2010 ACE Award Finalists

Transcription

Published on Catersource (http://www.catersource.com)
2010 ACE Award Finalists [1]
Monday, February 1, 2010 - 13:00
By: Linda Picone [2]
Excellence in the face of challenges
The last couple years haven€™t been easy for many caterers. Some clients have cut back on€”or
even eliminated€”events, both personal and corporate. The idea of Wow! has often been pushed
aside as clients worried about presenting an image that might seem too flashy or opulent for the
times.
But there€™s nothing a good caterer likes better than rising to a challenge. The finalists for the
Catersource Achievement in Catering Excellence (ACE) awards briefly profiled here are only a few of
the outstanding caterers across the country€”and the world€”who have shown that they can do
great work no matter what the economy.
The five 2009 ACE award-winners are the judges for this year€™s awards. Winners will be
announced during the opening session of the Catersource Conference in Las Vegas.
INTERNATIONAL FINALISTS
By Word of Mouth Catering and Events, Johannesburg, South Africa
www.bywordofmouth.co.za [3]
Karen Short, chair/owner
By Word of Mouth has been chosen as the best caterer in Johannesburg for the past 10 years in a
public competition. It has been selected as the VIP caterer for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and, with a
German catering company, has created a joint venture, One World Hospitality to carry that out. The
joint venture and a design team have developed an innovative African gourmet menu, combining
traditional African ideas with international food trends.
Meeting the challenge
By Word of Mouth credits its sporting division as one of the main reasons it has been able to survive
during tough economic times. This division handles foodservice for a number of important client
suites at all major stadiums around Johannesburg. €œWe cater for rugby, soccer and cricket games,
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and 2009 has been very busy for us.€
Country Style BBQ Catering/Great Event Creations, Martensville, SK
www.countrystylebbq.com [4]
Jessica, Gregg & Cherylie Winacott, owners and previous owner
Country Style BBQ has focused on marketing its catering efforts creatively, including creating its own
ads. €œWe had a unique website up and running 10 years ago, when hardly anyone had a website.
We recognized the importance of a presence on the web.€
Getting involved in fundraisers helped the company get exposed to groups that needed catering.
Country Style BBQ rarely turns down an opportunity to cater a fundraiser. The company has started
an event company, Great Event Creations, with few start-up costs. €œOur clientele was already in
place; we just needed to ask each caller if they needed any rentals or [anything else]? We get a
percentage from the rental company, we upcharge the client and everyone wins.€
Great Hall Catering, London, ON
www.greathallcatering.ca [5]
Michael Coleby, assistant director and executive chef
Great Hall Catering is a division of hospitality services at the University of Western Ontario. The
company prides itself on quality, fresh ingredients, concern for the environment and new ideas.
Great Hall was the first caterer in London, ON to introduce personalized ice carvings, discs and
dishes into menu design and presentation. Other €œfirsts€ included interactive desserts, minitasting cones, use of edible flowers, mini vegetables, potato bars and more.
A scheduled review of the hospitality services€™ health and safety practices and procedures in 2007
prompted Great Hall Catering to develop new measures, including expanded training documentation,
policies for new and existing employees and a system to track statistics. Changes included purchase
of non-slip footwear, training in proper lifting techniques and some new equipment to make the
workplace safer. €œThis audit created a lot of work however, as a result of it, Great Hall Catering has
developed a culture of health and safety for its employees. A safe work environment in any industry
will pay off tenfold in employee productivity, customer service and reduced lost time, and is well
worth the investment in time and resources.€
Kriston Food and Beverage Pte Ltd, Singapore
www.kriston.com [6]
Jacquie Tan, CEO
Kriston Food and Beverage believes in contributing to the community, as well as being a high-quality
caterer. Under its corporate social responsibility, it focuses on giving to the performing arts and to
community programs that help integrate ex-inmates back into society after their release from prison.
The company has learned that it must be able to respond quickly to the needs of its customers. It
faced a very difficult and unusual challenge, during the SARS epidemic in Singapore, when many
people avoided public events because of their fear of contracting the SARS virus. €œKriston was able
to quickly create, market, sell and deliver the executive meals and e-foods€ during that period.
