Culinary Program

Find culinary inspiration and helpful career information on topics such as cooking with chocolate, French and Greek cuisine, the life of a Chef, and what to expect in culinary school.

Does your sweet tooth lead you straight to your oven? Read how to avoid the pitfalls of cheese cake, bake creative cookies, use fresh fruits in baking, and more.

Catering and Restaurant Management

If you've ever prepared a Thanksgiving dinner, you know that cooking for a group takes planning and skill. Learn more about the art of catering and restaurant management, including specialized catering such as chocolates or high tea and how to prepare for a restaurant career.

Culinary Schools in the United States

With culinary schools in all 50 states and additional culinary education available online, you don't need to relocate unless you want to. Each state has its own special mixture of culture, cuisine, and locally grown agriculture that inspires the chefs and students who work and live there. If you're passionate about Maine lobster dishes, California cuisine, or any dish or state in between, you'll find a culinary school that is where you are or where you'd like to be.

Home | Culinary | Catering and Restaurant Management | Crowd Pleasing Careers in Catering

Crowd Pleasing Careers in Catering

By Marianne Salina

When Francis Ford Coppola purchased the Inglenook Winery in Napa Valley, he wanted to celebrate with 3,000 of his closest friends. Pulling this off required the skill and craft of numerous catering and culinary aficionados. Knickerbockers' Catering, the oldest catering company in the Napa Valley, came to the rescue. The catering crew cooked up an elaborate menu with cuisine that met the high standards of Coppola and kept an extraordinary number of guests wined, dined, and well-satisfied.

Catering School and Hands-On Experience

Successful catering companies like Knickerbockers' rely upon culinary craft and cooking skills in addition to the business savvy developed in catering school. Whether your ambition is to coordinate large catering extravaganzas such as Coppola's, or small, intimate events, business training fosters an understanding of the market, costs, and organizational requirements of the industry. In addition to numbers, a formal culinary education will give you a glimpse at some integral details of a catering career including:

Learning how to keep a thorough schedule allowing for proper prep time, serving courses on cue, and cleanup
Understanding the type of event you are catering and how to differentiate recipe and menu needs
Using software to create catering databases, allowing for changes in guest numbers and menu details

An Orchestrated Catering Event

Providing delicious cuisine and impeccable service are the ingredients for a successful catering career. The serving staff should be organized and detail-oriented, and the menu should reflect the theme and nature of the event. Catering school will teach you how to keep inventing--whether creating a new recipe or seating hundreds of guests for an outdoor wedding reception. Research today to learn how you can provide a catering performance that everyone will remember.

Sources

Catering

How Catering Works

Knickerbockers Catering: About Us

About the Author
Marianne Salina is a freelance writer in Spokane, Washington. She writes about pursuits in education and degree opportunities.

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