Posts Tagged ‘caterer’

Q&A: Meet Ortega’s Karolyn Cantin – pastry chef, airplane caterer, masseuse, yoga instructor and personal fitness …

Aug 21, 2010 Bakery Chef

Q&A: Meet Ortega’s Karolyn Cantin – pastry chef, airplane caterer, masseuse, yoga instructor and personal fitness …
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Read more on The Florida Times-Union


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Auction Fundraiser Tips: Four Investments for your Benefit Auction

Jun 4, 2010 Bakery Catering

Copyright (c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

Whether you are a compensated events manager or a volunteer auction chair, you want your event to be a success. This article examines four investments which will make your job easier and your auction memorable.

1. Invest your time upfront in placing volunteers into appropriate roles where they can shine.

Not all volunteers are created equal. To ensure fewer headaches for you later, make an effort early in the process to get to know your volunteers and committee members. Learn their interests and strengths.

Two years ago my friend launched the first-ever Reading Festival in her Kansas hometown with the help of her Altrusa Club members. As a former human resources manager, interviewing club members for the right volunteer role came easily to her. Sometimes the “interview” was a simple conversation over coffee. That often provided my friend with enough information to determine if her fellow Club member was a good fit to lead a particular committee. You could do the same.

The other advantage of interviews is that you begin to establish a relationship. Developing an individual connection early-on will help your working relationship down the road.

2. Focus on making high-impact decisions.

Once you’ve invested the time to place people in proper jobs, get out of the way of your team. They have their goals and/or budget from you, they have been tasked with their work, so that means you should be focused on making big-picture decisions.

In other words, don’t worry about the color of the napkins. Focus on the whatever will make your event a “success” in the eyes of your organization. Is it hitting a specific financial target? Is it providing a touching ceremony for the 25th anniversary (and the fundraising portion is secondary)? Keep your attention on the big goal.

3. Invest in the best vendors you can afford.

Whether you are selecting a production company, a caterer, or a benefit auctioneer, you will never second-guess yourself if you hire the best you can afford (and you might be able to afford more than you think). Save yourself from headaches by investing for success.

When I was in high school, Skaggs Alpha Beta (since bought out by Jewel-Osco, then Albertson’s) opened a grocery store in a nearby town. My cost-conscious Mom asked the bakery department manager where the “day old” baked goods were marked down and sold.

The Manager told my Mom that Skaggs wouldn’t sell day-old cakes. Cakes that weren’t sold were thrown out with the garbage.

“WHAT?” my Mom was horrified, “PERFECTLY GOOD CAKES ARE BEING THROWN AWAY?!”

The Manager told my Mom, “People never remember the deal they got on the cake. They remember that the cake tasted stale. We only sell fresh cakes.”

Interesting point.

If the sound system doesn’t work at your event, or if your auctioneer doesn’t handle the appeal correctly, is your auction committee going to remember the *deal* they got, or will they remember the mistakes that were made?

4. Go with your gut feeling, heart, intuition, or whatever you want to call it.

Not so long ago I bought an expensive training program. When I signed up for the program, I didn’t know exactly how I would pay for it. Even after a day, I was still thinking about how those payments were going to work into my monthly budget.

Yet, I was never in a panic and never experienced buyer’s remorse. In contrast, I felt excited! I knew in my heart that when I stepped out to accept that program, my investment would pay off. I’d rather temporarily live in a “I wonder how this is going to work out” mode than permanently live in a “I wonder what would have happened if….” mode.

Something felt right, and I acted on my feeling.

I encourage you to do the same as you work on your day-to-day tasks. Dial the phone to a potential donor when you are excited to do so; not when you are dreading the talk. Send an email when you are inspired; not when you would rather go to bed.

Not every action will give you a positive or negative urge, but some of those bigger decisions … the larger “risks” in your mind … will push your buttons one way or another.

Remember, benefit auctions are supposed to be fun! Go with the flow of your own impulses, and you’ll more enjoy the ride. It’s not always easy, but we all get better with practice.


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Culinary Careers: 5 Promising Paths from Caterer to Pastry Chef

May 31, 2010 Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Emeril. Martha. Mario. These big names have turned their culinary careers into big businesses. From restaurants to cookbooks to television shows, today’s culinary stars have brought the culinary world out of the kitchen and into your living room. And with the opportunities constantly expanding, you don’t have to be an executive chef to make your mark. (Although that doesn’t hurt either.)  Read on for five career paths that can help you break into the culinary world.

Caterering Careers
Maybe you’re more of a big picture/event planning kind of person. Maybe you like the excitement and hype behind a wedding, anniversary, or other milestone event. Starting a career as a caterer might be right for you. Caterers are responsible for every detail of event planning, from napkin color to hors d’oeuvres selection to dish washing, leaving their clients with nothing to do but enjoy the event.  (Oh and by the way, did you know Martha Stewart herself got started by running a catering business out of her basement?) For more information, visit this catering career profile.

Food Service Manager Careers
At the end of the day, a successful business is about more than just great steaks and vintage wines, it’s a business. And even with the best culinary talent in the world, a restaurant can’t run without a good business foundation. That’s the job of a food service manager—to hire the right people, purchase the right inventory, and handle the bills and accounts so that the restaurant can turn a profit. For more information about becoming a restaurant manager, see this food service manager career profile.

Pastry Chef Careers
Seriously, who doesn’t want to spend their day surrounded by the sweet smell and tastes of cookies, brownies, and other pastries? Pastry chefs are knowledgeable about the history and preparation of our favorite desserts, and use their creative skills to keep these tastes new and exciting. (If you’ve heard about the recent chocolate-bacon-cupcake craze, you know what I mean). For more information, visit this pastry chef career profile.

Recipe/Cookbook Editor Careers
Have you ever added a tablespoon of salt to a recipe when you only needed a teaspoon? If so, you know the result, and your meal probably ended up in the garbage. It’s a recipe editor’s job to catch these kinds of mistakes before they end up in published cookbooks. They may also help determine which cookbooks are the most marketable, and weed out the good recipes (white chocolate raspberry mousse . . . mmm) from the bad (road kill soufflé a la mode . . . not so much).

Specialty Food Shop Owner Careers
Have you ever been to one of those amazing corner shops that only sells cheese and has brands you’ve never heard of from Argentina and Nova Scotia? If so, you’ve entered the realm of the specialty food shop. These stores won’t sell mass market products from Kraft or Velveeta; instead, specialty food shop owners use their extensive knowledge of a particular product to treat their customers to tastes from around the world. In a market full of big box superstores, specialty food shop owners are carving out a nice niche for themselves.


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