My son lives in Santa Cruz and was getting married in August. I was in charge of the rehearsal dinner. I didn't start looking for venue until the end of May. I was panicking because I wasn't having any luck on such short notice. Reluctantly, I decided to have the dinner at the house I was renting on the beach. A house I had never seen. I searched the Internet and found Chef Mark's website. Afraid that I would come up against another, "no, we can't help you on such short notice", I called Mark with my fingers crossed hoping he would be my Hero. My needs were a little more complicated than just needing some food on a specific date. I also needed a menu for my vegetarian and gluten free guest, as well as, a satisfying selection for my meat eaters. Did I mention, to top it off, I hadn't seen the house I was renting except in pictures? In steps my Hero. Not only was his fresh menu ideas not your typical catered affair food; he went to the house to view it for me to make sure it would accommodate 25 people. He also, transformed the house to fulfill my vision of a casual, yet elegant indoor barbecue! He met me at the house when I got to town to assure me he had everything under control. That evening when we came back from the wedding rehearsal, his staff had transformed the great room into a beautiful dining room with white lines, glass ware, china and the gorgeous flower arrangement's I chose for the tables. All overlooking the ocean view. The staff started by walking around offering appetizers and ran the show all evening, including pouring the champagne for the toast at the end of the night. Everyone raved about the food and how beautiful everything looked. Mark took what could have been a very stressful situation for this out of state, Mother of the Groom, and made me look like a rock star! I have been raving about the Affordable Chef to everyone who has asked about the wedding. I attend catered events frequently in my line of work. Mark's food and service were one of the best I've had. THANK YOU AFFORDABLE CHEF! You customer service skills are exemplary and it's proof you love what you do! read more

Hmmm, where to begin. Well my wedding took place this last weekend on Sept. 7th 2013. In a family property in Hollister. Mark is very straight forward and when he says he'll do something he will. Don't stress he's got it and if he doesn't he will let you know with plenty of time. He works with what you want and is helpful with suggestions too. He not only takes care of the food, but also gets the rentals for you too. If you need a cake or pastries he will help with that as well. I can see why he offers to do all that because its less people that you have to coordinate with if it's all done with one person and who better than your cater. If you other things you would like to incorporate with your wedding let Mark know and he will see that it gets done. The food was AMAZING as it was when we had our tasting day pre-wedding day. He was on time and his staff were extremely friendly and helpful and always around when you needed them. I had some difficulties with not having a kitchen for him when we thought we would but he got it covered and everything went smoothly. Sorry about that Mark. The rentals he provided were great , the linens were the perfect color we wanted. My wedding was not stressful and was amazed at how smoothly everything went. I can't thank Mark enough. It was everything I could have hope and dreamed for. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mark and your staff. I definitely would recommend Mark for your future wedding or any catering events. The earlier the better. You can't beat the price. Great services for a great price. read more

Affordable Chef Services catered my dad's 80th birthday party. In our initial communication, I described the food my dad prefers and Mark promptly delivered a wonderful menu and quote. Throughout the planning process, Mark was responsive to questions and helpful. On the day of the event, Mark and his staff arrived early, surveyed the venue, and set things up in a way that maximized the space and allowed the guests, food, and beverages to flow. Many people remarked about the great food. Mark is cool as a cucumber under pressure which ensured that we didn't stress about the event. His staff were amazing and extremely professional. They prepared and served our friends and family with humor and good cheer. At the end of the party, they quietly cleaned up and packed so that we had very little to do but enjoy the time together and with the friends who lingered. There were no hassles with anything which enabled my family to be able to focus on the celebration rather than the logistics and to visit with friends and family, many of whom had traveled great distances to see my family. Thank you so much, Mark, for your help with this landmark life event! read more

Chief Mark was fabulous! We hired him in April 2014 to cater our Wedding in June 2015. We paid half up front, and the rest right before the event. The price was phenomenal for including the rental services. Our wedding needed to accommodate 150 ppl and was in a remote location in the Santa Cruz hills. Despite the challenges of getting to the location, setting up there and using the minimal facilities available, Mark and his team delivered a polished and professional delicious dinner. They went above and beyond to make our venue work and wedding wonderful. Throughout the evening Mark had a server check on my husband and I and bring us hordervers, drinks, water, whatever we wanted. The food was just as delicious as it was the day of tasting and even our guest commented to us later about The venue was our personal property and the event went late into the night, they were willing to come back the day after to finish cleaning up. To some, Mark's direct style might seem curt, but he is a professional with invaluable experience and we greatly enjoyed his servieces. read more

Working with Chef Mark was a pleasure, really! I appreciated the fact that he returned my emails the same day, typically within the same hour. He was also readily available by phone. He was consistently professional and offered great suggestions. Our wedding was held at a friend's home in the Santa Cruz mountains and one of his staff, Summer, met us prior to the wedding to walk through the property. We appreciated this as we were able to get a lot of our questions answered. The day of our wedding Mark and his crew came in and just started handling everything in a flash! Our guests commented on how much they enjoyed the food (the veggie lasagne is amazing!). Throughout the evening his staff were very attentive to guests, passing apps and drinks. I would highly recommend working with Chef Mark as I cannot think of one negative thing to say! One of the guests is hoping to hire Mark this fall for a surprise birthday party at her home. She saw how great he was to work with! 5 stars all around! read more

