John, Madison, and the rest of the amazing CEC team were more than what we could have asked for when planning our wedding. We gave John some vague plans for a Star Wars theme (but not too much like Comic-con) with a Korean/Filipino menu. He created a perfect family-style menu that was loved by our guests. His team created light saber serving trays for cocktail hour. Our wedding was flawless and we didn't have to lift a finger. I can't recommend John and Culinary Eye for everything they did for us to make our event unique and unforgettable! read more

Best. Dudes. Ever. John and Collins rocked our wedding and it wasn't just the food (which our guests STILL talk about months later). We're recent transplants from Chicago and didn't know where to go or even where to start. They went so far above and beyond our catering needs and gave us a huge helping hand with the table settings, lighting, and a bunch of other insider tips that helped my husband and I stay sane. They always kept us in the loop and let us know they had our backs. On the day of, they conquered permit obstacles and made everything run like clockwork. We met John for the first time over burgers and milkshakes to discuss our ideas. Willing to meet us at a diner in the Outer Richmond: Worth 10 Yelp stars. The second time we met was with John and Collins at their office. My husband and I don't remember the last time we laughed like that with people we've just met. It's a testament to these guys, their talent, and how much they friggin' love their job. Personality was huge for us, and the people we worked with made planning our wedding as effortless as you can get. They got us. They listened to what we wanted and presented us with tasty memories that we'll have forever. Now the food. Holy. Jesus. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I'm Cajun and my husband is Italian. Delicious food, yes? We had ideas beyond your wildest imagination and they delivered flawlessly. Culinary Eye NAILED it with the perfect amount of spices, colors, unique ideas, and swoon-worthy plates. The service was impeccable and everyone had a smile on their face. I'll always remember John sneaking a plate full of appetizers to us as we, the brand-new-just-married couple, went off into the wilderness of the Redwoods for a photo shoot. There were crostinis smothered in a white bean and herb and olive oil goodness. There were biscuits. With Bacon Jam on them!!! We just can't say enough amazing things about these guys and their wonderful staff. They played such a huge role on our special day, and we will never forget the talent and good vibes they brought. Culinary Eye is the best. Book these guys. Your event, whatever it may be, will be so much better because of them. Seriously, these guys are the best. We're so glad we met them and we can't wait to sit at a dinner table with them again. read more

Culinary Eye was a suggested caterer for an event I was planning at White Walls Gallery. The event was in celebration of new hardware we were launching. It was also the first party for my team that I was planning, 60 designers, who have very high standards. From Culinary Eye's first menu proposal I was intrigued! Then at our walk-thru they brought me a small bouquet of flowers- hook, line and sinker. The event was a HUGE success and I've never received so many compliments on food, truly. For weeks afterwards I was getting, "Who were the caterers for our party? Can I have their contact info?" Then in August I was helping plan a week long summit for our team. Multiple days, multiple events. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would go to Culinary Eye for our needs. Together we planned a bonfire at Ocean Beach for 115, all rentals for our 2 days at the Old Mint, a coffee/waffle cart for the mornings and an evening sit-down dinner for 115. The evening dinner also included a cocktail hour and drinks/dessert in the vault afterwards. The team and my boss were absolutely BLOWN AWAY. John and Nikki are collaborative, creative, organized, flexible and cool under pressure. Their level of customer service and food quality is superb. When needing to execute high level corporate events, this is your team! read more

Nikki and the rest of the team at Culinary Eye are absolutely amazing! The food was incredible, the plating was perfect, and the event execution was flawless. Everyone at our wedding raved about the food, drinks, and service. If you care about having excellent food at your wedding, then hire Culinary Eye. There is nobody better. During the planning process, Nikki was always responsive and made everything really easy. We met at the event rental company where I was able to see and choose all of my rentals in one place. She took care of everything else. Thank you, Nikki, Chef Collins, and team! read more

