How Do I get a Job in the Catering Industry?
The catering industry offers a variety of opportunities to food service professionals looking for a rewarding work experience. Whether your passion is cooking delicious food for a great deal of people as a chef or managing a team of workers to put on an event as a food service manager, there are lots of options in this field. Here are some things you need to know about the industry before taking the plunge.
Qualifications to Work in the Catering Industry
There are a number of certificate and associate degrees in catering and culinary skills available through accredited schools for culinary arts and management that help provide a strong foundation for catering job aspirants.
Aside from professional degrees, you will need skills and abilities in the following areas:
- Memory and concentration for dealing with large crowds of customers at the same time
- Hospitality skills for handling difficult customers without disturbing the ambience of the party or event
- Transportation and the ability to locate and reach far flung places holding the event
- Management skills to plan, order, and execute large scale food orders
Types of Catering Businesses
The catering industry is mainly split into the following four areas of business:
Mobile Catering
Serve food on a mobile vehicle that can be moved to a new location whenever you feel like it. You save a lot of money on buying real estate and setting up a brick and mortar eatery. While the business is usually on a smaller scale than a traditional restaurant, it can be an attractive small-scale business model to pursue.
Special Event/Corporate Catering
Whether it's a wedding, a funeral, or a birthday party, every special occasion needs the services of a caterer who can provide well cooked food on time and serve it to the guests. While these jobs are usually on an individual project basis and require forming a large network of potential future clients, the money made on a single event can be a considerable amount.
Vessel Catering
Ships, yachts, jets, and similar water and air based vehicles require an entire catering staff composed of cooks and servers that cater exclusively to the vessel for a period of time. Luxury cruises offer steady employment to chefs and other members of the catering industry.
Restaurant Catering
Some restaurants also offer a catering option to their clients, which requires the caterer to have some form of transport and a working knowledge of the locality to make deliveries.
Jobs Within the Catering Industry
When you work within the catering industry there will be a variety of opportunities for you, based on your education, experience, and qualifications. Here are just a few options for work in the catering industry.
Food Service Manager
This position is for you if you are great at managing people, coordinating deliveries, and overseeing the transport and execution of the cooking and service.
Catering Chef
As a catering chef, you will be in charge of fulfilling large food orders in a short period of time. It is a more intensive version of the cooking experience in restaurants and requires a great deal of energy and concentration.
Catering Chef with an emphasis in Culinary Nutrition
If providing healthy food to suit special dietary needs is where you shine, you could work at a catering company, ensuring each meal served is nutritious and delicious for each guest.
Baking and pastry chef
Did you save room for dessert? Catering companies often hire bakers and pastry chefs in order to provide special cakes and treats for birthday parties, wedding days, and other special events calling for a specific dessert. Even at a conference or corporate event, everyone goes back to see what cookies, tarts, or sweet bites will go with their after-dinner coffee.
Moving Up in the Catering Industry
In order to make your mark in the catering industry, you will need the proper education as well an excellent resume of your qualifications and past work experience. Your reputation counts for a lot within the industry, as it is a testament to your ability to work well under pressure and fulfill large orders in a short amount of time.
You can also start your own catering business after a few years of experience in the industry, after creating a sufficiently large network of future clients who like your work. There are many perks to working for yourself within this great industry. But you definitely need the skills, training, and education to make an impact.
If you’d like to work in the catering industry you have plenty of options to stand out and help make events go off without a hitch. ECPI University offers several culinary degree programs to help you along your path to becoming a part of the catering industry. Whether your dream is to become a culinary arts graduate or a baking and pastry chef, a food service manager or become an expert in culinary nutrition, there is a degree program to suit your needs. Contact ECPI University today to find out more information about these exciting degree programs.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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