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Woodland Catering: Looking Forward to the 2021 Season

1/6/2021

Each week we will be posting a blog on various topics from our catering partner, Woodland Catering!

A note from Woodland Catering looking forward to the 2021 Wedding & Event Season!

It’s 2021.

From the perspective of a small business owner, the last 12-months have been a steady railway ride down into the abyss of uncertainty. That is not to say that it was a waste of a year or even that it was all negative. It was the uncertainty that was anxiety inducing but the hard times can be building blocks on which we construct the success of our future. We were lucky enough to be able to pivot our business focus and continue to create revenue even as our event schedule slowly but steadily vanished before our eyes. I wouldn’t wish a repeat of 2020 on anyone, business owner or not, but I also know that my business will be better and stronger because of it. We are the sum of all of our experiences and often we grow more from the bad than from the good. All of us are smart enough to understand that the circumstances of our lives will not change simply because our arbitrary calendar changes over from one year to the next. The success or failure of the past 12 months of our lives are dependent on our own actions and circumstances and have nothing to do with the number on the calendar. All of that being said, I welcome the cross over into 2021 as a mental delineation signalling a season of change.

With the vaccine upon us, but still months away from being administered to the masses, uncertainty still hovers over us. We have spent much of our time over the last months determining how we can adapt to our new normal. It is our goal to provide for our clients the same experience we promised them. While in some cases things may look slightly different, we are committed to going above and beyond what would typically be required of us to ensure that, for at least one day, we can lift the clouds of the anxiety we have been living with and immerse our clients and their guests in the sunshine of an experience they will never forget.

In a more practical sense, there is much we are doing to provide minimum interference with the plans we have set forth while still maintaining adherence to the guidelines. It is almost a certainty that part of our wedding season will occur with state Covid guidelines in place. Limits on guest counts and guests interaction, under certain circumstances, will be a concern. The ability for guests to self serve any food or beverage will be in jeopardy. We have developed service techniques and overall event flow to allow for our client’s guests to receive the same experience they expect without knowing that any changes have even been made. We are fully staffing all buffets, stations, bars, and hors d’oeuvre displays. We have increased table service to limit the congregation of guests at service areas. Our servers and managers are trained in gently moving the flow of guests in certain directions to encourage social distancing and the use of outdoor or more ventilated space. Our extremely close relationship with the staff at the Barn at Bradstreet Farm allows for integrated planning and fully cooperative focus on event days. Masks will continue to be a staple of service and kitchen employees for the foreseeable future and our kitchen staff have been Covid certified in food handling.

While we are a food service operation, what we really provide our guests is peace-of-mind at a time that can be anxiety ridden if not handled properly. We endeavor to continue to remove stress and worry from our client’s lives and allow them to fully experience a very important moment in their life so that they can create the memories that we all look back on fondly. Our tactics have evolved, our mission has not.

Ryan Costigan
Chef/Owner
Woodland Catering
ryan@woodlandcatering.com
www.WoodlandCatering.com
978-662-1192

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