dive on them, I promise I will take care of you

      Catering is the greatest part of the hospitality industry. You know exactly how many you are cooking for, its predetermined what your cooking and every party is different. The only set back is that just when you think you have all your bases covered, the unexpected pops up and smacks you up side the head.
       Wild Dunes Resort nestled on the furthest end of the Isle of Palm off Charleston South Carolina. A five star resort with only the finest of amenities and I was the catering manager. I had a party for a hundred people and it was to be a formal event set up on the 16th fairway of their links golf course. It was a beautiful setting with rolling sand dunes on one side and the ocean on the other both lined with palm trees. We had to plan and lay out the whole set up, from a tented portable kitchen down to the large round tables for eight draped with black floor length table cloths and white square overlays. I had gone out every day for a week before the event and spread out pellets of mosquito beater to assure a bug free night which is no small task being that it is the bug capital. The day had come and it was time to build the out door restaurant. By late afternoon, the day of the event, we were doing all the last minute fine tuning. The tables were set with silver, china and crystal. The baby grand piano was put into place and the tented kitchen was getting fired up for the extravaganza. Its now forty five minutes before the guests arrive, I have all my waitstaff dressed in their black pants, white tux shirts, green bow ties and cummerbunds some lighting tiki torches, some placing last of the floral arrangements in the center of the tables. The rest awaiting the first guests, when out of no where the sprinklers all came on. I screamed "dive on them" they looked at me dumbfounded "I promise I will take care of you". So they did, god love them, they laid on the sprinklers till I could get the greens keeper to shut them down. They saved the party from devastation. I took the few wet waiters to laundry and got them dried out to return to an elegant party that no one but the staff knew what had happened.  Drinks were on me that night. I love my job I love my job I love my job.