course casseroles or vegetable dishes. If these ideas interest you, read section 5. in this chapter, and sections 2.5 and 2.6 in Chapter 9.
4.2 Ethnic foods
You can create ethnic foods that are specific to certain cultures that most people don’t usually make themselves. There are many ethnic foods you could make such as salsa, baklava, naan, tapenade, or hummus.
4.3 Health-oriented, allergy specific,and other special diets
Health foods, a small but growing market, include foods that are whole grain, organic, natural, chemical free, trans fat free, vegan, and vegetarian, and are often related to the eat-local movement.
If you have an interest in allergy-related foods, you must do research and work with a dietitian who can guide your product offerings.
Other special diets include those for people who are diabetic, or those who must restrict certain foods such as salt. Here, too, you need to thoroughly research your potential products and talk to a professional dietitian.
4.4 The seasons
Take advantage of the different seasons when people like to celebrate special occasions and holidays. Keep in mind that most food products can be changed to fit different holidays. Sugar cookies can be baked using different cutters; basic cakes can have holiday-related toppers; candies can be molded into various designs. Sometimes simply using color is enough to market your regular products as holiday specialties, such as tinting your cakes and cookies green for St. Patrick’s Day or tying a red ribbon around your sweet breads for Valentine’s Day.
4.4a Winter
Many businesses thrive during the winter season. Homemade goods take center stage for the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, when many popular products sell themselves. Seasonal breads, decorated cakes, candies, and cookie trays are a specialty. Even fruitcakes (contrary to those silly jokes) are huge sellers.
Although food products cannot be stored for long periods the way most consumer goods can be shelved, there are ways to increase your preparation time. For example, my fruitcake production begins in July. Biscotti and candies have an exceptionally long shelf life, as do dried fruits and spiced nut mixes. Making any of these products will allow you to produce more than if you had to make everything fresh during the relatively short holiday season.
Don’t forget New Year’s celebrations (champagne cakes), Presidents’ Day (anything with cherries), and Valentine’s Day (chocolate and anything heart shaped).
4.4b Spring
In spring there is St. Patrick’s Day (Irish soda bread, shamrock cookies, and anything green), Easter (put together baskets with pastel-colored candy and cookies), Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrations, and graduation cakes.
4.4c Summer
Summer is the time for fresh fruit and farmers’ markets; Canada Day celebrations (red and white); Fourth of July celebrations (anything red, white, and blue); and picnic or backyard barbecues where handheld foods (brownies and cookies) are great options.
4.4d Fall
Think of “harvest” for fall. Mixing together different kinds of produce in your muffins and sweet breads makes for great sellers. Add apples and pears to your products, and for Halloween, use pumpkin to flavor your baked goods.
4.5 Fashionable foods
There’s always something new and trendy with foods. Look regularly at food magazines and keep an eye on the covers of consumer magazines. Watch the Food Network. Skim new cookbook titles and read newspaper food columns. Get a subscription to Modern Baking or a similar trade magazine, and visit Internet food sites and online bakeries. The websites for some of these are listed in the Resources section.
4.6 Gift packages
People are always looking for gifts, and food is often the choice since it’s “one size fits all.” Any of your food items can be placed in trays, tins, baskets, and boxes for a special look. Section 2.3 in Chapter 7 has packaging suggestions, and sections 2.8, 2.9 and 2.10 in Chapter 9 have numerous ideas for marketing your gift packages.
5. The “New” Catering
The catering industry has been undergoing a change. In the past it was considered a full-service business and included menu development, event planning, extensive equipment, and numerous employees. Complete meals were prepared in a licensed kitchen facility, then transported to another location for consumption.
The concept of catering now incorporates an abbreviated form. A self-described caterer can exclude the full-service side and provide only the preparation of take-out type foods and meal parts. This is often called home meal replacement (HMR), a term used in the supermarket industry. These days, customers might say they need a caterer when they simply want someone to prepare a tray of muffins, sandwiches, or desserts.
When checking with your local health department or licensing agency, make sure you understand the terminology. Laws for the traditional catering license are often different from a license for cooking and baking, so it’s up to you to understand what the difference is where you live. In my locality, the home kitchen is never acceptable for catering but can be approved for home baking, with restrictions on meat and dairy products. My inspector was very strict in that I’m not allowed to “cater” in my home kitchen, but with a baking permit I’m allowed to prepare certain meals or meal parts. For example, preparing a vegan meal or some vegetarian meals is acceptable. I’m just not allowed to use the word “cater.”
With prepared foods continuing to hold a large market share, the business opportunities are extraordinary. Regardless of our economic times, offices always order food for meetings, and working adults favor dinners-to-go or meal parts. If you bake traditional breakfast fare (e.g., muffins, sweet breads, coffee cakes), you might be able to advertise breakfast catering. Items you don’t make, such as Danish pastries or bagels, might be sold along with cream cheese, fruit, and juices. Hot beverages can be made on-site. If you have an ethnic specialty or make health-oriented foods that are low-calorie, allergy-free, vegetarian, or vegan, you can cater these items.
If you decide that this line of business is for you but your home kitchen cannot be licensed, read Chapter 1, section 2., about renting space. If a full catering business is your goal, begin here and see how you like the work. Self-Counsel Press has a book, Start & Run a Catering Business, that could help you start your own catering business if you decide it’s right for you.
The following is a brief list of menu items, many of which you probably prepare at home for family meals. This kind of catered food does not need to be fancy. Most customers are more interested in food that tastes good (with familiar flavors) rather than cuisine that sounds exotic.
• Canapés, crudités, hors d’oeuvres: Most of these items are miniature versions of traditional foods. Add as many local and seasonal items as available.
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