Skills USA, the after-school cooking club, has a catering team that caters for an event once or twice a month for students to gain experience and raise funds for competition later in the year. For a small event, the team can consist of up to three or four people, but for a larger event, it can be up to 12-15 people. The number of people depends on how many jobs need to be done and how many people are needed to do each task. Culinary caters mostly to school events, but occasionally, they will cater for community events.
The money they make goes towards all culinary competitions. The price varies depending on the event. The person who hires the catering will pick a price they are willing to spend on the service and culinary works within that budget.
The menu is never the same, as it is dependent on the event. The menu may be pre-picked by the person hosting the event, but if not, they will give them a headcount and an idea of the menu. Then, the officers will pick and create the menu. When they are preparing for the event, about a week before the event, they check in with the host and go over the menu to make sure it is all set for the event. Then depending on the event, they may even come a few hours before the event time to set up and serve the food and they may even stay a while after to clean up.
Maggie Zielinski is one of the officers and helps with the catering. She heard about this opportunity from her sister, who had done it three years prior. Then, during her freshman year, she tried it out and loved the community. Zielinski views catering as a hobby she enjoys rather than a future career. Zielinski said her favorite thing about catering with culinary was trying and making different foods, along with seeing other people’s reactions to the food they create.
Ethan is another one of the officers who helps with catering. He also heard about this his freshman year and joined Skills USA after hearing about it. His favorite part of catering with Skills USA is seeing the people happy about the food they have prepared. Ethan sees this as a future career and would like to proceed with a career like catering or culinary. Both Zielinski and Ethan do this to gain experience from participating in catering. Catering with culinary is a great opportunity to gain experience while also earning volunteer hours if needed. If you’re interested in catering or cooking, Skills USA may be the place for you.
