Wedding Guide 2002

INDEX OF STORIES

» Dress for success with new advice books

» Wedding cake can make or break special day

» Good organization equals smooth catering

» All that glitters isn’t brilliant, experts say

» Inside scoop on necklines, bodices

» Toasting tips for happy pair

» New era sees rise in marriages

» Language of flowers speaks to newlyweds

» Bridal gift ideas from baubles to bubbles

» Couples make adventuresome choices in rings

» Pre-nuptial agreements good idea, lawyers say

» Long-lived couples discuss what makes marriage work

» Pomp, circumstance meet love, romance

» San Francisco hotels attractive, close

Good organization equals smooth catering

By Jana Saastad
Lodi Living Editor

Mon Phon, banquet chef at Wine & Roses Inn and Restaurant, stares at some 200 plates of Caesar’s salad sprawled on a large work table in the spacious kitchen.

It’s 7:30 Saturday night and the salads should have been served by the eight-person wait staff by 7 p.m.

“I’m a little frustrated about the salads not going out,” Phon says.

Deborah Kalani

Jerry R. Tyson/News-Sentinel

Deborah Kalani, owner of Sweet Express Catering, talks about her business while preparing a lunch for 45 people.

What’’s the hold up? It’s a wedding party, so it could be any number of things causing the delay. Maybe the photographer took too long with his duties. Perhaps fault lies with a procrastinating bride or groom.

It doesn’t matter; late servings are typical of weddings. Fortunately, the Romaine lettuce is holding up to the olive oil-based dressing and the salads were “plated” on refrigerated plates allowing the greens to maintain a cool temperature.

Before Phon can become too frustrated, the event coordinator dashes into the kitchen and says “go.” In other words: It’s time to serve the salads.

The staff, dressed in black and white attire, kicks into high gear, filling their oval trays with eight plates apiece, whisking through the double doors to begin feeding the wedding party and guests at the sit-down dinner.

For the next 90 minutes or so, the bustling crew will clear the salad plates, serve a grilled chicken entree, refill water pitchers, serve the wedding cake and pick up yet more dirty dishes.

When the guests are long gone, the Wine & Roses employees will clean the ballroom to perfection, keeping them busy at the landmark establishment until well after midnight.

For Wine & Roses and other Lodi caterers, it’s just another night of feeding the masses expeditiously, expertly and with aplomb. But while they make it look simple, satiating an army of people doesn’t come easy or cheap. A high degree of planning, organization and communication, not to mention big vans to deliver the food and huge industrial size kitchens for preparation, are necessary to make any meal whether for 50 or 500 a success.

For the caterer there’s no “cut, take two.” They have but one chance to get it right. “You don’t practice on game day,” said John Britto, chef instructor at Delta College Culinary School.

Getting it right begins with communication, and that begins when the client initially walks through the catering sales door or makes the initial phone call.

The caterer learns the client’s needs and budget and from there the planning begins.

“We try to steer the organizer or client to a nice menu and to help make the event successful,” said Cliff Travis, owner of Travis Catering in Lodi. “We sit down with them and go over their needs.”

Organizing equipment, personnel and food is a must in the fast-paced world of catering. Sherri Smith, a Wine & Roses partner, said she organizes, then reorganizes and then reorganizes again. “Just when you think everything’s OK, you better double check. We always allow for the unexpected,” Smith said.

“There is absolutely no other calling that can make or break you in terms of organization and planning,” Britto claimed.

Caterers begin as food purveyors, but quite often end up acting as consultants for other services. Travis said he often lines up photographers, cake decorators and florists for his clients; ditto with Wine & Roses.

As added services, Travis makes ice carvings (a trade he learned at Delta College’s Culinary School) and Wine & Roses offers cake-making services with some 50 styles available to the blushing bride or whoever is interested in a cake. Sam Ribordy, executive chef at Wine & Roses, is the cake maker andsaid he can make just about anything the mind can imagine. To prove his point, he once dedicated 25 hours to making a very difficult cake creation, but it was worth the effort; he made the client happy.

Local caterers regularly cook for 300- to 400-people affairs, but have been known to cook for a crowd that would constitute a small town.

Smith said Wine & Roses has fed 1,500 people within an hour at the Stockton Civic Center on a few occasions. At the Inn, she said they have turned over two weddings in one day. The idea of cooking and serving, in addition to preparing food for that many people doesn’t faze Smith. “It takes an army and good sergeant at arms,” she said.

Travis and his staff have served upwards of 700 people at outdoor picnics; and Terra once cooked for 500 at an Elk Grove wedding. Kalani said the wine show is her biggest event of the year.

