Food Science Catering Technology and Kitchen Management

Description

The earliest instance of major services being catered in the United States is a 1778 ball in Philadelphia catered by Caesar Cranshell, to celebrate the departure of British General William Howe. Catering business began to form around 1820, with the Philadelphia Catering being a respectable and profitable business. The early catering industry was mostly founded by African- Americans.

The industry began to professionalise under the reigns of Robert Bogle who is recognized as “the originator of catering.” By 1840, the second generation of Philadelphia black caterers formed, who began to combine their catering businesses with restaurants they owned. Common usage of the word “caterer” came about in the 1880s at which point local directories began listing numerous caterers. White businessmen eventually moved into the industry and by the 1930s, the black businesses had virtually disappeared. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union, creating more simple menus, began developing state public catering establishments as part of its collectivisation policies.

After the Second World War, many businessmen embraced catering as an alternative way of staying in business after the war. By the 1960s, the home-made food was overtaken by eating in public catering establishments. By the 2000s, personal chef services started gaining popularity, with more women entering the workforce. This book looks at the origin and evolution of catering as a business and the management of the kitchen.