I purchased appetizers from the freezer after seeing the piece on WGN. I got the pesto pistachio…read morecheese puffs and the beef Wellington. I wanted to try them out before the holidays. I am so glad I did. The cheese puffs are good and very rich. A layer of crème cheese w pesto sandwiched between like a Parmesan puff pastry. The beef Wellington were small round balls filled with what my husband described as pot roast. I thought it would be a small piece of tenderloin with the duxelles wrapped in puff pastry. The meat was a shaved beef. At $36 a dozen it definitely not worth the money to serve at a party. All in all, I would not buy again. They won't make it to my holiday party! I am sure their catering is wonderful but the individual frozen apps are not worth the drive!

I met them at the function recently. Handing out their cheese puffs. Delicious. Have also had their…read morecatering at other company picnics. Everything was delicious and fresh.

Everything was wonderful!! Communication good, set up great, food amazing, lot's of compliments…read more Many people asked for the caterer's name. We couldn't have been more pleased! Highly recommend!

We had a great experience working with Tricia and the team at Chef Paul Catering for our event…read more Throughout the planning process, Tricia was incredibly patient and accommodating as we went through multiple rounds of menu changes while finalizing the details. On the day of the event, she was professional, attentive, and willing to help with whatever we needed. The food was great as well, and we would absolutely recommend and work with Chef Paul Catering again in the future.

Ivan, Cathie, and the entire Gourmet Food Works team knocked it out of the park at our 9/5/15…read morewedding! We've been regular customers of the Picnic Basket (restaurant side of this business) for years and Gourmet Food Works actually catered my husband's christening years ago, so there was little doubt they'd be the best choice for our big day. That said, we were very budget conscious, so we definitely did our homework (checked with other caterers, etc.), but in the end no one compared from a price, quality, or service standpoint, and I know we made the right choice going with Gourmet Food Works! From our initial meeting with Ivan, where he answered our million questions and clearly laid out our options.. to the food tasting where he provided us with so many delicious options to choose from.. to the morning of the big day where he and his team showed up early to ensure everything was ready to go.. and finally to the day-of coordination and food service, everything was excellent and far exceeded our expectations. We had our wedding at an amazing but non-traditional location (see: Cypress Resort & Marine in Antioch) which required a bit more logistical consideration than some of the other more traditional venues out there. Ivan and his team actually went out to the site to scope things out ahead of time (on more than one occasion, I believe) to ensure what we were envisioning was feasible. There were also a number of changes and several 'special requests' we made during the process (which I know caused a lot of extra work for Ivan), and throughout everything, he was patient, responsive, and extremely helpful. Arguably most importantly, the food at our wedding was fantastic! We received a number of compliments from our guests, which of course was great to hear. It was also very nice knowing that the day was fully taken care of, as Ivan & Cathie & crew did a great job working with us and our other vendors to ensure everything went off without a hitch. We'd HIGHLY recommend having Gourmet Food Works cater your wedding or party!

We used Picnic Basket/ Gourmet Food works for our wedding last month at the Byron Colby Barn. We…read moreworked with Ivan and he did SO much more than just help us plan our menu. He was very familiar with our venue and helped with alot of the planning for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. He really made the whole process a breeze! We had some menu ideas when we arrived for the tasting, months before our wedding, but Ivan brought out samples of SO much food and we ended up picking something completely different. As the bride, I have food allergies (allergic to gluten and dairy) and Ivan was SO accommodating with all the menu choices. Alot of our guests were also GF and he made sure our buffet was all clearly marked with tons of options for everyone. We also had two vegan guests, which had their meals prepared on the side, and they raved about their dish! The day of the wedding, Ivan and his staff were very prompt, professional and smiling all night! At the end of the dinner, the food was packed up for us to take home! They also handled our cake perfectly. I would HIGHLY recommend using Gourmet Food Works for their wedding or special event!

Chef Doug and Jamie did a superb job catering a retirement party for 50 at our house. The food was…read moredelicious, the service was fantastic and their cleanup left the kitchen spotless. I would definitely recommend them for your event, they never disappoint!

Doug catered a dinner for 18 for my husband's birthday. The food was fantastic. We had 3 appetizers…read more& 3 delicious entrees. He & Jaimie worked seamlessly together throughout the evening. Things couldn't have gone better. I highly recommend them. They had been recommended to us by friends & we were delighted with the food, presentation, service, clean-up, & how well they worked surrounded by party goers.

On Sunday August 8, 2022 Francines's Cuisine from Arlington Heights,IL catered a wedding reception…read moreI attended. During the cocktail hour they provided appetizers that were amazing! Francine's staff was attentive to the guests, hustled to refill the trays, very particular about the linens and decorations and extremely joyful throughout the event! That was just the cocktail hour! Then came the buffet!! Everyone was overwhelmed at the variety and presentation of the food. It looked as good as it tasted!! Many people went back for seconds! The dessert table was elegantly created with a large assortment of delicious treats! I had to force myself NOT to try ever dessert!! I would strongly recommend Francine's Cuisine Catering in Arlington Heights IL for your next event!!

