How to Start a Home Based Catering Business or Suzanne Somers Eat Cheat and Melt the Fat Away

How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business

Author: Denise Vivaldo

Are you passionate about parties? Do you live to cook? Now you can realize your dream of working from home at something you enjoy - a home-based catering business. Author Denise Vivaldo shares her experiences and advice on every aspect of setting up and running a thriving home-based catering business, from estimating your start-up costs and finding clients to outfitting your kitchen and staying profitable. She even offers tips on the latest high-tech help, including CD-ROM recipe books, culinary Web sites, and computer software designed especially for chefs and caterers. Learn all about defining your market niche, selling yourself as a pro, establishing your daily schedule, pricing your services, organizing parties with ease, honing your food presentation skills, avoiding the 10 most common home-based mistakes and much more.

Table of Contents:

	Acknowledgments	ix
1	So You Think You Want to Be a Caterer?	1
	Do You Have What It Takes?	2
	Opportunities in Catering	3
	Hotels	3
	Airlines	4
	Private Parties	4
	Local Markets and Stores	4
	Special Events	5
	Does It Pay to Go to Cooking School?	5
	Apprenticeships: Learning by Doing	6
	Learning from the Mistakes of Others	7
	Learning from Your Own Mistakes	7
	Getting Organized	9
	Leaving the Security of a Job	9
	How This Book Is Organized	11
2	Working out of Your Home	13
	Setting Up and Office	16
	Training Family and Friends to Take You Seriously	19
	Employing Family Members	20
	Complying with City Ordinances	21
	Working with Your Local Health Department	23
	Sharing a Kitchen	23
	Renting a Kitchen on a Per-Day Basis	25
	Outfitting Your Kitchen	25
	Smallwares and Utensils	26
	Finding Used Equipment	28
	What to Look for in a Good Knife	28
	Setting Up Your Pantry	29
	Transportation	30
	Establishing Relationships with Wholesale Purveyors	30
	Your Next Step	31
3	Writing a Business Plan	33
	How to Structure Your Business	34
	Writing a Business Plan	36
Step 1	Writing the Summary Statement	37
Step 2	Defining Your Niche	38
Step 3	Drawing Your Organizational Chart	40
Step 4	Describing Company Management and Operation	41
Step 5	Your Marketing Plan	45
Step 6	Creating a Menu	46
Step 7	Crunching the Numbers	46
Step 8	Projections for the Future	49
	Business Books, Software, and Videos	52
4	The Legal Aspects of Your Catering Business	55
	Why You Need a Good Attorney	55
	Insurance: Can't Live with the Premiums, Can't Live with the Risk	56
	Start-Up Coverage	57
	Product Liability Insurance	57
	Public Liability Insurance	57
	Workers' Compensation Insurance	58
	Written Agreements and Contracts	59
	Working with Subcontractors or Suppliers	60
	Employees	60
	Hiring Versus Leasing Employees	68
	Employees Versus Independent Contractors	68
	Labor Practices	68
	Applications/Job Interviews	69
	Job Descriptions/Policy Manuals	70
	Becoming a Great Manager Boolist	74
5	Setting Prices, Estimating Quantities, and Writing Proposals	77
	How to Price Your First Menus	77
	Calculating Your Kitchen Labor	86
	How to Estimate the Right Food Quantities	87
	The Age-Group of the Guests	87
	The Guests' Lifestyle	87
	The Style of the Party	88
	The Time of the Party	88
	The Nature of the Party	88
	Clients' Concern about Running Out of Food	88
	Quoting Other Party Costs	89
	Estimating Wait Staff	89
	Disposables	91
	Floral, Decor, and Subcontractors' Services	92
	The Art of Bidding and Writing a Proposal	92
	How to Stay Profitable When You're Working with a Fixed Price	96
	Closing the Deal	102
	From Computer Software to the Internet: High-Tech Help for Caterers	103
6	Sales and Marketing	107
	Sell, Sell, Sell	108
	Defining Your Niche	109
	Social Catering	109
	Corporate Catering	111
	Community Affairs	112
	Choosing a Name and Logo	112
	Designing Promotional Pieces	114
	Making Your Menus Part of Your Marketing Program	116
	Standing Out from the Crowd	118
	Keeping a Portfolio	119
	Putting Together a Promotional Kit	121
	Drumming Up Business	124
	Getting Referrals and Repeat Business	125
	Advertising	126
	Tracking Your Success	127
	Inexpensive Pamphlets from the Small Business Administration	128
7	Crunching the Numbers	129
	Making Good Use of Your Accountant	130
	Accounting Systems	136
	Buying Computers and Software	138
	Invoicing	139
	The Artist Versus the Businessperson: Why So Many Caterers Fail	140
8	Setting the Stage for a Successful Party	141
	Before the Party	141
	Organizing Your Time and the Party Setup	143
	The Menu and Start-up	145
	Scheduling Staff and Assistants	150
	Arranging Transportation and Packing Out Your Party	152
	Getting Down to the Wire	158
9	Pulling it off With Ease	161
	The Day of the Party	161
	Getting to the Party	164
	Arriving at the Party Site	165
	Winding Down: Why Your Party Has to End on Time	167
	Report Cards from Staff and Clients	167
	How a Staff Report Works	169
	The Day After	172
	Two Days Later	174
	Three Days Later	175
	Two Weeks Later	176
10	Solving Problems	179
	Appendix	191
	Culinary Schooling/Education	191
	Recommended Reading	194
	Trade Shows	198
	Professional Organizations	199
	Suggested Seminars	201
	Index	204
	About the Author	213

