Indiana Market & Catering

With the busy season upon us, we find great deals of our associates are asking us how we keep up with events that demand a large number of staff. While we are lucky to have amazing and talented staffers on our team, we only have so many of them!

Our Solution: Freelancers or Volunteers.

We recommend this solution to not only those planners who need additional help, but to those who are looking to learn a little more about the industry. What better way to learn about catering an event than to be “behind the scenes”, helping the process go from start to finish? Today, we’d like to focus on some tips for those looking for help and those looking to help out.

When meeting/interviewing people for the first time, always be as professional as possible, and expect the same in return. Always ask for a resume and references, but trust your judgment of the person in front of you as well. Would you really want this person representing your company, even if only for a few hours? Conversely, does this look like a company that would treat you fairly?

As the interviewee, you should come prepared with a list of questions to help you determine if this role is the right fit for you. You should also come ready to list past experiences that showcase the assets that would be desirable to the company you are interviewing with. Coming in 1^st place in the State Science Fair in the 10^th grade is certainly an accomplishment, but probably not relevant to a caterer who has to staff a party for 400 guests.

As the interviewer, if red flags arise based on inconsistency, lack of knowledge, or inappropriate questions or behavior, take it as a sign that this is someone you do not want to hire. Ideally, potential freelancers should present their best to you, and if that is not what you are seeing (or even worse, if that is the best he or she may have to offer) then this is someone you would not want to hire to represent you.

Once you have build up a database of strong freelancers, create your pecking order of those who work hardest, are prompt, and take direction well. Also, feel free to ask people for referrals, as freelancers with great work ethic often know others with great work ethic.

Good-to-know Ingredient Substitutions

Everyone has that friend or family member who always has a new dietary restriction at every gathering. Just anticipating the possible desires of this guest can have you spending much more time in your kitchen than necessary. No need to get frustrated, though. Indiana has some tips that can help make catering to the needs of vegans, vegetarians, the lactose intolerant and the super health conscious not as difficult as many are led to believe. Below are some important ingredient conversions so that you rarely will feel limited in your cooking endeavors…and your guests will love you for it!

Indiana has some techniques of our own to accommodate all of our different guests with different dietary restrictions.

Ingredient Conversion Chart

To start, most soups with a chicken or meat stock can be made vegetarian or vegan with a vegetable stock, such as a delicious onion soup. To round the whole meal out, Indiana likes to serve it in a mini brioche bowl.

Another trick we use is to simply substitute yogurt for cream in our coveted spinach pie with whole-grain mustard sauce. The flavor still bursts!

Lastly, sorbets are always a great and healthful alternative to ice creams. Pick your favorite fruits and have a ball!

Bargains are a dime a dozen – sometimes literally! Real value is a bit harder to come by.

When it comes to hiring a “bargain” caterer and event planner you run a significant risk of getting exactly what you paid for. And in the end, who cares how much of a deal you scored if the food isn’t properly prepared or beautifully presented, the décor is unimaginative or tacky, the serving equipment is unsightly or the service is inexperienced and mismanaged? Memories of your cocktail reception, gallery opening, wedding or bat mitzvah will be irretrievably marred by the shoddy package your wonderful day was wrapped in. As we all have learned the hard way, sometimes the cheapest things we purchase end up being the most costly.

That’s why at Indiana Market & Catering, we focus on providing our clients with fantastic value – dependability, integrity, quality and service, at a reasonable price. While we are always talking to our vendors and staff to figure out ways in which we can trim costs, we never cut essential elements of our overall package to save a few bucks for ourselves or our clients. We know that this economic climate is tough for everyone – please let us know if Indiana Market & Catering ever fails to offer you the value we pride ourselves in giving to our clients with every event we produce.