Aperitif for the reception for Federal Councillor Martin Pfister

The two professionals from Allenwinden will host one of the biggest receptions of their careers on Thursday afternoon. For one of them, this will be the crowning glory.

3,000 sandwiches, 100 litres of carrot soup(Rüeblisuppe), 2,000 bottles of specially bottled ‘Baarer Bundesratsbier’ (federal councillor beer), 220 bottles of wine and 140 litres of apple juice are being prepared by the two catering professionals Sandra Roth, manager of the Rathus-Schüür Baar, and Barbara Iten from the Partychuchi Allenwinden for the reception of the newly elected Federal Councillor of Zug, Martin Pfister, on the coming Thursday, 20^th March.

‘We’re expecting around 2,000 guests,’ explains Sandra Roth, who is responsible for organising the drinks. This figure is made up from the list of invited guests and an estimate by the organising committee and the two caterers. The schoolchildren involved are catered for separately by their teachers. ‘The time of the reception at around 3 pm, and the day of the week and the weather conditions were decisive for the estimate.’ We can only speculate about what people from Bern would like to drink. ‘We know that the people of Baar definitely like their local beer.’ Sandra Roth adds that if these quantities are not enough, an emergency supply can be tapped in the Rathus-Schüür. ‘Bread rolls and soup are available according to the motto ‘They’re available as long as we still have any.’

‘It's an honour for us’
When it was announced that Martin Pfister would be standing for election, the festival organisation committee contacted Sandra Roth to ask her to organise the aperitif for the official reception. ‘I’m employed by the municipality of Baar. So it was clear to me that I would take on this task.’

She has often worked together with Barbara Iten, and therefore asked her if she could provide the food. ‘I first had to make sure that I would be able to put together a big enough team,’ says Barbara Iten. Many of her employees work in other jobs during the week, and will have to take time off work for the event.

Barbara Iten (left) and Sandra Roth prepare the carrot soup for the Zug Federal Councillor's reception,
and talk shop about the preparation of the soup.    
Sandra Roth tastes the soup and finds it excellent. Barbara Iten and her team now ‘only’ have to make 3,000 sandwiches        Photos: Cornelia Bisch

The two women agreed to take on the task once they had all thirty or so employees from the Rathus-Schüür team and the Partychuchi team on board. Both agreed: ‘It's an honour.’ For Barbara Iten, this major event will also be ‘the crowning glory of my career’, as she puts it. She is retiring at the end of April, having dedicated her entire professional life to the catering industry, and always enjoyed doing so, as she emphasises.

‘We organised the Landammann celebration for Martin Pfister three years ago,’ says Sandra Roth. ‘After the first press conference on 6^th February in the Rathus-Schüür, we reminisced about this wonderful occasion together, and I said to Martin that if he became a Federal Councillor, we would host a proper ‘Baar Apéro’ for him again. Now the time has come and we're really looking forward to it.’ Both women are at home in Allenwinden, as is Martin Pfister.

The logistics is half the battle
For such events, it is particularly important that the preparations, processes and responsibilities are well planned and coordinated, Barbara Iten explains. ‘Events often take place on Sundays, in the evening or in places where neither shops nor colleagues are in the immediate vicinity.’ This means that missing small items, such as taps, matches or notepads and writing materials, can have far-reaching consequences for the entire service and the success of the event.

‘That's why we're always on site hours before the event to set up and prepare everything optimally.’ It is equally important to instruct the employees so that everyone knows what needs to be done when, how and where. ‘Only a well-informed and instructed team can guarantee a successful event and ultimately a satisfied host.’