The best caterer ok Kauai. Would use them for small or large orders!!! Great customer service.

Wendy and her team were a dream to work with. I have Celiac disease (cannot eat gluten), and Wendy was able to help me to create an entire gluten-free menu which all of my guests loved. The food was phenomenal, and I cannot recommend them enough! If you're looking to cater an event on Kauai, Contemporary Flavors is the way to go! read more

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How fortunate we feel to have found Contemporary Flavors Catering for our wedding on Kauai. Wendy was incredible to work with from figuring out our menu, to deciding on a late night snack for our guests, to working with our budget, she was always kind, helpful, and thoughtful. We had a delicious plated meal, including passed appetizers and a late night snack for after all of the dancing, and everything was just absolutely divine. We have some guests still talking about it! Wendy and the whole CFC team were professional, kind, and warm at our event and all communications before and after the event. I would be thrilled to have them at any event we have in the future! read more

Contemporary Flavors catered our wedding in Kauai for 85 guests. Our review of this experience is broken into two parts: the food and the business. The Food The food was absolutely sensational. Given they had to cater our wedding, which was hosted in a tent in a botanical gardens, we had low expectations for what would be produced. But we were both blown away by the quality of the food. All of our guests raved about the food, the bar was well-organized, and the staff were friendly. The caterers were also very accommodating in taking our custom requests for food like custom salads and deserts and executing to perfection. 5 stars on the food front. We also got to keep the leftovers which were a hit the next day at the family lunch. We did have a lot of leftovers though so probably would have preferred to pay a bit less and not have so much left over. The Business We felt the company could improve several of its business practices to make the lead-up to the wedding more enjoyable and stress-free for future customers. We were unfamiliar with some of the dishes available on the menu. Some had photos on the website, but most did not. Without having the luxury of doing a tasting ahead of time, this made it hard to get a feel for what the dishes would be like. It would be great if someone from their team could take photos of every dish offered on the menu (the photos don't have to be fancy, an iPhone would do). The quote proposals we received in the lead-up to the event were confusing. Some things that normally aren't separated out were separated out. For example, the cost of food per person was separate from the hourly rate for the waitstaff and kitchen staff. A clearer way to price things may be to just have a cost per guest for each course (and combine the costs of the food and staff in that one figure). Similarly with the bar, we were happy to pay the bartenders a decent $45 per hour wage, but then there was an extra fee of $3.50 per guest to set the bar up with coolers, cover liability insurance, and for garnishes. On top of these fees, there was a 20% service charge which was added to the bill, but this wasn't a tip. It covered: "The cost of transportation and cleaning of all the equipment utilized for the event and transportation costs for all vehicles that travel to the site". Once again, we felt this service charge could have been factored in and was therefore unnecessary. There was another clause in the agreement that threw us a bit: "All bottles for bar will need to be no larger than 1 liter bottles for our bartenders to pour to protect their health and well being. A $6 per person bar charge will be added on to the invoice when bottles larger than a liter is required for our staff to pour." We stocked up at Costco and made sure our spirits didn't go over the one liter limit otherwise we would have been up for another surprise fee of $510 (85 x $6). But a lot of things at Costco come in bottles greater than one liter, so the clause just becomes annoying. We asked if we could serve the food family style, but it was going to cost a lot more so we opted to not do that. It felt like any modification was met with "Sure, but we need you to pay a lot extra for that" rather than just recognizing they are going to make good margins from your business for the event and just having some non-profit-generating flexibility with things. Communication was a little off too because it is all done through an "info" email alias so you are never quite sure who is driving things. Suggest setting up individual email addresses for staff to simplify communication. You have to pay a non-refundable $500 deposit to lock in the company's services for the date of your wedding. While a reasonable request from the company's perspective, when there were surprises in the quoting process along the road, even 6-9 months out from the big day, we really felt trapped by them. May be be fairer to make the deposit refundable up to 6 months before the event. All payments to the company had to be made using checks. Checks our an outdated payment method and we suggest updating to a payment gateway through their website like Stripe or Gumroad. Overall, the continual arm-wrestle of customizing the menu over email (-1 star) and continually being nickel-and-dimed (-1 star) was frustrating. Once again, the food and experience on the night was great, just doing business them was more of a hassle than it needed to be. They are nice people and we do recommend them as a catering vendor, we hope this review is helpful to everyone. read more

Outstanding all the way around!!! We used/ contracted with them for our auntie & uncle's Celebration of Life. The food was delicious & the service & staff outstanding!! Friendly, efficient & caring. I'd recommend them 100% all the time!! Mahalo plenty!! read more

