Catering

From launching the business, establishing pricing, setting up a kitchen, staffing, and marketing to planning events, organizing service, preparing food, managing the dining room and beverages, and developing menus, Catering: A Guide to Managing a Successful Business Operation, Second Edition, provides detailed guidance on every aspect of the catering business. This Second Edition is thoroughly revised and updated to include information on catering for dietary restrictions and food allergies, contemporary techniques such as sous-vide technology, and plating and presentation. Included is a new chapter of practical mainstream and on-trend recipes and sample menus for a variety of catered events from brunches to black-tie affairs

Recipe Table of Contents vi

Preface viii

Acknowledgments xiii

Dedication and About the Author xiv

1 Introduction to Catering 1

2 Starting Your Catering Business 16

3 Pricing for Profit 36

4 Setting Up the Catering Kitchen 51

5 Staffing 86

6 Marketing 114

7 Event Planning 125

8 How Can We Serve You? 156

9 Food Preparation and Service 182

10 Dining Room and Beverage Management 204

11 Sample Menus and Service 221

12 Recipes for Catering 236

Glossary 283

Equivalency Charts 292

Index 293

Photo Credits 304

First Course/Appetizers: 237

Avocado and Crab Salad 238

Endive Salad with Roquefort and Walnuts 239

Chicken Satay 240

Grilled Vegetables with Mozzarella Cheese and Prosciutto 241

Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart 243

Roasted Beet Salad 244

Warm Hudson Valley Salad 245

Wild Mushroom Vols-au-Vent 246

Shaved Fennel and Frisée Salad 247

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) 248

Sides: 249

Baby Carrots with Asparagus and Pearl Onions 249

Couscous with Currants and Pine Nuts 250

Farro with Winter Vegetables 251

Olive Oil and Chive Crushed Potatoes 252

Pomme Purée with Roasted Garlic 252

Potato and Celery Root Gratin 253

Ratatouille 254

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes 255

Saffron Rice Pilaf 256

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe 257

Soft Polenta 257

White Bean Ragoût 258

Soups: 259

Black Bean Soup 260

Summer Gazpacho 261

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup 262

New England Clam Chowder 263

Vegetarian Main Courses: 264

Risotto with Asparagus and Peas 266

Corn and Asiago Cheese Risotto Cake 267

Tortilla de Papas 269

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie 270

Main Courses: 271

Beef Tenderloin with Bleu Cheese Crust 271

Duck Breast with Port Wine–Peppercorn Sauce 272

Herb-Crusted Salmon 274

Rack of Lamb Persillade 275

Roasted Miso-Marinated Salmon with Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage 276

Desserts: 277

Almond-Anise Biscotti 278

Chocolate Pot au Crème 279

Tiramisù 281

Warm Chocolate Cake 282

Recipe Table of Contents | vii

BRUCE MATTEL is associate dean for food production at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY. After graduating from the CIA with honors in 1980, Mattel worked as a chef at several notable restaurants including Prunelle, Coq d'Or, and Le Bernardin, all in New York City. Prior to joining the CIA in 1998, he was chef and owner of Custom Cuisine, a catering company and gourmet shop in Tarrytown, NY. Mattel was named the CIA's Faculty Member of the Year in 2005.

Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees as well as certificate programs. As the world's premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the areas of health and wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines and cultures through research and conferences. The CIA also offers programs for professionals and food enthusiasts, as well as consulting services for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The CIA has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.

A COMPREHENSIVE, UPDATED GUIDE WITH ALL THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO LAUNCH AND OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL CATERING BUSINESS OF ANY KIND

Today, most customers attending a catered event demand that the overall experience of food, beverage, and service be as good as, if not superior to, that provided by their favorite restaurants. Add in the skyrocketing numbers of high-end food trucks, pop-up restaurants, and farm-to-table dinners dotting the landscape from coast to coast, and the opportunities to impress through creative marketing, alluring merchandising, and menu innovation with catered events have never been greater.

In this Second Edition of Catering: A Guide to Managing a Successful Business Operation by Chef Bruce Mattel and The Culinary Institute of America, all the information that caterers and would-be caterers need to set up and run a successful catering business of any kind is provided.

From launching the business, establishing pricing, setting up a kitchen, staffing, and marketing to planning events, organizing service, preparing food, managing the dining room and beverages, and developing menus, Catering, Second Edition provides detailed guidance on every aspect of the catering business, showing operators how to troubleshoot and creatively solve problems. This book is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to succeed in this rapidly expanding segment of the foodservice industry.

This Second Edition is thoroughly revised and updated to include information on catering for dietary restrictions and food allergies, contemporary techniques such as sous-vide technology, and plating and presentation. A new chapter of practical mainstream and on-trend recipes has been added, in addition to sample menus for a variety of catered events from brunches to black-tie affairs. Meanwhile, this Second Edition and a companion website include essential business forms and caterer's checklists, making planning of events even easier.

Catering, Second Edition is an effective training tool for caterers and would-be caterers, showing how to plan and execute profitable and creative on- and off-premise catering operations.