Few days before I met a lady in Bangalore who is around 50 plus years old, who is doing catering work from home. Not only catering, she does tailoring also. During the day time she is going to a Day care centre for which she is paid a very low amount. Still she likes to go since it helps her a lot to get rid off the loneliness at home. I asked her why she wants to work now also, since she is suffering from arthritis. She said she wants to earn her pocket money, which is not for her own use but to spend for her grand kids.
She is successfully running her catering work from home. When I met her, she was baking a cake. She offered me a piece of cake, vegetable as well as beef cutlets and peanut cookies. She was not storing it for her guests but all the items were fresh and getting ready to go to the nearest bakeries. I asked her doesn’t she tired of doing all this work including her Day care centre work. She said both gives her happiness since she loves cooking and kids bring her happiness. She takes extra orders for the Birthday cakes and snacks for the parties. I am really proud of her.
Don’t feel like doing something like this? Don’t hesitate, it is the right time to think about something where you can convert your personal skills into cash.Catering business is really a profiteering business unlike other businesses. As long as the human beings exist in this world, they will have appetite for good and tasty food, so long you will be able to survive.
Cooking is an art where you are playing with someone’s taste buds. The real success of a catering work lies in the ability of synchronizing your taste with others taste.
Basic requirements:
A kitchen with basic utensils, fridge and an oven
Qualification:
Knowledge or Interest in cooking
Steps involved:
- Decide on the amount of money you can invest
- Whether you can do this regularly?
- What are the items you can cook with a great taste?
- Who are your proposed customers?
What are the items we can start off when we start a catering work?
- Vada (a snack which is prepared from Black gram dhal or Chana dhal or Bengal gram, Sabudhana or sago and potato, or combining different pulses)
- Cutlets (vegetable, fish, chicken,beef, mutton, paneer, pulses etc.)
- Pastries (puffs with different ingredients like Paneer, mushroom, egg, chicken, etc..)
- Cookies with different ingredients
Success Factors:
- Personal hygiene
- Patience to work long hours
- Systematic follow up of recipes
- Maintaining the quality and taste consistently
- Prompt delivery of products into its destination
Before you start working, discuss your proposed attempt with the nearby food outlets and neighbors. First let them have a trial on your product and if the customers are happy with the taste and quality, try to maintain it. Once you are established, you can take outdoor orders.
When I was working in the Maldives as a teacher, the school canteen was run by few ladies. Canteen was not running round the clock but opened only during the interval time ( just 25 minutes). Just 10 minutes before the interval, ladies come with their home made products like cutlets, puffs, sandwiches, burger,cream buns, sausage buns, small snacks like patties, fish stuffed balls etc.. Each lady would be coming with an unique piece of snacks and operating their business for 30 – 40 mins. After that days work, they clean the school compound and leave the place with their empty trays. After going home, they prepare the same and make it available in the evenings to their neighbors. Don’t you feel like doing something like this?
Unlike other jobs, catering work needs lot of effort. More over, family members’ support is also needed very much sometimes for the purchases or for delivering. Getting a break will be very difficult. Put a lot of yourself into catering and dedication into this work will surely leads you into success. Good luck.
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