I cannot recommend Prasada highly enough as an event planner. Let me the five top reasons why:…read more 1. She is calm, steadfast and truly mindful in details and countenance. (Her second 'job' is helping people learn how to regulate their nervous system using breath work.) 2. Our weekend - which was at a venue (our retreat center, Whispertree Retreat) that was largely outdoors. The weekend weather went from hoped-for blue skies and billowing white clouds to a 30 degree temperature drop and rain forecast. Prasada patiently held the line assisting us with a Plan A, B AND C for the weekend, depending on the weather, a call we would make the morning of. I cannot tell you how much forethought this took! But Prasada did not complain ONCE. Rather, she held the course and even spearheaded the final plan C option that eventually turned out to work perfectly(!!) for us. 3. During the event, itself, Prasada spun plates behind the scenes. protecting us from a few (unavoidable) things that happened - some of which I STILL think we don't know about. 4. I really care about details and how things look. Beauty is so much a part of what people can notice and feel that helps make an event feel warm, welcoming and heart-opening. Prasada gets that, too, and has a great eye! I really trusted her to set things up just as I asked, and even improve on the outcome. 5. Prasada ALSO works at an event rental company. She has years of experience understanding issues related space and rentals and could probably help you address these issues in her SLEEP. Please do not think twice about hiring Prasada for your event. I enjoyed working with her so much that one thought I have the morning after it all is: What's the next event we can work on with her?!

Prasada was our month of coordinator but really she helped from the moment we hired her on! Our…read morewedding was in the Mendocino area and she had all the local connects, which made planning that much easier. She helped us every step of the way and made sure the day ran as smooth as possible! I did not have to worry about one thing on our wedding day, she handled it all! If you're looking to have your wedding in the area, we recommend you hire Prasada. :)

I was super excited about their menu but they were terrible at communicating with us. I tried…read moreseveral times to contact them and get more details on the menu after we had pinned them down for a date. They never got back to me. Now I have to find a caterer without much time to do it. Very frustrating.

Naka & Alex did a wonderful job catering our wedding. We met with them and tasted some of the items…read morethey were offering and everything was delicious. We had something personal in mind for a late night snack and upon hearing what we wanted it was immediately apparent they were excited to come up with a solution for us. Fast forward to the wedding and everything was fantastic. Some substitutions had to be made due to the state of the world right now but everything turned out great. A joy to work with and clearly love working with food. Super happy to have had them be a part of our day.

The service was friendly. They have a deli in the back of the store you almost wouldn't notice. We…read moreordered 4 sandwiches and they made them pretty quick. The sandwich's were good and they had a lot of meat and condiments.

Buyers beware. I stopped by Nello's Market on a Sunday for a quick errand, and it was a frustrating…read moreexperience. The parking lot was empty, and now I know why. The store has no prices marked on individual items or shelves, which forces you to carry everything to the cashier just to find out the cost. To make matters worse, the prices are incredibly inflated--often 50% higher than elsewhere. For example, a bottle of Chardonnay that costs $11 at the CVS just 0.8 miles down Highway 1 was marked at $20 here. When I asked the cashier why no items are marked with prices and why the markup is so significant compared to a store less than a mile away, he claimed he didn't know and confirmed that nothing in the store is priced. It's a cute location, but it feels like they are taking serious advantage of the community. Needless to say, I left without making a purchase. I won't be returning to this place.

WARNING to anyone using Mendocino BBQ: Two DAYS before our…read morewedding, Aaron sent an updated invoice with a $500 price increase. He said he forgot to bill us a few weeks earlier....However, our wedding planner (who communicates on our behalf) had reached out to him a month before the wedding to discuss logistics, and he did not mention any price increase then. When he sent over the updated invoice, he didn't even flag to us that he had increased the prices (if I hadn't compared the new invoice with our original, there is a chance that I wouldn't have noticed the price increase). Due to Aaron's inflexibility and the proximity to our wedding date, we were forced to pay an updated price. I spoke to a lawyer friend, who informed me that is a form of EXTORTION. An invoice with a stated price counts as a contract. Aron said he stated "subject to price increase" on his website, but it was not clear in any of our emails or on the actual invoice. It's standard to go by the documents received by the vendor. Websites can change, and I wouldn't look there for information about pricing terms...It is also not the responsibility of your customer to ask for an invoice. If you're late to invoice or communicate changes, the customer should not be penalized.

