That's what Barbara Friedel McKnight has to say about the  

Catering Management

International Study
McKnight didn't plan to go into the culinary field initially. She went to the University of Texas, where she majored in German. Upon graduation, McKnight spent a couple of years in Germany, as an apprentice to a chef. "It was sheer luck going to Germany. I have a family background in German and I just fell into majoring in it," she says. "And I was interested in cooking all my life."

The apprenticeship in Germany is a three-year program, in which McKnight spent time at hotels and restaurants, learning all about different parts of the kitchen. For two months of the program students are sent to a state school to stay in a dorm with others, while they learn theory, hygiene, and hands-on cooking techniques. "It's a very thorough program," says McKnight. From there, McKnight went to work for 18 months in Switzerland at a five-star hotel. She finally had enough of Europe, she says, and decided to come back to Houston.

Crossroads
McKnight returned to the States and began the job search. She says that she wanted to be a hotel chef since that's what she had a background in, but realized as she researched and applied that it was a low-paying job. "The average salary at the time was about $18,000-20,000," she recalls. While looking for a job, a friend suggested that she take a job at a catering company to start out, which was a higher-paying job.

Catering
For a couple of years, McKnight worked with one of the top catering companies in Houston, she says. "The main thing that struck me was that the account executives would create the menus. It wasn't chef-driven at all. We [the chefs] would get menus from the front office and it was obvious they were made by people without a culinary background," says McKnight.

This is what fueled the beginning of her own catering management business. "I didn't set out to start a company," she says. "My friends would tell their friends, my family would ask me to cater. It takes a while to be able to support yourself." She did her own catering as a side business for a while, while working other jobs. In 2000, she began Catering By Culinaire, her own catering management company. It's doing very well, she says, mainly because it is a chef-driven company, where they give all clients personalized face-to-face attention so that they may cater to their clients needs.

Functions, Challenges, Triumphs
As an entrepreneur, McKnight wears many hats. "I do 20 different things a day," she says. "Catering is all about logistics. You must think things through realistically to pull your job off successfully." Clients can also be challenging because they all have different personalities, trying to get across what they want. However, the job is enjoyable and rewarding, especially when she gets to hear satisfaction from her customers. "With the exception of a funeral reception, it's a happy occasion. You get to be a part of the best times of people's lives and make the occasion something special," she says.

Catering Management Advice
"There's no better way to learn the business than taking a part-time job with a local caterer," she says. "I highly suggest this, whether it is as a waiter or helping out with the preparation. We have a lot of students working for us. Some hate it, while others love it. But it's a time where they can figure that out. And you can choose how much you work because it is so flexible."

Each day is certainly different within the catering management business, as McKnight says. "This is definitely the business to get into if you thrive on change and daily challenges."

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