Christmas Catering Job

Amanda and Aaron at the Historic Pharis Farm

Yesterday I had the honor of catering a meal for some of the folks that work for the Clay County historic sites at the historic Pharis Farm outside of Liberty, Missouri. I know a few of the ladies that work in several of the sites, and one of them called me to see if I would be interested in providing lunch for their annual Christmas get-together. This particular lady has eaten my cooking many times over the 16+ years that I have known her, and I was thrilled to get her call! I gladly accepted, and I planned several menus so they could pick.

The menu Miss Bonnie picked included:

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans

Hot Rolls

Salad

Apple Pie

Chocolate Pie

Late last week I went grocery shopping and got everything purchased. Monday evening I started my prep work by making my pies.

Yesterday morning I got up early and got my roll dough going. Afterwards I did all the rest of my cooking and prep. Once everything was ready other than a couple things I planned on cooking/finishing there, Aaron helped me load everything up and we headed to the Pharis Farm. 

We fed 13 people, all of who seemed quite happy with the food. 

I had a great time planning and prepping for this event, which ties into my someday dreams of having my own small catering business. 

I have literally been cooking since I was a small child. I grew up cooking quite often for my family...a total of 8 people. Then I worked as a teenager in a small cafe in the tiny town that I lived in called Mary's Flower Cart Cafe. 

Amanda in the summer kitchen at Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site, circa 2008

In 2006 I started cooking in the summer kitchen at Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site, where I ran (amongst many other duties) the historic foodways program, which included planning meals from the historic Watkins' Cookbook and cooking/baking on a woodstove. I made approximately 25-30 meals per year this way, serving anywhere from 8 to 75 people at a time with these meals depending on event, which is where I first met Miss Bonnie. I was very involved in historic food researching and foodways, as well as cooking, during the entire time I worked at the historic site (March 2006-November 2021). 

It was truly an honor to serve these wonderful folks who help preserve the amazing history of our county, including several sites that are visited by guests from around the world including the Jesse James Birthplace outside of Kearney, MO where notorious outlaws Frank and Jesse James lived. I hope to maybe have a chance to serve them again in the future...