Cash from Your Kitchen

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager at the University of British
Columbia Library.

Subtitled “a complete guide to catering from your home,” this is a practical how-to book for anyone considering food service for fun or profit. The author learned the skills of her successful catering business the hard way, by experience, starting with her household knowledge of cookery, student work as a part-time waitress, and less kitchen equipment than the average apartment dweller. In a straightforward and informal manner, she describes how to set up the business properly and run it professionally. General business considerations include: legal requirements of zoning, licenses, inspections, and insurance; pricing policy; hiring help and renting equipment; advertising; and customer relations. She stresses the importance of careful record-keeping, not only for tax purposes but also as a guide for improving performance. In considerable detail she covers the basics of the catering business: equipping the kitchen and organizing workflow; menu planning; estimating quantities; shopping for ingredients; garnishing and presenting the food; and serving procedures. The last half of the book contains 24 sample menus for various occasions and for groups of various size, from 8 to 100, followed by the corresponding recipes. The more than 150 recipes are organized conveniently by type: appetizers; sandwiches; soups; entrées; vegetables and salads; breads, muffins, and crepes; and desserts. The methods are set out in easy-to-follow point form and include suggestions for storing the food until serving time. For practical use, a binding that would allow the book to lie flat when open would have been helpful. There are detailed separate indexes to the business portion of the book and to the recipes. The latter is particularly good, providing access by recipe title, recipe type, and principal ingredients. This is an excellent guidebook for both individuals and organizations involved in the food service aspect of entertaining.