My wife called me a Groomzilla... But I just tell her I like things done right. My wife and I got married last weekend at the Ocean Institute. Creative Cuisine was 1 of 3 of the catering companies that was approved for this venue. Since I'm the fatty in the relationship, the wifey put me in charge of putting together a custom menu and working with the caterers. I wanted to put together a menu that represented the both of us. I'm from Maryland and she's from San Francisco, so I wanted to do food that was from our regions of the US. Our major judging criteria was Maryland Blue Crab Cakes and San Francisco Style Cioppino. These guys nailed it. It was hard finding someone in California that can make a decent crab cake. Other places had too much breading/mayo or not enough seasoning. Their crab cakes were very light, sweet, and fluffy... probably one of the best crab cakes I've tasted. Perfect for a summer wedding by the ocean. The Cioppiono was also done very well. The broth wasn't too thick or tomato-y and it had high quality seafood. We went with Mussels, Clams, Halibut, and Scallops. Originally, we also had shrimp, but decided against it to lower costs and not overload our guests with too much shrimp (ie, shrimp cocktails). One of my concerns was how it was going to be put together. Marguerite assured me that the seafood would be steamed a head of time, portioned, and put together onsite. EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. The day of the wedding Marguerite and her team was already in place and working their magic. She really had everything under control and everything went smoothly. The bonus was that the original 7 oz ribeye steaks that I specified were MUCH bigger the day of. People literally had porterhouse steaks on their plates. They also threw in shrimp and lump crab meat in the Cioppino. The servers they had were clean cut and very professional. The bartenders were AWESOME. Jon Beck gave me great tips on how much booze to buy, what kind of mixers to bring, etc. Although I was expecting him to take tips, he was declining tips from my guests all night. (That really classed up the wedding, in my opinion). Overall, Creative Cuisine did a fantastic job. My only small complaint is that the final invoice was 2,500 more than the original estimate. Of course if they have to stay longer to clean up or something, I get that I need to pay overtime. However, I was told that the "menu was very complex". Shouldn't that have that been accounted for when I was given the estimate? I let it slide, since we got some extra freebies and the guests raved about how good the food and service was. A little about my credentials: I first got into cooking & food when I was in college. After being rejected by numerous girls and getting zero action, I decided it was time for a change. I needed a new makeover to boost my geeky, engineering image. I applied for a cooking position at a Mediterranean-Italian Restaurant near my home and learned to cook all sorts of pastas and dishes. I never became a professional chef, but I continue to enjoy & love food. read more

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We had Marguerite at Creative Cuisine Catering help us with a memorial service recently. We were absolutely pleased with everything that they did. Marguerite worked with our budget and theme and gave us turn key service so we did not have to worry about anything during this very emotional time. The service staff was very friendly and professional as they tray passed finger food to our guests. The food was excellent. Many people commented on it. We could not have been happier with them. read more

My husband & I hosted a rehearsal dinner for a party of 35 at a private estate in La Habra Heights last weekend (Feb 2012). Since I do not live in the Orange County area, my only resource, as is the case for many, was the internet. It is so difficult to know who will, or will not, live up to expectations but I knew I was in good hands from the moment we first spoke to the time our event had concluded. Karen and her team made our event so special and incredibly stress-free. Being a seasoned caterer, Karen knew exactly what needed to happen before, during and after the event. Although we encountered a couple of mishaps, at no fault of Creative Cuisine's (complicated oven controls, no lighting for dessert station, tablecloth miscount), Karen and her team improvised by slightly extending cooking time, using candles for lighting which actually added to the ambiance & using tablecloths intended for stations that were reconfigured. I was very impressed with how calmly & professionally Creative Cuisine was able to accommodate the changes on the fly. The set-up and presentation was beautiful, the menu was excellent and the service was impeccable. In my opinion, the overall price was very reasonable. Karen arranged for, and brought to the site, all of the chinaware, tableware, glassware, tablecloths, napkins etc.. Karen also provided her own chafing dishes, coffee urns, water and lemonade pitchers., etc. I, honestly, have nothing but positive things to say about Creative Cuisine. I would not hesitate to use Creative Cuisine Catering again or recommend them to anyone who is looking for top quality, stress-free catering at comparable rates. I am somewhat of a picky person, so, believe me when I say, "You will NOT be disappointed!!" Thank you Karen, and to your team at Creative Cuisine Catering, for making the prelude to our son's wedding to his beautiful new bride such a wonderfully memorable experience!! read more

Just wanted to give Karen Knapp and her crew at Creative Cuisine a shout out for an amazing job well done!!!. This was my first time producing a movie and it was on location far away from Los Angeles. I had no idea that the catering aspect of the film would be the easiest part of my producing. . . but it was. Karen, her husband and the rest of the team there bent over backwards to satisfy the crew's hunger at every turn and at every meal. They were incredibly flexible. . . especially when I asked them the night before to move the delivery up or back 15 minutes. Karen's team arrived like clockwork and was a welcome distraction to the demands of a stressful (there is no other kind) film shoot. Thanks again! read more

