How to Start a Catering Business: When You Don't Know What the Hell You're Doing [Paperback]

Jennifer Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2003

How to Start a Catering Business When You Don't Know What the Hell You're Doing, written by Jennifer Williams, gives the reader step by step instructions to opening a catering business. Written in simple language and with humor, the book offers serious advice regarding equipment purchases, marketing, contracts, and the do's and don'ts of catering. The author will take you from confused to confident as she takes the mystery and the fear out of being 'a great chef.' Jennifer says, 'You don't have to be a great chef to be a caterer. It takes passion and the love of entertaining.' Starting the business from scratch, the author shares her experiences of starting a new business, overcoming financial obstacles, and the infamous HEALTH DEPARTMENT.Learn how to pull off the perfect barbeque and enjoy some of Jennifer's favorite recipes as well as tips on menu creation and portion sizes. This book is full of good information for the aspiring caterer and is easy to understand and apply to either home based or commercial based catering

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jennifer Williams was born into a family of great cooks. It was her lifelong dream to own a catering business, and in 1996, she made her dream a reality. Lacking formal training, Jennifer relied on catering books, seminars and other caterers to help her get started. Within one year, she had booked fifteen jobs and had an exclusive catering deal with a local hotel.She has taken a break from catering to focus on her son but wrote this book as her way to keep her foot in the catering door. This is Jennifer's first book, but not her last.Jennifer hopes to teach other aspiring caterers her techniques for success by teaching one-day seminars. She's been happily married for nineteen years, has a three-year-old son and enjoys cooking (of course), shopping with mom, and spending time with friends. She makes her home in Southern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (January 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403358907
• ISBN-13: 978-1403358905
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Was this a 6th grader's book report?, June 21, 2005

By 

Evil Troll (Vancouver, Wa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Start a Catering Business: When You Don't Know What the Hell You're Doing (Paperback)

How disappointing. I was eager to receive this book and as it only took about 45 minutes to read from front to back, I didn't put it down because I kept thinking that there had to be some redeeming value. Some useful tidbit of information that I as a person who has never catered anything could use. There was not one thing in this book that someone with common sense wouldn't think of themselves. There appears to be only one reason this book was written. The author had enjoyed being a caterer and when she left the field to raise her son, she needed money. I'm only sorry that she didn't put more effort and thought into it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book ABout Catering, November 6, 2006

By 

Aniruddha M. Railkar "Flying Chef" (Ambler, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Start a Catering Business: When You Don't Know What the Hell You're Doing (Paperback)

I liked this book because it is written in simple language and goes over the nuts and bolts of the catering business. It talks about pricing, portioning, and etiquettes for servers and bar tenders. I think it gives you enough information to decide whether catering is for you. I liked it.

24 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good information, April 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Start a Catering Business: When You Don't Know What the Hell You're Doing (Paperback)

This book is written in easy to understand terms for the catering beginner. The author shares some humorous stories and mistakes with the reader. Includes some great recipes and menu ideas.