Plan Your Meetings

Holiday catering tips: December 2008 Morsel

This holiday season, we are all getting slammed by the recession, so I would like to give you some ideas on how to save some money on catering, whether you are doing a family or office gathering.

I wanted to present some options you may not have considered before. If some of these ideas seem “small town,” it’s because I’m writing this from Kittanning, Penn., where I grew up.

Ready? Let’s step outside the culinary box:

• Order food from local restaurants. They are very cost effective, especially Chinese, BBQ and Italian.
• Reserve a table for your group at a local Firehall or VFW, or take them to a community spaghetti night or fish fry dinner. The money you’ll spend will go to charity, and the food is always very good.
• Ask around the office and see if anybody’s church, temple or organization sells homemade foods to raise funds. Twice a month in Pittsburgh, the local Greek church sells perogies that are homemade and absolutely delicious.
• Buy food from the specialty departments of chain grocery stores. For the office potluck, you can’t beat the price or quality of a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club. Also check out the sushi from Whole Foods and bakery department at Publix.

I will be the first to admit that none of these options are particularly glamorous — but they all work. In fact, you may be surprised by how well they are received by your group. As we tighten our belts during this holiday season, following the above suggestions can help you present quality food on a conservative budget.

As I complete this over the Thanksgiving weekend, what am I grateful for? That all of you take the time to read my monthly morsel.

Safe Holidays!