In the 11th of my new Ask-A-Pro series, I’d like to present you with Susan Davis (writing as SC Torrington), caterer.

In the Ask-A-Pro format, I’ll tell you a little about the author and how-to-find-your-dream-job expert . . . then via the Comments section to this post, please feel free to ask a specific question about the career or job in question.

Anyone (expert or not) is free to post responses to your query, and I or the author/how-to-find-your-dream-job pro may chime in as well.

This is your chance to get unbiased advice from a real, honest-to-goodness-been-there-done-that dream job professional.

So, here goes . . . Susan on setting up and running your own catering business.

Susan C. Gotschall-Davis (writing as SC Torrington) has been a freelance corporate caterer and craft service person (”snack lady”) on film/video productions in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area since 1985. Starting as a production assistant on local commercials, Susan began helping the caterers on set. When The Bedroom Window (1985) began filming in Baltimore, one of the caterers recommended her to do “craft service.” (On most movie sets, the caterer’s meals are supplemented with a continental breakfast, an all-day buffet table, and sometimes, a hot second meal, all of which is provided by the craft service position.)

Because of her professional reputation, she was invited to become the first female member of IATSE, Local 19, the union that had jurisdiction over Baltimore film production. In the early 1990s, a new studio mechanics union, Local 487, was formed. Susan joined and was asked to apprentice and train several new members for the position.

In addition to craft service, Susan regularly works as a film production and small corporate caterer. Occasionally, she enjoys being “just a server” for many larger events, including wedding receptions and anniversary dinners.
Susan’s more than two-dozen film credits (although her position doesn’t always make it to the screen) include Barry Levinson’s Avalon, John Waters’ Hairspray and Serial Mom, and the long-running television series, Homicide.

Dream Jobs To Go Title
How to Get Started as a Caterer 

Current Profession
Freelance Writer, Assistant Editor w/Baltimore’s Child magazine, and home-schooling mom.

Websites Or Blogs You’d Like Us To Know About
http://www.sctorrington.com/ http://www.baltimoreschild.com/

What Would You  Be Doing If You Weren’t a Caterer or Writer?
Stand-up comic

Life Philosophy
Pre-production is everything!

Favorite Food
Coffee ice cream

Favorite Read
Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Bear Catering Mystery series

Favorite Authors
Hemingway, pre-accident Stephen King

Favorite Travel Destination
A deserted island.

Favorite Music
Frank Sinatra

Favorite Movie
Splendor in the Grass

Favorite City
I’ll know it when I find it.

Favorite Country
I’ll know it when I find it, too.

Favorite Time of Day
4 a.m.

Your Favorite Hobby
Collecting Liguus tree snails

Favorite Website (Other Than Your Own)
Find-A-Death

Favorite Quotation
Regrets for the things we did can be tempered with time. It is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.—Sydney J. Harris

Favorite Drink
Syrupy Coca-Cola with lots of ice.

Why Do You Live Where You Live?
I’m stuck here. My family still lives in the Mid-Atlantic region.

If You Could Live Anywhere You Wanted, Where Would It Be?
Someplace less humid. Gimme 40 heavily wooded acres with a stream and I’ll build a bunker in the center. I’m an isolationist.

The Greatest Things About Being a Caterer Are
Edible creativity, independence, people-pleasing, and yup, the great left-overs.

The Worst Thing About Being A Caterer Is
Dirty dishes.

If A Young Person Approached You About Getting Into Catering, What Would You Say?
Go work for someone else first. Being a good cook does not make you a good caterer.

If An Older, Career-Changer Approached You About Getting Into Catering, What Would You Say?
Make sure you have plenty of money for the business start-up and to live on. Then, kiss your family good-bye on weekends and holidays.

The Most Important Piece of Advice Anyone Ever Gave You About Catering
Never look worried.

Any Other Advice You’d Like To Share With People Who’re Thinking About Getting Into This Field?
The days of starting a catering business out of your family’s kitchen are over. Understand Health Dept. Codes. Have a real business plan. Food is an emotional issue. Catering is a service more than a product. If you’re gonna be a temperamental chef, stay in the kitchen. If you’re gonna be a caterer, listen to your clients. And know when to say “No” to a job.

How Would You Define Success?
As a caterer, success can be as simple as getting through an event with no broken dishes and a client’s check that doesn’t bounce. On a larger scale, it’s knowing you lived up to your contract without cutting corners, all that obsessive/compulsive organizing paid off and everybody came away full and happy. Cosmically, Albert Einstein says, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” And on a totally personal level, success is getting to do what I want and get away with it!

Any Other Comments About The World of Work You’d Like To Share?
Never be afraid to quit a job you hate. Reinvent yourself often!

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