Chef Don was amazing to work with from beginning to end. We hired Chef Don to prepare and serve dinner for a group of 16 adult friends for our weekend getaway at Deep Creek. His communication and professionalism leading up to the trip was much much appreciated. Having cooked dinner for two nights, my group of friends were highly impressed and pleased with his time management (everything was as scheduled), well prepared food items which were all extremely tasty, top notch service (he waited on us and cleaned off the tables as we finished each plate), and great personality!! The jokes were always right on time! I'd book Chef Don again with absolutely no hesitation. Having visited Deep cereal continuously for over 15 years now, he the perfect compliment to your weekend getaway! Thumbs up! Thanks Chef Don! read more

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Chef Don is not only an amazing chef, he's a damned nice person who was so enjoyable to have around. The food was perfect, such a great menu to choose from. We will definitely be hiring him again! read more

I hosted a 8 person Italian dinner with 2 vegetarians. Chef Don was amazing, his food was unbelievable we were full before the main course even came... He is worth it for any occasion, He is personable & just awesome ... read more

We hired Don for our wedding near Deep Creek Lake (at Stillwater Haven -- an AMAZING venue). Don was perfect through the planning process, accommodating all our requests and suggestions. On the day of the event, he was on time, perfectly professional, and he brought a great team who were just as good. Many people commented on the food. We'd definitely recommend the aptly-named Mr. Champion. :) read more

My husband and I got hitched back in August, but I promised Don Champion that I would write a review for him. I never forget promises (though my completion rate sucks sometimes). So my partner-in-crime and I had, by DC standards, a very small amount of cash available for our wedding. Which was fine, because neither of us were remotely interested in an extravagant wedding, but we both did want to get married in a beautiful setting outdoors with good food, drinks, and music that followed. After a lot of searching, we discovered and settled on having our wedding at New Germany State Park - a small, woodsy, secluded park in western Maryland. It was such a great decision. One of the best finds, EVER. A huge challenge, though, was finding the associated people and services that could help us make it happen, particularly a good caterer. Finally, after a ton of googling and other research, somehow we stumbled upon Catering for the Champions. Don Champion. How well his name fits him. He was a superstar, from the time we started planning our meal, to the tasting at his home tucked in the woods near Oakland, MD, to the actual day of the event, at which everything went so smoothly. Don was extremely flexible with the menus and everything was so reasonably priced. It's clear that Don loves what he does - making great food, working with and employing people from the local community, and making his clients happy. It's definitely not about the money, for Don. If Catering for the Champions was located in the DC metro, I would probably look at things a bit differently. This review is extremely complimentary, however, because of the amount of effort that goes into preparing a good meal for a wedding that's taking place in-the-middle-of-nowhere, western MD. The food at the tasting was wonderful. The food at the reception itself was very good, but not excellent like at the tasting. It was a high-quality meal (similar to what you could get at a good DC restaurant) that probably suffered a bit from the setting in which the final touches needed to be made. (I honestly don't remember eating, but that's what other folks have told me). I give Catering for the Champions 5 stars for the value and the awesome service and person that is Don Champion. Here's what we had: Hors d'oeuvres: fresh seasonal fruit and cheese/crackers (including "gourmet" cheeses like bleu cheese and gouda) Beef Kabobs Pork Kabobs Chicken Kabobs Bacon Wrapped Scallop Kabobs California Rice Oven Roasted Baby Whole Potatoes Vegetable Kabobs Fruit Kabobs Breads Beverages (tea and coffee) Cupcakes and mini desserts bar-tending, wait staff, napkins and table cloths, plates, utensils, etc. All of this for about $2600 for 75 people. The rustic log pavillion we rented was $75 for the night, and we spent around $300 on wine and beer from a separate vendor. My brother-in-law and husband played DJ with a pre-made mix of songs... for free! See also my review for New Germany State Park. read more

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Thank You Don for helping make my husband's 50th Birthday SO special! Don and I created an amazing menu, he is easy to communicate with-flexible -accommodated my budget and really helped us plan our time line to incorporate a murder mystery theme with our dinner. We started out with crab stuffed mushrooms (feta and spinach as well) and baked Brie with a fig glaze-all so delicious!! Our meal was plated beautifully, very much enjoyed by our guests -I personally went up for seconds -as did almost all of our guests. The roasted asparagus and potatoes were so delicious that the little bit that was left over became part of our breakfast frittatas :) Don was professional, talented and fun all rolled into one personal chef...oh I should mention the mini cannolis (my husband's favorite), chocolate dipped strawberries (my favorite)amongst other delicious treats for dessert LC read more

