Continental Caterers was hired to cater the annual dinner of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University; 1,200 guests attended this fabulous event. Though the numbers were large, the catering company did a wonderful job making it feel like an intimate affair. "What makes us different from most other catering companies is that we serve our food freshly cooked, hot, and not reheated," says Paul, the owner. To pull this off everything had to be incredibly organized with diagrams for everything from the prep tent layouts to the table settings. A staff of 120 employees passed hors d'ouvres during the cocktail hour, then served a first course salad, a beautiful filet mignon and grilled salmon entree, and a decadent chocolate cake for dessert. Paul told me later that each party is so carefully planned, on the day of the event both he and his well-trained staff have fun executing it. Their many different events, like the large New Year 2000 celebration in Los Altos, and their continuing presence on many venue lists show that these caterers don't compromise in customer care. Affiliated with Continental but housed in a separate warehouse is the strictly Kosher Too Caterers, managed and operated by Wendy. All dishes, glasses, and silverware are locked in cupboards and are opened only by a rabbi who also watches the entire Orthodox Jewish event. Wendy has been catering Kosher weddings for 20 years and is the authority for Kosher events in the Bay Area. She supervises all Kosher events at the Westin St. Francis and other fine hotels in the area.

It was so much fun meeting with these (old) friends, Paul and Wendy, again. There was so much energy and excitement. Continental has developed new innovative menus for the health-conscious and has been able to please the increasingly sophisticated palates of their Bay Area patrons. Continental's entire look is just fabulous with a cleaner, simpler, sleeker design. From the computerized office with the dark grey furniture to the modern centerpieces, the company has changed its style. One could also say: these caterers have truly arrived in the new century.