If you've ever attended a wedding reception or a business luncheon, you've likely been a part of a catered event. Catering events typically deal with a lot of people at once, and therefore require a large amount of food to serve them. Individuals who work in catering require a slightly different skill set from restaurant chefs, managers, and servers.
There are a variety of careers associated with catering including:
Catering chef
You could be in business for yourself as a personal chef who brings food and beverages to special events or parties, or you could work for a catering center or hotel as an executive chef, sous chef, or a pastry chef. In addition to cooking, you are responsible for ordering food, managing food costs, creating menus, and hiring and supervising staff.
Catering manager
A catering manager makes sure that everything runs smoothly in the "front of the house." You will hire and supervise the serving staff, purchase serving dishes, order linens, and act as the contact person for clients. The catering manager may also act as a salesperson, pitching catering services to potential clients.
Catering server or floor supervisor
A catering server ensures that guests are happy while they are dining. Your duties include refilling beverages, seeing that buffet serving dishes are kept filled, cleaning dishes, and acting as a liaison between the guests and the kitchen staff.
Catering School for Training
Training to work in the catering industry depends on the type of position you desire. Typically, you will need basic kitchen skills, management skills, purchasing skills, and accounting/bookkeeping training. A culinary arts school can tie all of these elements together. Interested in catering? Find a catering school today!
