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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 | |