Book review: FINE DINING MADNESS or Backyard Vintner

Suzanne Somers' Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away

Author: Suzanne Somers

Find out how hundreds of thousands of people all across the country have melted the pounds away without dieting, without deprivation -- the Somersize way!

With her number one New York Times bestsellers Eat Great, Lose Weight and Get Skinny on Fabulous Food, Suzanne Somers spread the word about her revolutionary weight-loss program that's unlike any diet out there. When you Somersize, you can eat your favorite foods until you are full and change your metabolism without skipping meals. Unlike other weight-loss programs, you don't have to eliminate entire food groups or skimp on portions -- instead, you can trim your waistline and boost your energy levels without depriving yourself of healthy, great-tasting foods.

In her new book, Suzanne Somers’ Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away, Suzanne shows loyal fans and newcomers alike that losing weight and getting fit are easier now than ever before. You'll be amazed at how the pounds just melt away when you eat hearty, rich foods like cheese, butter, meats, creamy sauces, and tempting desserts. The key is eating food in the right combinations to achieve maximum weight loss, while also lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure. Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away explains Somersizing in detail for those who have come to the plan for the first time. It also offers the latest Somersizing news, including:

* how hormone imbalances affect weight gain and how to maintain your weight throughout every phase in your life, from puberty through your childbearing years to menopause;
* how to Somersize with your children;
* how to incorporate little "cheats" into the plan so younever feel deprived, but still lose weight;
* information about the remarkable new natural sugar that allows you to eat sweets and still stay slim;
* answers to the most frequently asked questions and concerns about Somersizing;
* Somersize success stories that will inspire you to lose weight and get healthy.

And best of all, Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away also includes more than 100 new Somersize recipes that will tantalize your taste buds, including Pan-Fried Petrale Sole with Lemon, Butter, and Caper Sauce; Deep-Fried Turkey with Fried Onions and Herbs; Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Soup with Creme Fraiche and Crispy Sage Leaves; Portobello Mushrooms with Bubbling Pesto; Molten Chocolate Cakes; Raspberry Souffle; and many more.

Portobello Mushrooms with Bubbling Pesto
PRO/FATS AND VEGGIES -- LEVEL ONE

Serves 4
These mushrooms make a great appetizer or a delicious accompaniment for a summer meal alongside a steak. They work especially well if you are using your outdoor grill, but you can also broil them in the oven.

4 large portobello mushrooms
Olive oil for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Basil Pesto (p. 155)
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Trim the stems off the mushrooms. Brush mushrooms with olive oil and season lightly. Cook gill side down over medium coals or in the broiler for 5 minutes.

Turn the mushrooms over and spread a spoonful of pesto over the entire surface. Continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are very tender and the pesto is bubbling. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top of the pesto and return to broiler until cheese is melted and golden.


Dawn's Deviled Eggs
PRO/FATS AND VEGGIES -- LEVEL ONE

Makes 10
My good friend Barry Manilow has a wonderful cook named Dawn. These are her delicious deviled eggs. Her original recipe includes avocado, which makes the filling green. Try it that way for Level Two.

5 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon minced scallion, white and light green parts
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
Juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
red chili flakes for garnish

Remove the yolks from the whites. Set the whites aside. Mash the yolks in a bowl with a fork. Add the scallion, jalapeño, lime juice, mayonnaise, and salt. Add more mayonnaise to reach desired consistency. Mash with a fork until blended. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff whites with yolk mixture, mounding the tops.
For extra heat, garnish with red chili flakes.
For Level Two
Add 1 whole mashed avocado to the egg yolk mixture.