CFC catered my wedding on 10/24/15 and they did an exceptional job. They are super professional to work with and their experience really shows in their execution! Great communication and reasonable pricing. Many of my guests went out of their way to tell me how delicious the food was. The bartenders also did a great job and made my unique speciality cocktails very well. They also packages our left overs for us so it was easy to take home after ward. It was nice to enjoy the food the next day when the excitement had toned down - the food was still just as delicious the 2nd time around. I'm so happy we chose them. I highly recommend! read more

Contemporary Flavors Catering - A plate of food from our wedding buffet. So yummy! - Caterers Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

I hired Contemporary Flavors to cater my destination wedding and it was far and away the best wedding food I've ever had. I've been to around 25 weddings so this is no small feat. Their standard catering menu has a ton of delicious options, and they were even able to accommodate a couple off-menu dishes we requested. We also sprung for the whole roast pig and flambe station which were both big hits. A couple days before the wedding, we dropped by their storefront in Lihue called Mark's Place for lunch to get a sense of how good the wedding food might be. Turns out they serve the best loco moco I've ever had, so we had high expectations going into the wedding and were not disappointed - their food is legit incredible! The service was excellent as well, they saved and brought us appetizer and dinner plates while we were busy chatting up our guests. 10 stars if I could. Hire them now. read more

Contemporary Flavors Catering makes AMAZING food and we are so happy they were at our wedding! Everything on the menu was unique and delicious. The appetizers were so yummy and were presented very nicely during the cocktail hour- my favorite was the wagyu beef gyoza! Also the main course was so delicious- chimichurri steak, pulehu chicken, wok fried vegetables, Mac salad and rice. And the cake was incredible- the CFC signature. They even made a special cake to accommodate for allergies. My family and I loved the food so much and we ate all of the leftovers after the wedding too. We highly recommend CFC to everyone! Thank you again for everything, we are so grateful Brittany and Paul read more

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Probably some of the best food I've ever eaten. The food at our wedding was a huge hit! The team there made it easy and seamless to plan our wedding. Would highly recommend!! read more

After doing a ton of research to find the best wedding catering company on Kauai, I was lucky enough to come across Contemporary Flavors Catering. The guests were raving about how delicious our food was and we couldn't agree more. I had the unique experience of being a wedding planner professionally for several years and THEN being a bride. I knew I needed to find a company that was professional, responsive, known for great food and reasonably priced. From our very first consultation we were ready to book. They were willing to customize menu items for our guests and they even made suggestions for things we didn't think of. Each staff member that arrived on the wedding day was very professional, easy to talk to and attentive to our needs. Our water glasses were always full, the bar was a hit all night long and the food tasted as if it was right off the grill. They were even kind enough to agree to moving our chairs from ceremony to reception, this is a huge headache so we are grateful they were able to accommodate us! They book up quickly so if you are looking for a full service catering company, you've found it with Contemporary Flavors Catering. Thank you guys for being so terrific! read more

They catered our wedding and provided us with outstanding food, service, and an amazing price. I would highly recommend them. They were friendly, flexible, professional, and created a perfect menu for us based on our specific dietary requests. People talked about the food and our wedding cake for months afterwards. I was shocked at how low our final bill was because for the service and quality they could have easily charged twice as much. I did a lot of research before hiring them, and I am confident in their ability to provide outstanding catering and service for other events. read more

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We hired CFC to cater our wedding and had a great experience! The food was amazing, the presentation was beautiful, service was great, and the staff was professional and friendly. Planning with Wendy and Mark was easy - they sent us a questionnaire to fill out and then drew up an outline with our menu, special requests and timeline. Wendy was able to answer all of my many questions through the planning process and always in a timely manner. The F&B was executed perfectly throughout our cocktail hour and dinner reception. Not to mention our cake was beautiful and delicious! The only slight hiccup was that they did not stock the bar with enough vodka and ran out with about an hour to go for our reception. But overall it was a pleasure working with CFC and we can't thank them enough! read more