Fran created the most amazing sweets table for my wedding! Chocolate cupcakes topped with bacon,…read morecookies, mini fruit tarts, chocolate covered fruit and much more. I wish someone had taken pictures of it because it was that amazing. We had so much cake left over because everyone ate from the sweets table instead(Fran did not make our cake)

Awful! Chef Leslie is completely unprofessional. Her cooking is a best mediocre. Her attitude is…read morecompletely unprofessional. She did not follow through on her commitment to me and I would not recommend her under any circumstances. There are so many other personal chefs out there who are more talented and know how to treat a customer right. Find someone else!

Chef Leslie is the blessing that our family needed. We are two busy professionals, who struggled to…read morefind time to grocery shop and cook meals for our family. With freshly made, organic meals prepared according to our preferences, we come home, quickly reheat our food, and just like that, dinner is served. Chef Leslie is always finding new recipes for us to try, and her cooking is simply delicious. It's obvious that Chef Leslie is passionate about her skill, and we feel very fortunate to have found her.

We had Mr Hibachi Catering for my MIL 98th bday. What can I…read moresay everything was excellent! Our Chef was Chef Tom he was engaging with small kids and adults had everyone laughing and enjoying the food! The food was excellent! Enough food with some leftovers to take home. We had 17 adults and 4 children and Chef Tom made sure all kids enjoyed the kids sale as well as the adults. Highly recommend Mr Hibachi For your next party it was truly a great time And everyone's enjoyed the Chef and the food

We always do Ron of Japan for my husband's bday dinner with the kids. In fact, I think Ron of Japan…read morewas our very last dinner indoors in 2020 before the world ended thanks to covid. Who would have thought a year later we would still be uncomfortable dining indoors. There's been a few silver linings during this pandemic and Mr. Hibachi Catering is one of them because hibachi in the comfort of our own garage was way more fun than any past dinners at Ron of Japan. We kept it covid safe and invited just my sister-in-law and her family. 4 of us adults and our 5 kids ranging in ages from 3-10 years old. It was so delicious and so fun for the kids that my sister-in-law and I have decided Mr. Hibachi Catering will be our go to for every future holiday. Passover with Mr. Hibachi! Thanksgiving with Mr. Hibachi! Basically we're up for any excuse to hire Mr. Hibachi! We learned that there's actually 4 Mr. Hibachis and the one who came to our house (with his trusty sidekick) was not only an amazing cook, but also had lots of fun tricks to entertain the kids. We ordered everything from chicken to lobster to shrimp to steak...and it was all so tasty! I considered adding a sushi boat to our order, but held off...which was a good call since it was a ton of food. They bring everything: food, tables, plates, silverware etc. All we had to supply was beverages and guests...and (of course) bday cake. It's also super easy to book online and they respond very fast to all email inquiries. It's been 3 days and my kids and husband have mentioned at least a dozen times about how much fun the bday dinner was...thank you Mr. Hibachi! I hope this is something that sticks around post pandemic...

My son turned 10 this week so we invited his buddies over for a mobile escape room followed by…read morehibachi in our garage. Eating in the garage isn't ideal in December, but figured between our space heater and the fire from hibachi it would be toasty enough for a group of 4th grade boys. We had Mr. Hibachi in the past for my husband's bday. When I looked into options I saw that Tom from Hibachi Bros was highly recommended and also a bit more affordable than Mr. Hibachi. Booked! I went back and forth with Tom via email mostly about if we would have enough space for 17 kids in our 2 car garage. I think he was a little nervous himself, but after the party said he thinks he could have fit 22 people. Good to know for next time! They spent about an hour setting everything up and they bring it all- from tables to chairs to plates/utencils..and of course delicious food. I didn't have to do a thing, but eat some pretty amazing hibachi shrimp and sides. The boys were pretty well entertained thru the 1.5 hour dinner and they kept the food coming. They were very loud, but Tom told me if they are loud it means they are having a lot of fun. So clearly they were having a blast. ;) As for food steak seemed to be the most popular option, but they had a choice of steak, chicken, shrimp or veggies. As soon as they had their last bite of food the chaos broke out so we gave them bday cake and sent them home full and sugared up. It definitely was a pricey meal for a group of kids, but they seemed to really enjoy it and it was one of the easier parties I've thrown. A few days later our garage is still a little smelly so I definitely wouldn't do this inside my house, but I'm sure it will be back to a normal smelling garage soon.

Amazing experience and totally recommend. Only reason for 4* instead of 5 is the chicken was…read moreovercooked. The filets were perfect!! The way they set up the tables and chairs was beautiful. The chef was a lot of fun!