Got a catering gig cooking for a Colombian family.

8 years ago

I just accepted this catering gig that my neighbor hired me for. It’s for a wedding with a predominantly Colombian family and I’m not sure what to prepare. I’m totally unfamiliar with their native cuisine and I don’t know of any restricted food ingredients that they might have. To add fuel to the fire, my neighbor told me that the Colombian women in her family are really critical, especially when it comes to food and cooking. Now I feel really nervous. To anyone who has ever been in a similar situation, I need your help!

Featured Answer

plllog

8 years ago

Talk.

I mean it.

First check with the person who will be paying you to make sure if you've been hired to make Colombian food. Maybe the Colombian family want to eat prime rib and baked potatoes. Ask the client what cultural restrictions there are and what kind of menu items are wanted. Ask if there are any foods traditional to Colombian weddings that you should include. Prepare some sample menus to offer to the client--make sure to cost out the ingredients and make sure they're dishes you can produce in quantity all at once.

If you're told that you need to make Colombian food but can get no further guidance, ask the neighbor who hired you to put you in contact with the critical women, even if they don't cook. Ask those women what kinds of dishes they like to eat and that they think are appropriate to a family wedding. Don't promise to make any particular dish. Don't show off your cooking knowledge. If they offer recipes accept. When they tell you about a particular dish they like, ask what the most important thing is. Like with Persian stews, the crunchy rice is the defining factor even though it's not the actual stew. Don't develop a menu with them. Answer with words like "thank-you" and "this is a great help" and "I'm beginning to understand", but make no commitments. Say you're just trying to get a feeling for Colombian food. Take the information and compare it to what you can learn from web searches and cookbooks. Then make some tests of recipes, cost it out, and present a sample menu to the client.

Remember that some people don't eat meat, some don't eat dairy, some don't eat gluten, etc. Wedding menus are usually boring just because they have to account for all these people. Frozen ravioli from the catering supply are not an acceptable vegetarian option. A vegan protein (not quinoa salad!) is always a good option to have in your pocket. Most weddings have a beef option and a chicken or fish option. Ask the client.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