Contemporary Flavors Catering - Caterers Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Contemporary Flavors was a wonderful find and provided fantastic food and service the day of our wedding! We were planning a destination wedding from 3,000 miles away and did not get a chance to set up a tasting during our first trip. Yet, we consistently heard such great things about the food, that we jumped in anyway. Their website is thorough and gave us a good sense of their aesthetic and what to expect with the food. This was incredibly important since we were so far away. Sometimes, it took a little bit of time to communicate timely but I understand with the time difference and the fact they are probably swamped, I was impressed with how perfect everything was the day of. Mark was our main point of contact and he was incredibly flexible in helping us create things that were off their normal menu. For example, we requested a vodka lavender lemonade (with very short notice) as our specialty cocktail and they were able to deliver. We also requested miniature root beer floats and though they hadn't do it before, they did an amazing job with presentation and taste. Our guests loved them! If there were hiccups the day of, I did not know of them! Everything seemed to go smoothly (also thanks to our wonderful wedding coordinator) and the CFC staff were so professional and friendly. For cocktail hour, we had 3 passed appetizers and the cold seafood station, which was our favorite. Because it was such a hot day, there were flies but CFC had a dedicated staff member to stand there with a fan to keep them away. For dinner, we had a buffet, which I was nervous about because often the food gets cold and overcooked. But here, the food was served hot, the short ribs were so tender, and the lamb action station was absolutely worth it. My husband and I have high standards for food and are willing to invest to make sure we like the food. That being said, we found CFC to be a wonderful value for our 50 guests. We provided our own alcohol but we hired CFC bartenders to serve and they couldn't have been nicer about it. At the end of the night, they packed all the leftover food for us to take back to our rental house and it was all perfect the next day. Thank you to Mark and team for helping us create such a wonderful memory!! read more

Wow wow wow! My new husband and I were in Kauai last week to get married and used Contemporary Flavors Catering (Marks Place) as our caterers. They were fantastic in every single way! Dealing with Wendy and Cathy was a breeze, they answered emails in a timely manner and were eager and willing to answer every question we had. On our wedding day they were professional and had everything under control. The staff were friendly, efficient and did everything we asked and more! The food was absolutely outstanding! We has numerous guest tell me that it was by far the best food they had ever eaten at a wedding and we would have to agree! Thank you so much to everyone at Contemporary Flavors Catering / Marks Place, your food and service were outstanding and above any expectations we had! read more

Contemporary Flavors catered our wedding (June 2014) with an inspired Asian/Fusion/Hawaiian menu. With an outdoor location on the edge of a cliff, they exceeded our expectations. The food was excellent. Abundant and delicious - from the seafood pupus and the Lilikoi Granita with Hawaiian sea salt to the beef and fish options and whoopee pies. Everything flowed flawlessly throughout the evening. The food all came out on time and the service was unobtrusive, but friendly. They were recommended to us by Lisa Insalata (our wedding planner) and we couldn't be happier. Well done! read more

WOW! Contemporary Flavors is hands down the best on the island! We cannot expresses enough how wonderful the food was at our wedding! All of our guests loved "da whole hog" and said it was the best meal of their trip. They were so wonderful to work with during all of the planning phase and great staff during the event! They did both our wedding and rehearsal dinner and both were delicious! Great food, great service! Thank you! read more

We hired Contemporary Flavors Catering for our wedding mid-May. We live on island and were so stoked to have this ono food at our wedding -- we love their brick and mortar location, Mark's Place! Not only were both Mark and Wendy easy to communicate with and prompt in their replies, they were incredibly nice and understanding throughout the entire process. They were willing to switch around some items on their menu to better fit our palettes and our budget. They made us a great menu of lemongrass mahi mahi, Korean-style chicken, and side dishes, and even added a bunch of pork wontons last minute for pupus, per our request. Our guests loved the food! We had our food delivered to our location and served it buffet-style.They rented us utensils and linens for a great price. I'd definitely recommend choosing Contemporary Flavors for your event! read more

I hired Contemporary Flavors for my mom's surprise 60th birthday party this past summer. Six months later, I still have people coming up to me to tell me how much fun they had at the party and how amazing the food was. I told Chef Mark that my mom loves oysters and seafood. In return we had an oyster bar served 4 ways, a sushi station, and a fish station served 3 ways. The food was absolutely amazing and the service was top notch (even after our hosts' dog got loose and tried to attack Chef Gavin....). I can't imagine using any other caterer on the island for future parties and events. read more

Contemporary Flavors Catering is the best caterer on Kauai! The food is fabulous and custom made to suit your event, their cakes are yummy, and their staff is friendly and quick to please. I would not recommend anyone else. Their prices never fail to amaze me in that they are really affordable. Don't tell, but I honestly wouldn't mind paying more for their services / food. It's worth it. By the way, it's the same as "Mark's Place," but is the Catering side of the business and the food is a notch above that which they have in their little take-out shop (though that is yummy too). read more

I can't believe I haven't posted a review for Contemporary Flavors. Mark and his team catered our wedding one year ago in Poipu. Can I say how AMAZING they were? Many times throughout the night our guests came up to us and told us how good the food was and that it was THE BEST wedding food they have ever had! Everything was amazing. Additionally we used Contemporary's bartending services and they were awesome! The bartender remembered everyone's drinks and would have your libation waiting for you when you walked up to the bar. For anyone that is in need of a stress-free extremely customer service focused caterer don't hesitate to reach out to Contemporary Flavors!!! read more

