When Catering Gets Tricky, We Get Creative
By Christy Johnson
October makes us think about the fun, spine-tingling surprises that can happen this time of year. But in the catering business, surprises are almost always uninvited guests. Chowgirls has been in the industry for more than 22 years, which means our team has dealt with a number of sticky situations. There are, of course, unavoidable weather-related obstacles. But there have also been tight squeezes we've been able to wiggle out of by applying some quick and savvy thinking. Here, our staff members share some of their most memorable spooky tales.
WHEN MINNESOTA WEATHER STRIKES
Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate with an event's timeline. Thankfully, the Chowgirls team has the experience and smarts to make the most of what she throws at us.
This past July had been plagued by weeks of drought-like conditions. But on the morning of an over-the-top (in the best way), carnival-themed corporate party, the skies opened up to provide some much needed precipitation. We just wish it could've waited 24 hours.
"It rained all day during set-up for this outdoor event, and the clients had no weather-related backup plan," says Event Design & Sustainability Manager Annie Pennings Edmond. "Everything was soaked! The linens, signage, tables, workers…. But then the rain stopped 30 minutes into the event, and it ended up being great."
Several years ago, a drastic cold snap in Minnesota turned what should have been a party feature into a party fizzle.
"I had to make paella in my winter coat because it was 20 degrees outside and I was placed on a third-floor balcony," recalls Megan Asmus, our culinary operations manager. "Needless to say, guests at the event did not come out to watch the 'performance station.'"
Soggy set-ups and shivering chefs are not ideal. But we’re professionals, so we stay calm and keep going in order to provide the killer food and experiences we're known for, whether it's for one guest or one thousand.
WHEN THE HEAT IS ON
In addition to being dry, this past July was also plagued by weeks of very high temperatures, the latter of which tried to get the best of us a couple of times. While driving to an event that month, Pennings Edmond found a genius way to cool off a stressful moment caused by the extreme weather.
"My phone overheated and shut down, and I didn't know the right exit to take without the directions telling me where to go," she remembers. "So I stuck my phone in my car's AC vent until it turned back on. I was able to find the venue!"
It's not a technique we'd ever think to add to our training guides, but maybe we should because it was, frankly, ingenious.
The heat creepily followed Pennings Edmond to a wedding later in July, too.
"It was so hot setting up the ice bar that we had to wait until the last second to do so, and that meant we were on a super time crunch to get it done on time," she says. "[Once installed], the whole thing was dripping, but it thankfully lasted long enough to make it through cocktail hour."
A melting ice bar is not ideal, but it did its job because the food and garnishes were beautiful, and the guests dug in without seeming to mind the slowly changing display.
Weather isn't the only thing that can turn up the heat during set-up. Pennings Edmond vividly recalls an alarming experience in 2019 when she and a team member were driving in a rented truck, and approaching the end of a two-and-a-half-hour trek to a gathering in northern Minnesota.
"The resort was in the middle of nowhere, we were on these rural roads, and we started noticing a campfire-like smell. I remember saying, 'We're out in the country, people burn things, maybe it's just that….' But when we pulled up to the venue, we went to the back and discovered what it really was," she says. "There were wood beams supporting the box truck, and one of them was on fire! It was such a chaotic moment — we're showing up to the event like, 'Everything's fine!' But we really we were like, 'Oh my god….'
"We got buckets of water and doused the back of the truck," she continues. "We didn't want staff climbing into a burning truck during load-out, so we had to get everything out ASAP before it got worse. During all of this, I was trying to call for help but we didn't have cellphone reception. So we had to figure it out."
The pair were able to stop the burning and the party went on without a hitch. But of course, that wasn't the end of the saga because they still had to get back to the Twin Cities.
"I didn't feel comfortable driving this truck back at about 1 AM when the event wrapped up, so we loaded it and left it at the resort" before catching a ride home, she adds. "Our fantastic equipment team went to pick it up the next day."
WHEN THE CROWD ROLLS IN RAVENOUS
Then there was the time when a corporate party was besieged by an onslaught of ravenous zombies. Just kidding — it was actually a large group of hungry guests, who didn't exactly trickle into their garden-themed event.
"Everyone arrived on a bus all at once, so we didn't get as many professional photos of the food and décor as we thought we would because people were ready to eat!" Pennings Edmond shares with a laugh.
We'll actually take it as a compliment. Guests (respectfully) tackling our fare is a sign that our chefs are doing a damn good job.
WHEN DATES ARE MIXED UP
Our final "eek!" moment — which bizarrely features paella again — comes from Meaghan Sabyan, Chowgirls' director of hospitality & training.
"We had a paella party scheduled for the day after it was supposed to take place, and we realized [the mix-up] basically when we should have been expo-ing," or getting all of the food and wares inventoried prior to heading out, she says. "So, we rallied an assortment of peeps who were at HQ to work onsite. We got there, set up in time, and crushed the event! These clients have come back year after year ever since."
A calendar miscalculation is the kind of thing that keeps event professionals up at night. But by putting things into turbo drive with the help of lots of capable hands, an error that could've been a nightmare instead turned into a loyal, returning client.
WHEN WE TRANSFORM TRICKS INTO TREATS
Each of these stories reminds us that having an experienced, well-trained creative team is essential to being a successful catering company. Our staff leans on their know-how to build accurate timelines, detailed floorplans, and robust checklists to keep everything and everyone on track, even when surprises pop up.
But on top of that, we also sprinkle in a variety of diverse skills, quick thinking, and a lot of people who truly want to show up for each other.
All of this is what allows Chowgirls to produce unforgettable events for our guests — who would likely never dream of the sorcery that may have taken place behind the scenes.
Comments