Familiar Faces: Tracey McCammack

There’s a system for the philanthropic events held at Michael’s On East. It’s something like a machine. 

You probably haven’t seen it, but that’s because you’re not supposed to. The machine’s purpose is to be quietly efficient, to keep things moving and to solve problems before they become noticeable. That way, guests can focus on the party and the philanthropy that helps countless Sarasota residents, at hand. 

But rest assured that while Sarasota’s philanthropic scene is mingling and putting money toward various charitable causes in the Michael’s On East ballroom, there’s a dozen other moving pieces that no one notices. Chefs are preparing meals, servers are passing them out, bartenders are pouring drinks, staff are seeing who has had too much to drink, and more. Each different piece is in communication with each other, a great machine for a great purpose. 

It’s had a steady hand at the controls for some time now — Tracey McCammack has been Michael’s On East’s catering director for more than 20 years. 

“(Michael’s On East) is a place where people can come and worry about what they need to worry about,” she says. “If they’re raising funds at a gala, they can come here and they’re stress-free because everything is taken care of for them. Every need they have will be met here.”

Of Michael’s On East’s handful of captains that run the show, Tracey is the figure who oversees all the restaurant’s galas, weddings, Selby Gardens Michael's on the Bay events and other special functions. She’s proper busy, working five days a week and overseeing multiple events most of those days, but that’s all right with McCammack. It feels good to be in control.

It’s in the blood 

McCammack may have been born in Indiana, but she was raised on Longboat Key. Her parents had a restaurant called “Chicken Delight” where she learned the ins and outs of food management, and the importance of every part of the restaurant working together. 

One of her first jobs was making pancakes the Sunday buffet at Murray "Murf" Klauber’s Colony restaurant when she was 14. She remembers riding the same school bus as Michael Klauber, the eventual owner of Michael’s On East. 

Much later in life, McCammack reached out to Phil Mancini, Michael’s On East’s co-proprietor and one of her best friends to find a job in the food industry. She had spent plenty of time traveling during her career in retail, and wanted to be somewhere close to home. She spent six months as a server and then found herself as one of the restaurant’s captains.

“I have a lot of energy; I like to be in charge and see things through,” McCammack says. “It’s how I was brought up … it’s in my blood.”

One of her most important tasks during MOE’s many functions, in her opinion, is to observe. Reading faces, expressions, body posture and attitudes is how McCammack stays ahead of the game, figuring out how to fix a problem before it arrives. After nearly 30 years of service, she prides herself on her ability to be ahead of the curve. 

“The way I was taught by Phil and Michael is … everything we do is from the guest’s point of view,” she says. “There’s not a lot of wiggle room, you have to do it the proper way. There’s not a whole lot of ways to do this job.”

A sudden rainstorm threatened the food at a recent outdoor event, but McCammack and the staff had a contingency plan to bring homemade trash bags and covers to protect the food. They’ve hailed Ubers for customers who have had a bit too much to drink and even broken up fights before calling the police in recent years. In her experience, alcohol brings trouble, so she and her staff work hard to make sure guests aren’t overserved. 

If she’s being honest, though, being a fly on the wall is fun. She has a hundred stories about the wild antics from guests at Michael’s On East, but you’ll never hear them. What happens in catering stays in catering, and those stories stay with her and her alone. She says there’s a level of trust the community has given her than she treasures.

“It’s like my own reality TV show,” she says. “... People find you invisible, they forget you’re there. Or you’ve been there so long they’re that comfortable and they know they can count on you for your secrecy.”

It’s a good time for McCammack, who’s coming off a divorce close to a year ago. She’s grown her hair out, cut off 5 inches, and feels closer with her friends. The standards she holds for her events are the same, but she says she’s going about it in a happier way. She also  makes sure to wear colorful shoes and eccentric broaches. After all, she’s been running the show. 

"I provide the comfort that everything (guests) want is going to be taken care of perfectly," Tracey said.