Mark catered my wedding two weeks ago and he made the impossible, possible! I wanted to have an elegant but affordable backyard wedding and he made it happen. Mark provided great service and amazing food. His chicken was moist and his vegetarian lasagna was absolutely delicious. The appetizers were also a hit! The backyard was a bit challenging due to uneven grounds but Mark saw my vision and delivered wonderfully. I will admit that I was not the easiest bride to work with and Mark still gave me everything I wanted and more. Throughout the wedding Mark had an easy going and calm attitude which was a tremendous relief for any bride! Mark and his crew were on time and left the place spotless before leaving. I am thankful I went with Affordable Chef Services and would highly recommend him!!! Mark made my wedding day run very smoothly, I can't thank Mark and his crew enough! Thanks Mark!!! read more

Can't say enough good things about Mark and his amazing team. Our wedding was in September 2016 and Mark made the whole catering process so easy! The food was AMAZING and the staff he sent to set up and work my wedding were all GREAT! We were running behind schedule and the centerpieces needed some prep, knowing I needed to get ready, the individuals getting the tables and chairs ready very generously offered to assist in completing my centerpieces as well as filling additional mason jars with flowers all around the venue. They were all so nice and fun to have around. We got so many compliments on the food and the staff, I would highly recommend Chef Mark and his team to anyone who wants an easy, amazing catering experience. Thank you so much for doing your part to make our wedding day so special! Everyone told me I wouldn't have time to eat-but I had 2 plates of food :) It was THAT GOOD! read more

I can't say enough about how good Mark's services were. He catered my son's rehearsal dinner in DeLaveaga Park, supplying a delicious BBQ dinner for adults and a separate menu for young kids, as well as setting up the picnic tables with cloth, cloth napkins, and wine glasses. He was very accommodating about us bringing the table decorations and the wine and beer and sharing his cooler space with us. When the kids were getting hungry before it was time to serve, Mark was fine about putting the kids' plates together early so they could be fed. He had only one helper, and the two of them handled all the serving and clean up for about 50 guests. He always responded to my calls and emails during the planning period and makes available payment options that are very clear. Lots of complements from our guests and the bride & groom. read more

WOW is all I can say here! Chef Mark and staff are absolutely amazing! They are professional and get the job done. I found Mark's company randomly on the Internet. I was looking for a caterer for my wedding and I had a budget in mind. Mark's prices were very reasonable, his food ROCKS and the service is impeccable. He truly made our event magical! All our guests cannot stop talking about how AWESOME the catering staff was. I don't write many reviews, but if you have a budget, want a GREAT Caterer that provides amazing food, as well as, excellent service, then look no further than Mark Gallagher the Affordable Chef! read more

With a very short notice, Chef Mark recently catered our open-house type of event. He was very easy to work with, and he and his staff were gracious and professional. And the food? It was to die for. We had never held a catered event in our home before, and they quietly and efficiently went about making our party the success it was. They even went above and beyond the scope by doing things like putting flowers in vases. They stayed until the very end, and didn't leave until the kitchen was thoroughly cleaned. I would not hesitate to hire him again, and strongly recommend his services. Thank you Chef Mark! read more

After searching several sites for catering in the Santa Cruz area, my friend and I were not satisfied with the choices. Then I did a final broad search and found Mark and Affordable Chef Services. His menu descriptions, photos and reviews convinced me to inquire further. After meeting with Mark, we decided that his company would cater our joint 70th Birthday celebration for 80+ people. Mark's suggestions for room arrangement, menus, etc. were great. The event went without a hitch, food was delicious and presented artfully. I would recommend Affordable Chef Services. read more

Mark catered the memorial for my Father's can not begin to express how much I appreciated his calm demeanor. His food was wonderful and perfect for the occasion. On top of all of that he was prepared in case we had more people than we planned! We did and he handled it with class and with out a glitch. His staff was polite and filled in when and where they were needed. For an occasion that is a emotional as this was he was over the top perfect! The food..also amazing and perfect. I am still craving the meatballs, and those little artichoke crostini!! yum! Katy King read more

Let me be one of the first to let the public know that this business "no showed" a wedding today. Mark did not respond to calls for a contracted and paid for dinner for wedding. Inexcusable. Emergencies happen but to completely ghost a whole wedding on the day of the wedding causing the wedding family to establish emergency plan to feed 120 people at a remote location is inexcusable. I would strongly discourage anyone from trusting this company as there caterer for an event. read more

Thank you very much for the wonderful food and service you provided for my wedding. The food was delicious and many of my guests raved about it saying that it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. I have given your name out to a lot of people. The service you provided me was outstanding and it made this special day successful. My family has used your catering service for four weddings now and we will definitely keep you in mind for future events read more

5 star catering service. Mark is an experienced chef and host for your party! food was impeccable the guests really enjoyed the food. Mark was professional and quiet and hustled putting food out at all the right times. He helped serve the cake too which was not even in the contract -very supportive person. absolutely stunning food and presentation. I recommend Affordable Chef Services all the way! read more

Mark did an incredible job at my wedding in April. I was so pleased with his food and service. He arrived early and set up a beautiful reception. I would certainly hire him again. He's on odd ball, don't get me wrong, but who isn't? He's honest, straight forward and hard working. He offers affordable payment options which are worth going for. Thanks so much, Mark! read more

80th Birthday party catered by Mark and Michelle. Wonderful food - main meal, appetizers and dessert - high quality food and service. They took care of everything, including linens, glassware, setup and cleanup so we could focus on the festivities. Mark suggested things that we wouldn't have considered. Highly recommended! We will use them again. read more

Thank you Chef Mark for catering our public event on Tuesday, September first. You ROCKED it! The food was delicious & your presentation perfect for the outdoor occasion. What really stood out was that almost double the people we expected showed up and you never ran out of food! read more

Excellent Catering I just had Affordable chef cater an event at my home and they did an excellent job.. Mark served, cleaned, and oversaw the food and beverages completely, freeing me up to enjoy the party. I highly recommend Mark and his staff at Affordable chef . read more