Conversations with Sarah Racine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Racine.

Sarah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Sustaining someone with good food and good hospitality is a spiritual calling, and a core part of who I am. Getting to do that not only as a hobby or special interest but as a career gives so much meaning to my life. Since I am the General Manager of Dogwood Catering, I also get to instill this belief and pursuit in others throughout the company, which is very rewarding.

I began working at Dogwood Catering as a prep cook in August 2021, when this company and most other food service businesses were still reeling and uncertain from the pandemic. Even after just a few weeks, I had a clear vision for how to systematize not only the kitchen, but all other departments. I will always be grateful the owners trusted me implicitly to tweak processes and procedures, and their trust has paid off. Dogwood Catering is now at more venues than ever, and we have a dedicated team of amazing individuals with all sorts of expertise that have all stuck around for the past several years of change and growth.

Long before my arrival, Dogwood Catering was chef driven food from scratch, made with love and care to serve people during their most cherished days or large events. It has been a highlight of my career and life to hone in on that core mission, while helping the business grow and get more efficient along the way.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running any small business is certainly to have it’s struggles! Added with the logistics and emotion behind large event catering, I certainly have plenty of amusing and stress inducing stories I could share. I think the biggest hurdle for Dogwood Catering has been systematizing things. It’s easy for any small business to fall into the pattern of “this person does this thing” but people aren’t the same as systems, and people can fail for a myriad of reasons. It’s not reasonable to expect that one person is the only solution to fix a problem or make sure something does or doesn’t happen. So my goal since I started here was to create systems for as many things as possible, and put infrastructure in place to make sure the system was working at every possible pinch point. It’s not glamorous, but the end result make a huge difference!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Dogwood Catering is one of the few Atlanta Area caterers that cooks food fresh on site, for events of all kinds. We start with proteins butchered in house, scratch made sauces, and fresh produce and herbs to create high quality food that is not often seen in a catering setting. All of our full service events have a chef, or in most cases several, to execute events to the highest degree alongside our expert front of house staff. We refer to this as “The Dogwood Difference” and it’s something you have to taste and see to believe. It’s incredibly rewarding to work alongside all our staff that makes events happen.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Like most people with a chef background, my passion for food started at home with a dedicated mother that instilled this love in me. Her name is Elizabeth, and she herself came from a family of passionate home cooks, who grew up with multiple ‘editions’ of family cookbooks with heirloom recipes. I’m fortunate that these same values were instilled in me, and gave me a strong foundation to start a career in food service. I take these core values, and do my best to instill them in all our staff because good hospitality is one of the purest joys in this life!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dogwoodcatering.com
• Instagram: @dogwoodcatering
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=dogwood%20catering

Image Credits
Dogwood Catering