Chef Mariana catered my wedding rehearsal dinner years ago. Everyone raved about how fresh and delicious each dish was. I have had a few other opportunities to taste her food since and each time the flavor combinations are spot-on, dishes are perfectly seasoned and prepared, with attention to detail and beautiful plating. She works hard to source the best quality ingredients and creates inspired seasonal menus with a focus on sustainability. She is highly personable, passionate, down-to-earth, and quite entertaining too. Her staff is always hospitable and professional. I can't recommend Mariana enough! read more

We hired Mariana for a business event and her food was absolutely incredible! Her attention to detail was impressive and it brought an authentic flavorful feel to the event. Highly recommend! read more

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We asked Mariana to cook a special 80th birthday dinner for my mother in Berkeley this past April, for about 20 guests in our home - it was absolutely phenomenal! She was incredibly skillful, easy to communicate with and work with, brought lots of ideas to the table when we were discussing menu ideas, and gave helpful advice on keeping costs manageable (for example, we didn't end up renting tables and tableware - she was able to work really well with what we had in house already). Mariana and her assistant were professional yet warm and welcoming, able to accommodate many random requests (we had several toddlers at the event) and the event went off without a hitch. And the food was unforgettable! I hope we are lucky enough to have a chance to work with Mariana again for future events. read more

Hats off to Marianna and team! They are phenomenal!!! Marianna's food is very tasteful and presentable, it is sure to impress your audience. I love that she is self sufficient and easy to work with. In every bite you taste the goodness of the organic local farms. Marianna is so crafted and passionate about her work. I recommend her food and catering services to everyone! You will be very lucky to have her as your chef. read more

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Mariana is a fabulous chef-- she goes above and beyond to make sure her guests have a wonderful experience. She makes some of the best paella we've ever tried, and takes the time to educate on ingredients, her method, and her process. She is professional and friendly, and sources organic, healthy ingredients to create tasty and beautiful meals. She is funny, sociable and a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend her services. She is accommodating of any food allergies, and really has a passion for creating beautiful experiences for her guests. read more

Mariana and her team are amazing! My previous employer was looking for a chef for her private dinners and events. I came across Mariana's page and so glad that I did! Her food is fresh and delicious and her presentation and service is impeccable. Easy to communicate with and accommodates everyone's dietary restrictions and needs. I highly recommend Mariana for any of your dinner events. read more

Chef Mariana and her staff were exceptional. We hosted a party for 30 and she helped to propose a very special dinner menu. She was extremely responsive by email, easy to accommodate special dietary needs and helpful to propose alternatives to menu selections. Our dinner included a table spread, delicate/pomegranate tarts, wild mushroom/fontina hand pies, dungeness crab tostada salad, lobster mac and cheese, lamb lollipops, mini filet mignon wellington and pear/almond tarts. When the team of 4 arrived, she took over without any hesitation or need for instructions. The food was delicious and our party could not say enough amazing things about the quality and taste of the food. One quoted "BEST party ever". One of the servers passed food on beautiful displayed wood trays and helped to serve beverages as well. The food service and timing was spaced nicely, the temperature and freshness of each section was perfect and they helped to clean the kitchen and put everything away by the end of the night. I wish I had taken photos of each food tray, but unfortunately only have the photo of Chef Mariana bringing the cake. I highly recommend Chef Mariana, she is a gem. read more

Chef Mariana Carvallo - Caterers Near Me

Chef Mariana Carvallo was absolutely superb. She created a birthday feast for 10 people at our home. She was extraordinarily professional, conscientious, and completely lovely. The five course meal was stupendous and every bite was delicious. Chef Carvallo came exceedingly prepared, was professional, thoughtful, and adaptable (ably making do in our small kitchen). We were all able to simply enjoy the evening without the worries of hosting. On top of it all, by the end of the night the kitchen was spotless. Chef Carvallo helped create the most memorable event and we cannot recommend her more enthusiastically. read more

Chef Mariana is the best and I would highly recommend her. She helped me plan a birthday dinner for my wife and group of 30 guests. She provided advice on all aspects of the dinner from decor to the menu to wine pairings. She was very generous with her time before hand in planning for the event. She was extremely flexible in accommodating our desires for the menu. Her food looks and tastes as amazing as the photos suggest. On the day of the party, she and her team were efficient, hardworking, and flexible. They executed the dinner party with ease and allowed my wife and me to enjoy the evening. Mariana exudes a sense of warmth that made my wife, our guests and me feel as if we were eating dinner in her home. She is the ultimate professional and we can't wait to use her services again! read more