Creative Cuisine delivered on the day of our wedding, although we did run into some snafus during the planning process. We found Creative through our venue's list of approved vendors. When we showed up for the tasting, Marguerite (the catering manager) struck me as very seasoned (with over 20 years of experience), but not necessarily into the whole "trendy DIY" stuff I was more on board with. Regardless, my husband fell in love with the food and we decided to go with them because we felt that the quality of food prepared was the best. In the months leading up to the event, I worked with Marguerite to execute my artistic vision for the wedding (since at our venue, the caterer was responsible for the table setup, chairs, etc.). While I can't speak for the menu planning and bartender portion, which my husband handled, Marguerite was pretty flexible although the communication could have been better (oftentimes I had to remind her of the decisions we had made), and she is pretty opinionated (probably through her years of experience). What we settled with was simple yet classy. On the actual day of, Creative really delivered in terms of execution. They even added in some random details that were much appreciated, such as bringing my husband and I our meal during cocktail hour in our private changing room so we could enjoy our first private meal as husband and wife, and making sure we had drinks, and cleaning up the venue afterwards. They also helped us pack our things and worked seamlessly with our venue (Ocean Institute in Dana Point). My tips for working with Creative are to improve communication (make sure they put in the right orders for chairs, colors, etc. and that you check out the actual table setup in advance of the wedding), be more clear about the billing (some inconsistencies there), and be firm about your choices and/or get them in writing. Another thing I was slightly disappointed about was during the tasting, the steak we tried had a DELICIOUS marinade. However, during the actual wedding, the steak tasted bland and did not have the same flavor as the one we picked out at the tasting. Also, our order for silverware was incorrect, as we had ordered steak knives specifically and they did NOT show up the day of. Also, the price was a bit high for what we received, but the portion of food was good. I just wish the actual day of wedding food tasted as good as it had during the tasting! read more

Karen and Staff are fabulous! We came to her with very few days notice for a large event because another caterer cancelled on us. Honestly we could not have asked for anything better in service and food quality. All the guests kept asking me over and over again who the caterer was and how good and tasty her food was. I think it was meant to be for us to find Karen ! I would recommend Karen and her staff to anyone who appreciates delicious food great service and attention to detail. She is forever on our go to list for catering! read more

Not your average catering company. They did our wedding. My husband was a cook for 10 years (in a former life). They loved working with someone that had opinions on the food and could describe what he wanted. They shared his concerns about sourcing sustainable fish. They asked him to tour their kitchen.. It was fun. Other caterers don't like opinions. Marguerite went way above and beyond normal to make sure we were happy with the menu, the decor, etc, including meetings with the rental company, the site, the DJ, etc. We also had multiple tastings. In the end, I think out wedding dinner was the best wedding food ever (of course i am biased). We served filet, seabass and chicken. It was also beautiful food. Some of our favorite photos are the food. And, the servers were great. They looked like pros and smiled the whole time. They also knew it was a good idea to keep my glass full the entire time. They worked very hard with us to keep it on budget without eliminating our creativity. And, they packed up a ton of food for us to bring back to the hotel (yup the bride and groom don't have a chance to eat at the wedding). They took all the leftover decor, favors, booze, cake, etc back with them so we did not have to worry about it and we just picked up before we left for the honeymoon. But, the proof of the quality comes from the guests. Several asked for their contact information and have used them for corporate functions and parties since. I used them for a fancy corporate lunch and my guests asked for their info and used them. I will use them again with no hesitation. read more

KAREN IS QUEEN! Our Party was hands down one of the best parties we have ever had and we are so happy we found Karen at Creative Cuisine. She took the time to listen to what we wanted and she came up with some great suggestions we had not even thought of. Our guests were amazed at all the great food items we served and all wanted her contact info. She even came down to our house and oversaw the entire event and even started cooking with her staff in our kitchen. I Guess after 35 years in business you learn more than a few things. All the food was made from scratch and the displays she put up in our house made it look so beautiful. I would call Creative Cuisine 100 times over. Her knowledge about parties and food is unmatched we were sure lucky to have found her. The staff was more than professional and cleaned up everything and took the trash with them so we didn't have to worry about lifting a finger.. It's full service with a smile and made our guests so happy. NOw we just have to think of a new idea to throw another party.. one thing is for sure We Will be calling Karen again read more

I recently had the pleasure of attending a beautiful wine country wedding, catered by Creative Cuisine. The food was off the charts delicious, displayed elegantly and every detail was considered in the execution of the event. Because I was in the wedding party, I had the opportunity to observe all of the set-up and pre-wedding coordination. I was totally impressed by how everything came together like clockwork. Karen and her staff were professional, calm, discreet about how they handled the set-up, food preparation, service and exquisite display of food. Back to the food! The appetizers were scrumptious! There was a nice variety of ahi, chicken and fig dumplings (had too many!) and a stunning ice-sculpture to display the shrimp cocktails, oysters, etc. (These were my favorites.) The dinner was served family-style, which I loved! Vegetables cooked to perfection, not soggy or cold. The salad was perfect for wine country- light dressing with strawberries, a little yummy cheese, etc. Dessert was a delicious variety of cheesecakes and mousses, all served in these adorable small serving glasses so we could taste more than one! I would not hesitate to hire Creative Cuisine Catering for any event. Karen and her team clearly have the experience and panache to handle large, detailed events with confidence and elegance. read more

We used Creative Cuisine recently because I needed my mother's memorial service catered. There was so much to take care of and I called Karen who picked up on a Sunday afternoon and was extremely accommodating. Karen was a pleasure to work with and met myself and my sister-in-law the next morning to make plans. In two simple words "absolutely perfect". What Karen did for my family in such short notice was incredible. She came into my home while we were at the memorial service and set everything up. The food and presentation was amazing! Karen was able to work within my budget and everyone was so impressed when they come to my home. I would highly recommend Karen and Creative Cuisine to cater any event. I'm looking forward to working with Creative Cuisine in the near future. read more

We just used Karen and her team to do the catering for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. She was amazing at recommending different foods and putting together what we wanted. Her staff was great and their service was WONDERFUL. We were able to just show up and everything was taken care of. Everyone raved about the food and the service. We WILL use Karen and Creative Cuisine again. read more