We just used Culinery Eye to cater a 150 person breakfast at midnight (post dance party). John Silva and his crew did an excellent job. They setup, cooked and delivered a fabulous breakfast (Quiche, bread pudding, bacon, sausages and coffee). Our guests loved the concept as well as the experience. Flawless execution and no supervision required. We highly recommend Culinery Eye's services. read more

We had John at Culinary Eye cater a party at a home in Atherton. We couldn't have been more impressed with his service. The menu was well-planned and the food was excellent- beyond expectations. Everything was on-time, from set-up, to tray-passed appetizers, to our buffet dinner. The kitchen was left perfectly clean. John worked with us to design a menu that fit in our budget and even helped us out with silverware and dish rentals. We would absolutely use Culinary Eye again and whole-heartedly recommend the company. Thanks for the great service and amazing food! read more

John Silva & Culinary Eye Catering run a very tight ship. Chef John is a consummate professional and really enjoys his craft. And his food is consistently amazing. He is our go-to caterer for anything ranging from a casual, 5-course dinner with a handful of friends to full-on, outdoor yard-parties. The price point is always less than what I imagine it should be, especially considering the obvious effort & high-culinary standards Chef John maintains. And he's just easy to work with. It's reassuring to provide minimal direction and then be blown away by the end result. One of my favorite things about working with Culinary Eye is that Chef accounts for every possible detail. For our yard-warming party, he created an amazing ambiance by rigging paper lanterns and simple white lights tastefully around the yard. Combine this with the cocktails he invented for the occasion and the delicious, Asian-themed menu & the party was a HUGE success. For a recent dinner with friends, he surprised us with an abalone crudo -- abalone that he himself had caught earlier that weekend - which continues to be the best abalone I've had in the bay area. And for my wife's latest birthday party - in Mexico - he worked diligently with our local contacts and flew to the party site to make sure all of our food & beverage needs were taken care of! This meant modifying the local menu away from a Mediterranean theme and introducing more local elements, all the while tending to numerous food-allergies and specific requests we kept hurling at him. A constant refrain over the week-long trip was how amazing the food was. I can't recommend Culinary Eye Catering enough. Chef John is a culinary rock star. read more

The best wedding catering ever! I did a cocktail party style wedding with heavy apps and stations and I cannot tell you how many people said that it was THE BEST wedding food they have ever had! Super professional, fun, and easy to work with. You guys are the best and your food rocks! read more

I just hosted a cooking dinner party coordinated by John. It was a wonderful evening full of great ideas, excellent recipes and perfect presentation. After we all had a chance to work on the recipes we sat down to a lovely dinner served by John and his assistant, David. While we ate the kitchen was cleaned and refrigerator filled with leftovers. It was an absolutely perfect evening with friends thanks to John's organization and delicious menu! read more

Wonderful service, wonderful Chef. Pleasure to deal with and do business with. John truly makes your event special-- I can not recommend him enough. He and his professional staff catered a wonderful rehearsal dinner-- which started with a passed cocktail party and ended with an incredible dinner for our friends and family. He pleased the toughest critic-- my mother in law! He takes care of the all the little details and came in under budget. Thanks to his services, we had a wonderful time and were able to relax and enjoy a memorable dinner and evening! read more

John Silva and Culinary Eye produced an extraordinary event recently at my home. From start to finish we couldn't have been more pleased! Great ingredients and great food with beautiful presentation and service. John is so easy going and well organized that it all came off seemingly effortlessly. Overall, a wonderful experience! Bob Tiburon, CA read more

John was fabulous! When we first started wedding planning, I originally thought I would do my own flowers for the table decorations. As we got closer, I realized I really needed help! My wedding coordinator, Christy Daly Matthew of Allure Consulting, recommended John and we were so lucky he was available. He is very easy to work with - organized, responsive and talented! My bouquet, the bridesmaids' bouquets, the boutonnieres, corsages, and all the flowers throughout the wedding day were absolutely beautiful. I told John my color scheme and shared a few photos but really left it to him to decide what would look best. And I'm so glad I did! Everything was beautiful and elegant. read more

