Interview with Kate Millar of Serendipity Catering
What is your educational background?
I graduated last year from Skidmore College with a BA in Government.
What connections do you make between your degree in government and your position as manager and event designer?
A lot of what I do at Serendipity is the messaging and marketing for the company- deciding where and how to promote our brand. Every aspect of an event is representative of who we are. It’s a fast paced job and I find that I’m always in communication -- whether with staff, our clients or through some sort of social media. I'm actually surprised by how much of my degree I am able to apply to the job as communication, leadership and messaging is the name of the game in government.
What's the toughest part of your day at Serendipity?
Not eating everything in sight!
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
…eating. No, in all seriousness I love working on new things all of the time. There are always challenges and I've had the opportunity to work on a lot of different aspects of the business like graphic design and marketing that I might not have gotten involved in otherwise.
I am the manager of Serendipity's local foods project- The Farm & Fork. It's one of my favorite parts of the job because it's constantly interesting and fun- I get to dream big with the whole thing.
Do any specific artists inspire your work with Serendipity?
Dan Barber and Thomas Keller rank high among my food heroes. Helene Dujardin is an amazing food photographer; I would love to be able to emulate her.
What is most important in making an elegant dining experience?
Presentation is everything. You have to know how you want everything to look, taste and smell beforehand. When making a meal, the ingredients are everything. Our menus are constantly drawing upon the talents of local producers and farmers.
What is your favorite seasonal dish for spring?
Anything with asparagus!
Red or white wine? Variety?
I’m a diehard red wine drinker…anything that is dry and spicy. But if you’ve somehow convinced me to drink white wine, I do love a glass of local dry Riesling.
What is the funkiest thing you've eaten recently?
Does a stuffed leek qualify? I also ate at Just A Taste the other night and they did a really great job with their duck, sweet potato smash and pepper jam dish.