This catering company and the man who owns it would get an extra star on my review if it were possible. We heard about them because they catered for an event at Patrick Ranch last minute when the original caterer fell through, and the guests raved about the food. Due to the high reviews from several friends & acquaintances, we decided to hire them for my sister-in-law's wedding. My mother-in-law has said it was the best decision she made in regards to any other detail that went into planning the wedding. They did a phenomenal job and helped us fix so many last minute issues that came up which didn't have anything to do with catering itself. The wedding ran smoothly thanks to the talented owner and his exceptional staff. Firstly, the food was outstanding. A family friend of ours is a gourmet chef, and he was two bites into the meal when he had to ask us who the caterer was because he was blown away by how great it tasted. He even asked for his card to save for when his daughter gets married. We had guests coming up all night praising the food. His staff was very professional and so stealthy, I hardly noticed them throughout the evening. They resupplied the food, quickly cleaned up every dish and it was as if they were not there. We had told the caterer there would be a couple vegetarians and asked if he could make a separate tray of pasta for them. Well, unbeknownst to us, there were 16 vegetarians out of 120 guests and the pasta dish quickly ran out. Before anyone could know otherwise, he whipped up something additional on the spot and saved us from an embarrassing oversight. We were separately in charge of the coffee and realized during the reception we wouldn't be able to plug the coffee percolator in without blowing the fuse. He offered to run it for us on his generator. However, he soon informed us our coffee wouldn't work for the percolator we had purchased because it was ground too fine. He drove across town during the reception and picked up the appropriate coffee for us at no extra charge. As he was getting ready to leave he came up to us to let us know the water we had bought for the wedding was almost out (this was not his responsibility). He left us with 5 flats of bottled water and refused to add it to our bill. Finally, we ended up boxing him in by adding some last minute hanging lights that were too low for him to fit his catering van through. Without bothering anyone he and his staff creatively and discreetly solved the issue by holding up the lights with 4 poles so he could drive under them. I would recommend this catering company for not only the incredible food, but also for the integrity and professionalism with which the owner runs his business and conducts his staff. read more

This food is amazing!!! We were married on May 14th and after researching every caterer in the area we went with Hunter Drake and are Sooo Happy that we did. Doug was more than accommodating and so sweet when I called him several times to ask about renting glassware or linens and various other things. He was incredibly helpful, especially for being the owner of a busy business. We had the marinated & smoked tri-tip and the seasoned & smoked chicken, with the garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. The tri-tip & chicken were so juicy, the green beans were delicious and the mashed potatoes were out of this world. Everyone kept coming up to us and saying how wonderful the food was and asking what was in those potatoes. The salad was fresh and crisp and Doug even had 3 homemade dressings to go with it! Some of the guys liked the food so much they went up for seconds and thirds! My maid of honor is gluten intolerant, but even she loved the food because almost everything was gluten free. I used to cater and have worked many weddings, and I even worked in a BBQ restaurant during college, so when I say the food and service were outstanding, I mean it. Everything went off without a hitch and we were extremely impressed. And the price! Very affordable. If you're having an event and need it catered, Hunter Drake is it! read more

Hunter Drake Smokehouse is amazing! They catered our wedding 2 weeks ago and we are still getting compliments from people on the food. We had the tri-tip and pulled pork along with the mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit skewers, salad, and garlic bread. Everything on his menu is amazing! Doug and his staff went so far above and beyond what I would have considered their "job" They helped us move heavy things around the venue, hang signs, and just so many little things that were so much appreciated. I threw a little curve ball and asked to have dinner served a little earlier than originally planned and Doug was so accommodating. We had our guests eat while we were still taking pictures and when we came to eat he cut a fresh tri-tip for my husband and I. At the end of the night he packaged up all the leftovers for us, cut the rest of our cake and saved the top layer for us. I keep trying to think of ways I can have his food again, i wish I could have it every night for dinner! Doug, thank you so much for being so great and helpful. I hope you know YOU were the talk of our wedding :) and still are! read more

Hunter Drake Is AWESOME. I have had Doug's food on numerous occasions. Service - Amazing, he is willing to help and has so much to offer. His crew reflects his own work ethic and professionalism. Just amazing 5 stars Quality - Outstanding. How can I limit myself to 5 stars on this rating alone? His food is all amazing the time and care he must take to bring the best tasting and home made food to an event is unmatched anywhere. I always hope to get from a caterer the quality of food that I would get from my family holiday meals. I am usually disappointed but with Hunter Drake I want him to caterer my family events as well. Delicious. Friendliness - FAMILY, Doug caterers to people and treats them like family. When you have Hunter Drake at an event, you wont have to worry about anything that they are responsible for you can rest assured its handled. They do it with a smile and care that you wont find anywhere. All in all BEST of the BEST. You would seriously do yourself a dis-service to not check out Hunter Drake. Your Guests will thank you!!! read more

Hunter Drake catered our wedding on Sept 12th and it was truly amazing. He gave us a classy menu and my guests were constantly complimenting the food all evening. Schedule a tasting with Doug, it will be well worth it. The tri tip was smoked and had that melt in your mouth quality. Moist tasty chicken...cannot get over how good that chicken was. Green beans with some sort of balsamic reduction with bacon and cheesy garlic mashed potatoes. All flavors were elevated and elegant and the food added a touch of class to my wedding. It even impressed my culinary foodie friends. Doug also has the linens and napkins and plates to rent directly from him so set up and break down is all done by his people...leaving you with a very easy no worries kind of day. PRICE IS SO FAIR IT IS UNREAL! This is the best quality and service for less than what most caterers are charging. I recommend Hunter Drake for any wedding or event...you just will not regret it! read more

