Valley Catering sets place at table
Dublin-based business holds own against rival
By Brian McClimans - STAFF WRITER

JOE RODRIGUES admits he's in a competitive business. But with 10 years under his belt as owner of Dublin-based Valley Catering, Rodrigues, 41, who is a certified executive chef, believes he can compete with the big guys in his business.

Much of Valley Catering's business is focused on catering to several Valley hotels -- including Marriott's Residence Inn and Courtyard properties, and Livermore's Purple Orchid Inn.

"We do their specialty catering," Rodrigues said.

The economic slowdown, which has forced many corporations to cut down on free food for employees, hasn't stopped companies from offering catered lunches to executives.

"The type of catering we do stays real steady," Rodrigues said.

Valley Catering works about four events each day, from birthdays to luncheons to wedding receptions. The average size is about 150 people. An executive luncheon can cost about $18 per person. A wedding reception can run about $50 to $80 per person, depending on the menu.

But Rodrigues once charged $100 per person for a catered breakfast. He said prices depend mainly on how many are being served, how many items are on the menu and what's being served.

Among his oddest catering contracts was preparing box lunches for a group of Japanese tourists attending a baseball game at Pacific Bell Park. While Rodrigues doesn't like preparing such meals, he went ahead and made filet mignon sandwiches and tossed in a few of his gourmet desserts.

A similar touch also is made at an annual Super Bowl party that he caters for an unnamed family in Blackhawk, where he tries to go beyond the typical Super Bowl Sunday menu.

Rodrigues once served 1,200 people at an event. It took eight truckloads of food and a crew of 30 to feed everyone.

Right now Rodrigues is gearing up for the holiday season, as businesses, large families and groups of friends look to hold parties.

"From the day after Thanksgiving until Jan. 2 we hit the ground running," Rodrigues said.

After getting a day off on Thanksgiving, which is the slowest day of the year for the business, Rodrigues anticipates a daily slate of holiday parties.

He said the key to competing with larger caterers, is to offer a personal touch. The first thing Rodrigues will do is sit down with a client and find out what they want to serve.

But there is a catch. If a customer asks for a common item like apple pie, Rodrigues often will refuse. Instead, he'll cook up some apple pie-like dessert that guests wouldn't be familiar with. Rodrigues said his survival depends on giving customers more than they expect.

"You're only as good as your last meal," Rodrigues said.

He often gets repeat business and has catered multiple wedding receptions for different families.

Valley Catering usually has about 10 people in the kitchen on a daily basis, helping Rodrigues prepare food. He also has a long list of friends experienced in cooking French, Middle Eastern, Japanese and other ethnic foods. And he makes sure he's trained in ethnic cooking.

"What we call 'handed down' isn't anything like what the authentic is," Rodrigues said.

During a recent trip to Asia, Rodrigues was surprised to learn how different pot stickers can taste compared to what's often found in a frozen food section or at a Chinese buffet.

Rodrigues said he also takes the time to learn from his good friend and mentor Martin Yan. Rodrigues has appeared with Yan on his Yan Can Cook Show. He also has attended seminars and studied alongside chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Emiril Lagasse.

When the U.S. Open was last held at Pebble Beach, Rodrigues served on a team of chefs brought in to feed pros like Tiger Woods. Valley Catering also has prepared food for parties hosted by John Madden, Donald Trump and the San Francisco 49ers.