I always got a bigger sense of accomplish from catering than I ever did in fixed menu restaurants. Catering
gives a chef as much creativity as one can handle. In most cases logistics are the biggest part of a successful
offsite catering.
Pretty much in agreement with Chef Billy here. I've worked hot lines in fixed establishments and event
catering as well. Gotta say I love catering far better, for his and just many reasons. The greatest being how
rewarding it is to get that positive feedback, the sense of gratitude and excitement that YOU were the one
they used for their event, and that priceless feeling you get when you pick up new business from past
satisfied clients.
While line cooking can carry its own (occasional) rewards, those are elements you just cant get in any other food
service that I know of. Of the 3, line cook, banquet chef and catering, catering is my favorite hands down.
I believe that many Chefs don't take banquet and catering as seriously as they do restaurants.
I have actually heard Chefs talk down when explaining their view on banquets.
It is sometimes believed that banquet and catering work is somehow less meaningful or exciting as working a line, and therefore somehow
makes one less of a cook.
This could not be further from the truth.
Banquet work utilizes all the preparation and attention to detail techniques, same as prepping Mis en Place for the line.
One of the great things about catering and banquets is the variations from day to day. In a restaurant the same food is cooked every day.
Banquets are always different.
If as a line cook, you enjoy the repetition, and high from being at a faced pace location....all the better, but banquets and catering do allow you to expand your culinary knowledge.
Good Luck
Thank you for that post CR, I appreciate it.
I was a banquet room sous chef for over 6 years, and in some ways it can be harder than working
even a busy line. Reason being that when serving say, 80 covers at 6:30 PM, that's 80 people for
a 5 to 7 course meal, all served at once!
There's no getting "out" of the weeds, if you're behind, you stay behind and pretty much fail the guests.
(a similar aspect to event catering) An up side of course is the limited menu--the most we'd serve was a
choice of 3 main dishes, usually 2. But that advantage only goes so far--it's a couple days prep for each
service, so doubly hard with back to back banquets. Still I found it more rewarding than being a straight line
cook, and at least got regular feedback, almost always positive.
The main feedback you get behind a pass is usually when a rejected plate slides back THROUGH it.
And even when it's postive, it's usually anonymous. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif