Truth In Catering
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
s
o you think every restaurant
and catering establishment
makes everything from
scratch?
Some do. Some don't. Big hotels
don't. Pricey private caterers usually
do. Big banquet halls? Nope. Read on
for the whole truth and how knowing
how to bend the rules can turn you
into a catering pro. You may never
hire out again.
You can be your own caterer. For
people who feel merely providing a
delicious dinner to a family can be
torment, the proposition of preparing
for a party of 20 seems impossible.
But the truth is that all those
hotels and caterers you know do not
always make all their own food.
Consider the "pig in a blanket,"
another name for the little hot dogs
wrapped in dough, an hors d'oeuvre
staple at many b'nai mitzvah.
Yes, they're easy to make, but
they're also available already made
(and kosher, to boot). Just heat and
serve. There are countless examples of
foods like this that are now becoming
available to the home cook.
The reason for turning to premade
is logical. Caterers and restaurateurs
are busy people. They often don't
have time to make absolutely every-
thing at the last minute or to store
already prepared foods. And when
you -consider the time-is-money fac-
tor, oft times it's cheaper to order
pre-mades then to pay employees to
make them.
In fact, if you look around a little
more, you'll see that there are a
tremendous variety of appetizers,
entrees and desserts that simply need
to be unwrapped and served.
The rationale for the home cook is
slightly different. For the amateur, the
thought of turning out large quanti-
ties of any food can be intimidating.
And many people don't possess the
confidence in their abilities to make
the food taste good.
A recent research trip to a ware-
house club revealed a myriad of food
choices perfect for entertaining large
groups of people. Sides of smoked
salmon, sliced paper-thin, were
stacked in a refrigerated case. Nearby,
smoked whitefish salad and creamed
herring were displayed.
A short trip to another section
revealed fruity yogurt cups, cottage
cheese and pounds of fluffy cream
cheese. Giant 66-ounce cans of all-
white tuna (just add mayo) and
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