Caterer Nathan Lane trained to be a clinical psychologist but found food service management more to his liking. (Michael Snyder photo)

The holidays are hectic for most people, but none more than caterer Nathan Lane. The owner of Lane's Catering trained to be a clinical psychologist but found his true calling in food service management. After directing college food service operations and doing institutional special events catering on the West Coast, he moved to Dayton and opened his own restaurant in 1980. Five years of erratic hours convinced him that he might see his wife and four children more often if he got into catering again. That was the inspiration for Lane Catering, which operated in Dayton for several years and moved to Lane's hometown of Cincinnati in 1990. Lane Catering is based in Pleasant Ridge.

WHAT DISTINGUISHES your company from other caterers?

We do kosher and non-kosher events. One of our four kitchens is a kosher kitchen. We have been specially trained, and do many Jewish events. This time of the year is especially busy with Christmas and New Year's events, and all the bar mitzvahs, bas mitzvahs and weddings that take place around Hanukkah.

WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL challenges of catering to a kosher clientele?

We work under the supervision of the Vaad Hoier, which is kind of like a Jewish city council. They keep the keys to my kosher kitchen. Whenever we're doing a kosher event they come and unlock the kitchen, then stay and supervise the food preparation. We have three different sets of equipment: one for meat, one for dairy and one for parve - that is, fruits, vegetables and baked goods that involve neither meat nor dairy products.

This year was especially challenging because the first day of Hanukkah fell on the Sabbath, so all the food had to be prepared and delivered before sundown on the 19th. In very strict Orthodox settings, the food served on Saturday cannot be reheated.

DO YOU HAVE DISHES you're especially known for?

People know our fruit displays, which often are used as centerpieces for buffets. It's been a trademark with us for 20 years. We also do a Jamaican jerk breast of turkey as an alternative to chicken or beef. It's marinated, grilled and carved for a buffet or served cold in sandwiches.

But mostly everything we do is custom, which means we offer middle- and upper-ticket catering. We confer with our clients as to the type of event, the size, the level of formality, and the length of the event so we can plan the menu accordingly.

HOW CUSTOM is "custom"?

We often take clients' family recipes and adapt them for a big crowd. One client wanted to serve his grandmother's meatballs and sauce at his son's bar mitzvah, but the recipe was a family secret - his grandmother wouldn't give it to anyone. Well, she agreed to give it to me.

DO YOU COOK at home?

My wife does most of it, and she's an extremely good cook. We eat very simple at home unless it's a holiday, because I spend so much time with food. Typically it's a salad with a piece of chicken or beef.