WHEN, HOW TO HIRE A CATERER

By BETTS GRIFFONE
Photos by ERIC REED

SO YOU’RE PLANNING TO HAVE A PARTY! And you think you’ll go ahead and do it all yourself — it’s only 25 people. How hard could that be?

Let’s see, what’s on the menu? Is it going to be light hors d’ouvres or heavy hors d’ouvres? Maybe it should be dinner — buffet or sit down? How much food will be needed? Will there be a theme — a color scheme?

What about table decorations? Flowers? Something to go along with the theme? And what about that color scheme — shouldn’t it all match?

Is it going to be too hot to sit outside? Or maybe it will be too cold ... or what about rain? What will you do if it rains? Oh, and then there are the tables and table cloths and dishes and serving pieces and utensils and silverware and, and, and. Yikes!

Martha Stewart, where are you?

Undaunted, you run to the grocery store and spend a gazillion dollars on food. Then it’s off to the flower shop to order the flowers.

But, oops! You should have gone to the rental place first. How many tables will you need? And chairs? A buffet table? Did you decide it was going to be a buffet? Who’s going to serve the food?

Oh well, back to the flower shop.

After a Herculean effort, you get all of it done and everything is perfect — you think. It’s an hour before your event and all of a sudden the panic sets in.

Will they like the food? Will there be enough? What about Mary Sue? You forgot — she’s vegan. Is there anything on the table that she can eat? Oh my! And there is that one dark cloud up there — looming. “Tell me it won’t rain!”

Your guests start to arrive. They seem to be having a wonderful time and no one has gagged on the food, so all is well. But wait, where is the hostess? She seems to be missing. Oh, there she is — huddled in that quiet corner and ... is she ... yes I think she is. She’s asleep. The poor thing — too tired to enjoy her own party! And she still has to face the cleanup. There is a better way. Find a good caterer.

Carole Giddings Inman, owner and operator of the Kool Kactus Cafe, has been in the restaurant and catering business for more than 28 years. And although her restaurant serves healthy Mexican food, she is happy to provide any kind of food her clients desire.

Inman usually caters around 20 events per month and she’s faced all kinds of challenges. She catered an event at Seal Beach where she had to haul all the tables, chairs, buffet tables and — most important — the food across a soft, sandy beach.

Another time she and her staff found themselves hiking down a mountainside with all their supplies to cater an event on the shores of Lake Arrowhead. And there was that lovely home where the event took place on the third floor — and there was no elevator.

She’s catered everything from intimate dinners to major events with hundreds of people. She’s faced weather situations where she had to rent a tent to keep the revelers from washing away in the rain.

Now that’s dedication! Actually, it’s also doing a good job.

When people come to Inman, she sits down with them to talk about everything — what kind of event it will be, how many people, what kind of food, the theme (if there is one) and the color scheme .... all the things they would normally worry about if they were doing it themselves.

The difference is when you go to a caterer, you shift the burden of worry off your shoulders.

It is important that you hire a reputable caterer, however. Visit their business. You can even ask to visit one of their events. Caterers are under the same restrictions as restaurants when it comes to food preparation. Cold food must be kept at 38 degrees and hot food at 145 degrees at all times. This is just good food safety. They receive the same inspections as restaurants and, if it isn’t displayed, you can ask to see their rating.

Be sure to go over everything. The more you share with the caterer, the better your event will be.

Now, you ask, how much is all this going to cost? The price per person depends on the menu and the number of guests, Inman says.

A smaller dinner party of 15 to 20 people might run between $22 and $30 per person. A larger event like a wedding with around 100 guests would run $17 to $50 per person depending on the type of food and whether it’s hors d’ouvres or a full dinner. A buffet would be less than a sit-down dinner because fewer servers are needed.

There is always the possibility of just ordering the food. In that case, the price can run around $10 per person. Of course you would still take care of everything else, including the cleanup.

Hiring a caterer may seem to be a little more expensive, but the peace of mind and the thrill of being able to attend your own party may just make it all worthwhile.

Kool Kactus Café & Catering by Carole 24957 Redlands Blvd., Loma Linda Cafe hours 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday (909) 796-1545, http://koolkactus.com