JUNE 2012

July 2012 ICA CommuniCater Page 2

Scholarships Awarded to

The Art of Catering FoodCongratulations to the recipients of the following Scholarships.

ICA Education Foundation ScholarshipJaime Clinton LA-TEA-DA’s Catering Company115 West 7th StreetCharlotte, NC 28202

Adam Baumgarten Bernsteins Fine Catering1130 E. Central AvenueWest Carrollton, OH 45449

The Sterno ScholarshipMaureen Burke Culinary Capers Catering1545 West 3rd AvenueVancouver, BC CANADA V6J 1J8

The Catersource ScholarshipSteven UlibarriCuisine Unlimited4641 Cherry StreetSalt Lake City, UT 84123

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Everyone’s catered a wedding where a bridesmaid got tipsy or an uncle got frisky. Maybe a speech was a little too …uninhibited. What about the association event where a conventioneer had a few too many and knocked over a buffet? Or an embarrassing disgorging of stomach contents at a company holiday party? This type of all-too-frequent episode may be amusing to onlookers but is probably awkward for hosts and, at best, inconvenient for venues and event vendors.

But there are certainly worse things that can happen. An intoxicated guest tries to drive home and is involved in a road traffi c accident. You receive a phone call from an irate father wanting to know why his teenager was served alcohol at your venue. A drunken guest falls and injures himself, causes serious property damage or takes his unruly behavior out on the streets and ends up on the local news channel.

Major damage

control is no way to start a Monday morning.

The good news is, a simple step could help prevent or at least reduce the incidence and potential consequences of the above and similar alcohol-related situations.

Training in responsible alcohol service is designed to prevent intoxication, underage drinking, and drunk driving. In many countries and states, such training is already mandatory for anyone who sells or serves alcoholic beverages. In others it is voluntary or unregulated.

Effective training helps bar staff and servers distinguish between people enjoying themselves and those who are getting into trouble with alcohol. Employees and managers who participate in this training are better able to detect underage drinkers, recognize signs of intoxication, tactfully intervene before problems occur and refuse service gracefully but fi rmly when warranted.

T H E B U S I N E S S O F C A T E R I N G

Responsible Alcohol Service Certifi cationA necessary evil in red-tape states or sensible precaution for all?

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Even in areas where training is not mandated, caterers may fi nd great benefi t in requiring their servers to take an accredited course:

■ Sales AdvantageA staff trained to reduce the incidence of guest intoxication is of great benefi t both to corporate clients who wish to maintain a professional event and social clients concerned about their guests.

■ Risk ManagementCorporate clients may require event staff certifi cation as part of their risk management policy.

■ Direct CostsMany insurance companies offer discounts if your staff is trained.

■ Professional ServiceTraining enhances people skills and teaches staff how to handle diffi cult situations with discretion and professionalism.

■ LiabilityIn case of a third-party lawsuit involving intoxication, proof of training can help mitigate liability with a “reasonable efforts defense.”

■ Corporate ResponsibilityYour company will gain a greater reputation from ensuring the safety of your guests and the community, than allowing individuals to drink irresponsibly.

Many jurisdictions offer their own certifi cation programs, and there are many programs run by private organizations which vary widely in content, length and quality. Cost for individuals ranges from $15 - $60 for online courses; prices for classroom and onsite group training vary depending on location, course and number of people. Before investing in training for your team, it is important to ensure that the course you are considering is accredited in your area.

Caterers with no liquor license of their own may sometimes hire a beverage supplier or bartending service on behalf of clients. Ensuring these hired servers are also certifi ed in responsible alcohol service is a simple risk management step that demonstrates care to your clients and could help with potential liability issues.

Obtaining a liquor license is rarely easy, even a temporary license for single events. Having to provide additional training to your staff in conjunction with the license might seem like a necessary evil; but might this training not in fact be a sensible precaution from which all companies serving alcohol could benefi t?

The Business of Catering continued from page #

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Great Britain is known for its kings and queens, its architecture, its colorful history and its chefs. Its chefs? Why yes, while Brit-ain has long been beleaguered by a reputa-tion for uninspired cuisine, some of today’s most eminent food personalities hail from the island: Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson to name just a few. British food is making a comeback, and two ICA chefs are championing the trend in the United States. Joanne Purnell, Chef de Cuisine at Good Gracious Events in Los Angeles, CA and Executive Chef Andrew Bonner of University Park Country Club, Sarasota, FL have been working hard to put Britain back on the culinary map. Says Purnell: “Some amazing fl avors and combinations can be found in traditional British foods. When created from fresh, local produce and given a contemporary presentation, British food competes admi-rably with other world cuisines.

