Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,48
university and had been chosen from an interview list of five for her junior role and then when the team leader position became available she’d been chosen from an interview panel of three. So this, she decided was totally unfair because she’d never been given the chance to fight for the job in an interview situation. She picked a pencil up from her desk and twirled it between her fingers knowing that if she had been given the chance she would have fought like hell for it. The desire to run out of the office and never return was tempting at this stage but she knew it wouldn’t do her career any good.
She stared at her list of jobs on the pad but ignored them all and trying to distract her mind she logged into an internet search box. Slowly and absentmindedly she typed in the word ‘self-employment’ and began to read the associated articles. They were interesting and soon she became engrossed, clicking on a link about starting up a small business.
A small bubble of excitement started creeping around her stomach when suddenly she looked up to see Terry approaching Frances’s desk where he started badgering her again about cooking a special meal for him and his girlfriend.
That’s it, she thought, with a flash of inspiration; could she start her own catering business and cook meals specifically for men? Was there a market for it and surely if there were two guys in this one room looking for a cook there could be many more? Inspired with the idea of doing something completely different and being her own boss she researched the city market to see what services were already around.
The companies she found appeared to be more involved with catering for guests of 200 plus and large venues at corporate events, private parties, and weddings. There did seem to be smaller companies providing meals for up to twenty five guests with starters, dinners, and desserts but these were delivered in hot boxes by courier.
She knew food in take-out boxes was hardly a way to impress a woman and if she was expecting a special meal she’d be very disappointed if her boyfriend made such a pathetic effort. Her mind buzzed with ideas of how she could make her business different by cooking and preparing as much as possible in her own home and then finishing off in the client’s kitchen ready to serve in their own crockery making it look as though it had been cooked from scratch. And, she would only buy British food, farm assured meat, and Red Tractor for fruit and vegetables - it would be contemporary yet traditional food with no pretentious nonsense that Terry and the guys didn’t like or wouldn’t want to pay for.
Frances appeared at her shoulder and looked at the search articles. “And what’s this all about?”
Katie grinned. “Grab a chair,” she said. “And just listen…”
Frances did and nodded her head every now and then while Katie talked her way through her proposals. She was expecting a rush of negative comments with soothing notions about other promotions coming up again soon, and that she shouldn’t be doing anything on a knee-jerk reaction after her disappointment. But Frances didn’t.
“Well, this is a bolt from the blue,” she said smiling. “I think in principle it sounds good. But you need to look at it in depth and of course you’ll need a business plan.”
Katie shivered with excitement. “Yeah, I know, but do you think I’d be able to do it?”
Frances squeezed her shoulder. “Katie, you can do anything you set your mind to. I’ve seen it over and over again in the last eight years. Nothing fazes you and if you want something badly enough you’ll be as successful in it like you have been with everything else.”
Frances took a pencil and started to scribble. She was in her rational thinking mode and Katie smiled fondly at her friend and at her compliments.
“OK. Most men can’t cook – fact,” Frances said, “Some of them can’t even follow the instructions on a packet - fact. The majority of women I know soon get sick of being given takeaway pizzas - fact. And men, like Terry, will pay good money to have the whole 'providing a meal scenario' taken out of their hands - fact.”
Katie was elated. “You’re right!” she babbled excitedly. “And, I was thinking of concentrating on the ‘British country house’; salmon fish cakes, beef wellington, and upside-down apple cakes, you know