103 - Gay Beery, A Pimento Catering. How did her family's circus background help in the art of Culinary Theater?

Catering is hard work. Chefs like Gabrielle Hamilton earned their stripes doing large corporate catering events and if you read her memoir, "Blood, Bones, and Butter," you know doing the job of caterer is no joke. There are long hours, unpredictable circumstances, and anxious customers hell-bent on having everything absolutely perfect. Ever watch Restaurant Wars on Top Chef? Well, a caterer builds a pop-up each time they do a job. Which can be multiple times a week in the busy season. How does the magic happen? Welcome to my FANTASTIC conversation with someone well aware of catering's triumphs and possible pitfalls. Meet Gay Beery of A Pimento Catering, a Charlottesville institution.

"You build a restaurant for a night, and then you make it go away."

Gay's life parallels Gabrielle's in many ways beyond food. Both women grew up in theatrical families with mothers who were dancers. Both fathers worked IN THE SAME CIRCUS! The story of how her parents met is one not to be missed. Gay credits her theatrical background with giving her the ability to perform Culinary Theater. A beautifully choreographed dance to make sure the food arrives hot and beautiful and perfect. No matter the location. Catering is theater and her employees are culinary actors and performers. At times it can be a circus. Many plates have to spin literally and figuratively in order for the magic to happen. And it's not just events! Gay also hosts once-a-month wine dinners at her beautiful space within The Glass Building. Phew!

People sometimes complain about catering's cost. But imagine you take a group of folks to a restaurant. Now imagine that restaurant coming to you. Do the math. For an extra special event folks will remember, hiring a caterer beats plopping down a credit card at a restaurant hands-down. This is not, "Choose Beef, Chicken, Or Fish," catering. Gay and her team sit down with each customer, creating a unique menu from scratch based on the event itself, as well as their budget, wishes, and dietary needs. For those folks who can't tolerate gluten, Gail creates colorful, tasty dishes with vegetables, and REAL food folks can enjoy. No substitute flours or meats here people, because her beautiful vegetables and stunning crabcakes are something she's known for.

"The jobs are like my babies."

Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or the ever popular wedding, any reason you have to do a gathering, A Pimento can work with you. Catering has changed so much over the years. In the past customers were pretty hands off giving the caterer carte blanche to create whatever they wanted. Now customers are much more knowledgeable and opinionated about food, beverage, even fabrics. With price points, design choices, and multiple menus, hiring a caterer can be daunting. How does Gay make the process easy? And what about customers who walk in the door, Pinterest in hand, with no idea that what they envision is completely impossible within their budget? Pro tip: no ice cream cakes or croquembouche in an unairconditioned tent in July, please. THAT story made me do the ugly laugh. #sadbouche

"My guiding practice has always been to always put myself in the seat of the client. What would make the client happy? That's what I want to do. What would make me happy? What would I expect? That's my guideline. If we can't meet that, then something's not right."

Like a restaurant, catering does have busier seasons than others. Mid-March through June is crazy. July and August can be busy or not, but come September things ramp up again. Back in the day when Gay was first starting out she actually closed for a few weeks every summer because it was so slow. But the wedding industry changed that for good. Now she works year round. She moved here from DC almost 30 years ago, bringing with her catering experience she'd earned at a fancy grocery store. Initially, she couldn't even make a living in food. But that has certainly changed dramatically. What does she think of the changes? When you're the pre-eminent caterer in Charlottesville and the 2nd most popular wedding destination on the East coast, you've got more work than you can handle. How does Gay find balance? You don't want to say no, but you don't want to overwhelm staff either. Again, like a restaurant, Gay has to weigh staff needs and her own high standards in order to produce the most dramatic event possible.

"Catering is the land of Shit Happens. And you have to embrace that from the beginning and be up for that, or it really isn't for you. Because we are building a kitchen in a tent...Anything can happen, and it usually does."

What does A Pimento do when there are epic challenges? How does Gay make sure the performance still appears flawless if someone flubs their lines? How does behavioral psychology come into play? Any good Bridezilla stories? Where does she source her products? Does A Pimento have a signature dish? How does she navigate and work with the other folks doing the events like planners and florists? And what are Gay's tips for throwing a party on a weeknight for no good reason? Because we NEED that right now!

What are her thoughts on the new Charlottesville Women in Food group? How can we help the young women just starting out? We spend a great deal of time brainstorming how business owners can share experiences. As Gay says, there are many of us, "...who suffer in silence."

We enjoyed a nice rosé from Corsica during our conversation with some clementines and shortbread while the sunlight poured through her floor-to-ceiling glass windows. I could get used to this. Sure hope there's a second course sometime. Cheers! Stay edacious!

SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast:

• "Anything can happen and it usually does." - We couldn't remember how we knew this quote. Turns out we're showing our age! ;)
• The video that started it all. Watch what prompted Charlottesville Women in Food to get motivated to start their own Facebook group, which is quickly becoming a movement.
• Chefs With Issues. If you work in food and find yourself struggling, make your way here. Kat Kinsman is good people.
• Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to. Subscribers get new episodes instantly, while non-subscribers have to wait a few hours or days depending on the iTunes gods. Never miss a chance to be edacious!
• Subscribe to the 3dacious newsletter! - The Top 3 listings for food writing, events, and food I forked delivered weekly to your inbox with minimal fuss in a nice and neat to-go package.
• Leave a review about Edacious! - Click the link, then "View in iTunes" then "Ratings and Reviews". Whether you think it's great, or not so great, I want to hear from you. I might just read your review on the air! Whoa! #famousforahotminute

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