The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Food for Thought caters to change amid COVID
The Mentor-based catering company was able to pivot and adapt when the pandemic shut things down.
Systems already in place by Food for Thought, the Mentor-based catering company, helped it pivot when the pandemic shut things down last year.
Until then, they had prepared and delivered about 1,000 meals a day for events, corporations and nonprofit organizations from Avon to Ashtabula.
“As an off-premises caterer, we were not shut down in March 2020 in the same way as restaurants were,” said Bob Hufgard, partner with CEO and President Bonnie Matthew in the company, which is observing its 30th anniversary this year.
Food for Thought instead was impacted by gathering-size limitations, the stay-at-home order, social distancing and jobs that had transitioned to working at home.
When the business was permitted to reopen in June, it was able to expand its expertise in preparing individual meals and could step into a previously established fooddelivery model.
“We already had most of the newly recognized CDC safety protocols in place, and the size of our facility allowed us to easily rearrange work stations for social distancing,” Hufgard said.
Since 2005, the partners have owned and occupied a 26,000-square-foot building at 7574 St. Clair St., between Mentor Avenue and Tyler Boulevard. It’s become more accessible since the Plaza Boulevard extension was opened in 2019.
Frequent handwashing always has been a mandate for employees, he noted. He believes that’s a pandemic protocol that will remain in place for everyone once the pandemic is over.
Matthew’s commitment to the concept of Mise en place has helped. The French term for chefs having ingredients organized in the order in which they’ll be used is something she encountered when pursuing her bachelor’s degree in restaurant management at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She applied the concept to the business by having every aspect of the workday arranged in advance.
“If you have everything laid out and are prepared for the unexpected, it’s easier to handle the inevitable daily chaos,” she said. “We can take orders for lunch for 40 at 9 a.m. and have them delivered and ready to serve by noon the same day.”
Many caterers want at least 24 hours notice for orders.
“But the systems we’ve set up allow us to work much more quickly to prepare and serve fresh, made-to-order foods,” Hufgard said.
As is the case with many businesses, staffing remains a critical need. The majority of work at Food for Thought is done weekdays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., hours that often appeal to many one-time restaurant workers who had to commit to weekends, nights and holidays. The business is now working on hiring kitchen help.
Although the company can prepare nibbles for book clubs and other small groups, they’ve already got several weddings lined up for summer. Customers can see menus online, and ordering via the Web soon will be available.
Pandemic protocols restrict groups to 10, but several tables for eight to 10 can be compliant, if social distancing is maintained. That’s more easily arranged outdoors.
Matthew, Hufgard and their executive chef, Dan Bednar, stay current with the ever-changing pandemic protocols through regular contact with the Lake County General Health District and the Ohio Department of Health. Guidelines are being relaxed now that vaccinations are widely available and COVID-19 numbers are declining.
Nearly a year after selfserve buffets were banned, the state on Feb. 11 permitted the return of homestyle buffets, Hufgard noted. That allows dishes of food to be passed around a table so diners can serve themselves.
Bednar, who comes from a catering background in other states, has noticed a desire by customers to eat more healthy foods.
Many vegan and gluten-free dishes are among Food for Thought’s 3,000 recipes.
“Consumers are much better educated these days,” he said. “They want good nutrition, but they still like comfort foods.”
The Baked Sweet Potatoes with Garam Masala Chickpeas recipe offered to readers today, is an example.