It was such a pleasure working with John and the Culinary Eye team. From ideation to execution our wedding was exactly how we imagined it would be all thanks to his incredible team. Our wedding took place on a peach farm in the East Bay. John helped us build our event from planning out the menu and cocktails to designing our floor plan and tablescapes. The food itself left us and our guests wanting more. The menu featured Chef Collin's rendition of our favorite dishes (he made these amazing ceviche tacos - so good!) that were locally sourced and tasted FANTASTIC. During our tasting, it was difficult to choose what was going to make the menu! John was always conscience about our budget and maximized his resources to fulfill all of our wants and needs. Our venue required a complete buildout which meant a lot of moving parts and different vendors. John was a huge help in recommending the right vendors who made our wedding complete. Because of his experience and network, we knew we were in great hands. We can't express enough how much John and his team were involved, responsive, professional and FUN to work with it. If we had to plan another event, we would most definitely choose Culinary Eye Catering! read more

I used Culinary Eye for an engagement party and all the planning was done with John from 3,000 miles away! The event was perfect; John and his team do it all. Set up, prep, serve and clean. The food was fabulous and presented beautifully. A grand time was had by all! read more

John at Culinary Eye catered a wine party for 25 of us last night and did a tremendous job. He helped create a menu of grilled foods to pair with our sparkling wine theme, and knocked it out of the park. Many of the guests commented about the delicious food, the great service, and the terrific clean up job that John and his assistant provided. The home made ricotta cheese was an excellent touch as well. Highly recommended, don't hesitate to contact him! read more

John and his crew just catered our 25th wedding anniversary party and both the food and service were amazing. I filled him in on the idea of our 80's theme and not only did he come up with a great menu, but it was as if he could read my mind in designing a themed setup for the food. He was really easy to work with and made my life easier by taking care of so many of the details. Thanks, John. read more

John catered a dinner party at my house recently for a work event... he cooked everything "live" and had several small plates to share throughout the evening. I can't say enough about how wonderful it was - the food was awesome, he was interactive with the group and talked about the food he was preparing, and he's just a really nice person you want hanging out with you for the evening! And - there was ample food... everyone walked away full and we had leftovers in the fridge. The team talked about it the rest of the week. John really made this a special evening for everyone. read more

Excellent staff, food and service. They know my venue better than I did and helped make the setup and flow of the event better than I could have planned for. Delicious food and so easy to work with. Highly recommend! read more

excellent excellent food and even more excellent excellent excellent service. i've been in the events industry for nearly a decade and they are one of the best catering company i've ever worked with. fabulous stuff here. read more

Off. The. Charts. Look, I normally hate reviews that don't at least contain a touch of criticism (they seem a little canned and lacking in objectivity), but I can't oblige that mentality in this review. Culinary Eye is simply the best caterer I've ever been around and they were the best vendor we used at our wedding. To top it off, John (one of the owners) is wonderful to work with and has become a friend with whom we still connect. A little about our wedding: 125 people, welcome appetizers, full sit-down dinner, ice cream bar, and late night snacks (everything was handled by Culinary Eye). Each and every dish was executed well, served on time, and with a creativity and vision I didn't expect for wedding food (before we got to know the company). Some four months after our wedding, we still receive positive feedback about the food at the event. I really like good food, but I realize that catering an event like a wedding can create logistical challenges that limit the ability of anyone to deliver the best eating experience. However, I really wanted a meal that our guests would remember and something that would add to the greatest of all nights. My wife told me at the beginning of the wedding process that I should temper my expectations because, like I said, catering is tough. But what I learned through the wedding process was that Culinary Eye doesn't live in that world. From the first conversation I had with John on the phone, to the menu he designed, to our tasting menu, to the meal itself, to the scones for our guests as parting gifts, to the delivery of extra food to our hotel room the night of our wedding (as a surprise!), Culinary Eye left no stone unturned. The event they delivered wasn't just a good "wedding meal," it was a great dinner and helped make our wedding a spectacular night. Culinary Eye is just delivers great meals and great events. These guys are at the top of their game and I would recommend them for any event. Seriously, just the best. Love these guys. read more

