What is it like to be a Caterer?

This is a labor of love.  There is definitely an element of "feast or famine" which can play havoc with your emotions (and finances).  Ultimately, we do it because we truly love to feed people.  I spend hours and hours pouring over cookbooks and recipe blogs, then test them, tweak them and make them my own.  I find enormous pride in creating just the right meal for a wedding in an early 1900's barn or an important 30 person board meeting.  I try to hit as many  of Portland'sfarmer's markets as possible to keep up to the second with what fruits and vegetables are at their peak.  There is also more time spent menu writing, costing, consulting and contracting then actually cooking.  I really enjoy the flexible schedule that allows me to be with my child in these beautiful and important first years.  Like most careers, it's a calling with it's inevitable ups and downs but I am blessed to say "This Is Mine".