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Catering for 50: Your First Event Plan

The capstone project for Catering & Event Cooking — a free Trades course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A written document (can be typed or a clear photo of handwritten notes) detailing your menu, ingredient list with quantities and prices, total cost, presentation ideas, and a short reflection. You can submit this as text or a link to a Google Doc/photo.

What to do, step by step

  1. Imagine a client wants you to cater a small birthday party for 50 guests in Lagos. They have a budget of ₦150,000 for food only. Your task is to create a delicious and cost-effective menu for them.
  2. Choose one main dish (e.g., Jollof Rice, Fried Rice, Pounded Yam & Egusi), one side dish (e.g., Moi-Moi, Coleslaw, Fried Plantain), and one simple dessert (e.g., Fruit Salad, Chin Chin).
  3. For each item, list all the ingredients you'd need, their estimated quantities for 50 people, and their current market prices (check your local market like Balogun or Oyingbo). Calculate the total cost for all ingredients. Remember to factor in small costs like cooking oil, salt, and spices.
  4. Write a brief description of how you would present each dish to make it look appealing for the guests. Think about simple garnishes or serving styles you can achieve with everyday items.
  5. Finally, reflect on your plan: Did you stay within the ₦150,000 budget? What challenges did you face, and what did you learn about costing and planning for a real event?

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Menu Selection & Feasibility (Nigerian context)25%
Accurate Costing & Budget Adherence (for 50 guests)35%
Plating & Presentation Ideas (practical and appealing)25%
Reflection & Learning Points15%

You need 65% overall to pass. A human examiner also reviews this safety-critical project before any certificate is issued. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Catering & Event Cooking before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Catering & Event Cooking is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Because this is a safety-critical trade, a human examiner also reviews every submission before a certificate is issued.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters). You can mention a public link to supporting files in the write-up. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 5 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Catering & Event Cooking is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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