After throughly enjoying their food at my brothers wedding last year, my then fiancé (big BBQ guy) could not stop raving about the tri tip and mashed potatoes. So I contacted Doug about potentially catering our Sacramento Area wedding. Low and behold he not only agreed to travel down there but he was STILL more affordable than EVERY other Sac caterer I contacted (WITH the travel fee!) I could not be more pleased with Hunter Drake! They were so easy to talk to, super straight forward, and I didn't feel like they were nickel and diming us. And holy smokes their food is amazing! Their staff was awesome, and they're self contained, so our vineyard wedding with access only to water and electricity, went off without a hitch. Thank you SO much Doug and Hunter Drake! read more

We recently used Doug, Hunter Drake Smokehouse BBQ, for our son and new daughter's wedding reception dinner. We had an excellent experience! To begin, we live out of town, which could have made plans/communication difficult. Doug returned every call quickly and efficiently. The food was perfect. Our guests raved about the tasty meal. Doug and his staff went above and beyond helping out with a few unexpected venue issues, assuring a seamless reception. The service was flawless, all our guests were so impressed. Their professionalism was so appreciated. I would highly recommend Doug to cater any event. Thank you so much for making the reception perfect. read more

We have been to numerous events including a few weddings that Hunter Drake catered and hands down they are the best! The food is "out of this world" amazing, the staff is friendly and accommodating, and the owner Doug well I can't say enough. He is so professional making everything flawless and stress free. We have been so impressed we just hired him for our wedding and actually moved our wedding date since he was booked that day. We were not about to have our wedding without him. Delicious, professional, kind, affordable, and easy to work with.... you will be impressed! read more

Hunter Drake Catering provided the absolute best catering service for my wife and I's wedding. The owner, Doug, went to great lengths to ensure my wife, our families and I were completely comfortable and satisfied with his service. I've been to other events that have been catered by Hunter Drake and all of them have been top notch. Hunter Drake's menu capabilities are extensive, but you cannot go wrong with the Tri-Tip. My family still raves about the Tri-Tip he smoked on site at our wedding. The price is right, the food is amazing and the service is first class. read more

Hunter Drake catered our daughter's wedding yesterday & I've never wanted to do a yelp review so bad! Doug & his staff were phenomenal! Courteous, professional, efficient & the food was the best BBQ I've ever had.........& I live in Tennessee! I love how he rolls up with his trailers & cooks right there on site. They truly go above & beyond the call! I honestly can't give them enough praise. I hope the word gets out & your business flourishes Doug. Y'all deserve it! Thank you for making our special event that much more perfect! read more

My first experience with Hunter Drake's was feeding my son's college lacrosse team a pregame meal. The chicken was soooo good I got compliments for months after from the other parents. I have been to the Chico Chamber of Commerce BBQ several times where Doug's tri tip was so tender, juicy and flavorful it truly stood head and shoulders above the rest! Hunter Drake's will be catering my son's wedding next summer and I can hardly wait. If you have an event big or small you can't go wrong with food from Hunter Drake!! read more

We just had Hunter Drake cater our daughter's wedding reception and we could not have been more satisfied. The chicken was tender and well-seasoned and received rave reviews from our 200 guests. Doug is professional and experienced and is a joy to work with. I would recommend his company to anyone wanting delicious food with great service. We love the chicken and the tri-tip (which we have had at other events) is to die for!!! read more

This was served at my sister in law's wedding - it was really outstanding! Our 9 year old had seconds and our 2 year ate it up as well... And of coarse many adults had seconds or more! It was very good. I wish they were closer to our home (we're 2+ hours out of Chico) because we would love to have their bbq again! The entire meal was perfect. :) read more

We had Doug cater our wedding, and it was fantastic. The food is great. Doug is very professional. His staff is friendly and clean. They neatly boxed up leftovers for us. Our venue owner and wedding coordinator were familiar with Doug and pleased that we had hired him. I can't say enough good things about Hunter Drake. read more

One word- Fantastic!! Doug and his team are truly talented! They catered our wedding reception and everyone was delighted! We got nothing but good feedback from our guests about the food! We went classic and did their chicken and tri tip with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and fresh french bread! Loved everything! read more

Ill keep this short and simple... I worked for another catering company in town so I thought that I would be biased on the issue but after the wedding Hunter Drake catered two nights ago I now realize he is the BEST in town! Amazing service, amazing food. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! read more

My work used Hunter Drake for a special event lunch. They served chicken, tri-tip (the most tender I ever had), garlic mash potatoes, salad and garlic bread. Doug is professional and an outstanding cook. I recommend Hunter Drake and hope to be able to have his food again soon!! read more

We had Hunter Drake cater our wedding last year, and it was the best decision ever! Everything Doug makes is AMAZING! And so many of our guests commented on how great the food was, too! I will definitely be going with Hunter Drake for any future catering needs! read more

Doug's cooking is out of this world. His tri-tip is done perfectly, SO tender that it melts in your mouth. The chicken has no equal, it falls off the bone. His sides are amazing too; some of the best flavors around. read more