Vicky Crease Catering & Events, Johannesburg, South Africa
www.vickycrease.com [7]
Vicky Crease, founder
Vicky Crease Catering & Events does many unforgettable events, from a Cartier €œparty of the
year€ to Nelson Mandela€™s 4664 Concert. €œStylish presentation as well as decadently
abundant, flavorful creations which are spectacular in both their context and theming has become
synonymous with our offering, with every national newspaper and magazine having featured our
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fantastic work and invitations to share our expertise regularly abound.€
The company focuses on how to train and keep good staff. €œOne strategic incentive that we have
offered is a commission reward based on sales, which incentivises the staff to try harder with regard
to sales and on-site event service. This has proven very effective, with marked increases in sales,
profits and customer service.€
EAST FINALISTS
Buffalo Road Catering/Avanti Mansion, Blasdell, NY
www.avantimansion.com [8]
Laurie Clark, founder
In a traditional community, Buffalo Road Catering took what customers were used to and gave it a
new twist. €œFor example, we transformed the €˜beef on weck€™ buffet staple into a bite-size hors
d€™oeuvre. Messy, but delicious Buffalo wings became a hand-passed shooter. Main entrÃ©es and
accompaniments also received updates, which our clients loved.€
The historic Avanti Mansion was a perfect venue. €œThere were just two problems with our find: It
was in terrible disrepair AND we didn€™t know how we could afford it.€ The company succeeded in
getting financing from a local bank, but that covered only the purchase price, not the needed
renovations. €œNeedless to say, we did most of it ourselves.€
Encore Catering, East Hanover, NJ
www.encorecateringnj.com [9]
Karen Epstein Cioccariello, vice president
Encore Catering has succeeded during a period of intense change by focusing on its customers and
how best to serve them. €œWe have broken up the single entity of Encore Catering into four
divisions to make it clearer who the customer is, and provided focused menus, party planning and
other services to give the customer €õne stop€™ shopping.€
With orders reduced by 25 percent in the tough economy, Encore reduced expenses while keeping
its quality high. The company worked with its vendors and suppliers, but also had to change staffing
levels. €œLeadership has worked hard to create the right €˜mix€™ of talent to meet today€™s
reduced demands while positioning Encore for future growth once the economy rebounds.€
The JDK Group, Camp Hill, PA
www.thejdkgroup.com [10]
Steve Sanchez, marketing director
The JDK Group has sometimes been willing to sacrifice profit in order to maintain its promise of
quality €œto whomever we serve€”global giants like the Hershey Company or the local
Mechanicsburg client.€ The company sees itself as the Jaguar of the catering and event industry.
€œOur steadfast objective is to create leading-edge products displayed to perfection.€
JDK actually sees good times as something of a challenge. €œWhen times are good and budgets are
full, we often don€™t stretch ourselves to our fullest capabilities.€ In 2009, the company€™s
biggest challenge was to make sure profit followed quality. It changed from a base-plus-commission
for sales staff to 100 percent commission.
Jody€™s Pantry Catering, New Castle, PA
www.jodyspantry.com [11]
Jody and Richard Wimer, founder and executive chef
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Jody€™s Pantry Catering has worked with local organic growers to form a network from which to
purchase. €œThe whole sustainable, 100-mile seasonal menu concept was completely foreign to our
market, and we are establishing a presence as the go-to company for that type of menu service.€
The company also has introduced concepts such as small plates and action stations to the market.
Jody€™s Pantry nearly went out of business two years ago. €œWe were cookie cutter, uninspired
and overshadowed by our competition.€ By reinventing the company€”everything from menus to
logos to uniforms, everyone got new energy. €œWe changed our company mindset about what was
the €˜best€™ and what could be done with €˜less,€™ and it was a total turnaround for us.€ The
goal was to create a perfect event, no matter where the location.
Windows Catering, Alexandria, VA
www.catering.com [12]
Alina Zhukovskaya, vice president of marketing and communications
Windows Catering not only holds itself to high standards, it looks for opportunities to share with
others. €œFrom guest lectures at area college programs to cable television shows on food and
entertaining and cooking classes in our facility, we are always looking for ways to give back and
educate the community.€
Increasing productivity has been an important challenge over the past few years. €œThrough the
development of a sophisticated web-based software application that touches all departments of the
company, we have allowed employees the flexibility to work from home whenever necessary. €¦
There is not a doubt that technology has not only brought an increase to our top line, but it has also
increased productivity across the company.€
MIDWEST FINALISTS
Barrack€™s Hospitality Group, Peoria, IL
www.caterinn.com [13]
James Barrack, president & CEO
Barrack€™s Hospitality Group takes advantage of multiple marketing techniques, from monthly
faxblasts, marketing emails and a constantly updated website to participation in local tradeshows to
hosting the local group of the Business Network International.
