FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My pricing depends primarily on the complexity of the menu, distance from my base, type of service, and overall effort I will have to put into the project and, in some cases, the requirements of the venue. I rarely do a catering for less than $650.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Once we have have spoken on the phone and gotten serious about commitment, the client and I will meet at a convenient place to get acquainted and work out the details of the catering. The details will be put into a simple contract to be signed by both parties. The customer will follow with a down payment of around 25% of the quote , non-refundable except in the most desperate of circumstances and never less than 30 days before the event. I will visit the venue at some point before the event either by myself or in the company of the client or his/er representative. I rarely do tastings because I am not a restaurant and do not have ready made food. If a client insists on a tasting, I will try to arrange a tasting after a recent catering to share that food. My reviews attest that the quality and taste of my food is invariably superior.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been catering for over 40 years in public and private venues for many years in Northwest Arkansas, as volunteer cook or supervisor for fundraisers, church, school and civic club functions. I have organized and supervised annual food festivals for the colleges where I have taught as a Spanish professor and taught cooking lessons on primarily South American cuisine. I have traveled to Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Central America for the purpose of studying and participating in the cooking of their food. I have studied under professional chefs in restaurant kitchens in Houston, Arkansas and here in Central Texas. I have taken exams to hold food handling and food safety certificates in the State of Texas.