Alumna Profile
Jana Peretti Graber ‘94

Jana Peretti Graber earned her B.A. from MHC in 1994, majoring in Italian and minoring in Studio Art. After completing her BA, she went on to earn an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America. Jana currently works full time as an Event Planner at D’Amico Catering in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jana graciously agreed to complete an informational interview. Below are her responses, which provide some useful insight as to what her career path was like, advice for undergraduates who are trying to enter the hospitality industry, as well as her favorite and least favorite aspects of the job.

Informational Interview with Jana Peretti Graber ‘94

Q.1. What was your path to a career in event planning like? How did you start out?

It wasn’t a conventional path, but it got me here! After graduating from MHC I moved to NYC and worked in client services for an Insurance Brokerage firm. Realizing that I liked sales and marketing (but not insurance), I got a job in sales as an advertising space sales rep. I’d always thought about Culinary School, but never thought there would be a good time to bite the bullet and do it. About 6 years after graduating from MHC I managed to take that bite and attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where I received an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. As I looked for a job in the hospitality industry my search brought me down to New Orleans where I found a fabulous job with The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans. I worked as a Catering Sales Manager where I had the opportunity to marry my previous sales and marketing experience with my knowledge and love for food. It was a great union! After Hurricane Katrina my husband was transferred with his employer to the mid-west and I found a job as an Event Planner with a local catering company in Minneapolis, MN. Not only do I have a few venues that our Catering Company handles exclusively, but I’ve been learning about the bold new world of off-premise catering which is always new and exciting.

Q.2. What are some typical services that an Event Manager/Planner provides?

I would say knowledge of food & beverage as well as strong logistics and operations knowledge are essential in being able to service your clients. Also, having a good understanding of the flow of an event and timing allow you to offer sound suggestions to your client. For example, most brides just think about cutting a wedding cake for photos and then all the guests “magically” receive a piece. Realistically, if a wedding cake is being served as the dessert course of a plated dinner, the bride & groom actually have to cut the cake after the first course (if not earlier) to allow enough time for the staff to bring the cake in back, cut it and plate it up!

Q.3. What advice would you give to students who are interested in the field, but have little/no experience?

Try and get a part time job as a server for a catering company or a hotel to get a handle on the operations side of events. Look at the paperwork that is circulated and try and learn the flow of information from the Sales Manager/Event planner to the Kitchen and then the operations staff. Then, if possible, try and do an internship or get a part time job in the Catering Department of a hotel or for a catering company so you can see the process from the other side.

Q.4. For students interested in seeking internship opportunities, what would you say are some of the best ways to go about finding and securing such positions?

At larger hotels, the HR department is probably the way to go, but asking to speak with the Catering Director is a good route also. Sending a well-written letter explaining your quest for knowledge along with a resume may get you in the door as well.

Q.5 What advanced degree(s)/professional certifications are most highly valued in the field? Are there any professional schools/graduate programs that you know of that offer such degrees?

Having a Culinary Degree definitely opened some doors for me since it’s not all that common for chefs to move into sales positions, so my background was somewhat unique. I attended culinary school knowing that I didn’t plan to end up in the kitchen. I did my culinary school externship at The Food Network and have always enjoyed that aspect of the food world.

Many schools now offer degrees in Hotel/Restaurant Management. Cornell University has perhaps one of the most well known programs, but more and more schools are offering Hospitality focused degrees these days.

Q.6. What are your favorite and least favorite aspect(s) of your job?

Favorite – I get an insane amount of satisfaction when I’ve planned an event, thought of every detail, the event gets executed perfectly and the clients walk away well fed and happy!

Least Favorite - Long hours and lots of weekends!