We had Mendocino BBQ Catering cater for our wedding in May 2019 on the Mendocino Coast and were…read morevery happy with the food and their service. Aaron was very responsive and great to work with, the staff were friendly and helpful on the day of the wedding, and the food was fantastic! We had the tri-tip, chicken, bacon mac & cheese, roasted potatoes, green salad, Normandy vegetables, and bread rolls. Everybody loved it! The Tri-tip and bacon mac & cheese were fan favorites, and the chicken and roasted potatoes got lots of compliments. Everything was exactly what we wanted. A big value add is that Mendocino BBQ Catering comes fully prepared and contained with their own large trailer so that they do not require a kitchen, they just need a space to park. Very satisfied Bride and Groom

Christine Strunk created a wedding cake that was beyond what we could have dreamed up…read more She designed a saffron, vanilla bean cake with mascarpone cream filling and cardamom essence, decorated with real rose petals. The saffron was Rumi Spice saffron from Afghanistan and the rose petals were from Peace and Plenty Farm, CA in Kelseyville. So many of our friends and family have told us how beautiful and delicious the cake was. Thank you, Christine and Henny Penny Catering!

Henny Penny Catered a weekend retreat I attended last weekend and the food and service were…read moreoutstanding. Everything was fresh and delicious, magically whipped up in the kitchen at the lodge at the Four Springs retreat center. There were always several entrees, sides, and desserts to choose from and all were labeled with ingredients for those with dietary needs or preferences. My plans for moderate consumption went out the window when the tiramisu was served. Bon appetite!

Big Earl's BBQ catered our 60-person wedding welcome party in Redwood Valley, and we couldn't have…read morebeen happier. From the very beginning, communicating with Earl was warm, easy, and genuinely lovely. We started with a BBQ tasting months in advance and even brought along our pickiest food-critic friends to try the menu--it was a hit and sealed the deal for us. We served tri-tip, chicken, ribs, green salad, mac and cheese, and meatless sliders for our vegetarian guests, and everything was delicious. The BBQ sauce was perfectly balanced--sweet and tangy with just the right amount of kick. More than just great food, the meal and Earl himself made the experience feel comforting and homey, the kind of meal that naturally brings people together--like sitting down for a big Sunday family dinner. On the day of the event, Earl and his team arrived on time and had everything set up and looking beautiful. Earl was incredibly kind and personable, and once guests started eating, he walked around offering seconds and chatting with everyone. Not only was the food a standout, but Earl himself was too. Highly Recommend!

Big Earl's BBQ had a pop up at Sunday's in the Park in Ukiah! I tried the pulled pork sandwich &…read moretheir signature Dirty Fries with Pulled Pork, and omgoodness mouth watering! The pulled pork had this smoky flavor that wasn't dry or hard, it was fresh! The coleslaw was soooo good! I was skeptical about dirty fries, but glad I tried it, this tasted like a million bucks in your mouth! They are family owned, and family operated! Meaning you will see Earl with his wife, kids, and parents cooking up and providing you great service! I will definitely consider them for catering a family event in the future.

Amazing spice variations. by far the best salt I've ever had! I've purchased in the area of 50 to…read more60 bottles of various seasonings from this company. Everyone that I have gifted a bottle, absolutely falls in love. If you are a lover of seasonings, this is a must have in your pantry! The dry rub (Q's blend) is amazing for pulled pork and whatever else you would typically use dry rub on, the taco seasoning (Maria's Blend) is the perfect blend of spices to make your taco night a win! My favorite, the smoked jalapeño, salt... goes great on anything you would add salt to.

Use these spices ALL the time! I don't do scrambled eggs without Maria's blend…read more Quick order and turn around/receipt of product. Plus, fun to go visit at Farmers in Princeton for their spices and fabulous food they make (they cater as well!)