If you are looking for a private chef, look no further. Hire Mariana. You will not be disappointed. Mariana prepared an exquisite meal for 12 people to celebrate my daughter and son-in-law's 30th wedding anniversary. The taste, quality and presentation of each appetizer and dinner course was beyond perfection. My family ranged in age from 19 to 76 years old and each of them could not say enough good things about the food. Oysters on the half shell were fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. The seared scallop appetizer was one of the best we have tasted. Can a salad be amazing? Yes, it can, and Mariana's winter gem salad was fresh, delicious and got rave reviews. I gave Mariana lead-way in selecting the soup course and dinner sides, so that she had the freedom to choose what looked best at that day's market. She is a marvel at what she does. Mariana and Shawna did an amazing job of finding their way around my kitchen without any interruptions to the flow of the party. They were both personable, professional and a delight to be with. At the end of the evening, my kitchen looked as though no one had touched a thing. My family was amazed, and I was a happy hostess. read more

I needed last minute help with a dinner party at my house and Mariana made it so easy. With one or two simple conversations we were all set and I didn't have to worry about a thing. I picked a few items from her menu suggestion and it was perfect. Every course was fantastic and well presented. Each dish was delicious and super flavorful. Because it was a relatively large group to be serving dinner to, she brought a person to help out. He was also super courteous, nice and helpful. The two of them were great. They came in, found their way around the kitchen, and cleaned up before they left. I would definitely user Mariana again. read more

Chef Mariana is absolutely amazing! We hired Mariana for an intimate anniversary dinner for my parents. She designed an incredible 4-course meal and everything was perfectly executed and beautifully plated -- we couldn't decide which course we liked best because they were equally unique and delicious in their own way. The menu included chilled summer corn soup with a creme fraiche. The salad was stone fruit and avocado with sun gold, basil and kalamata croutons, followed by octopus and potato salad with a lemon and oregano vinaigrette. The main course was a whole grilled branzino served with a fennel, grilled citrus, seafood sicilian fregola - truly incredible. Mariana arrived with everything that she needed, was super professional and friendly, and left our kitchen completely spotless by the time she left. The food was delicious (made with fresh ingredients from local farmers markets) and the flavors were spot on. We are looking forward to the next special occasion and opportunity to hire Mariana! read more

Chef Mariana Carvallo - Chilled corn soup with creme fraiche - Caterers Near Me

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ANOTHER WONDERFUL, MAGICAL night with Marianna and her staff. We celebrated my birthday with a sit down dinner for 50. Starting with the passed hors d'oeuvres, and ending with a beautiful main course, everything was fresh, original, and flavored with her special touch. I believe her positivity translates to her food and makes for a delightful experience. WE LOVE YOU. THANK YOU! My family and I had THE BEST experience with Mariana!!!! We had a small dinner party, and she came with her great smile and fresh ingredients. We had a Mexican meal of 4 courses, and although we were satisfied, we were not stuffed. Her food is clean and YUMMY. We are having her back this summer for a larger party, and I can't wait to taste what she will create. BIG BRAVO TO HER. read more

Based on Yelp reviews, we hired Chef Mariana for an 18 guest dinner party, and we were SO lucky to have her and her team! Her responsiveness, menu planning and ingredient sourcing, organization and clean up were just excellent. My husband and I wanted to offer wines we had discovered while in France, so I gave her the list and she created amazing pairings for champagne, French white Burgundy, French Burgundy and some Portuguese ports. Unbelievable! From the canapés to the gorgeous winter greens and beet salad to the fantastic duck to the cheese course and sumptuous chocolate dessert...EVERYONE was happy! I'm in the process of coming up with another excuse to throw a party if only to work with her again! Thanks, Mariana, Veronica and Domi! read more

Chef Mariana Carvallo - The terrific threesome! - Caterers Near Me

I don't think I can express in words just how WONDERFUL Mariana was, but I will try. If you are lucky enough to get Mariana than you will be in for the some of the most delicious food you will ever eat and some of the absolute best customer service there is. From the very beginning she was a dream to work with. We where luck enough to get Mariana to cater our intimate wedding of 25 people. We do not live in California so all our communication with Mariana was through email and phone and she worked with us like a champ! Didn't even blink an eye and was so helpful in every way possible. We flew into the area she was just the kindest person when we finally met her, and the menu she created for us was stellar. It beyond our expectations, the food was melt in your mouth all the flavor combinations she created where perfect and she only use seasonal ingredients so you know the dishes she is creating are the freshest. On the actual day of our wedding they were on time and where just the best they sort out all our rentals that we had order and was just a dream to work with. I didn't have to worry about a thing and they left all the rentals cleaner than when we got them! I wish I had pictures of the amazing food she made so you can see the amazing work she does. The presentation of the food alone was worth every penny. But we scarfed it down as fast as they gave it to us because it tasted like heaven. If I was in the area again I wouldn't hesitate to hire her again. Truly helped to make our day the best it possibly could. THANK YOU! read more

Mariana did a fantastic job at our corporate dinner party. She crafted the menu to use many fruits and vegetables from our orchard and garden with lots of advance time to allow my wife to review. She offered wine pairing suggestions that worked very well. She and Veronica arrived on time, created delicious appetizers, salad, main course and dessert; served everything professionally; kept the wine flowing and explained each course to the guests. They also hand-washed the silver and plating and made sure to leave the kitchen clean when they were done. I highly recommend Mariana and hope to use her again. read more

