I heart Tony Bourdain.

I’ll let you in on a little secret that they don’t want you to know. Here it is – the Food Network makes it look easy. Cooking for twenty-five, fifty, two hundred guests is crazy and hectic. Sure, once the event is over and you’re staring at a large pile of dirty dishes, there’s a great sense of pride and rewarding accomplishment. But really, it’s a difficult task. It’s not all champagne and audience appreciation.

My husband, Jeff, and I started our organic catering business in the fall of 2003, only a year after we met on a blind date. After cooking for thirteen years in various hotels, restaurants, and food service establishments, Jeff was burnt out and wanted to embark on something more rewarding and better in line with his personal views. Like others, I was a wide-eyed romantic about cooking for other people, and with years of experience in marketing and advertising, it was our first big adventure together.

I’d like to say that the first few caterings went smoothly, but they didn’t. Our first two were booked for the same day, at the same time, and as we left our kitchen to head in opposite directions for delivery, we kissed each other with smiles on our faces. The next day, when we received phone calls from both clients – one complaining that the bread on our sandwiches was too soggy, and the other, complimenting us on the food but noting that our prices were higher than they normally liked to spend on their staff – our smiles faded a bit. Our third catering that week went smoothly, except for the missing serving utensils we had accidentally left back at our kitchen. We thought quickly on our feet, borrowing utensils from the in-house cafeteria. The party guests raved about the food, and the host was extremely pleased. Our first loyal customer was born.

As the years progressed, we gained rave reviews and learned valuable lessons. I was a newbie in the food service industry, except for a stint as a hostess in high school, so I looked to Jeff for guidance, really learning most things by trial and error. Like, wild salmon is difficult to find in the middle of winter. And strawberries should only be listed on proposals for events in late spring and summer. Some of our more painful lessons, like plating dinners on a rooftop in the dark is always a bad idea, and making sure to list all ingredients of every item on each buffet as to avoid serious food allergies, were learned the hard way. But they were learned, nonetheless, and they helped us to build a better, more successful business.