Buffet catering
$28 a guest
I cook the meal and set up a buffet; everyone comes up and helps themselves. Made for parties, reunions, celebrations, church and community gatherings.
Time and labor only. You supply the groceries.
Private chef & catering
You choose the food. I cook it.
Catering across Copperopolis and the Sierra foothills, run a different way: you buy the groceries, wherever you like, and you pay me only for my time and labor. No markup on your food.
How the catering works
Most caterers buy the food themselves and build a markup into the price to cover it. So you pay for the groceries, plus a margin on the groceries, plus the labor, all rolled into one number.
I don't supply the food. You buy it: from the store you trust, the butcher or farmers market you like, at the prices you like to pay. My fee covers my time and my labor, and nothing else.
You always know exactly where your money goes: the grocery receipt is yours, and the fee is for the cooking.
What that changes
| Typical caterer | Working with me | |
|---|---|---|
| Who buys the food | The caterer, then bills you for it | You do, wherever you like |
| Markup on food | Built into the price | None |
| What the fee covers | Food, margin and labor, bundled | Time and labor only |
| Your brands and stores | Whatever the caterer's suppliers carry | Your call |
Two ways to book
Plated and custom menus
By consultation
Individually plated courses, fancier menus, a dinner built around one occasion. The price depends on the menu and the work it takes, so we set it together in a consultation.
Still time and labor only. You still supply the groceries.
From first call to the meal
Tell me about your event
The date, the headcount, the occasion, and every allergy and preference at the table.
Settle the menu
I call at the time you picked and we work out the menu together, and for plated or custom menus, the price.
You shop
With the menu set, you know what to buy for your headcount. Buy it wherever you like, at the prices you like.
I cook
I turn your groceries into the meal: a buffet your guests help themselves to, or plated courses served to each of them.
What it costs
Buffet catering is priced per guest, for my time and labor. Your groceries are separate, because you buy them. The estimator gives you a rough idea of both.
Buffet for 25
$700
My time and labor
+ your groceries, roughly $140 – $200 for a classic menu
Buffet for 50
$1,400
My time and labor
+ your groceries, roughly $290 – $410 for a classic menu
Buffet for 100
$2,800
My time and labor
+ your groceries, roughly $570 – $810 for a classic menu
Allergies and diets
Tell me every allergy and dietary need up front, and I build the menu around them from the start. Nobody at the table gets a lesser plate.
Where I cook
I'm based in Copperopolis and cook across the Sierra foothills: Angels Camp, Murphys, Arnold, Valley Springs, Jamestown, Sonora and the lake communities. Farther away? Ask.
Questions people ask
Why don't you supply the food?
So you never pay a markup on it. You shop where you like, buy the brands you trust and pay the shelf price. My fee covers my time and labor, nothing else.
What does the per-guest buffet price cover?
My time and labor to cook your meal and set it out as a buffet for your guests. The groceries aren't in it; you buy those directly.
What about plated dinners or a fancier menu?
Those are priced after a consultation, because the work depends on the menu. It's still time and labor only, and you still buy the food.
How do I know what to buy?
We settle the menu before you shop, sized to your headcount, so you know what the meal needs.
Can you cook around allergies and special diets?
Yes. Tell me up front and I'll plan the menu around them.
Let's talk about your event
Tell me the date, the headcount and what you have in mind. I reply personally, the way you ask and at the time you pick.