# Recipe Questions



## soochr (May 12, 2001)

Hi All

I've just gotten a job as a catering director 
for a small restaurant that wants to expand their catering department. It's actually
quite a challenge with the facilities they have. Scary really...but I've been out of the
field for a few years and wanted to get back into it so I have accepted this challenge.
(gulp!) Anyway, I'm looking for some good recipes that i can put into a holding pattern
on a buffet table. I have lots of my old standbys, but I feel like my mind is a blank and are looking to all you good people for advice and some new items. I have to be very
creative in my preparation of these items as they have no stove...(sigh) we do have a
convection oven and *oh my* electric skillets. Wow...the more i look at this, i wonder what the heck i'm doing. I figure if I can do this, I can do anything. Any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated.


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## lynne (Oct 6, 2001)

Suzanne,

Welcome to Cheftalk and CONGRATULATIONS on your new job!

My, you sound like you have a project ahead of you but you've come to the right place -- there are lots of creative minds around here.

Do you have a steamer? jacket kettles? grill?

What type of restaurant? what kind of food does the current restaurant serve? what type of food are you aiming for? price ranges? clientel? Do you have a cap on numbers you will cater for?

Will you be doing all the cooking? do you have a staff?

Sorry to throw so many questions at you, but the more info we have, the better we can help you.

I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing from you soon!

lynne

[ June 04, 2001: Message edited by: lynne ]


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## soochr (May 12, 2001)

lynne
first of all...thank you  ok here goes:
we have exactly: an electric griddle, a convection oven, electric pots, and a microwave. 
The restaurant is small inside a county building. they do have 3 locations all in county buildings. They do primarily breakfast and lunch. Mostly continental breakfast with a few hot sandwiches. Lunches are salads, sandwiches and soups. They do have a nice menu for their limitations. 
I'm dealing mostly with corporate clients at this point with branching off into some private. There is really no one in the area that caters breakfast, so im trying to fill that niche. I did a cocktail party last week and surprisingly, it went quite well. I'm in the process of designing the menus as we speak, and I went to a networking meeting this morning and got a 2 day event from it. Things are starting to look good. The reason i bring this up is because I am doing a continental breakfast and afternoon snack on both days and im charging $15.00 pp for 20 ppl. My cap at this point is 150 comfortably for breakfast, lunch and hors d'oeuvres. Im just starting to put together hot buffet items that will hold well in chafers. 
Staff---HA! we're still working out the kinks with that. I did this cocktail party for 40 all alone. There was help for set up and breakdown. I made a decent amount of money, but it was a long long day. I also had 2 breakfasts that morning so my day started at 5:30am and ended at 11:00pm.
I've only been there about 3 weeks and right now i'm on a consulting basis for a month to determine excatly what has to be done to expand this end of the business. ****, they've been running out to the local party store everytime they have an event and buying colored napkins and plates...uuugghhh...things are gonna change.
So there you have it...i think i answered everything. Sorry this wwent on a bit, but once i got started...well ya know  Any advice would be a huge help. Unless you think i should turn tail and run


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Welcome to Chef Talk Suzanne and congratulations for the new job!


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