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Services we offer
catering
Food is often the most critical component of any party or function. Whether you’re hosting a corporate event or a private birthday party, providing excellent food for your guests and clients is the best way to ensure that everyone leaves impressed. At Events a la Carte, we pride ourselves on supplying Chicago’s best catering options.
We’re able to offer a range of premium catering solutions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. We can cater to a variety of different price points as well. We’ve successfully helped hundreds of clients provide excellent food options for their functions – call us today to discuss the various options we have available to our local clients.
If you don’t have staff for your event, or you don’t want to go through the process of finding reliable people, we can handle it for you. We have a team of highly trained staff that can do anything from serving food to mixing cocktails.
If you need glasses, plates, tablecloths, or any other event-related equipment, we have affordable equipment hire provided directly through our business. Don’t waste time trying to find attractive cutlery and table arrangements; we’re experts in this line of work.
Last but not least, we also provide professional planning services to our clients in the metro area. We have extensive experience planning birthday parties, corporate events, class reunions, holiday parties, staff functions and more. If you don’t have experience hosting parties, or you need to focus on other components of your event, we’re happy to take care of the ancillary planning requirements.
We meet face-to-face with all our party planning clients to discuss precisely what you’re looking for in your next event. You can trust our team of specialists to go above and beyond your expectations.
Catering isn’t just about the food; you’ll also need excellent drink options if you want to leave a lasting impression on your guests. We can provide bar catering services that can also extend liquor licensing to your event or party. It’s the perfect way to gain approval for a party where alcohol is present.
My food service career started at the University of Illinois where I was in charge of running the kitchen in my fraternity. I was responsible for feeding 100 hungry college guys three meals a day, seven days a week. While at the U of I, I started working for a hotel close to campus in their catering department. I quickly became someone they trusted to pull o All the china from storage for a specific event based on the menu for that particular event. Over my four years of school, I was promoted to their Fine Dining restaurant where I did table-side, flame cooking and other table side preparations.
Once back in Chicago, I improved my skills by waiting tables at Fine Dining restaurants in Chicago with a two-year stint as a fine dining restaurant manager. My Champagne knowledge came from a few years working at a Champagne Bar. Then back to being a catering waiter and supervisor.
Events a la Carte was born in 1991.
In the beginning, I was the staff person that went on these jobs. My clients started asking if I could supply more staff, maybe help with catering or rentals. The progression to a full-fledged business came quickly. I was hiring staff and using my connections from years of work in Chicago to plan events for my clients.
From large to small, we do as the name says; Events … a la Carte, from one part to the entire event, we are your, One STOP SHOPPING SOURCE.
My philosophy is pay someone well for their time. Treat them as you would want to be treated. Show that I stepped in and washed the dishes for an event while my staff tended to the front of the house. I took the worst of the tasks.
As a manager, I have been both the authority figure and the waiter\bartender.
I know what my staff goes through. I trace my success back to when I threw a 50th birthday dinner for my mother at Ravinia. Ravinia is a music venue where you sit on the grass picnic and listen to a concert. I planned a three course meal complete with real dishes, glasses, flatware and linen. I wheeled all the supplies, food and beverage into the park and set up on blankets and a folding table. While enjoying the meal, someone sitting next to our group marveled at how I “catered” the event like a pro. They said “Maybe you should be doing this for a living”. It was a few more years before Events a la Carte was opened, but that person sitting next to us at Ravinia was were the idea came from.
At least one hour before your guests arrive. A staff member can only handle a certain amount of work in a specified amount of time. The most difficult thing to overcome is not having enough time to set up your event. To avoid difficulty on the day of your event, please let us know all that you expect from your event staff.
what do i do when the staff arrives?
When your staff arrives let them know what time your guests are expected. Show them to your kitchen and let them know where they can put their things. Please address them by their first names. If we are dealing with your food, they need a list of what you are serving and the required prep work and heating instructions. Have this written out before hand so the server can get right to work.
what do i need to do to prepare my kitchen for the staff?
An event in your home will run more smoothly when your home is ready for the staff to arrive. Please prepare your kitchen by clearing off your counter tops of any unneeded appliances (toaster, mixer, etc.) and any decorative items. Run the dishwasher and empty it of all the clean dishes.
Choose a Local Chicago Event Caterer
If you want to choose a partner that understands what Chicago-based catering clients are looking for, you’ve come to the right place. Our range of services at Event a la Carte provides you with a single solution for all of your catering needs. Our primary goal is to take the stress out of your event’s catering process.
The sooner you begin planning your catering, the better. Get in touch with our team today to discuss your options.