We chose Culinary Eye as our wedding caterer. John and his team did a terrific job and made our day perfect. Not only our guests loved the food, but the venue staff gave a really high evaluation on the team's professionalism. I would recommend John to any one who is looking for a perfect catering service for a special event! read more

John and his crew are FANTASTIC! I hired them for our board and management team party which was in our home. The food was amazing, the service was exceptional, and the theme they helped create was stunning. If I could give 10 stars I would. This is the best catering and event crew I have ever worked with. Look forward to having another party with this team! read more

Culinary Eye catered our outdoor wedding in Templeton, CA (a long trip for them!), in September. They make absolutely amazing food, but what really makes them stand out from other caterers is the professionalism, preparedness and attentiveness they bring to your event. I planned an fairly complicated wedding in a non-venue location and Culinary Eye was one of the only vendors I had 100% confidence in with regards to following my elaborate plans to the detail. I got a ton of comments from our guests that this was the best wedding food they're ever had: "...and it was even hot!" - what a concept! :) John, Collins and staff are awesome! read more

John and his team are absolutely fantastic to work with and I'm so appreciative of their extreme attention to detail in making my event a smashing success and making me look really good to my boss, total icing on the cake! We hired Culinary Eye to provide the catering for a very exclusive Executive dinner we were planning but they went so far above and beyond just catering. I needed a really special venue but was disappointed in everything I'd found on my own. I described the overall atmosphere I wanted and John immediately had two perfect recommendations, one of which ended up being the venue we chose. A few of the guests have extremely specific dietary needs that were far off the menu we'd chosen but John easily created appropriate alternatives and ensured they were served the correct meals without any fuss/trouble. I had pulled together some of the pieces; linens, custom menus, place cards, etc but I was super stressed out on the day of the event and suddenly couldn't decide how to pull together the place settings with all the different components - again, John immediately stepped in, put together a perfect place setting and had his staff help put it all together on the tables. Honestly, I was so grateful! When the guests arrived his staff were flawless and attentive serving appetizers, drinks, etc and helping create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. His introduction of each course was really elegant and definitely added to the already stellar experience - and seriously, every single bite of food was beautiful, delicious, perfectly cooked and hot/cold as appropriate. We're planning on hosting a similar event next year and nothing would make me happier than to hire John and his team again. read more

This review is long overdue. John and his team are superb. I would give 10 stars if that was an option. They were absolutely wonderful to work with from the very first email to the last second of my wedding that they catered. John must be one of the nicest guys I've ever met and the food was fantastic. I am still getting compliments from guest over six months later, best wedding food they have ever had! When my day of planner was late, John and his team stepped in to do her job, without asking and with smiles on their faces. Did I mention the food was great? The planning process was simple, after meeting John and Collins, we were hooked, they made us some wonderful pastry I cant remember the name of for our first meeting and were flexible when we asked for slight changes to the menu. When the day was getting closer John helped make a seating chart which was super helpful and he was always available when I was calling the day before the wedding with minor changes, a few extra place settings etc. John is a true professional and he was so fun to work with. We gave him free reign to decide the menu, giving him ideas of cuisine we liked, the menu he came up with was fantastic. I think giving him creative freedom really brought the meal together because he knows what he's good at and what works. We ordered some pies through him also and our guests loved them. He made vendor meals and personally brought me our signature cocktail when I was getting my makeup done. When my wedding planner left early (I know-she sucked) John personally rearranged our car, he took everything out and put everything back- plus more back in so it all fit, this gesture I still remember because he was so genuinely thoughtful and nice. I have so many good things to say about Culinary Eye Catering, if you are looking for a caterer, look no further. John is a gem in the Bay Area, you will be glad you hired him. I have to also say that his fees are great, we got great food and service at a great price. Thank you John! read more

