CHEF’S CORNER
by Robin Selden
Growing Pains
can sometimes feel elusive. In this time of catering madness, finding ways to protect our team’s wellbeing and avoiding burnout (turn to page 41 for Anthony Lambatos’ thoughts on employee burnout) becomes paramount. In a culture where “always on” can seem like the norm, maintaining morale and productivity requires proactive steps. Giving our team the space to make decisions instills a sense of ownership and allows us all to remain agile during these times. Stop micromanaging your teams and choose what’s important to focus on. This keeps everyone engaged, embracing ownership, and proud of their contributions… especially when we use them, and they see them at an event. Encouraging our team to propose and implement these “micro-innovations” fosters a creative environment, even during the busiest times, and adds a spark of excitement to the routine helping to keep them from burning out. We need to help each other thrive along the way. Catering is a hustle, but it’s one filled with passion, purpose, and opportunity. Let’s keep growing one delicious event at a time!
Ever feel like you are on a hamster wheel and just cannot get off? The whirlwind of back-to-back bookings, unavoidable overtime, and watching the incredible dedication of our teams who work tirelessly to make each event unforgettable is amazing…. especially knowing where we came from over 47 years ago! This relentless rhythm is both challenging and rewarding, and I’m sure many of you out there can relate. As demand skyrockets, we’re faced with the ongoing task of rethinking our space, staff, and workflows to keep up. Room to grow One of the trickiest parts? Finding room for everyone—both literally and figuratively. Our kitchen team are working cutting board to cutting board and our office space is desk to desk. After two years of searching, we’re still on the lookout for a bigger location to allow for expansion, but available spaces have been hard to come by and land available to buy in a property zoned area is nonexistent. Much like how we run our business, we are just not willing to compromise on our next move. In the meantime, we’re doing what many catering businesses are doing: maximizing every square foot, fostering creativity within our super tight quarters, and getting as resourceful as we can. Yup, my brother’s (Jeffrey Selden’s) basement has become one of our storage units. While expansion is exciting, the journey there requires patience, persistence, and, most importantly, adaptability. Balancing growth Then there’s the balance of it all. We’re deeply passionate about the artistry in our work, from developing new recipes to envisioning unique presentations. As the demands of our business grow, finding time for our creative pursuits, like the cookbook I’ve been writing for the last three years, experimenting with new ideas, or focusing on marketing,
Growth is exhilarating and exhausting—there’s a unique
satisfaction in knowing that clients can’t get enough of what we do best. But growing at the speed of light as we are today brings with it its own set of challenges.
Robin Selden is the Managing Partner & Executive Chef of Marcia Selden Catering & Events and Naked Fig Catering, where she oversees the culinary and marketing
See Robin Selden LIVE! You can see Robin Selden in-person during Art of Catering Food (February 23-24, 2025) and at Catersource + The Special Event, February 24-27, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, FL during the following sessions:
operations for her family’s multimillion-dollar company. In
• Art of Catering Food 2025 (emcee)
October 2019, Robin was honored to be named to the BizBash1000 celebrating the top 1,000 event professionals in the USA in 2019 and to the BizBash 500 celebrating the top 500 event professionals in 2020 in the United States. Selden is in the President’s Council as a past President of the International Caterers Association and won their Chef of the Year award. She’s a past Innovative Chef of the Year and a current Ambassador Chef for the Greenwich Wine & Food Festival.
• DICED Competiton (emcee)
• Love to Love you Baby! Crafting Trendy, Instagram-Worthy Themed Parties
Visit https://informaconnect.com/ catersource-thespecialevent/ for all the details.
WINTER 2024 ■ CATERSOURCE
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