Cook Talk

Catering a rehearsal dinner for 75
Julie
06/03/08 		I have been asked to cater a friends rehearsal dinner. She wants Beef BBQ, potato salad, broccoli salad, baked beans,mac salad, fruit, desert, and drinks...I have no idea how much of each I will need...I tend to over make food so I need someone who knows what they're doing to help me figure this out. I hate wasting food and time..Please let me know how to figure out what amount of food will be needed for such an event. Thank you for your time and help.
ellen
06/03/08 		Julie, it is especially important that folks who are doing paid catering learn how to plan with the quantity tables. Carefully read the wedding dinner article, look at the bbq and brisket page and the plan for 100 lists, the dessert planning list and the beverage planning article and prepare an estimate. Post it, and I will check it for you.

For example, I can't figure meats because you don't say if this is sliced brisket or chopped beef sandwiches...

Now the CAUTION/ doom and gloom stuff:

In most states it is illegal to prepare food for sale in your home kitchen. You can prepare it in the client's kitchen or a commercial kitchen (church, school, restaurant), such as where it will be served.

If you are paid, youalso MUST have liability insurance. If sooune got sick, you could be sued. Is it worth losing your house for?

If you run out of food, the caterer is always blamed, it can ruin your rep before you get started, but you need a written contract that specifies costs, responsibilities, number of guests, type of service, etc. Fow example. Are you dropping off the food dor them to serve or are you serving? If you are serving, do you do the setup, cleanup and take down of the serving area and the tables and chairs? Who supplies the dishes and glasses. Are you responsible for hiring and paying the additional help/ servers- you need at least 2 for this party, and 4 would be better?

There is a lively discusion about catering start up and another about contracts, as well as several about fees on the pro chef site, chef2chef.com. Please go read.

ellen
06/03/08 		potato salad, baked beans, mac salad,
4 potato, 3 each of the others, 10 total for 100

broccoli salad, traet as veg or slaw, 20 pounds per 100

fruit, see fruit tray page

dessert, see dessert planning page

drinks, see beverage planning page

sue
06/03/08 		catering an anniversary party for 60 people
I am catering a party for 60 people ( includes 10 children under 10 years). I am making pork loin roast-how many pounds, how long to roast it, gravy-how many cups, roasted garlic mashed potatoes-how many pounds potatoes and how much roasted garlic,green beans with almonds-how many pounds, oriental cabbage salad-how many cups. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
ellen
06/03/08 		Since I posted all my quantity lists in 2004, I rarely do the initial estimates, particularly for catering. Since all these foods are covered in the lists, even the slaw, for example, you would use the plan for 100 list to estimate, using 2/3 the amount for your party if they tend to be heavy eaters or just a bit over 1/2 if they are light eaters.

For additional guidance, such as the gravy, see the planning and shopping article in the holiday cooking section at the top of Big Pots.

There are also recipes such as the better green bean casserole for 60 and the freezable holdable mashed potatoes to help with your amounts.

When you tell me the size and number of your roasts, whether they are bone in, etc, I can help you with the roasting.

If you post your estimates, I will be happy to check them for you.

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