Zoe is excellence personified. We hired her as our "partial" planner for a destination wedding that…read moreincluded a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, and reception. I put "partial" in quotation marks because the label fails to capture how integral Zoe was to the success of our weekend and how supported we felt throughout the entire planning process. Here are just some of the ways she excels. First, Zoe has deep expertise. As my fiancé and I shared our wedding vision -- which largely took the form of spitballing half-baked ideas -- Zoe offered thoughtful advice on how to bring it to life. She was always supportive and collaborative, focused on how we could accomplish our goals rather than whether they were possible. She knows, and has worked with, all the venues and vendors in the Mendocino area, and she steered us toward those best suited to the event we wanted. Every vendor she recommended was talented, thoughtful, and kind, and it was clear each one held Zoe in the highest regard and loved working with her. Second, Zoe is meticulous. She knows everything (I mean every last detail) that needs to happen for a successful event, and she makes sure it does. Our venue required bringing in numerous outside vendors and substantial rentals, and Zoe coordinated all the moving parts so that everything came together in harmony. It was as though she conducted an orchestra that, despite never having rehearsed together, performed brilliantly on opening night. Our already high expectations were quickly surpassed as we moved from event to event, each one more beautiful (in every sense of the word) than we could have imagined. Third, Zoe is resourceful and creative. She doesn't just coordinate; she gets her hands dirty. As one example: just a week before our event, when we realized we needed more decorative elements for our western-themed rehearsal dinner, Zoe proposed hay bales from the feed store. Then she arranged the rental herself and delivered them to our venue personally. They turned out to be an inspired choice. Some of our favorite photos from the whole weekend are of us sitting on those hay bales, laughing as our friends toasted us. Finally, Zoe is a wonderful human being. From our very first meeting, her warmth and enthusiasm were obvious. Throughout the planning process, she showed genuine excitement for us as a couple and for our weekend. On the rare occasion we felt a flicker of anxiety with a vendor, she was quick to reassure us and fix the issue. And on the wedding day itself, she was every bit as essential. Her joy was palpable even as she handled a thousand details behind the scenes. We received glowing feedback from our friends and family, many of whom singled out Zoe by name. Even during the event, guests came up to tell us how lucky we were to be working with someone so exceptional. We couldn't agree more. In short, Zoe is in a league of her own. The only bitter note in an otherwise perfect wedding was knowing it meant the end of our working relationship with her. I guess we'll have to find more events to plan!

Zoe made our dreams come true! She is one of most capable, organized, and well networked people we…read morehave ever met, while also always maintaining a very chill energy through the planning process. This balance makes her extremely well suited for her job, allowing us to relax knowing that everything would be handled perfectly. We worked with Zoe from the beginning, before we had chosen a venue, all the way through to saying goodbye after the brunch the day after the wedding. We are eternally grateful to her for helping us pull off the wedding of our wildest dreams! Zoe is good at her job. Our wedding was a bit complicated - from glamping tents to shower trailers, from multiple DJs to Drag Queens, from 3 cocktail hours to multiple brunches. Zoe kept a lot of moving parts in her head throughout a long planning process and helped us iron out an uncountable number of kinks. With her help, we unlocked savings with certain vendor contracts. With her help, everything stayed on time. With her help, we were able to surprise our guests with 3 different performances during the wedding reception. Zoe knows Mendocino well. Her deep roots along the coast became deeply valuable throughout the planning process. When we wanted to best pastries for our glampers, she had us try Franny's in Point Arena. When we wanted a vinyl DJ, she introduced us to Colby in Gualala. When we needed brunch at a reasonable price, she suggested Shay, a young caterer getting their business off the ground. Mendocino is one of most magical places I know and I know it because of Zoe's guidance. Zoe is a calming presence. Planning a wedding is a stressful ordeal. Every time we had a call with Zoe, she answered our questions clearly and concisely, offering help much of the time. But beyond the content of her answers, she had a way of reducing the anxiety my partner and I were feeling at that moment. This carried through well during the wedding weekend, when she consistently reminded us, through her actions, that we were in good hands. We cannot recommend Zoe and her team highly enough! You'll be in good hands!