Susie McDonell, CATERING UNLIMITED Halifax, Nova Scotia (902.422.8880) Ebrides, Women in Business, Weekly Press, Daily News

The food you serve at your ceremony does a lot more than just feed a hungry crowd - it shows your style by what is prepared, how it is presented, and even how it is served. Whether it's roast beef, lobster thermador or rigatoni with meat sauce, the food you serve makes a statement, as well as satisfies your ravenous guests. The guests who traveled to your wedding dressed in their "Sunday best" and carrying a wedding gift.

Choosing your caterer is an important detail that should not be left to the last minute. Since many caterers are booked up to a year in advance, it is important to act early to find the company who understands your tastes and can prepare them accordingly and within your budget.

With so many decisions to be made, it is hard to know where to begin. Before meeting with a caterer, it would be helpful for you and your fianc‚e to sit down and decide exactly what you are both looking for. What type of reception will it be - an hors d'oeuvres reception, a barbecue, a dinner, a combination or just cake and punch? If you opt for the traditional dinner and dancing, will it be buffet-style, or a sit-down full service affair? Will you use linens, china dishes, disposables or a combination of both?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can book a fitting reception site, whether it is a community hall, museum, orchard, home (perhaps with a tent) or the beach. If your reception site has its own caterer, find out if you need to use theirs or if you can bring in your own. When you are ready to employ the services of a caterer, don't choose a name out of the phone book. Ask around to find family and friends who have attended wedding receptions where the food was outstanding, and find out which company they used. Catering Unlimited will be at the top of their lists. Once you have received the names of some other good prospects, visit with them in person to compare prices, get testimonials and discuss your options. At Catering Unlimited Susie or Joanne would be happy to meet with you at their office, your home or at the venue of your choice. Also, if planning from out of province, conference calling and email works beautifully with Catering Unlimited.

The caterer you choose should be creative and willing to work closely with you and your fianc‚e to develop the perfect menu. Ask many questions to find out how willing the caterer is to indulge your ideas, and if they are qualified. Find out if the caterer works from a licensed kitchen, and has the proper insurance. Ask whether your caterer would be willing to work with your florist, photographer and emcee in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Some caterers, such as Catering Unlimited, provide professional uniformed staff, do all the set-up, service & clean up, coordinate the rentals and provide other important requirements, while others merely prepare the food. Find out which services your caterer provides, and if there is an extra charge for any of them. If you do decide to rent dinnerware through your caterer, make sure you know exactly what you are getting. You may be expecting china and glass, but end up with paper and plastic. Also find out if there is a cleaning charge for the dishes, and if the gratuity is included in the quoted price. Can you take leftover food with you, and will containers be provided for this purpose? All of these questions are important to ask, because they tell your caterer that you are interested in getting the most for your money, and know how to go about doing this. Once you have found that wonderful caterer have them put together a contract that states exactly what will be served, when, where, and by whom. They should stipulate the deposit requirements and payment procedures, and make sure that labour, taxes and gratuities are discussed beforehand to avoid surprises later. Catering Unlimited will prepare all these details for you in writing.

The value of a professional catering service does not extend only to wedding receptions. Caterers are professional party planners, and their wealth of expertise can lend style to any pre-wedding bash, including the rehearsal dinner, bridesmaids' luncheon and shower.

Another event in which many couples or their families employ the services of a caterer is for a post-wedding brunch. The morning after the wedding, before the couple leaves on their honeymoon, they host the second gathering of their married life in a celebration brunch honoring family and close friends. This brunch is also the perfect opportunity for the couple to spend some time with out-of-town guests they don't get to see often. By having the event catered, everyone can sleep in after an exciting night and relax with their guests the following day.

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it informative. Catering Unlimited looks forward to helping you with your next special occasion. We also welcome your visits at cateringunlimited.ca. We update our menus every February so check back for new and exciting menu items as well as other goodies.

Handling Houseguests in Your Home Office:

Set some basic rules for your guests and yourself, and your visitors will enjoy their visit, while you still get your work done.

By: Susie McDonell, Catering Unlimited

Women in Business Newsletter, Mount St. Vincent University, February 2006

Ahhh, you have a successful business that has its office in your home. You worked hard to make your business successful and you need to keep that way. So, what do you do when family and friends would like to come and visit, perhaps for a few hours or a few days! You ask yourself, how can I enjoy having houseguests and keep my business running in a productive way without alienating my visitors? Owning a home based business means having to worry about something that other hosts/hostesses do not, and that is having house guests in your office. I offer these few guidelines to make the visit go smoothly and keep everyone happy.

You have to evaluate if it can work. If you are squeezed for space, do you want guests, or is having them more a "duty" than a "pleasure". If you have three children less than 5 years of age and operate a family daycare center in you home, can you enjoy houseguests, and can they enjoy themselves? If you use your spare bedroom to give private music lessons with students during the day time and evenings, do you really want to try squeezing guests into such a schedule? 

If your office is a separate room in your house will you have to stay there with the door closed while you are working? Can guests play music and watch the television while you are working? You are not a rotten friend or relative if you don't open your home office to guests. Under any of these circumstances, your guests and you will be happier if you provide them with a room in a nearby hotel. Thoughtful and caring friends and relatives will understand. No considerate guest wants to be a burden or a disruption. They should know that you have to work to earn a living. Enjoying houseguests is a matter of timing. Look at your calendar. What work is scheduled for the time period involved? If you're too busy to spend time with your friends or family, it will be hard to enjoy their visit and keep your business up and running at the same time.

