Area caterers are getting back on track after more than 18 months that saw the heat lamps turned off for their food-related businesses.

“We’re doing better in that things are about to get back on an even keel. But it has been tough,” said Narvell Patton, owner for 24 years of Catering by Narvell.

“People are beginning to open up again, having weddings and parties, corporate events. So, I can see where we are now, compared to last year. Probably a 7 out of 10 … what has been interesting to me is the cost of everything: food costs and that kind of thing has gone amazingly higher. Every week I can see increases, even with chicken. It’s just amazing the food costs.”

Patton grew up in Huntsville, the daughter of sharecropper parents. They and her older siblings worked in the fields, and she began helping in the kitchen when she was 7 ½-years-old. After high school, Patton worked as a baby sitter and housekeeper for 30 years, advancing her cooking skills for the family and when they entertained guests.

“It helped me broaden my horizons, learn things, taste the food, and learn to prepare things for large or small groups,” Patton said. After she opened her catering business in 1997, Patton’s daughter and husband encouraged her along the way. Their daughter earned a graduate degree from Alabama A&M and helped with accounting and scheduling.

Bubba Connor opened Bubba’s Silver Spoon Catering about 37 years ago and agreed with Patton that 2020 was nothing like he’d ever seen before.

“It’s picking up with bigger parties but corporate (events) hasn’t picked up yet,” he said “I was hoping that it would by the end of July but it didn’t. But like some others I’m surviving, and we survived last year. I got a little of the PPP money but took a lot out of my savings last year to pay my people. It was absolutely terrible.

“Weddings and all are coming back and have gotten bigger. I do 8-10 weddings every weekend. But I’m the largest in town, doing it 37 years with seven trucks, and we’re even having to rent trucks. The hardest part now is finding labor. I’m going to temp agencies but even then sometimes they don’t show up.”

Caterers were impacted profoundly in 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic and, like restaurants, had to shift to new avenues for revenue. Takeout orders, as Patton did with her Sunday lunches, were one way some caterers carved a small percentage from their overall losses. Patton would post her menu on her Facebook page, take orders, and then have them prepared by noon Sunday for pickup.

Another issue was that prices shot up for meat, seafood, vegetables and often overlooked but necessary items, such as pans and utensils. Items shipped from overseas were stalled or stuck on container ships in ports. Restaurants and businesses with large contracts often commanded first pick, leaving smaller businesses scrambling. As Connor said, more than a year with fewer corporate and private events has taken its toll.

“I’ve never seen it this bad in 37 years,” he said. “The last time it was this bad, it snowed for a week and shut down everything for a while. The other time was when the tornadoes hit in Decatur and took down all the big power lines. But nothing like this, for a year. So now, there are less people doing what I do and I’m getting worn out. But I’m not complaining one bit. Really, I’m not. I’m glad to have survived. We’ll keep moving forward.”