Catering Associate Job Description

Catering Assistants: Tips for Event Planner

Catering assistants are in the kitchen. They prepare basic food preparation tasks such as washing and peeling produce, making sauces and dressings, and slicing and cutting meat. Catering assistants are often called upon to handle machinery.

Catering assistants set up the event area. They make sure the tables and chairs are ready. They set up tents and banners for off-site events.

Catering assistants make sure there is no shortage of supplies. Catering assistants order more when supplies run out. Catering assistants organize the stock room when deliveries come in.

There are no requirements for being a Catering Assistant. Employers may require a food handler's certificate. Many employers are willing to train those who have no experience at all, even if they have only one year of experience working in the food industry.

Learning about food recipes and menu items is one of the things that on-the-job-training includes. Most employers instruct their employees on company policies and rules. Cater Source offers advice for people in the Catering industry to grow their careers.

Off-site Catering

The ability to move food efficiently is a must for a successful job. Salads and cold cuts must be kept chilled. Some items may be prepared in advance, but still others may be assembled at the event, such as beef sandwiches.

Proper packing techniques and supplies are required. The staff at the Catering department will be asked to set up all the tables, chairs, linens and place settings. The food-service staff will need to set up the food-serving area or create a buffet style setup for guests to serve themselves if the event location has a pre-set dining area.

Catering staffs may be required to serve food once all tables, place settings, serving areas, and food items are prepared. Catering waitstaff will deliver the meal directly to the tables and the dishes will be thrown away in between courses at most formal events. The waitstaff may be asked to serve certain items to guests who line up at the food service station.

Cleaning up and tearing down the dining area is the final step in off-site catering. All plates, dishes, silverware and glasses must be removed. The last thing a caterer needs to do is pack up food, equipment, and bags to go back to the home location.

A Catering Chef

A Catering Chef is in charge of preparing, delivering and serving bulk meal orders to clients based on their menu selection and event type. Their duties include developing menus and service packages, coordinating meal delivery, managing event schedules and food preparation timelines, setting up equipment to serve food and preserve its temperature, shopping for ingredients, cooking food and advertising their business to bring in new clients. Caterers can either be self-employed at their own business or work for a larger restaurant or catering company to provide food for meetings, conferences, parties, weddings, sports events and other gatherings.

They meet with clients to discuss their needs and expectations, including determining how many courses they want, whether they want buffet-style meals or table service, what their budget will be and how long the Caterer should expect to work at each event. They are responsible for coordinating client information and preparing food with a team of assistants. Caterers are in charge of general operations at the company while Catering Assistants are in charge of smaller tasks.

Catering assistants often clean, chop, measure, and organize ingredients in the right amounts so they can be put together quickly. They help communicate with clients, set up and break down serving stations, tables and other equipment at a venue, and may fill in as a Cook or a server when necessary. The Catering Assistants may be required to run last-minute errand for the Caterer.

A Food Hygiene Course for Catering Assistants

The role of a Catering Assistant is to help out in the kitchen and to be responsible for hygiene and cleanliness within food preparation areas. They help prepare the food items for the event. Catering assistants are responsible for basic food preparation tasks.

They are likely to be responsible for unloading deliveries from suppliers and organize the store room. Catering assistants need to be good at communicating with their co-workers and customers. They must be able to work with other people in a team, as they are likely to work alongside restaurant managers.

The kitchen environment is likely to be busy and noisy, which can make it difficult to sleep. Catering assistants are on their feet for most of the shift, so they need to wear comfortable shoes, and the job is not suitable for anyone with back problems. A full time Catering Assistant works 40 hours a week, with two-thirds of all kitchen jobs being part time and seasonal jobs also available.

They may be expected to start work early or work late, although shifts are usually split between employees. The Holiday Inn and the Hilton are major hotel chains. Fogo De Chao, Frankie and Benny's, and Pizza Hut are some of the popular national restaurants and pubs.

It is possible to get qualifications in food processing and preparation while working as a Catering assistant. If you don't already have a food hygiene certificate, you can take courses to get one. Train4food offers training courses in food safety and hygiene.

Catering Job Description: A Multi-task Salar

A caterer prepares food for large gatherings, and provides food for special events. Responsibilities may include serving and cleaning up food. A professional may be responsible for setting up and providing utensils.

Catering does not usually require a formal education, but having experience in food preparation, event planning, or business management can make a candidate stronger. Candidates with experience in food safety and Sanitation practices are needed for a job description. Catering is perfect for people who love working with people and creating a variety of foods that are both appealing to look at and eat.

You can use your creativity to create new recipes, food arrangements and menus. As you prepare all the dishes for an event at one time, you will be asked to multi- task as the attendants are served each meal course by hired server. You provide a delicious meal to ensure that the attendee enjoys their time at the event.

Telling Your Story About Catering

Catering is a popular job that has a wide range of responsibilities such as event food preparation, table setup, menu arrangement and decorating. The success of a caterer is dependent on the guests experience, which can be both a pleasure and pain. Now is the time to tell your story about your work experience.

The interviewing panel will want to know about your customer service background, so try to talk about your willingness to put others first and your devotion to serving guests. You should highlight the skills you brought on board in previous jobs and portray a friendly character. Catering is all about dealing with customers.

Explain how you executed ideas according to customer needs when you were involved in a previous event. You need to show a sense of practicality when you are going to work. Did you do a good job of managing your staff?