Eight years ago, the company lost one client€”and 30 percent of its sales. €œWe then became
proactive with making catering agreements with three additional venues over the next couple of
years and two years ago added a college sorority for daily lunch and dinner service, and last year
added a small retirement home for two meals a day, seven days a week. This has given us a solid
base of business and diversification.€
Carillon Catering, Oxford, OH
www.hdg.muohio.edu/EatingAtMiami/Catering/ [14]
Donald King, executive director
Carillon Catering is the catering operation at Miami University of Ohio. One of the ways it helps hold
chefs accountable for high-quality food is to take photos of the food at each event. €œThis saves on
separate photo shoot costs and wasted food.€
The Ohio economy has been shaky, but Carillon has been able to hold its own and minimize losses.
€œWe have had to rely on our diverse portfolio of products as well as the diversification of our
customer base to weather the storm. Certainly sales from the University have been down, but we
were able to make up ground by expanding the catering we did to local fraternities and sororities.
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We have also increased our marketing to private parties and surrounding towns to increase
business.€
The Henry Ford, Dearborn, MI
www.thehenryford [15].com [15]
Amy Cox, director of event sales
The Henry Ford takes advantage of the historic setting, which gives clients a unique experience.
€œOur catering menus and food items are designed to be part of an immersive experience €“
reflecting and/or complimenting what our guests are seeing and experiencing.€ That means
historically accurate menus and seasonal food from local farmers. In the Henry Ford Museum, guests
may take part in a strolling dinner with samples from Michigan€™s diverse ethnic heritage.
In a €œdown€ economy, the Henry Ford had its most successful social year in its 75-year history, in
large part by creating a special €œvalue€ package for Friday nights and select winter dates. €œStill
featuring great menu and products€”but at a value of approximately 20 percent off standard menu
pricing.€
LaRoy€™s Banquet Hall & Catering, Lasalle, MI
www.laroyshall.com [16]
Jim LaRoy, owner & manager
A family business for more than 38 years, LaRoy€™s was the first in its market to offer a complete
menu and to introduce passed hors d€™oeuvre and family-style dinners. The business not only
purchases from local producers, it has its own farm where it raises vegetables, herbs and fruit.
Working with family members isn€™t always easy. €œAnyone who owns a family business can relate
to this; lots of drama, lots of power plays, lots of in-laws (lol)€ LaRoy€™s developed a family rules
book that spells out the chain of command to make sure that everyone knows their role.
Tasty Catering, Elk Grove Village, IL
www.tastycatering.com [17]
Erin Walter, director of marketing
Tasty Catering combines focus groups with a customer appreciation month to better understand
what€™s needed in the market and to identify its own areas of improvement. The company uses an
independent third party to conduct the focus groups and asks customers to use current menus to
plan a hypothetical event before attending the focus group. €œTheir experience using the menu
helped us address issues regarding price points, menu selection and ease of use.€
Growth is a great €œproblem€ to have, but it requires good management. Tasty Catering has
grown fairly dramatically since it began in 1989. €œDuring two major growth dilemmas, we asked
our staff to decide on slow sales or a move to larger quarters. Both times, the staff voted to move,
even though the move would result in slower profit growth due to increased costs. The lower profit
would hamper the company€™s ability to provide salary increases.€
SOUTH FINALISTS
Affairs to Remember Caterers, Atlanta
www.affairs.com [18]
Patrick Cuccaro, general manager
Affairs to Remember holds weekly food development meetings to create new product lines. In 2009,
there were 50 in-house meetings, each one producing four to 10 new food items for the menu.
