Attending culinary school is a great way to open doors to your future, and there are a variety of paths one can take in the culinary arts. From bakers to personal chefs, they all started out getting an education.
One of the career paths that a culinary student might consider is catering, which provides not only great professional opportunities, but a great lifestyle, as well. Catering careers can be extremely rewarding, especially to those with an entrepreneurial spirit or a desire to have a flexible work schedule.
What Does Being a Caterer Entail?
Obviously, an interest in catering starts with a desire to share good food and good experiences. This is where the culinary school degree comes into play. In addition, however, starting a catering business of your own is going to require some technical know-how. Some culinary schools actually offer industry-specific business classes, and taking advantage of these can definitely get you started in the right direction.
A caterer’s main job is to provide food for events. He or she may prepare the food in an on-site kitchen or make it elsewhere and bring it to the event site. The type of food served will depend, in part, on the situation as well as client needs and a little bit of your own ingenuity. In addition, the caterer may be responsible for providing the tables and chairs, dishes and flatware, glassware, linens, etc. Some caterers even decorate tables to fit the event.
In the catering business, it is extremely important to be professional. From delicious food to impeccable décor to the utmost in customer service, a good caterer provides it all. Word-of-mouth can make or break a catering company, so punctuality, flexibility, and innovation will all also be important aspects of success. Fortunately, many of the most important skills are either taught or encouraged during culinary school, so students who excel in that realm may just have what it takes to move on to the next big step.
How to Get Started
A culinary student who plans to start a catering business in the future can improve chances for success by making contacts now. Every chef, instructor, restaurant manager, etc. is a potential contact who can help your business in the future. Making a good impression now can pay off later. Keeping their contact information can also be a bonus when you are looking to get your business off the ground.
Other considerations including doing your culinary internship with a catering company or working as an entry-level server or prep cook while you go to school. Any skills you learn related to the field now will come into play as you try to build your own path in the catering world.
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Thank you for sharing the information with us. The catering industry is growing so fast that more and more people will get involved in the industry in the future. It is essential for us to analyze the career and get involved.
Nice post, thank you for sharing. The catering industry is a new opportunity for us that we should get involved in. It will grow very quickly and bring us more business in the future.
“Culinary arts school” it is called! Never crossed my mind as to the varieties of opportunities opened to those who wish to become caterers. There are however more than 100 000 searches online for caterers monthly. So this should be a lucrative industry I guess!
The lines where you say “Word-of-mouth can make or break a catering company” and making contacts from the start are spot on.
Contacts are invaluable and you never know how impressing a colleague, your manager or a client, now, might help you later.