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| Acknowledgments | |
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| So You Think You Want to Be a Caterer? | |
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| Do You Have What It Takes? | |
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| Opportunities in Catering | |
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| Does It Pay to Go to Cooking School? | |
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| Starting as a Personal Chef | |
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| Apprenticeships: Learning by Doing | |
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| Learning from the Mistakes of Others | |
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| Learning from Your Own Mistakes | |
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| Getting Organized | |
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| Leaving the Security of a Job | |
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| How This Book Is Organized | |
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| Working Out of Your Home | |
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| Setting Up an Office | |
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| Training Family and Friends to Take You Seriously | |
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| Employing Family Members | |
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| Complying with City Ordinances | |
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| Working with Your Local Health Department | |
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| Sharing a Kitchen | |
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| Renting a Kitchen on a Per-Day Basis | |
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| Outfitting Your Kitchen | |
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| Setting Up Your Pantry | |
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| Transportation | |
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| Establishing Relationships with Wholesale Purveyors | |
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| Your Next Step | |
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| Writing a Business Plan | |
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| How to Structure Your Business | |
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| Writing a Business Plan | |
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| Business Books, Software, Videos, and Online Resources | |
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| The Legal Aspects of Your Catering Business | |
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| Why You Need a Good Attorney | |
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| Insurance: Can't Live with the Premiums, Can't Live with the Risk | |
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| Written Agreements and Contracts | |
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| Working with Subcontractors or Suppliers | |
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| Employees | |
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| Becoming a Great Manager Booklist | |
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| Setting Prices, Estimating Quantities, and Writing Proposals | |
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| How to Price Your First Menus | |
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| Calculating Your Kitchen Labor | |
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| How to Estimate the Right Food Quantities | |
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| Quoting Other Party Costs | |
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| The Art of Bidding and Writing a Proposal | |
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| How to Stay Profitable When You're Working with a Fixed Price | |
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| Closing the Deal | |
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| Sales and Marketing | |
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| Sell, Sell, Sell | |
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| Defining Your Niche | |
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| Choosing a Name and Logo | |
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| Designing Promotional Pieces | |
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| Making Your Menus Part of Your Marketing Program | |
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| Standing Out from the Crowd | |
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| Keeping a Portfolio | |
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| Putting Together a Promotional Kit | |
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| Drumming Up Business | |
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| Marketing with a Web Site | |
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| Getting Referrals and Repeat Business | |
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| Advertising | |
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| Tracking Your Success | |
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| Inexpensive Pamphlets from the Small Business Administration | |
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| Crunching the Numbers | |
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| Making Good Use of Your Accountant | |
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| Accounting Systems | |
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| Buying Computers and Software | |
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| Invoicing | |
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| The Artist Versus the Businessperson: Why So Many Caterers Fail | |
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| Setting the Stage for a Successful Party | |
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| Before the Party | |
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| Organizing Your Time and the Party Setup | |
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| The Menu and Start-up | |
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| Scheduling Staff and Assistants | |
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| Arranging Transportation and Packing Out Your Party | |
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| Getting Down to the Wire | |
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| Pulling It Off with Ease | |
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| The Day of the Party | |
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| Getting to the Party | |
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| Arriving at the Party Site | |
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| Winding Down: Why Your Party Has to End on Time | |
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| Report Cards from Staff and Clients | |
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| The Day After | |
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| Two Days Later | |
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| Three Days Later | |
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| Two Weeks Later | |
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| Solving Problems | |
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| Catering Menus and Quantity Recipes | |
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| Cooking Methods and Why It Is Important to Know Them | |
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| Catering Menus | |
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| Baby Shower Buffet Lunch Recipes | |
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| Business Lunch Recipes | |
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| Traditional Holiday Dinner Recipes | |
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| Hors d'Oeuvres Cocktail Party Recipes | |
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| Elegant Garden Wedding Recipes | |
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| Appendix | |
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| Culinary Schooling/Education | |
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| Online Culinary Resources | |
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| Recommended Reading | |
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| Trade Shows | |
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| Professional Organizations | |
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| Suggested Seminars | |
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| Index | |
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| About the Author | |