€œThese generative sessions have helped us to produce amazingly inventive product such as
chocolate covered black garlic (trust us, it€™s delicious!) and our savory panna cotta station.€
Page 5 of 9
The company tackled the issue of constant employee turnover. It became a core-value organization,
with core values generated through a grass roots initiative. €œOf our 25 core service staff members,
event managers, captains and chef attendants, there have been zero resignations in over 2 years,
and zero resignations within our 12 member sales team in over 3 years. Each employee lives by the
company€™s core values, which has created a sense of pride, respect, and satisfaction for all who
work with us.€
exclamations catering & event specialist, Greensboro, NC
www.exclamationscatering.com [19]
Anna Galloway-Currie, co-owner
In order to generate business through word-of-mouth, exclamations catering partnered with the local
Junior League on a showcase house, which was open for 10 days. The company took the opportunity
to show off what it could do, starting with an €œempty house party€ before the designers took
over. €œEach event showed this captive audience the scope of what exclamations could do and the
extent to which exclamations could take an event.€
As a high-end corporate and social event company, exclamations was hard hit after the 9/11
tragedy. The owners didn€™t want to ignore their goals for the company, even in a tough economy,
so they made sure €œthey made each step deliberately and thoughtfully to build the company that
they wanted to have.€
A Legendary Event, Atlanta
www.alegendaryevent.com [20]
Mary Delaney, public relations director
The entire team of 48 managers for A Legendary Event is cross-trained in all departments: catering
service, floral, design and food management. €œThis is called our €˜Man in the Pocket€™ staffing
system. This ensures that in the event that any staff member is sick or unable to work, that role will
be covered by an already trained staff member, ready and willing to fill in at a moment€™s notice.€
Productivity has been key. €œDuring these difficult economic times, it has become imperative for
our entire staff to become more efficient on a daily basis. We€™ve made this our goal and have
benefited from these changes. To survive in the current business climate it has been essential to
adapt by completing tasks faster and within budget without sacrificing any quality.€
Puff €ñ Stuff Catering, Orlando, FL
www.puffnstuff.com [21]
Warrant Dietel, owner and president
Puff €ñ Stuff orchestrates an average of 20 events every day, and gives each one the attention,
creativity and commitment to quality and service it deserves. The company€™s reputation comes
from its emphasis on innovation. €œWhat the team at Puff €ñ Stuff Catering thrives on is creating
the unique experiences, whether through culture or theme.€ That might be a gastro pub for the
opening of a furniture rental company or a traditional Indian wedding.
Buying a new, custom-designed 30,000 square foot commissary in 2006 put new pressure on the
company. €œOur team reaps the benefits of a well-designed space each day, however the building
was purchased at the best and worst time. While the new space was much needed, our expenses
greatly increased while dealing with the recession that deeply affected the hospitality industry. We
had to make some very difficult preemptive decisions before someone else made them for us. We
changed our menu offerings and reduced costs of many of our packages. We also came up with ways
to keep our employees engaged, and encouraged ideas for cost-saving initiatives.
Scranton€™s Restaurant & Catering, Pascagoula, MS
Page 6 of 9
www.scrantons.com [22]
Richard Chenoweth, owner & general manager
€œIf we don€™t promote ourselves, no one else will,€ is the marketing philosophy for Scranton€™s
Restaurant & Catering. To that end, owner Richard Chenoweth has set himself as a source for local
and even national newspapers, magazines and television stations. The company uses its website as
an information tool, as well as a sales tool. €œWe are constantly being praised for its wealth of
information and its ease of use.€
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 put Scranton€™s out of business for three weeks. €œFour feet of water
had inundated the restaurant and the catering operations, ruining all of our food preparation
equipment and display equipment. We were without phone (land lines) for six months and reliable
electricity for three weeks.€ But with the help of employees and the community, Scranton€™s was
able to reopen relatively quickly. The company got involved in restoration catering. Since the
disaster, the company as a whole has doubled its volume.
WEST FINALISTS
La Bonne Cuisine Fine French Catering, Berkeley, CA
www.labonnecuisine.com [23]
Elaine Herman, director of sales
La Bonne Cuisine is a certified fully green company. €œOperating green generates business in itself.
