Ann Oliver no longer caters but will admit to still having nightmares that involve catering. It’s like a type of PTSD she says. I dream that the van rolls over and the food is scrambled when the doors open. Or, the front-of-house team get lost..that actually happened once! The level of stress involved in catering are endless and Oliver recounts dozens of hilarious stories but is quick to point out that at the time they were far from hilarious.

Oliver thinks that what set her catering business apart from many others was the attention to the total event and not just the food. She points out that ambience is as important. As much as the food is central, without wonderful staff who understand that the meaning of the word hospitality is to be hospitable guests will leave disappointed. Catering she insists is the full package.