Event Management LESSON 7

Tasty, nutritious, attractive meals, safely prepared and served don’t just happen. Much thinking and planning go into such a project to make it a success.

Purpose of the event Profit Community service Labor of love for family and friends Your event may be a church dinner, a band booster food booth at the street festival, a family reunion at the nearby park, or a 4-H Club food committee, which is preparing and serving the food at a local community dinner. This event may be intended to raise money for something, it may be for community service, or maybe just  for family and friends.  Regardless, the same food safety principles apply to all events.

Considerations Health regulations, permits, etc. Contact local Health District in advance of the event. What foods are you planning to prepare/serve? Location? For sale, donation or give away? Plans for cleaning and sanitizing? The process may take up to 2 weeks to get a temporary license if needed.

Considerations Location Adequate space for storage, preparation and seating/service Parking Utilities (water, electricity) Volunteers, labor and time Adequate staffing Training Finances Money box! If you need to make your own hand washing station, you can do it with a 5 gallon thermal water container filled with hot water sitting on a table with a catch basin (5 gallon bucket underneath). Be sure to have plenty of soap and paper towels available and a large trash can. DO NOT forget a safe place to keep money (if you will be collecting any). Many trusting people have had their money stolen while they were helping a customer. Photo Source: http://www.camp-cook.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=730&sid=da9866f92e263f7dbf8ba96a4b24330e

Considerations Sources of food and supplies Donations “On hand” supplies Transportation and/or delivery of food and supplies to event site Storage space for food and supplies (refrigerator, freezer and dry storage) Containers for leftovers Donated food is only beneficial if it is safe and fits into your menu plan. You cannot accept donations of home canned foods due to the safety risks. Also consider non-perishable and paper supplies you may have “on-hand” from previous events that can be used at this next event. If you are planning to purchase your food supplies from more than 30 minutes away from your event site, be prepared to transport frozen and refrigerated products in coolers to prevent time and temperature abuse. This may require MANY coolers with ice! Sometimes you may send leftover food home with volunteers or donate it to a worthy cause. Plan ahead by having shallow food grade containers available.

Considerations (cont.) Availability of cooking and serving equipment Preparation space Cooking equipment and utensils Holding and serving equipment and space Clearing and clean-up, adequate hot water availability Is equipment available for you to use or will you have to rent or bring in all of your own equipment? How much oven space is available? How many stovetop burners? If you are planning to cook in large pots and pans, plan for additional cooking time, as it takes much longer for 10 quarts of water to boil than it does for 2 quarts.

Menu Selection Occasion/event Group Type of service (buffet, family-style, sit down, grab-go) Meal appeal (senses) Seasonality Profit Labor and time Equipment and space available Group – Kid-friendly, adults, more formal? Type of service - Buffet, family-style, sit down, grab-go Meal appeal – Use all of the senses. If possible, have a variety of hot and cold foods. Also consider variety of colors, textures, shapes, and flavors. Seasonality – Foods in season may be less expensive. Seasonal flavors also go over well. Profit – Even if you don’t intend to make a profit, be sure you’re at lease covering your costs of the event. Labor and time – Always plan on more hands and more time than you think you’ll need

General Record Keeping Helps prepare for repeat events Maintains consistency with committee/volunteer turnover Additional records kept over the years, including the weather on event days, other events happening on the same day, etc. can also provide clues to why an event was successful or not. For more information, refer students to: Planning the Quantity Food Occasion: Records to Keep (Handout 2-2) Planning the Quantity Food Occasion: Costing and Pricing the Meal (Handout 2-3) Planning the Quantity Food Occasion: Committee Responsibilities (Handout 2-4) Handy Tables for Occasional Quantity Cooks (Handout 2-5) General Record Sheet (Worksheet 2-1) Financial Statement (Worksheet 2-2) Market Order Checklist (Worksheet 2-3) Work Schedule Checklist (Worksheet 2-4) Committee Report (Worksheet 2-5)