping around like a fish out of water, like a shroom out of the woods.....like a democrate in rural Missouri.....AARRRRRGGGGG. I've taken to writing out past menus, or dishes that have been popular. My fear is losing that ability to jam which is what thrills me about cooking....take away the creativity and it's dead to me.

next week I need to drop off menus and info to various venues that have requested copies for people that call about events. Now it's worse.....designing two separate things....one for event planners and another for generic callins.....

How do you guys deal with this? Especially those of you who work with seasonal local ingredients and do many various types of events.

Thanks you guys. I got a friend to clean up the script and came up with some menus that are old favorites but it was as I was dragging my heels kicking and screaming that it was unfair...."I JUST DON"T WANNA DO IT"
but in the end it got done and is ok...I even made up names for Entree salads I've not developed yet as a brazen step toward keeping creativity alive.

Classic Nicoise, Greek, Asian, Lyonnaise, Italian, Provence, Mid-West, Southwest, Californian and Pacific Northwest.

Just makes life alittle more fun...those radical kiddies have nothing on me. :)

I'm athinkin' Nicoise is tuna, boiled egg, french dijon potato salad, green beans, olives and greens with a shallot tarragon dressing
Greek is lamb or chicken marinated in lemon/garlic/olive oil with cukes, olives, peppers, feta on greens with lemon oregano dressing
Asian is chicken, fish or shrimp with rice stick noodles, sugar snaps, napa, carrots, peppers maybe, scallions, with a spicy hoisin dressing crispy wontons for crunch
Lyonnaise....dandilion, or spring mix with haricot verte, bacon, shallots, tarragon and 2 poached farm eggs ( a personal fav)
Italian...romain or spring, chicken or beef...peppers, olives, zucchini, red onions, tomatoes (maybe sun-dried), pesto croutons, ...still a work in progress
Provence...herbs d' Provence with chicken, fish or pork....lettuces, nicoise olives, lettuces, tomatoes, possibly zuke,eggplant, chevre, onions
Midwest...hmmm....asparagus, roasted pecans, scallions, greens, applecider viniager dressing, pork or chicken, chevre (maybe)
Southwest...blackbeans, corn, tomatoes, onions, chicken or beef, tortillas, spicy creamy salsa dressing, greens, chilis then some tortilla crunch
Californian....grilled or roasted chop....greens, thick cut red onions, artichokes, peppers, avacado, mandrian oranges, ....still working on....
Pacific Northwest...salmon with maple glaze, greens, shrooms, scallions, maybe some hazelnuts...again a work in progress.
oh boy this is fun.

Funny the priest I've PC'd for the past 5 years laughed when the new office manager asked for recipes to dishes I'd made for lunch.......he said, "Julie doesn't have recipes for anything, unless you pay her a bunch and she sits down to recreate it".....she tried a few more times but the only thing I would come up with was an ingredient list and technique....she finally gave up asking and just said whenever I teach a cooking class she'll be there.

Obviously referrals from past clients are the best advertising.....but some of the venues I've cooked at are handing out propaganda to new brides or party planners that have no concept about ave. cost of catering. Or what works well in that venue. Or this new event planner group I joined in Jan. that has potential....hopefully for the stage directing.