Week 3:
Step Up or Step Aside

June 19, 2022

This week was one of a kind. As you see in the image above, I officially became the temporary event specialist. I was given the news on Monday and, therefore, it was a pleasant start to the week. This meant that my hard work was paying off and my boss could see that I am doing everything in my power to shine even more light on the Amazing Edibles name. However, this moment of pride also came with enormous responsibility as I was told now that clients know I am an official caterer (even though I am still really an intern), many of them will try to get a hold of me as soon as they can and subsequently I will have to address their needs. Even though this was the case, I knew then what I know now: I am ready for anything.

Not my best look nor the best picture, I’ll admit, but I took it spontaneously after assisting my co-worker (on my right) with helping the couple sort everything out. A wedding walkthrough is basically the last time we meet the couple before their wedding, and since it is going to be the last time anyway, the caterers (us), the venue manager, the wedding planner, and the couple themselves sit together to finalize everything in addition to making sure we are all in sync. The word “walkthrough” is interpreted as verbally walking through the couples’ ideal wedding day so there are no mistakes. I shadowed my co-worker and assisted her with what she needed in addition to answering a few questions from the couple. That one and a half hours was definitely worth it.

This social event I attended on Friday was a fundraiser, so there were about 550 guests on one floor. In fairness, the floor was huge, so 550 did not seem like a large number. The fundraiser occurred at the old post office in Chicago, and as soon as I reached the destination, I could not help but marvel at its beauty. I shadowed another co-worker that evening, but since this was an actual event, I also helped with the setup. The picture above on the right captures what was completely my doing, and it ended up being aesthetically pleasing. The staff is always required to arrive two hours prior to the event starting, and when it began, I also helped with the kitchen a bit in addition to setting up the buffet. The event was really a unique experience, and I am sure I will go to more like this one.

I requested to work on a Saturday to shadow my experienced co-worker(s) for the wedding and help them out with the setup to make sure everything is going smoothly while also being a first-hand resource to the event captain if he needs anything. It was fun to observe an American wedding for the first time in my life albeit as part of a catering company. I got to know how things work and how ideal planning for the wedding that had been going on for months is executed.

This was an eventful week, and even though the following ones probably won’t be to the same extent, I know I will continue learning and continue evolving. I also think that this week was an endurance test courtesy of the boss, and I am glad I passed it. I also hope she got the message that I am willing to accept even bigger challenges. The fact that I was given quite a few off-site events to work spontaneously and had no clue what I would be doing the following day of the week encompasses the title of this week’s blog post.