a successful party and a happy birthday girl..........

Several months back I had received a phone call from a regular customer that was planning her own 50th birthday party. Since I know she has particular tastes and styles (obviously, since she was planning her own party), I decided to meet with her in person rather than to try and set her catering up over the phone. A personal touch does go a long way, and my decision proved to be well worth the effort.

Our initial meeting lasted over two hours as we pondered over her choices of menu, placement of food, and staff needed. Since she lives in an exclusive (georgeous/ manicured/ gated) golf community that had just come into full bloom, I had no problem with that.... as the scenery into her backyard resembled fine gardens worthy of Monet. She was planning to have the party in her gardens.... scattered tables and eating areas, all listening to a band she had hired for the event. I had to remind her that (in my experience) most people gathered around the bar area, no matter where you placed tables..... just as they do in kitchens, when it is an indoor party. It never fails....ever. She still had designs of her plan she hadn't ironed out yet, and enter me with the expertise to lead her in the right direction. We clicked once more, and she took my suggestions with very little protest. We ironed out all the details, she took notes (as did I) and we came to a meeting of minds. Yes, this was a going to be a nice party, with only the best silver in attendance to fulfill the effect.

Usually I ask for a final count one week before the event, so that it gives us ample time to start purchasing the menu product... and start the prepping some things as early as possible. If you ever had to cook for 120 people, you get the picture. Two days before the event I received a phone call from her, and she's had a change of mind about her food. As we are on the phone, the truck arrives with the mushrooms and potatoes she wants to nix, and have shrimp cocktail in its place. As delicately as possible, I convince her that it really is too late at this point. If she only called me one day earlier, I might have been able to do something for her..... but, geez, the truck has already arrived with her fresh produce ready to be made into the wonderful delicacies she had chosen originally. Not to worry, she already had shrimp and scallop kabobs and bacon wrapped scallops as part of her choices.... wouldn't new potatoes and herb stuffed mushrooms widen the variety choice? She relented, and gave in. Whew!

Since I knew this was still not going to be an easy set-up, I asked if I could come the day before to bring the chafers and as much equipment as possible to put in place, because the next day it would be very hectic.....oh, and did I mention that she is an easily excitable person? And not the "haha" type, but more along the lines of "determined to run things as the mistress of the house" personality. No big problem, as I already knew all this, hence my suggestion. She is not the type of person who can plan things in her head, and depends on visuals. This means that we changed the placement of chafers on her diningroom table a dozen times. She would step back to investigate.... not be very pleased, then we'd start all over again. As it turned out, it took longer to set the diningroom table then it did to unload my truck (and I can pack a lot of equipment in there); I was glad for my decision to come a day early.

Friday set-up night saw the sky get dark, thunderclouds move in, and once again threats of horrendous tornado warnings. Not so much for our area, but we would get the rain, no doubt. In my mind, I could only think of the lawn that would turn to mud from such a soaking, and I wasn't wrong. My trip to her house on Saturday, 3 hours before the first guests arrived, had me face to face with a woman who greet me in shorts, curlers in her hair, and the look of pain on her face because the clouds hadn't quite cleared yet. Since she had rented a tent, and had it set-up in her nice big driveway, we placed the tables there, and erected a bar down in her bricked garden area. Everything was now in its place, and the band had arrived to set themselves up as well. Walking through my final details, and putting even more equipment into place, all I had to do was wait for the food to arrive, which it promptly did at 3:00. By now, the sun was out, but the grass was taking a pummeling from all the walking I had to do to stock the garden bar. This would prove to be a slight problem to the ladies arriving in their spike heels, as they did sink in upon occasion.

Guests arriving at 4:00... and all the way up to the fashionably late ones at 9:00, were greeted, offered wine and shown to the gardens for a tropical drink called a Mojito, in case they didn't care for wine. When I first saw the amount of wine cases she had purchased for this party, I really was under the impression that she'd have many bottles left over, and I was wrong in that assessment. These people really packed the wine and Mojitos away.... and I was thankful that most of them were either within walking distance, or had taken their golf carts instead of cars to arrive there. No one get sloppy drunk, but still, a lot of alcohol was consumed.

The guest of honor had just enough time to ready herself further, before the first guests arrived, and luckily she was not indecisive about her fashion attire. All the guests brought lovely wrapped presents, which were collected and brought to a bedroom to be placed on the bed. By the end of the night, I had a chance to go in there for something, and couldn't help but think that it was going to take her a month to write out all those thank you notes.... the bed was covered, and it had spilled over to the dresser. It was better than Christmas!

The party went off without a hitch. Delicious food aromas waifed through the kitchen, and the people were showing signs of being hungry. The pre-hors d'oeuvres were not enough to sustain them, and at 6:00 we opened the buffet. This proves to be my busiest time during any party. Between keeping the chafers stocked, and collecting any items from people who are finished and ready to be rid of their plate and silverware, it causes me to be in several places at once. For the most part, this is also when the time flies by the fastest at any event. You actually have no time to even think about time..... except when it comes to your legs and feet. (Which reminds me, I need a more comfortable pair of shoes!)

The next thing I know, it's 8:30..... the party is winding down, and the sun is setting well into the west. A nice comfortable cool has arrived in the air, and the guests are starting to leave in pairs of two. It's serious clean-up time for us. We have to collect all of our equipment, empty the pans of food in containers to be set in their refrigerator, and load our vans. I am now on my 8th hour of working this party, and to say my "dogs were barking" is an understatement. I have hit hobble mode. Luckily I didn't have to carry any heavy equipment, as my two male partners get those honors, but I did need to oversee everything that we took away to make sure it was ours and not some of the dishes she supplimented in the table displays. Going off without a hitch, the vans are loaded, and the boys are on their way back to our kitchen to start the dishes. I wait around for payment of the invoice, while also wishing I had that bottle of Aleve in my hands to stop the throbbing my aching legs are shouting to me. The night is over, and I am thankful that I live somewhat close to this particular event. Whatever got loaded into my truck can certainly wait till Sunday to clean.

Handing me the check, with a very nice tip included, I thank both mistress and master of the house for allowing us to cater this event. It was indeed a pleasure, and I told them to call me anytime we could help them with special food needs in the future. (It's a standard line, but everyone gets a smile out of how I drop that "it's a pleasure to serve you" schtick. It makes them feel very important, and we get recommended amongst their friends.) She was beside herself telling me that everyone had complimented the food and catering company.... we had indeed made her party a success, and she wanted some cards to hand out to friends for future business. Oh sure.... cards?.... you betcha! Since we can't put a card holder out at a private party (too tacky), we have them on hand for anybody who asks. This little marketing technique has paid off well in the past, and I do private parties for people who wouldn't think to use anybody else. Our level of service is that good.

Hobbeling into my vehicle, I set the dashboard on auto pilot and head home. No matter how tired I am, the car instinctively knows the way to my house. Parked in my driveway, I breathe one sigh of relief before I collect my purse, and limp my way up the last flight of stairs I have to climb that night. It's time to rip off the tux shirt and get into jammies.... and in finally floating off to sleep I smile to myself knowing that we successfully earned another golden star in our list of distinguished patrons.