catering schools

Catering Dreams
At the age of 15, Dupar recalls discovering her passion for food. "I remember taking a typing class -- it was the only class I ever got a C in -- and clearly thinking that I didn't want to be behind a computer. When the teacher asked, 'What do you want to be,' I immediately said a caterer." And thanks to her high school beau and his mother, who decorated cakes for a living, Dupar developed her culinary talents and embarked on her first business venture before earning her high school diploma.

"Once I learned how to bake and decorate cakes, I would bake and sell cakes to friends for birthdays or for special occasions out of my house to make extra money," she says. In spite of these early entrepreneurial sparks, it wasn't until later on, when she was married and pregnant with her first child, that she got her first job in the catering industry. "I remember my first catering job -- I was six months pregnant and it was so hard doing it all by myself, and trying to work a 16 hour day," she says. But her hard work paid off. "When I began catering, I realized it made more money than the restaurant [business] and provided more time at home with my family. I could cook food and have other people carry it off in a van, and still make money."

On the Road to Success
Catering schools weren't around when Dupar was stepping into the culinary spotlight, so she got her training the old-fashioned -- and in some parts of the world, more highly esteemed -- way. "I was certified by an Executive Chef, not as valued in America as it is in Europe," she says. After completing a formal three year ACF-approved (American Culinary Federation) apprenticeship program, she received a trade certificate, but this, she says, was only the beginning. "At the end of the three years, I realized how much more there was to learn and felt like I had barely scratched the surface. It takes longer to Become a Chef than it does to become a doctor!" she laughs.

While today's educational world does provide you with the opportunity to hone your skills at catering schools, Dupar encourages getting plenty of real world experience and seeking programs that allow you to learn hands-on. "Get yourself immersed in the business," advises Dupar. "Find the best caterer in your area and learn the business from the inside out -- operations, serving, food presentation, food packing, etc. Catering is more of a hands on profession -- on the job training [is key]!"

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