You have to evaluate if it can work. If you are squeezed for space, do you want guests, or is having them more a "duty" than a "pleasure". If you have three children less than 5 years of age and operate a family daycare center in you home, can you enjoy houseguests, and can they enjoy themselves? If you use your spare bedroom to give private music lessons with students during the day time and evenings, do you really want to try squeezing guests into such a schedule? If your office is a separate room in your house will you have to stay there with the door closed while you are working? Can guests play music and watch the television while you are working? 

You are not a rotten friend or relative if you don't open your home office to guests. Under any of these circumstances, your guests and you will be happier if you provide them with a room in a nearby hotel. Thoughtful and caring friends and relatives will understand. No considerate guest wants to be a burden or a disruption. They should know that you have to work to earn a living. Enjoying houseguests is a matter of timing. Look at your calendar. What work is scheduled for the time period involved? If you're too busy to spend time with your friends or family, it will be hard to enjoy their visit and keep your business up and running at the same time.

For example, if you're in the gift basket business, having guests during the holiday seasons could be a setup for disaster. If you're a tax preparer, Easter houseguests may be totally unworkable. I own a catering business with the office in my home and the kitchen in a local business park. I am in my office booking and coordinating events a lot of the time, or in the kitchen helping with food prep, or out meeting with clients, or onsite at a job -sometimes late into the night. In the catering business we work on weekends but much depends on the time of year. The more you can clear your calendar, the greater the chances of enjoying your guests. You have to establish some ground rules. 

Walk mentally through the anticipated visit, and imagine every possible scenario, from your mother wandering into a client meeting in her swimsuit to your nephew practicing his electric guitar in the living room while you're on the phone. Will there be certain areas of the house that will need to be off-limits? Are there telephone lines you won't want anyone using? Will sleeping guests keep you from getting to your computer? Will there be times of the week that you will not be available? Are there times the car will not be available? What limitations will you need to set up to make sure your business can continue to function adequately? Spell out all expectations clearly in advance, letting your guests know you have a home office. Try not to let yourself get overwhelmed about receiving houseguests (or not). Most people realized that running a business from home is very much the norm these days. Once you have a chat with them, prior to their visit, everything should be fine. You may even find out that they were more of a help than a hindrance.

PREPARING FOR THE HOLIDAY PARTY:

Help in managing the busiest social season of the year.

Daily News, November 2005 -  Oh the joys of the festive season! Decorating the tree, purchasing gifts, organizing schedules, preparing for the annual bash.and that's just in the office! It's a wonder that you have time to do it all, much less think about yourself and get your own personal affairs in order. The "holidays" can seem like more of a chore than a celebration. Well, that's where your event planner/caterer can come in handy. Your event professional realizes that your time is precious, which is why during the busy times, they are able to help you with all your planning needs. If you are planning your annual office party, they can come into your office and create a different ambience. Alternatively, we can take you to an off-site venue that will allow your employees to unwind and enjoy each others' company away from the pressure of the computer, fax machine and telephone. Unfortunately, too few employers think about the Christmas party before the stores have the tinsel up, and this can lead to the best places being booked. Many venues book up a year prior, so you need to think about booking well in advance to avoid disappointment. But find yourself in a jam? Call your caterer, who will most likely be able to find you somewhere suitable. Keep in mind that the two weekends prior to the weekend before Christmas are the two main "holiday party" weekends, so finding suppliers will be difficult at the last minute. There are benefits to planning early! You will be guaranteed service from your suppliers. 

As December approaches, you will find it tricky to book staff, equipment rental and food and beverage service as suppliers will often be fully-booked. Note that many are booked on a first-come (and contracted), first-served basis. Once a caterer, for example, is fully booked for the day, they will regretfully have to refuse your event, to avoid jeopardizing your event and those who have already been contracted. You may be disappointed, but realize that this is done to protect all parties involved, including the reputation of the caterer. Also, when planning early, you can confirm all aspects of your event prior to the craziness of the season, and you can concentrate on other things, knowing that your event is confirmed. If you are looking for client gifts, giveaways and employee door-prizes, your caterer is often able to source suitable gifts on your behalf, which arrive gift- wrapped and ready to be given away by your company representative. You, as the planner, can simply arrive and enjoy the party! D‚cor elements, flowers, entertainment, lighting and beverage service can be arranged with ease. 

One thing that you may wish to do when printing your invitations is remind your guests about your corporate policy on responsible drinking, or offer taxi chits to your guests. Holiday events at home can also be a breeze! That annual drop-in or cocktail party is a snap when catered. You don't have to spend the day/week in the kitchen preparing with your caterer on board! You can enjoy your socializing with your family and friends while servers meticulously set up, serve and clean up after your event, again allowing you, the host/hostess, to be part of your event. Your guests can see you at your best and you can catch up and socialize, without worrying about burning the turkey! One way that businesses allow themselves to enjoy their annual party is to have it in the New Year. Certain businesses are too frantic during the holiday season to take time to have their parties, so instead they plan it for a time following the holidays, when they are more relaxed and able to enjoy themselves without having to get up early the next day (caterers included!)

During the months of January and February, you may be able to get discounted rates from your suppliers as these are the more "off-season" times, and rates are not always at a premium, as in December. But if you just have to plan your party at the last minute, your caterer will do their best for you! They may not be able to spend as much time as normal as they are busy executing events that have already been planned. If you call in December, bear in mind that the caterers are extremely pressed for time, so please have a definite idea of what you wish to do as well as a tentative budget for the caterer to work with. This will allow them to plan your event with precision, and get you the information you require as soon as possible. Please be aware that during these hectic times, you may have to wait a bit longer than expected, but never fear! Your caterer will do their utmost to accommodate you.

Happy Holidays!

Susie McDonell & Staff, Catering Unlimited