By Shun Shueh, VRG Intern

I’ve been working as a server for a catering company for nearly 1-1/2 years. My job has allowed me to witness dozens of events including weddings, corporate gatherings, bar/bat mitzvahs, proms, and house parties in venues throughout Maryland. Being vegan myself, I am always excited to meet party guests who are also vegan or vegetarian.

If you are vegan or vegetarian and have received an invitation to any type of catered event, don’t be afraid! Most caterers are accustomed to complying with any dietary restrictions that guests may have, whether you are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, have allergies, etc. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when requesting vegan meals from caterers and dealing with servers.

First, it is important to inform the event planner or caterer of any dietary restrictions as early as possible. Though caterers may have experience with dietary restrictions, they need time to prepare ahead of time. The company I work with does off-site catering, which means only a certain amount of supplies and ingredients are brought to the party venue. It’s very difficult when we find out about a guest’s dietary restrictions on the day of the event. Last-minute vegetarian/vegan meals often wind up being very boring. Knowing ahead of time allows the chefs to prepare meals that are heartier and more exciting.

Second, when it comes to the different types of vegetarian, it can get confusing for the caterer. There are lacto, ovo, lacto-ovo, and total (vegan) vegetarians. So make sure to be specific as to what you can or can’t eat! Simply asking for a “vegetarian” or “vegan” meal may not be enough information for your personal diet.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to speak up and ask the catering staff about the ingredients in the food. As a server, I am not informed of the event’s menu ahead of time, so I may not always be 100% confident whether something is vegetarian/vegan; however, I am able to ask the chefs who prepared it.

With a strong level of communication, caterers are very flexible in serving food to vegetarian/vegans.

For recipes that could be used by caterers see Vegan in Volume:
https://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=10