A variety of skills are required to work as a food caterer. To begin, a person usually requires some skill in the areas of cooking, preparing, and serving aesthetically pleasing foods. To ensure the success of his catering business, a person in this field also requires business and organizational skills. In many places, food caterers must also obtain a license and operate from a location that has been approved the local government.
A person who wants to work as a food caterer must be able to not only prepare delicious food but also serve it in an appealing manner. A person starting this business should have prior experience preparing a wide range of foods as well as the ability to select or suggest menus for a variety of events. He’ll need to know how to make fun finger foods, basic and elegant meals, and complex dishes, for example. Knowing how to prepare at least some ethnic meals may open up a larger market for a new food caterer. Self-taught cooks or cooking classes are both options for aspiring food caterers.
A person who wants to work as a food caterer typically needs business and organizational skills in addition to cooking abilities. Catering is a business, so anyone interested in working in this field should know how to start one and run it profitably. He’ll need accounting skills, the ability to create and stick to a budget, as well as skills in planning, scheduling, and marketing. A person who wants to work as a food caterer may read books on how to start a business and hone his business skills while working as a caterer. Others, on the other hand, may find that taking business courses or even pursuing a business degree is beneficial.
A person who wants to work as a food caterer must also have good organizational skills. In this line of work, a person may be required to schedule events, create menus, create filing systems, and keep meticulous records. He may also be required to keep a supply and equipment inventory. Packaging and transporting foods, keeping a catering kitchen in working order, and even deciding where to position employees for preparing, cooking, and serving food all require good organizational skills.
Licensing is required in many jurisdictions for food caterers. Licensing requirements vary location, but they may include having a kitchen separate from one’s own, having certain sanitation supplies, and knowing how to prepare and store food safely. An aspiring food caterer’s kitchen must be inspected in some places before he can be licensed.
When a person is ready to start a career as a food caterer, he must first locate clients who require his services. He could place ads in local phone directories, newspapers, and magazines to promote his services. A food caterer, for example, might find new clients placing an ad in a wedding magazine. He could also hand out fliers and business cards and solicit referrals from his friends and family. Websites and press releases can also help new food caterers find clients. Even cold calling can be beneficial.