Requiring a Caterer at Torrance Cultural Center Has Some People Stewed

Marion Wilson had been looking forward to the big party she planned for her retired husband’s birthday. She planned to rent the local Community Hall in the newly built Torrance Cultural Arts Center and cook traditional Guyanese food.

But under rules approved this month by the Torrance City Council, Wilson cannot use the kitchen in the Community Hall without hiring a caterer. Renting the hall and hiring a moderately priced caterer to feed 150 guests would cost Wilson about $1,800. And none of the caterers on the list can prepare food from Guyana, an English-speaking country on the northeast coast of South America.

“I want to cook jerk chicken and plantain chips and other ethnic foods,” said the mother of four who works as an instructor at the American Institute of Electrolysis in Long Beach.

“They seem to feel that the facility is more important than the people,” Wilson said. “This is a public facility. I don’t think it should be managed as an exclusive private business.”

Wilson addressed the City Council last week about the catering requirement.

The mandatory rule to hire a caterer is not designed to generate income for the city, said Gene Barnett, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “By no means is it a money-making proposition,” Barnett said. “It’s not intended to restrict, but to assist us in protecting the city’s investment. We’re trying to be competitive with private facilities in the area.”

The city’s new guidelines for caterers focus on license and insurance requirements, proof of experience, and proper training, as well as competency requirements for operating the kitchen equipment at the $14-million center, which opened four months ago. The city will consider the use of caterers not on the list, but they must meet city specifications, Barnett said.

According to Bob Stewart, manager of the Cultural Arts Center, several groups have rented the Community Hall but none have hired a caterer.

Barnett said the City Council tried to make the center more accessible by providing a list of 11 caterers, instead of one as the cities of Carson and Lakewood do.

“The City Council wanted to broaden the possibility of opportunities for groups using the facility,” Barnett said. “There was some concern about the fact that not all of the food providers would have the expertise to provide ethnically diverse foods.”

Among the list of 11 caterers are the New York Food Co. of Hermosa Beach, the Torrance Marriott, El Torito Grill in Torrance and the Southern California Regional Occupational Center Food Service Department in Torrance. Catering prices range from $3.25 per person for appetizers only, to $100 per person for custom meals. According to interviews with caterers, a typical meal costs $15 to $25 per person.

The Community Hall, which features a high-tech kitchen, can accommodate up to 400 people. The Cultural Arts Center also houses a 500-seat theater, a Japanese Garden and a 14,000-square-foot outdoor plaza.

For example, the New York Food Co. offers a buffet including chicken or roast tenderloin, rice, vegetables and rolls for $12.95 per person plus about $7 per person for service. In addition to food costs, there is a rental fee for the Community Hall of $250 for nonprofit groups and $500 for commercial events and residents. New rates are being considered for recommendation to the City Council.

Stewart said he is sympathetic about the expense of holding events at the hall, “but that’s what the council has decided on. I think that’s what people would pay if they went to a local hotel. I don’t think that’s really unusual.”

Wilson said she’s already chosen another location for her husband’s 75th birthday party.

“I have to accept (the catering requirement), but I don’t have to agree with it,” Wilson said. “I can appreciate the fact that they want to protect it (the center) from being abused, but I think that can be done without the expense of a caterer. I could manage much cheaper.”

Barnett said costs could be a “disincentive.” He suggested that Wilson and others interested in saving money use “the recreation center that has been available for the past 30 years,” instead of the new complex.

“Over time, it may prove out that the cost is prohibitive,” Barnett said. “We’re not trying to make it prohibitive. If it does turn out to be, we’d want to take a look at that and go back and make modifications and make it less so.”