Mark and Contemporary Flavors catered our wedding in August on the north shore and we couldn't be happier with the food and service. We talked and tasted with numerous caterers on the island, but Mark had the best food by far, made us feel very comfortable with his staff's abilities and was reasonably priced. The results also confirmed what the Kauai locals had been telling us all along - that Contemporary Flavors is the best. Note: we had numerous guests that work in the food industry on the mainland - some at a high end catering company - and all raved about the food and service. Way to go! Mahalo Mark! read more

We recently did had our vow-renewal in Kauai and hired Comtemporary Flavors Catering for two nights of parties. We had a cocktail party with Action Stations the night before the renewal and then a Luau after the ceremony. The food was absolutely amazing and all of our friends and family raved about the quality and service! They also bartended both events which was so great! Mark is a great chef and we didn't have to worry about a thing everything just happened when it was supposed to. If you are looking for a geat caterer this is the one! I cannot say enough good things about Wendy and her crew. Thanks so much for a splendid time. read more

My husband and I attended a wedding in Hanalei Bay, Kauai that was catered by Contemporary Flavors - both a Sunset Cocktail evening with Asian inspired hors d'oeuvre and for the wedding reception, a Luau. The food was outstanding, the service impeccable and the tables beautifully decorated. We would not hesitate to use this company ourselves for an event. read more

We were directed to Contemporary Flavors Catering through a friend. We could not have been happier with the level of service and amazing food they provided for our wedding reception. We had our reception under a tent at a private home. They set up everything with no problem, were prompt, and professional. All of our guests raved about the food! It was seriously so delicious! The staff was so friendly and Wendy was so patient in our 50 emails back and forth getting the menu just right and all the minor details of service down. We didn't have to worry about a thing on the day! One highlight, was "Da Whole Hog". Definitely get this for your celebration! It was so tasty and nice to have something so unique on the menu. Thank you to all the staff that contributed to such a great event! Cannot recommend their services enough!!! read more

So my new wife and I hired Contemporary Flavors for our wedding. I have to say I was a little nervous about hiring them without doing a tasting. But my worries were immediately forgotten when I tasted the first app. The food was absolutely amazing. Everyone raved about the appetizers and the main courses which consisted of crab stuffed mushrooms, kona lobster, duck with mango sauce, Mahi Mahi, and Filet. If you are having any sort of catered party and want great food and great service, you HAVE to hire them. Seriously, trust the 5 star ratings. read more

Absolutely delicious!! We worked mostly with Wendy through email since we had a destination wedding and probably went through 50 emails and multiple rounds of menu selection. It was a little scary not being able to taste test options beforehand, but it turned out amazing. She was always very accommodating and worked with us to get everything in our budget. We did a simple buffet style (so no servers) and they provided everything from butane heaters to serving utensils, delivered on time and conveniently picked it up the next day. It couldn't have gone smoother and OMG the food. Seriously The Best cake we have ever eaten. We did their chocolate mocha crunch for 1 layer and a blue velvet (same as red just dyed navy blue) for the other. Our guests raved about how good everything was which is miracle since we had some super picky eaters. Would hire them again in heartbeat! We still dream about that food... :) read more

The best there is. Extremely accommodating and very nice, honest people who know what they are doing. Excellent food. Really appreciate their help catering our wedding. read more

My husband and I got married in Kauai and planned the entire event long distance, having never been to the island before. We cannot express in words how perfect and happy we were with the food and the service that Contemporary Flavors provided. They were so great to work with--responding quickly to all of my communications (which was very comforting from afar), and the staff the evening of the reception were so courteous and professional. They arrived early and set everything up so nicely. The food was SO delicious and many of our guests said it was the best meal they had their entire trip. We thought it was such a nice touch that they provided wine service to our guests at dinner. We had a small party, and not a lot of big eaters, and I never would have imagined that the food would be packaged up and saved for us--it was so nice! We all ate the leftovers for dinner the following night, and they were just as good as the night before! In a trip full of beautiful sights and experiences we will cherish forever, the service and meal they provided is at the top of our list. read more

Amazing food, amazing display, amazing people! Several guests told me it was the best wedding food they'd EVER had!

Contemporary Flavors catered our June 2015 wedding. It was an unforgettable experience with amazing food, drinks, and service. I 100% recommend this company for any event. We plan on going back to Kauai one day so that we can experience their food again! Thanks so much! read more