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What’s a Caterer to do…Part 9

Happy Patriotic Holiday Season! We start today with Memorial Day, remembering with gratitude those who have gone before and paved the way for us to live and thrive in this great country of ours, and move right into July as we celebrate our freedom on the 4th. And don’t forget Flag Day sandwiched right in between! Sandwich, speaking of that, we have created the Patriotic Picnic Party (PPP) to suit the season. Since we are now allowed to gather in groups of ten, the PPP is picture perfect for those get-togethers of 10 friends/family/business associates. Imagine this: Pulled chicken with our own special barbecue sauce, chipotle mac and cheese (or w/o chipotle if you can’t stand the heat), summer salad featuring fresh greens topped with mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, glazed walnuts with housemade citrus dressing, and apple crumb pie! And that’s just the food. To top off your feast, enjoy a bottle of watermelon wine and a beer sampler. This package comes complete with red, white and blue plates, napkins, flatware and a mini American flag! Ready to heat, then ready to eat and no work for you! All for $150 plus tax and delivery if you want us to bring it to your doorstep.

 

Is it possible that today is Day 73 since we’ve been instructed to stay home, lay low and minimize contact with the rest of the human race? As people begin to emerge from their homes and get back to earning a living, the hope is that our little businesses are able to survive the next few months and come out in a better place. It’s important to recognize that we all have our “business models”. If a restaurant is at break-even at a 75% occupancy under normal conditions, how are they going to survive at 25 or 50 % occupancy now? If as a caterer we are geared and equipped to cater full-service events for the masses, how are we going to be able to thrive selling a handfuls of boxed meals and gift baskets? Thankfully we have a couple of regular daily accounts that enable us to keep the moving parts in motion, but for how long? Don’t get me wrong, we are appreciative for every order great and small, but we really want to bring out our delicious food/beverage, our props and décor, our equipment and most importantly our delightful, gracious staff to create the events of your dreams. But if not now, when? Gratefully you, our loyal clients and friends have generously donated to our “feed the frontliners fund” (fff) allowing us to treat those doing the “heavy lifting” to a great meal. Last week we fed the medical ICU unit at RGH. 30 hot meals, 30 happy heroes. Hopefully, it’s still a win-win-win. The giver, the provider and the recipient. We all feel good. We are all happy! Thanks again for your generosity.

 

The fond, familiar phrase “what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger” is something that’s been on my mind lately. It seems that in light of everything that’s been going on, many people are feeling sensitive, delicate, maybe even fragile. These feelings might stem from isolation, lack of hugs and human contact and the challenge of an uncertain future. I think we need to be very aware of how we talk to each other, whether in person, text or email, and also how we respond. We are all attempting to cope with this unbelievable situation in our own ways, yet I think we are all a little frazzled and on edge. We need to treat ourselves kindly, and we need to treat each other kindly. We are all better when we feel loved!

 

Blood, sweat and tears, another popular phrase of then and now. We all have our own version of this phrase over the past many weeks. For me, there’s been lots of sweat…not necessarily brow-drenching sweat from hard labor, but hours of sweat contemplating the best way to respond to these challenges. Tears, not so much. Crying takes too much time and energy. I’m a firm believer that we all need a major meltdown accompanied with lots of tears occasionally. It’s good for the soul and the constitution but too much crying probably doesn’t accomplish much. Blood, yes! I finally donated blood. I’ve been anemic for years, so no one was interested in my iron poor blood. There was a blood drive at our church on Friday. What a great way to see some familiar faces, even though they were mask-covered, and donate a pint of blood at the same time. It was quick, it was painless, and I recommend it to everyone!

 

Hang in there. Enjoy the sunshine and warmth. Throw a tomato plant in a pot or in the ground and watch it flourish with a little water, food, sunshine and TLC. Just like us…that’s what we need right now as we wait to see what the days ahead will bring. Blessings and Hope as we continue to navigate the next several months.

Xoxo Sandra