Rachael was very prompt with getting back to me when I requested a quote and very knowledgeable…read moreabout everything we might need for the day for my dad's celebration of life. She always got back to me quickly and handled the day amazingly well. Our venue was very much a self-service place and her team just set everything up and made sure all of the dishes were clean at the end and the kitchen was absolutely spotless. We'd highly recommend her for your next event!

Chef Rachel and crew catered our daughter's 40th birthday in this past weekend. We had @ 30…read moreguests so it was a fairly sizable engagement. Not only was the food fantastic, the service was equally exceptional! Beyond that, Rachel was highly responsive throughout the entire process, which gave me comfort that the event would be a great success, which it was. Thank you chef Rachel for the love, care and craftsmanship you put into our daughter's birthday celebration - you made the event that much more memorable for everyone there. Continued success, you deserve it!!!

Delicious and professional... As a Wedding Planning team, working with top class catering teams is…read morea must for the best wedding day experience, not only for the couple and their guests, but for the vendor team as well. Assaggiare didn't disappoint. Julia was responsive and helpful from the start, updating the proposal through the planning journey, crafting a beautiful menu, and nailing in those fine details with rental needs closer to the event. On the day, Nicholas and the entire team were on time, efficient with stunning set ups of the catering stations and the guest place settings, and smoothly followed the timeline of events with perfectly placed food service. To not have to constantly push the catering staff to stay on time, move quickly and pivot with the flow of the day is a planner's wish, and they were a dream. Highly recommend you reach out to Assaggiare if you are looking for a mouth watering culinary experience for your guests, and smooth production journey for yourself and the vendor team.

Assaggiare Mendocino recently catered my Grape Escape event at Handley Cellars. Julia and her…read moreculinary team helped turn my event into a 5-star success! Assaggiare created a truly memorable experience for my 100+ guests. Instead of just doing passed apps and cheese/charcuterie platters (like you find at most winery events), they set up an elegant poke bar where guests could pick & choose which veggies and spices they wanted with their seared ahi tuni and quinoa. Judging by all the "oohs" and "aaahs" I heard from guests, the food was a huge hit! There wasn't an empty plate in the house. (check out the yummy photos) Aside from the food, the Assaggiare team was incredibly professional. They showed up on time to set up; they cleaned up everything when the party was over; and the chefs/servers were friendly and patient with all our hungry guests. If you're planning an event in the Mendocino County area (whether it's a wedding, birthday, wine dinner, etc.), you should put Assaggiarre on the top of your catering list.

Gerard's Paella is simply the best of the best…read more I'll admit, I was a little nervous at first when Gerard wasn't able to personally attend our star-studded event. Those concerns disappeared immediately. The gentlemen he sent in his place were absolutely outstanding and exceeded even my very high standards. They were professional, engaging, personable, and clearly took great pride in what they do. They became part of the celebration and our guests absolutely loved them. And then there's the paella, without question the best paella ever. The flavors were incredible, the presentation was beautiful, and it was the highlight of the event for many of our guests. Honestly, I could eat it every day and never get tired of it. From start to finish, the experience was exceptional. Gerard and his team delivered far beyond expectations, and I can't wait for the opportunity to work with them again. If you're considering Gerard's Paella for an event, stop looking and book them, you won't be disappointed.

Had a great experience with Gerard's Paellas at the Novato farmers market. Mike was great!read more

I can't say enough about Matt and his team!! They exceeded my expectations for sure. I was having…read morea holiday cocktail party in my home for 30 and didn't want to cook. Matt and Nina helped me put together an awesome menu of hors d'oeuvres, sweet treats and a specialty cocktail. They also were able to bring an amazing bartender with the team who really added to the fun. The Truffled Mushroom Mac & Cheese, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Filet Mignon Canapes, Thai Peanut Chicken Satays, and Margherita Pizzas were a hit! Everyone was raving. We also got cheese and crudite platters. They were super helpful with keeping tables clean and refilling trays. I would definitely recommend them to friends and plan on using them for future events.