nancyjane_gardener
8 years ago
Maybe you should ask the family what they would like and work from there? Good luck and keep us posted!
Related Discussions
Are you thanked for cooking?
Q
Comments (42)
The responses are interesting to read. I agree that there is more than one way to say thank you, and commenting that a meal was delicious is as good as saying thanks. I don't think I ever thanked my husband for cutting the grass, unless it had gotten to be two feet tall and I said thank you (implying that it was about time!). However, I would say things like the yard looks nice. I just think that cooking is a fair amount of work, since it also involves shopping, carrying the groceries in, unpacking them, looking for the best prices and quality, setting the table and cleanup, so I think it deserves a thank you or an implied thanks. I love Netla's sayings, and I will try to remember to say "May it do you good" the next time someone thanks me for a meal. I always thank the waiter. I thank the people in the caf at work who make sandwiches or prepare plates of hot food, too. I even thank the cashier. I worked as a waitress and I know how hard it can be, dealing with the kitchen staff and the busboys, etc. I'm a good tipper, too. I think anyone who has worked in food service appreciates the work that goes into it.
...See More
Starting a Home Catering Business
Q
Comments (13)
She really needs to check the laws. In my state, it's required that food for sale to the public be prepared in a commercial kitchen. It's totally against the law to make food at home for sale. The easiest way for her to do this is to be a personal chef--going to customers' homes, cooking and serving the food there. BUT that would probably mean working at dinnertime, which doesn't sound as if it's what she wants. There are however, other ways to make $$$ from a love of creative cooking. Have her check out the www.recipecontests.com site. Great resource for cooking contesting. I know a lot of women who actually make a living by entering (and winning) cooking contests. I'm only a 'dabbler' at it myself, but even so, I've made close to $75,000 at it over the years. I also know a woman who has a very interesting side job. She knows a professional woman who likes to cook dinner for her family, but doesn't have time to plan and shop. My friend makes up menues for her, does the shopping, and then the woman does her own cooking when she gets home from work. If your dd likes to shop--there are lots of people who are making a business of shopping for senior citizens who can't get out. If she can't legally cook from home--it might be, by being a little creative, she can come up something else, food-related, to make a few extra $$$. It is always possible to make a few $$$ at home. I've been a SAHM/W for over 25 years and have ALWAYS added significantly to the family budget--sub teaching, teaching summer school (my dd could go with me), crafting, cooking contests, a number of other cottage industries. Any creative person can easily make money. The other thing your daughter needs to do before she gets started, is to sit down with her accountant so that she knows what records she needs to keep and how they need to be organized, so that tax season will be as easy as possible. Good luck--it's really rewarding to build your own business from scratch. She'll have a great time, and should make some good money, if she does her research first.
...See More
Catering Help, Please
Q
Comments (11)
I call this "my carrot cake"...but it came from Julie T a caterer and cook book author. For a big cake, I double the recipe and make 4 8 inch square layers, one 3 layer 8 inch square cake and then take the other single layer, cut it in half and stack it frost and freeze....so I have a half a cake for some time when I need a dessert. And if the tent has sides on it....you probably won't need the propane heater....a tent full of people keeps itself somewhat warm. Carrot cake Julie TÃ¢ÂÂs 3 eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 tsps cinnamon 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained 2 cups grated carrots 1/2 cup raisins chopped with 1 Tablespoon of flour Buttermilk glaze 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup butter 1 Tblsp light corn syrup 1 tsp vanilla Orange Cream Cheese Frosting 1/2 cup softened butter 4 oz softened cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp orange juice 1 tsp grated orange rind Preheat oven to 350 With a mixer Beat eggs, add oil and buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. beat to combine. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and stir into batter. stir in pineapple, carrots and raisins. Pour into a greased 8 by 13 pan or 2 greased round 9 inch cake pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven and immediatly spread with the buttermilk glaze. Cool completely and frost with the cream cheese frosting. Buttermilk glaze: In a medium sauce pan ( don't use a small pan) combine all ingredients but vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes stirring often...it will bubble a lot. It should be a light caramel color, stir in vanilla and pour over the cake Cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until light add vanilla powd. sugar and juice and rind...beat until smooth and frost the cooled cake.
...See More
Cooking for a family reunion with distant relatives.
Q
Comments (6)
My advice, for what it's worth, is to hire out. Have someone else cook. If these relatives are "estranged", then doing anything for which you could be blamed is to be avoided. Have it catered so that if these relatives want to find fault, it'll be with a non-relative vs a relative.
...See More
Islay Corbel
8 years ago
It sounds like you have no experience in catering. Are you sure you want to start with a wedding? It's not something you can get wrong!
laceyvail 6A, WV
8 years ago
My cousin's daughter hired a caterer for her wedding who completely ruined it. He fussed for hours over each plate, and many tables still didn't have food after 3 hours. Vegetarians (the groom's side were Indian --from India) and were served food with meat. It was a complete disaster. Many people had to leave without ever having been served.
fawnridge (Ricky)
8 years ago
If you are catering the entire event and you've never done this before, you should find some way to gracefully bow out. (Google "Colombian neck tie"). However, if you have catering experience and that is not the issue, then search the web for TV episodes of Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmren. They have both been to Colombia and as I recall, there were dozens of indigenous dishes described in detail.
2ManyDiversions
8 years ago
Aiden, you've been given excellent advice from everyone. It does sound like this is your first event. It also sounds like you've been give something of a 'warning' about overly critical guests. As someone who once semi-casually baked somewhat extravagant-to-them pastries for friends and acquaintances special occasions (far easier than catering several dishes), this is not something to take lightly. I'd never offer to cater or cook something I didn't already have a lot of good experience under my belt. Bow out if this is something you feel you might not be able to pull off with success.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
8 years ago
You did not mention key details like how many guests, etc. 99.9% of weddings I've been involved in and as a guest, the wedding party, bride/groom/parents/planner, etc, have discussions and a sit down about what they want and expect.

25-30 people maybe possible. Well under 50. Very traditional celebratory dishes in most cultures that are often 'expected'.

If you have no assistance with menu ideas and a practice run that they taste and approve....I would not touch the job.
Zalco/bring back Sophie!
8 years ago
Update?
plllog
8 years ago
Probably scared off by everyone telling him not to do it.
Jay 6a Chicago
8 years ago
Youtube has videos about Colombian food if one would like an idea about what one would be working with.
fawnridge (Ricky)
8 years ago
Spammer above
User
8 years ago
Yep it is hitting everything posted in Cooking. If they think I would EVER subscribe to their junk site, they are VERY crazy. Flagging every post I can!
2ManyDiversions
8 years ago
Wondered who flagged the spammer so fast - thank you Sherry! I've got a mailbox full of posts they've hit.
User
8 years ago
Ya know, one or two that really related to the post MIGHT be okay, but they don't care, they are just spamming anything and everything. Whoever, is not reading the post, they are just going for the most. A site like that is NOT what I am interested in at all!
foodonastump
8 years ago
Funny thing is this thread itself, as several other Colombian threads of that time, were kind of spammy. So spam got spammed.
bragu_DSM 5
8 years ago
This turned up several other places too ... like a smoking/grilling forum

Got a catering gig cooking for a Colombian family.

plllog

Comments (16)

nancyjane_gardener

Related Discussions

Islay Corbel

laceyvail 6A, WV

fawnridge (Ricky)

2ManyDiversions

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

Zalco/bring back Sophie!

plllog

Jay 6a Chicago

fawnridge (Ricky)

User

2ManyDiversions

User

foodonastump

bragu_DSM 5

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US