Mariana was a godsend when I was searching for a cater for a family event. Every caterer seemed to be booked for the day we had planned, including Mariana. This didn't stop her from helping me find an amazing caterer for our party. I can't thank you enough Mariana for going the extra mile. Next time I'll work my date around your calendar. You're the best! read more

Chef Marianna is amazing. Food is delicious , presentation is amazing. She has nice personality to help wth the party and make guests feel great. Highly recommend her. Thank you Marianna. ! read more

We found Chef Mariana on Thumbtack and hiring her was the best decision! I wanted a really delicious and carefree experience for my 50th birthday party (1920's themed for 25-30 guests in our home). Chef Mariana delivered in a big way. She was flexible during the menu development, listening to my ideas and offering suggestions, tweaking a few times until we got it just right. On the day of the party, Mariana and her assistant/server Danny arrived and worked quickly and efficiently to transform my kitchen into a prep kitchen. They delivered some of the best appetizers I've ever eaten, (mini beef wellingtons, salmon tartare with lemon creme fraiche) Danny expertly passed the appetizers to the guests while Chef Mariana worked on the amazing dinner. We had pancetta-wrapped pork tenderloin roulades, roasted vegetable succotash, and celery root mash which I was skeptical about, but she assured me was a crowd pleaser. Every dish was delicious, but that mash was heaven on a fork. Many guests had seconds and thirds. For dessert, the very decadent chocolate pots de creme were quickly gobbled up to groans of delight. We got many compliments on the food and Danny's attentive service. The kitchen was left spotless. The rental dishes and glasses were handled with care and prepped for a no-hassle return. While Mariana and Danny were very focused and busy working, they were always very solicitous to me and never impatient when interrupted for a question or when we had to grab something from the kitchen. Mariana is a very talented, conscientious, kind person who made my birthday party the event I was hoping for. Do yourself a favor and hire her. read more

Unbelievable! All we can say is WOW! All of our guests were very impressed with the food and your service. We were so happy with all your little extras we didn't expect. Top notch all the way. I would gladly refer you to anyone planning an event. Thank you again! and again! read more

Wow! Wow! Wow! She is AMAZING!!! I found Mariana through YELP based on the glowing reviews. Well, she exceeded the reviews! Our dinner was fantastic, she introduced each course , which everyone loved, her and her server were wonderful. And... the best part..... they left my kitchen spotless with all the dishes done. Just a marvelous night! Thank you Mariana for making it such a special night for our guests and for us! read more

I hired Mariana for a garden party in my home. She had wonderful menu suggestions and she listened to my ideas as a client. We had a barbecued dinner, with 4 fantastic courses. The food could have not been better, the ingredients were super fresh and full of taste. All my guests loved the food (and her). Overall, a huge success, thank you so much. Here is a glimpse of our great menu| Grilled artichoke flatbread Nectarine Basil tomato salad Flank steak with chimichurri sauce Salmon with fennel and corn salsa Fresh roasted vegetables Peach and berry galette. read more

Mariana and her team are incredible to work with! Sometimes a caterer will make truly tasty food, or have beautiful presentation, or manage a dinner party/event well - Mariana does it all! She is efficient and friendly, and her creations are so good that everyone asks for her contact info. She leaves the kitchen spotless, and leaves me eager awaiting our next party together. read more

We would unhesitatingly recommend Marianna. Gourmet-quality food in a very special situation. Workmanship top notch. We had a special situation in that my wife was being treated for an aggressive lymphoma (blood cancer) over a 7-month period that resulted in a suppressed immune system and self-isolation at home. All pre-prepared meals and deli foods were off the list - frozen foods or home-cooked were it. We found Marianna over the internet. Over this 7 month period, she came several times to prepare food, having to follow the hospital's hygiene guidelines. She shopped for everything, came to the house with the groceries, cleaned & prepped and cooked as required, enough food for several meals each time...and that in at least one case enabled us to entertain another couple. We discussed menus in advance obviously and her suggestions were frequently taken. What you need to appreciate is that she delivers on her commitments. She arrived prepared when she said, cooked for 3 or 4 hours, packaged the food for freezing as needed, and left with the kitchen spotless and the dishwasher running. We have two grown daughters and we'd take Marianna for a third, too. read more

My experience with Chef Mariana was absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!! From planning and logistics to food presentation and of course the taste; it was some of the best food I've ever tasted. No really, the food was out of this world. My friends and I had a seared halibut that was cooked to perfection, with a zesty lemon beurre blanc sauce; AMAZING!! The salad that we had before the main course was one of the best looking salads I had ever seen. And the chocolate pot de creme was really to die for. To close it all out she left my kitchen spotless. It was the most stress free food experiences I had ever had in my home. I booked her off of her nicely designed website at chefmarianacarvallo.com; it was really easy to get into contact with her. She is one of the nicest and most passionate people you'll ever meet. Thanks Mariana for a great meal and CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN! read more