We hire Culinary Eye every year to cater our company Christmas party and each time they wow us with a sea of deliciousness and incredible professionalism. John and his staff consistently knock it out of the park to the point where we'd never consider working with anyone else. He is so accommodating and has patiently fielded even our most outlandish requests ("hey, do you know of any transgender performers who could perform on a moment's notice?!") Love these folks and would recommend them many times over. read more

I can't recommend Chef John enough. He was so easy to work with--responsive, flexible. It made no difference that we were changing numbers and asking for rentals right up until the day of. He had everything taken care of! And the food was absolutely incredible. Everything from the passed appetizers to the three-course meal, to the recommended wine pairings, was absolutely incredible. I can't say enough nice things about Chef John and his staff. read more

John and his team were absolutely fantastic! From the first moment of contact I had with John via email, to follow up phone calls, a site visit, working within my budget, and some last minute (crazy) requests he continued to blow me away. He and his team were beyond professional, fun, and efficient. And if it couldn't get better than that...the food was top notch! People can't stop talking about it days after the event. Thank you to John and his entire team at Culinary Eye! I won't use another caterer in the Bay Area again! read more

I contacted a lot of caterers for my husband's 40th birthday celebration and without even tasting one bite of his food, I knew John Silva was our man. We knew we wanted an outdoor crab feast with yummy, summer-y foods and John seemed to get our vision right away. He sent great menu options, provided some much appreciated guidance and was incredibly flexible about making some minor last minute tweaks. On the day of the party, John and his staff were amazing! I provided a minimal amount of direction and they took care of EVERYTHING. Oh! And I guess I should also mention the food was perfect! All our guests raved about the fresh cucumber and watermelon margaritas (John's idea), the delicious passed appetizers and everything that accompanied the crabs. The party was everything we wanted it to be-- and a lot of the credit goes to Chef John Silva. read more

John and his crew at Culinary Eye Catering are fantastic!! I helped coordinate a company party hosted by my boss at her beautiful home, and John really made the party feel special. The food was perfect - tuna tartar on taro chips, avocado/pear tatar bites, an oyster and shrimp cocktail bar, watermelon salad, and to-die-for sliders. The bar set up was also ideal - a good mix of margaritas, cocktails, and beer and wine. The entire staff was so friendly and just all around good at their jobs. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to have a fun and classy party! read more

John is a dream to work with! We just hosted my partners 50th birthday and the Culinary Eye team managed everything leaving me time to enjoy the party. The food was great...loved the Ahi served on ruffles potato chips! As if managing a party for 80+ wasn't enough John took over 160 pictures and surprised us with a CD. John you are the best! read more

I hired Culinary Eye for my company's holiday party and I am so glad I did. They handled the food, bar, staffing, set up and rentals (including furniture). The food was great and people loved the cocktails. However, what made Culinary Eye great was their customer service. John made the process of event planning a breeze. He always got back to me quickly and had great suggestions on how to ensure the party's success. He was even able to accommodate some last minute requests. I will definitely use them again. read more

We are a family of foodies with many foodie friends. This past year we hosted several large events (a fundraiser, a graduation luncheon, university welcome party, and a 50th birthday) in our home with the help of John Silva. His passion for food and creativity, coupled with his "can do" attitude, got us through each event feeling supported and that we had treated our guests to divine food. The only probelm was afterwards, when everyone called wanting the recipes because like us, they were craving more! read more

We used Culinary Eye to do a large holiday open house at our Saratoga home. My numbers kept going up and up and I was really getting nervous. Collins Anderson was unfailingly calm and collected. He assured me they would take care of everything and they did. We ended up with over 160 people and everything went very smoothly. People raved about the food. I wanted a mashed potato bar and Collins made it special by serving braised short ribs over the potatoes in their martini glass- wow, now that's comfort food. Collins came up with a tartare bar that featured tuna, traditional and vegetarian tartares, displayed in a rustic wooden "boat" filled with ice.The passed items were all unique and delicious. The staff was the best I've ever had, unobtrousive yet keeping everything stocked and available. I was able to relax and enjoy the party. I'm still getting emails, a week later about the food. John Silva, the coowner,and all the staff were a delight to work with. What a find! read more