Both Purnell and Bonner are British, and met through the ICA. Like many chefs, they enjoy infusing their cooking with tastes of home and try to include British infl uences in their menus. Good Gracious Events has

developed a menu they call “Gastropub,” which – as its name suggests – comprises typical pub fare with an upscale twist. Fish and chips with “mushy peas” becomes fi sh and chips served over minted pea puree with pink peppercorn tartare sauce. The Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding be-comes a tray passed hors d’oeuvre of beef tenderloin with mini Yorkshire pudding fi lled with cream of spinach, or braised shortrib shredded over horseradish mashed potato.

Sometime all it takes to win over a crowd is turning one good thing into many. Pur-nell recommends offering shepherds pie as part of a whole buffet of mini pies, including perhaps steak and kidney, sau-sage and chicken pot pies. The simple and inexpensive “Ploughman’s Lunch” is served in pubs all over Britain and typically includes a chunk of crusty bread with butter, Cheddar cheese, pickles, chips and maybe salad or a fruit. This can be extended into a buffet selection of homemade pickles, fl avored housemade chips with different salts, gourmet breads, international chees-es and meats and a host of other intriguing components. Alternatively, a Ploughman’s

can be a great choice for a quick boxed or plated lunch with many fun container and presentation options. Heavy desserts such as spotted dick (steamed suet pudding with currants) or bread pudding can be served as a trio of mini desserts with seasonal fl a-vorings such as caramel pear in the winter or summer peach.

Purnell and Bonner are keen to edu-cate their audiences and try to maintain a balance between authenticity and contem-porary twists to appeal to their markets’ palates. In their upcoming educational session “Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Let’s Talk about English Food” at The Art of Catering Food (July 23-25 in Denver, CO), they will discuss not only how to incorporate British food into your catering offerings, but also the histori-cal origins of dishes and the relationship between British and other cuisines.

As the world focuses on Britain for the Summer Olympics and the Queen’s Dia-mond Jubilee, dismiss not the culinary jewels in England’s crown. Rather pour yourself a pint of ale and show your clients some British fl air.

A New Look for Spotted Dick

N O T E S from the Culinary Council

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&

ICA: How long have you been a member of ICA?

Roxann: Ten years. I fi rst heard about the association at the New York Food Show and was delighted to fi nd a whole group of people just like me. Now I serve on the board of directors, as a director with the Education Pillar. In this role I am helping to plan the next Culinary Learning Journey and am working on the ICA presence at restaurant and food shows.

ICA: What have been the major benefi ts of the ICA to you and your company?

Roxann: Networking for sure, but morethan that, the great friendships I have made. Working all hours in a new business can be lonely and it was such a relief to fi nd people that both shared the same problems and understood my joys and achievements. I have been fortunate enough to receive two scholarships from ICA, one to the Catersource tradeshow and another to CaterArts. These conf-erences opened my eyes to a whole new realm of catering techniques, recipe ideas and business concepts and made me feel part of the industry family in a way I had not known before. I also joined the ICA on

the Culinary Learning Journey to Sicily in 2010, which – aside from the incredible travel and culinary experience - really strengthened my relationships to some great members of the industry.

ICA: What is the most exciting thing you’re working on right now?

Roxann: We recently received a liquor license for our venue, which is a very exciting development for our company. This will allow us to expand our market and compete with many more venues in our area. It’s also an interesting change of pace, working out the operations of this new side to our business.

Working with ICA to plan the upcoming Culinary Learning Journey in my own New England neighborhood has been very enlightening. We will be visiting a cranberry bog and cheese producers, touring a casino kitchen and Johnson & Wales’ Culinary Museum, sharing local harvest with the native Mashantucket Pequot tribe and attending a clambake. And that’s just a fraction of it! I’m having a great time helping organize the trip while learning all kinds of interesting details about my own area that I didn’t know before.

ICA: As a member of the catering industry you work with delicious food every day. What is your guilty indulgence when nobody’s looking?

Roxann: I have been on WeightWatchers since November, so I have been more careful with my food choices. If it didn’t take up a whole week’s worth of points, I would enjoy a hot dog with all the works: ketchup, brown mustard, relish and onions on a grilled New England styled bun. That is, of course, buttered on two sides and pan grilled. Mmmh.

ICA: Where would you like to be in ten years and how can ICA help you get there?

Roxann: I would like to get to the point where I can step away from the day to day operations of my company and think more strategically. As they say: ‘work on my company and not in it.’ I dream of one day again having quality time for family and travel. ICA education and peer member advice help me operate the business more effi ciently, provide better service, grow my revenue and in this way, my dream comes a little closer.

M E M B E R

meet greetRoxann Torelli Gourmet Delights Catering

Roxann Torelli is the owner of Gourmet Delights Catering, a New England-based catering company established in 1997. The company is located at the Hamilton Wenham Community House, a mixed-used municipal facility in historic Hamilton, MA. While many of their events take place at the Community House, Gourmet Delights Catering also provides full-service catering at offsite events, is the exclusive or preferred caterer at other venues, and also provides drop-off catering to residences and businesses.