Does the caterer work at all?

I've found the best thing to do if you get a caterer that doesn't do their task, but at the same time is keeping you from cooking, is to run interference with another household member. Have any household member (other than your cook) engage a queue of conversation actions and have your cook make that cake for the wedding, birthday, what-have-you.

Kind of ridiculous to have to resort to this, but the dignity of labor with EA's service sims has always been in question.