How to Start a Catering Business When You Don’t Know What the Hell You’re Doing, written by Jennifer Williams, gives the reader step by step instructions to opening a catering business. Written in simple language and with humor, the book offers serious advice regarding equipment purchases, marketing, contracts, and the do’s and don’ts of catering.

The author will take you from confused to confident as she takes the mystery and the fear out of being "a great chef." Jennifer says, "You don’t have to be a great chef to be a caterer. It takes passion and the love of entertaining."

Starting the business from scratch, the author shares her experiences of starting a new business, overcoming financial obstacles, and the infamous HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

Learn how to pull off the perfect barbeque and enjoy some of Jennifer’s favorite recipes as well as tips on menu creation and portion sizes. This book is full of good information for the aspiring caterer and is easy to understand and apply to either home based or commercial based catering

Jennifer Williams was born into a family of great cooks. It was her lifelong dream to own a catering business, and in 1996, she made her dream a reality. Lacking formal training, Jennifer relied on catering books, seminars and other caterers to help her get started. Within one year, she had booked fifteen jobs and had an exclusive catering deal with a local hotel.

She has taken a break from catering to focus on her son but wrote this book as her way to keep her foot in the catering door. This is Jennifer’s first book, but not her last.

Jennifer hopes to teach other aspiring caterers her techniques for success by teaching one-day seminars. She’s been happily married for nineteen years, has a three-year-old son and enjoys cooking (of course), shopping with mom, and spending time with friends. She makes her home in Southern California.

It’s not easy to admit that you don’t know what the hell you are doing, but I felt that it was time someone fess up to it, especially when it comes to catering. I have spoken to many people who would love to start a catering business but they are intimidated by the "master chefs" of the world and are afraid to try it on their own. Lots of these people have even completed professional training and are still wondering if they are good enough.

Catering is art, and just like any other type of art, it takes passion. If you are passionate about cooking, then you already possess the main component to being a great caterer. Running the business requires other skills and I am hoping that this book will help those who lack those gifts. I do not profess to be a fabulous caterer or even an extraordinary chef. I simply love to cook and I found a way to make money doing what I love - and you can too. I wanted to share my experiences, my knowledge and my mistakes with you to help you get started. There are lots of other books out there that can help you once you get established, but I never found one written by someone that started from scratch and who lacked professional training. I never found a book written by someone that would admit they didn’t know what the hell they were doing.