20 Tips for Planning Catering Events with Your Students

A big part of my culinary program is catering.

Let me just tell you right now, that my first few events that students and I catered were difficult and only semi-successful. 

Meaning that we survived, and no one died from eating our food.

You need to remember that success come from failure.

You will not learn anything unless you fail!!

So, I want to give you some pointers for planning large events with high school students.

Number 1: They are students, and this event is not going to be perfect. Something is going to go wrong. Be ready to correct mistakes, and hold your temper.

Number 2: Always, always plan for 10 more people than you actually need food.

Someone will drop something or someone who had not planned on showing up will undoubtedly decide to at the last minute. 

Number 3: Ask for numbers at least 1 week in advance. This will give you an chance to make a rough grocery list.

Number 4: You can buy dry goods and non-perishables in advance, but do not, DO NOT by fresh produce until the day before!!!!! If your event has to change is date because of weather. This will save you a lot of money.

Number 5: Food only needs to be held hot for 2 hours. So adjust your cooking to make sure that the food is not held too long. I only like for my food to be done an hour before then event. That freaks some people out, but for me it works. 

Number 6: Plan for 10-15 students foo a plate and serve for 100!!! Some of them will probably not show up but make sure that you have back ups.

Number 7: Potatoes and chicken hold well so I usually cook those dishes first. 

Number 8: Make sure to pull all serving-ware the day before. It helps to make sure that you have everything you need a no surprises.

Number 9:  Make lists with Wunderlist for you students to mark off things as you get done, and insure you do not double do.

Number 10: On your grocery list mark which store that you need to buy from. 

Number 11: Make deserts the day before!!! So if you burn something you are not freaking out!!!!

Number 12: http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/quan100.html is a website were you can find quantities to buy. It really is helpful.

Number 13: Make your own tea. 1 gallon tea bag+2 cups of sugar is my go to recipe for sweet tea.

Number 14: Instead of making full size pies, make individual pies for dessert. You can order mini pie shells through your restaurant supply store. 

Number 15: Buy glass carafes. You can place two on ever table, and guests can serve themselves drinks. Then your servers can refill the carafes and not spill water or tea on your guests.

Number 16: When you are serving an banquet, do not bother breaking up groups of tables to your students for serving food. Do it as a team. Start at the farthest end of the banquet hall and work toward the other filling every table before moving to the next. This will ensure that you do not forget to serve a guest.

Number 17: Get tried a true recipes. Save them to Evernote. This ensures if guest like what they are having and want to order it again that you serve that exact recipe. At one point in my teaching career I was fining a new recipe every time and that got to complicated.

Number 18: Vegetables, like asparagus and green beans need to be cooked at the last possible second. They are very easily over cooked, and really suck if they get mushy.

Number 19: Do not cut pork loin or roast beef until you are ready to serve. If you cut them to soon they will start to dry out right away. Nothing is worse than dry pork loin:/

Number 20:  Coffee pots that make 120 cups plus take for ever to heat up. So plug them up as soon as you get to your destination.

If you can have two adults at these events it make everything run more smoothly. One to run the front of the house and one to run the back. 

Catering is a great money maker for my program. It is a lot of time and work, but students really need to get this experience of seeing the entire flow of food.  

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!