Culinary Eye absolutely crushed it, executing a delicious and creative menu for our unique corporate event. All the dishes were beautifully presented, and their service and attention to detail were on point. Thanks, Nikki and team! read more

I have used Culinary Eye several times for catering corporate events. Each time, with out fail, John and his team are a pleasure to work with, efficient, and produce remarkable food that is fresh and delicious. Feeding 80+ people is always a challenge but after each Culinary Eye event, our employees rave about the food. I highly recommend them for both private and corporate events - you won't be disappointed! read more

I cannot thank John, Collins and all of the staff at Culinary Eye enough for the incredible event they created for us. From the moment my daughter suggested them, through an incredible tasting, positive interactions and finally a wedding whose food people are still talking about - Culinary Eye was the best. John met with me and the planners at our venue several times, he listened to what they were saying, understood my unspoken concerns, and made sure that everything was perfect. To say that the whole wedding was stress free is an understatement.......we all were able to relax and enjoy. The only bad part - we didn't get to eat as much as we wanted to since we were having so much fun! I cannot recommend them highly enough. Now I just need to figure out another event that I can have them cater.......... read more

I want to compliment John Silva and his team on an exceptional job. We used Culinary Eye for our backyard wedding last weekend and were truly blown away by their work and service. They made a house wedding look and taste like something from a Four Seasons Resort. Besides connecting us with an exceptional DJ and lighting company (Gatsby Entertainment) and Found and Bright Rentals, John helped us put together the most stunning and delicious wedding reception I have ever experienced. He coached us through the whole process and acted like a wedding planner. The food was off the hook! We got so many compliments from our guests. Some of them wouldn't go home when the wedding ended! John and his entire staff did a superb job. He drove down from SF to meet with us at our house, walked the venue, and spent tons of time interviewing us about the food. He gave it a very personal touch and even made an appetizer that offered a nod to my husband's mom and to our cultural heritage. John and his assistant Madison are the type of people you'd want to hang out with, even if there was no wedding to plan. I felt so at ease with Culinary Eye and didn't worry about a thing during the planning process. John just made me feel like everything would come together just perfectly and it did. Truly, this is an outstanding catering and wedding planning service. If I were to do it all again, I would use Culinary Eye again without hesitation. Phenomenal Job! read more

Culinary Eye was an absolute dream to work with! They catered our wedding this September in Napa and were recommended to us by our wedding planner, Jacin Fitzgerald of Lovely Little Details. From the beginning we were hooked and had such a great time discussing our favorite foods/dishes/restaurants with John. The wedding menu that he & Collins developed for us was absolutely delicious and captured the exact feeling/flavors we were looking to give our guests. They take culinary creativity to a new level and made the most mouth watering food for our big day. I'm sure my husband would agree that the biggest star of our wedding was the brown sugar, bacon ice cream & oatmeal cookie sandwiches for desert. My husband is not a huge cake fan so we wanted to do something a bit different & unique for desert, the ice cream cookies were phenomenal and our guests are still talking about them! John even sent us home with a fabulous care package the night of the wedding, the next day we were eating our leftover short ribs and reminiscing about the night, it was absolutely perfect. Thank you to John & Collins for all of your hard work, you are the best at what you do and we're so thankful that we got to work with you! read more

Would give John and Culinary Eye a hundred stars if I could. I found Culinary Eye on yelp originally, and hired them to cater a wedding shower sight unseen (and food untasted). Honestly, John exceeded even my most hopeful expectations! Food was seasonal, local, and absolutely delicious, as well as really gorgeous. (I'm still dreaming about the deviled eggs with fried capers and sea salt, and the smoked trout farro salad.) John came personally to set up, bringing with him some gorgeous flowers that he had left over from another event, just in case I wanted to use them. (Of course!) He was very accommodating to all my questions and menu adjustments, and even found me a server very last minute when I decided (the day before!) that I really needed someone there during the event to help with serving and clean up. And to top it off, John couldn't be a nicer guy. Highly, highly, highly recommend! read more