Size doesn’t matter in catering. Smith said cooking for 500 is as easy as cooking for 100.

“There’s no difference; it just takes more people to do it.”

Every caterer has the same nightmare: Arriving late to the job. Although none of the caterers interviewed has been late for an event, they admit there have been some close calls.

Smith said one incident involved a van breaking down on Highway 99 during rush hour traffic in Modesto. “We always caravan it’s a policy. We just transferred the food into another van and got to the event on time. Nobody knew the difference,” Smith said.

Travis experienced a similar incident, but he too had another van at the ready and averted what could have been a major catastrophe in the world of special events.

The key to punctuality is to figure out when to leave for the event, and then actually leave 30 minutes earlier and carry a cell phone and an excellent map.

Running out of food is another cause of anxiety. “It’s always a nightmare when there’s not enough food,” Ribordy exclaimed. He said while it has never actually happened, there have been some close calls. “We scrambled,” he said.

Having enough food to go around goes right back to good communication. Ribordy said the sales department handles that up front from the beginning and requires a final count about two weeks before the event.

Still, each event always has those stragglers who forgot to RSVP, but show up anyway. Caterers always cook extra food “just in case.”

The cost of a catered meal in Lodi runs the gamut of $7.95 for a chicken meal served with paper plates and plastic ware to $30 per person for a sit-down grilled chicken dinner served on China, including appetizers, salad and dessert at Wine & Roses. Add $7 more per person for the Roquefort stuffed filet mignon with port sauce.

Overall, chicken plays big in catering. “We generally serve chicken because it pleases the most people for the best price,” Smith said.

Caterers come from all “woks” of life. Some are formally trained at culinary academies, while others learn the trade through other means. Smith graduated from California Culinary Academy in San Francisco; Travis just fell into it some years back when he made small platters and dishes for friends. Others in town are self-taught as well, but have attended classes at junior colleges such as Delta to learn more about food health and safety issues and practices.

Lodi caterers have different personalities and styles, however they share a common goal: a desire to please the customer and to make the food at a special event memorable. As a result, it’s a friendly industry and one that involves a lot referrals and mutual respect and conviviality.

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

» Angelina’s Spaghetti House

» Arthur’s Party World

» Ayers, Walia

» Balloons Unlimited

» Bella Vista Italian Restaurant

» Blum Jewelers

» Cactus Mexican Dining

» Casa Gonzalez

» Century 21: Janet Graham

» Classy Rags Thrift

» Corina’s Custom Framing

» Cottage Bakery

» Creative Cakery

» Crepe Vine etc.

» Denise’s Catering

» Dermal Clinic, The

» Diet Center

» Elite Sedan & Limousine

» Elizabeth, The

» Fiddlestix

» Formal Connection

» Galletti’s Shoe Repair

» Gingiss Formalwear

» Giuffra’s Party Rentals

» Gizzie’s

» Grand Island Mansion

» Guild Cleaners

» Habanero Hots

» Hazel’s Bar & Grill

» Heavenly Floral

» Holiday Inn Express

» House of Fashion Bridal Salon

» Ironstone Vineyards

» Jazzercize Fitness Center

» John Borelli Jewelers

» Judy’s Alteration Shop

» Kahl Photography

» Klamath Meeting & Reception Facility

» Lakewood Drugs and Gifts

» Larsen’s Hallmark Shop

» Lasting Impressions

» Liene’s Bridal Shop

» Lockeford Springs Golf Course

» Lodi Bridal Event

» Lodi Flower Shop

» L&L Travel

» Maddie’s Antiques

» Marquis Entertainment

» Maxine’s Bridal Shop

» Merle Norman

» Merlot

» Milan’s Sport Collectables

» Ocean Avenue Bed & Bath

» Omega Restaurant

» Pampered Chef, The

» Phillips Vineyards

» Porfi’s Restaurant & Cantina

» Ramos Jewelers

» Riverboat II

» Ryde Hotel

» Seymour’s Tailoring

» Signature Videography

» Specialty Cakes

» Stockton Mattress Co.

» Studio, The

» Synowicki’s Jewel Box

» Taormina, Frank: DJ

» Tea Cottage, The

» Terra Photography

» Tipton’s

» Travis Cafe & Catering Company

» Tutto Bella

» Tux & Tails

» Tuxedo’s of Lodi

» Vikki Goodman Photographer

» Vintage Limousine and Sedan Service

» Weddings by James

» Woman’s Club of Lodi

» Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi

» Write Touch, The

» Zoop-a-Loop