We are located in the beautiful, environmentally conscious Bay Area, and the public has responded
to our green practices by rewarding us with more business than we have ever had before.€
The company is adding different services, such as venue management in order to find and maintain
its balance as a growing company in a down market. One of the company€™s more unusual financial
strategies is to pay vendors when an order is placed, rather than waiting for an invoice. €œWe do
this for many good reasons. First of all, we are loyal to our vendors. We believe that strong
relationships with our vendors produce consistent results for our clients. By paying our tabs early
and on time, we receive the best our vendors have to offer, at the best price. This affects both cost
and quality control in a steady and positive manner.€
Classique Catering, Sacramento, CA
www.classiquecatering.com [24]
Richard Ginzel, general manager
Classique Catering has recently added family-style options to its table catering menus, which has
been a big hit with customers. €œWe are the only caterer in the Sacramento and surrounding areas
that can feed up to and over 2,000 for a sit-down meal.€
The company has just signed another 10-year contract to be the exclusive caterer for the
Sacramento Convention Center, the Sacramento Community Theater and the Memorial Auditorium,
which helps stabilize business during a tight economy.
Epicurean Catering, Centennial, CO
www.epicureancatering.com [25]
Greg Karl, chief operating officer
Epicurean Catering created a chef de cuisine position last year, with the charge of working with the
sales team both to develop new menu items and to help sell them, as well as becoming the public
relations face of the culinary team. The results have included a better culture and improved
communication between the sales and culinary departments, a proactive approach to menu creation,
production costs decreased by 12 percent and profit increased by 2 percent.
Page 7 of 9
The company saw a 10 percent reduction in revenue, but put into place a number of strategies to
weather the difficult economy, from reducing and remotivating the sales force to opening a new
venue and restaurant.
HRTM Educational Enterprises at the University of Denver, Denver
daniels.du.edu/schoolsdepartments/hrtm/index.html [26]
Eric Lane, director of operations
HRTM has year-over-year growth of 10 percent, even in a difficult economy, because its sales and
marketing team continually finds new revenue streams.
Like most university catering operations, HRTM must deal with a workforce that€™s constantly
changing as student employees graduate and move on. €œAs we are primarily a learning laboratory
for the hospitality school we are an integral part of, we model best industry practices related to
training, service, motivations, and recognition on a daily basis. That is part of our mission - to show
students what is not only expected in industry, but also just what is possible when we treat
employees with respect.€
Utah Food Services, North Salt Lake, UT
www.utahfoodservices.com [27]
Kate Sullivan, director of marketing
Utah Food Services invests in state-of-the-art equipment, top quality food products and artistic
dÃ©cor. €œNot only must the food and beverage service excel in today€™s market; it must now
incorporate a theatrical standard.€ Because of the quality of its work, it has won the contract to
provide exclusive catering service to two convention centers in Utah.
The company took several steps to help retain its staff during a time when business had slowed.
€œThe management staff has encouraged hourly employees to seek additional employment
elsewhere to make up for the shortage of hours, with a continued promise to accommodate
scheduling wherever possible. In lieu of layoffs, company-wide salary reductions went into effect this
past march.€ The company did better than it expected in 2009 and provided employees with
substantial holiday bonuses.
by Linda Picone
Editor
Catersource magazine
February 2010
TOPICS
Conferences [28]
Source URL: http://www.catersource.com/conferences/2010-ace-award-finalists
Links
[1] http://www.catersource.com/conferences/2010-ace-award-finalists
[2] http://www.catersource.com/author/linda-picone
[3] http://www.bywordofmouth.co.za
[4] http://www.countrystylebbq.com
[5] http://www.greathallcatering.ca
[6] http://www.kriston.com
[7] http://www.vickycrease.com
[8] http://www.avantimansion.com
[9] http://www.encorecateringnj.com
[10] http://www.thejdkgroup.com
Page 8 of 9
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28]
http://www.jodyspantry.com
http://www.catering.com
http://www.caterinn.com
http://www.hdg.muohio.edu/EatingAtMiami/Catering/
http://www.thehenryford.com
http://www.laroyshall.com
http://www.tastycatering.com
http://www.affairs.com
http://www.exclamationscatering.com
http://www.alegendaryevent.com
http://www.puffnstuff.com
http://www.scrantons.com
http://www.labonnecuisine.com
http://www.classiquecatering.com
http://www.epicureancatering.com
http://daniels.du.edu/schoolsdepartments/hrtm/index.html
http://www.utahfoodservices.com
http://www.catersource.com/topics/conferences
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2010 ACE Award Finalists

Transcription

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