For Mena Catering, Zoom parties and small outdoor weddings are the new normal

It wasn’t long ago that Jorge Mena was organizing up to six parties in a day with his team of 100 for crowds of thousands and celebrity clients including the Estefans, Madonna and JLo and ARod. Little did he imagine that in 2020, the Mena Catering uniform would feature a mask and his biggest events would be weddings for 30.

“The key is adaptation, because the parties have decreased a lot and also the number of guests. Now the mask and gloves are part of the routine,” Mena said.

With Zoom parties now the celebration du jour, Mena is preparing meals and delivering them to each guest’s home so they can mark important occasions together yet apart.

Case in point: Mena recently created a menu for Sunset Corners, a wine business who wanted his customers to pair food with the grape. Like most festivities these days, the gathering was virtual.

”People are having parties but with caution, and that is the important thing,” Mena said.

In addition to Zoom parties, Mena’s team has organized small weddings and tea parties — outdoors, of course, and with health precautions. While some clients still ask for buffets, self-service is out of the question; instead, Mena’s crew plates the food and serves it.

Now, more than ever, Mena focuses on safety with aesthetics.

Earlier in the pandemic, Mena offered meals for pickup and delivery. The company received a federal loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), for an amount that he declined to disclose. It was enough to keep kitchen employees and pay others to make deliveries.

Since schools have reopened, catering has resumed.

“We have a core of employees that has increased, and although the events are rather small, we do more than one a day,” he said. Already, Mena Catering is booking parties for 2021.

Still, it’s not enough to bring business back to former levels.

“The year is upside down, but I don’t lose faith. This will continue to improve,” he said.

Mena Catering, 7462 SW 48th St., 305-666-8545; menacatering.com

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 12:18 PM.