Think twice (or more) and don't do it!…read more A group of four couples (hailing from Michigan to New Mexico) were flying into Napa for a long-planned get-together. We rented a home through VRBO and thought it would be a treat to have a catered meal from Epicurean Escape. The price was over $1000 but seemed well worth it and we paid the bill 10 days prior to our arrival. Unfortunately, if not unbelievably, we were alerted by VRBO the very next day that our contract was being cancelled as the rental house had just been purchased by a new owner. Thinking we might have to cancel the trip as VRBO might not have an alternative (they did not), we immediately contacted the caterer that we would have to cancel plans. This was 9 days prior to the planned dinner. The caterer then informed us that this was beyond their normal 10 day cancellation policy and there was nothing they could do other than a (hold your breath) 25% refund!! provide a 'credit' - a great idea for a group of 8 with most of us living thousands of miles away, or assisting us in relocating to a new venue. We eventually located a hotel where we could stay and proceeded with the trip - still very much disappointed with the caterer for not refunding our money with 9 days prior notice (along with forwarding them the note of cancellation from VRBO). With a $150 delivery fee charged by the caterer for delivery to our hotel, and no way for us to warm the food in our rooms, we anticipated the meal would arrive on serving trays with sterno heaters. But of course not.. The server who delivered the food was very nice and accommodating (we tipped them as well even though the paid contract already included an 18% gratuity fee). We began eating immediately, only to find all the food (fish and beef main courses) at room temperature. Perhaps everything would have tasted better had it been heated, but classifying the meal as 'mediocre' would be overly kind. Making matters worse (if that's possible), we have been promised a 'final' contract as three of the planned attendees could not attend, and the caterer agreed to 'adjust', only to never hear back from them almost 2 weeks later. Inflexible policy + less than thrilling meals = at least in my book, an experience worth avoiding at all costs. Caveat emptor.

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!

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

We had Charlie's BBQ cater our wedding in June 2017 at Mark West Lodge and it was the best…read more First off, Derek is the nicest guy and is so helpful. Every phone call, he offered many insights into wedding planning, beyond catering. Get a pen and paper ready when you call, because you're going to want to take notes. :) We went to the Windsor Farmers Market to sample the food a couple times, even though we knew we were going with them from the first bite. The food was absolutely amazing. We had so many guests mention how delicious it was all night. We went with tri tip with onions & peppers, chicken thighs, green salad, pesto pasta salad, mushrooms, and asparagus. I have never had more perfectly cooked asparagus! We also had appetizer sliders for cocktail hour and strawberry lemonade. They are very reasonably priced and Derek allows you to make menu & head count tweaks up until the Monday beforehand. We had lots of leftovers that Derek and his guys wrapped up for us. FYI, an asparagus, mushroom, & tri tip sandwich is pretty delicious.

Amazing food quality and service. Charlie is a fantastic caterer and Chef. I had the pleasure of…read moremeeting him while he was buying fresh ingredients for a job. I then hired him to be my caterer. His services were fabulous. My guests loved his food. Food quality and preparation were outstanding.

It was such a pleasure to be able to hire Chef Adair's chef and server on our recent trip to…read moreSonoma/Glen Ellen. I'll start by saying the put together two perfect menus for our two nights. The Humboldt fog cheese in the meat and cheese board was outstanding and I still dream about the pickled grapes. The main courses were exactly what they said and beyond delicious. Filet cooked perfectly and the tastiest chicken I have had in a very long time. The desserts were to die for! All ten of us agreed that the flourless chocolate dessert was the best ever!!! The chef was so nice. Both were very professional. I would recommend Chef Adair to anyone heading to wine country.

Coursing, service just OK. Made a mess of my kitchen. Still finding tempura batter stains on my…read morekitchen cabinets across the last 5 years.

Paul and his wife were fantastic for my mother in law's funeral. Food was excellent. Service was…read moretop notch!!! Do yourself a favor and look nowhere else.

They catered a funeral reception for our church. The food was fabulous. So much to select from…read moreand people raved about everything. I would highly recommend,y recommend them for any event.