Kendall College – Professional Catering / Personal Chef Certificate
Location: Chicago, IL
Professional Catering / Personal Chef Certificate
Caterers play an important role in observing some of the most important occasions in people’s lives. Working closely with event planners and private customers, caterers design the perfect menus for a variety of functions. Preparing great food and helping people mark the defining moments of their lives can make a catering job both rewarding and fulfilling.
A career as a caterer can take many different forms. Some caterers may specialize in a certain kind of cuisine or in a certain kind of event. Others may like working with a range of foods in a wide array of circumstances. Some caterers work in a one-person operation while others work for large catering companies.
Skills Needed for a Catering Career
Culinary Ability and Creativity – Predictably, caterers need to be good cooks. They also need to be able to produce large quantities of good food. More than that, however, good caterers need to be able to think creatively about menus and collaborate with customers to put together the right set of food for the right event.
Social Skills – Customer service plays a big part in any catering business. You’ll need to be able to attract customers and sell your product. You’ll also need to listen to what customers need and deliver both the food and the service they want.
Business Savvy – Whether you’re handling everyday administrative tasks or making decisions about how to market your business, you’ll benefit from some basic business skills and training—especially if you run your own catering business. You’ll need to be able to work with your customers to plan menus that fit their budget. You’ll also need to be able to figure out your own budgets and pricing.
Focus on building a wide range of culinary skills, plus how to cook for special diets and plan your own food service business.
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