Chef Don came and cooked for my framily of 10. The food was amazing, service was great, very personable and interactive with the group. A great value and experience for all!! Thanks again for my making my birthday memorable!! read more

Chef Don catered a wonderful family dinner the day after Thanksgiving 202! The food was absolutely delicious! Chef is so responsive and friendly. We had multiple dietary restrictions, but his menu choices were so diverse, he was able to meet everyone's requirements. Plus, we had plenty of food left over, which we ate for lunch the following day. Thank you, Chef Don, for making our family Thanksgiving Deep Creek holiday vacation so special. Looking forward to seeing you again this year! read more

I proposed to my fiance last Friday and surprised her with a private chef when we got back to the house. To say that Don exceeded expectations is an understatement. He made an overwhelming amount of food for our engagement party, including appetizers, multiple sides, 3 main courses and hands down the best creme brulee I have ever indulged in. Additionally, his company was able to provide a bartender as well to make everyone drinks while we celebrated. I cannot recommend Don enough, and I am incredibly fortunate to still be eating leftovers 5 days later. His food was incredible and upon speaking with him, he is incredibly genuine and cares about providing a phenomenal meal to his clientele. Additionally, I cannot stress enough to splurge a little bit more for the beef tenderloin, it was absolutely incredible. read more

Don catered our girls trip for two days. Prior to the event her was quick to respond to any questions, emails. etc. He arrived on time both days, set up the food, and gave an explanation of all of the food served. Everything was delicious. The first night we had appetizer, salad, two different entrees, bread and dessert. The second night we had brisket, ribs, potato salad, mac & cheese, fruit, bread and dessert. Both nights our group of 8 people were raving about the food. Everything was delicious. We had enough food left over for lunch the next day. It was well worth the money which was actually a good deal for the price. Don is very professional and personable. I recommend him if you are in the Deep Creek Lake area. You will not regret it. read more

Chef Don prepared a wonderful menu to help celebrate our parents' 50th Anniversary. He arrived on time and well prepared to handle our event. Don managed to not only serve a wonderful menu, but he also found time to engage in conversation and fill us in on some of the great events and sites to visit while at Deep Creek Lake. His laid-back demeanor and welcoming personality really set the tone for the evening. We even had some special dietary requests that Don handled without fanfare, and the food served was outstanding. We will definitely call Don again on our next trip to the lake! read more

We enjoyed a girl's weekend in Deep Creek and Chef Don came highly recommended. So happy we were able to have him come to our house and make us dinner. We chose from a very generous menu and Chef Don created all of our favorites from a cheese board and italian meats for our appetizer, caesar salads, chicken piccata, maple glazed salmon, fresh asparagus, veggie kabobs, rosemary baby potatoes, risotto, rolls & butter, tiramisu and the best creme brulee! Chef Don had a nice presence and really made the dinner special for our guest of honor. It was very enjoyable having someone pamper us by cooking and cleaning! What a special meal and experience! Thank you Chef Don Champion! read more

We enjoyed an amazing evening with Chef Don, a Christmas feast for our family. Delicious appetizers started our evening, followed by an amazing paella dish and beef tenderloin kabobs. Chef Don handled everything, while the adults enjoyed a night off from the kitchen, full clean-up included! After dinner, it was a display of fire as Chef Don expertly glazed our creme brulee. This was just what we were looking for, and my family all agreed we would be repeat customers. Thank you so much Chef Don! read more

Don is fantastic. We hired him for our wedding in Deep Creek Lake, MD. Not only was the food phenomenal (people talk about it when they talk about our wedding), but Don was instrumental in helping plan the logistics of the wedding. When our day of planner dropped the ball, he was there to make sure that things went smoothly. Again, the food was absolutely delicious. At our tasting it was so difficult to decide because all the food was so good. If Don had a restaurant, my husband and I would be frequent customers. read more

Our family of 20 had Don Champion cater our Christmas dinner....all 20 raved about the food. His menu selection is extensive..service is impeccable. Can't say enough about how he staged our meal and every portion, from appetizer to salad to main meal and dessert was outstanding. Don and Gail made us feel part of his preparation as he had my younger grandchildren help him with the prep and serving. Highly recommend his company for your event. read more

We used Champion Catering for a Chamber of Commerce event, and we were very pleased with the service they provided. Don Champion was in contact with us throughout the entire planning process, provided a wide variety of menu options, and his quote came in at a very reasonable rate. The event went incredibly smoothly - many unanticipated last-minute needs on our end were filled by his crew, as he and his staff were prepared for pretty much any contingency. We had about 80 people at the event, and they were all very complimentary about the food. In the end, leftovers were boxed neatly and the prep area was left cleaner than he found it. I would heartily recommend Don Champion' cooking and professionalism for any event. read more