Goodness Gracious was one of the best decisions we made in our whole catering search. We'd been to…read moreseveral tastings before theirs and came away underwhelmed every time. Theirs was the first tasting where my partner and I both knew immediately we'd found the right caterer. Being connected to an actual restaurant clearly shows in the quality and execution. Service on the wedding day was smooth from start to finish, and more than one guest told us the food was their favorite part of the whole wedding. It was their first time working our venue, and you'd never have known it! Everything ran seamlessly. Communication throughout planning was easy and consistent the whole way through.

We used Goodness Gracious catering for an event at a private residence this week and the whole…read moreexperience from start to finish was exceptional! The initial booking process with Dayna was so smooth and easy. I really liked working with her and knew I was in good hands right away. Then our event captain Dan was super communicative and available for all of my questions in the lead up. For the actual event, the food was amazing, their tablescape pretty, and the service was top notch. We had a food allergy in our group and everyone was great about serving them safely! Highly recommend booking with them! I know we will be repeat customers for sure.

We've had the pleasure of working with Chef Lela on multiple occasions over the last ten years…read more We've had dinner parties as small as four people and we had a 35 person dinner for my husband's 50th birthday. We live in Texas but always make a point to book Chef Lela anytime we are fortunate enough to make it to CA wine country. The food is always outstanding and we never leave one of her meals even remotely hungry. We love that she incorporates so many fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs from her own garden into our meals. It's also a huge perk that she brings an assistant with her and they do all of the cleaning up at the conclusion of the meal. Absolutely recommend without hesitation!!!

We hired Linda to cook a private dinner for my grandmother's 90th birthday, and she was absolutely…read moreoutstanding. From start to finish, the entire experience was seamless and so special. Every single dish Linda and her team prepared was absolutely incredible. The flavors were perfect, the presentation was beautiful, and it was clear that she uses high-quality ingredients. My family is still talking about the meal! Linda was so much fun to work with during the planning process. She nailed the menu right off the bat and the food exceeded all expectations! Her energy added so much to the evening. She is professional, warm, and made the whole night feel effortless for us so we could focus on celebrating with my grandmother. If you are looking for a private chef who is talented, creative, and a joy to have in your home, I cannot recommend Linda highly enough. She made our family dinner truly unforgettable! Thank you, Linda and team!!

Holy. Smokes. What an amazing, incredible, unforgettable evening we had! Lindsay, Lucas and…read moreSavannah were awesome! Our family was celebrating a milestone birthday at an Air BnB on the Russian River and were so excited to book Elyse for the big birthday dinner. We had twelve people, eight adults and four kids, and the entire experience was perfection from start to finish. Elyse's menu is extensive and everything sounded so amazing, it was hard to choose! We finally landed on our final selections and everything was absolutely mouthwatering and to die for. Lindsay, Lucas and Savannah were super professional, kind and personable; it really added to the entire evening having them as part of our family. Highly HIGHLY recommend Elyse and her team for any and all events. You won't be disappointed!

Yesterday we celebrated our joint retirement (husband and I) with 35 friends at a local park in…read moreSanta Rosa. Elyse and the Brass Spatula did a bang up (excellent) job on finger-food dinner drop off. The food all tasted incredible; well seasoned. For example, the beef sliders were on fresh soft brioche buns, the beef was seasoned and cooked beautifully to medium and it was topped with a well done caramelized onion jam and the bread was brushed with a savory aioli. All the dishes were that way. They provided more than enough food for our party, dropped off on time, nicely plattered on non-plastic platters with non-plastic serving utensils. Elyse's communication was prompt, clear and consistent. I highly recommend the Brass Spatula for your next event.

We hired Hana & her team for our 105 person wedding in Sonoma County and cannot speak highly enough…read moreabout the experience!! Hana is a truly talented chef, and her and her entire team has the best energy that really allows you to collaborate on the wedding menu of your dreams. As a foodie, I wanted our wedding dinner to feel like you visited your favorite farm to table restaurant - and Hana delivered. Friends from all over the world said it was the best wedding food they ever had. From our welcome drinks to our passed apps, family style dinner, and dessert, it was all perfect. I already miss her Caesar salad. Beyond making a delicious meal, Hana was responsive, patient, open minded, and prescriptive to help guide me on the right choices. We genuinely loved working with her and even our menu tasting with her is a highlight of our wedding journey - she is just amazing with impeccable taste.

Hana and her team were amazing! We had a group of 5, and the entire experience was perfection…read more Would definitely hire again. Thank you!

Natasha created an amazing catered dinner experience for my 50th birthday! The cheese and…read morecharcuterie board was incredible, followed by 4 spectacular courses (with 3 options for my friends to choose for the entrees) and all paired with wonderful wines. One of my friends needs gluten free food, and Natasha was very attentive to the menu creation and in the food preparation to avoid cross contamination. She and her team were also so friendly and informative, and they knew their way seamlessly around the rental house kitchen as they had catered many dinners there. I would highly recommend Natasha for your special life event, and I think all of my friends will be calling on her again!

We were in Sonoma for my partners birthday and we surprised her with a private chef. I am so…read moreincredibly happy we had Chef Natasha cook for us! Not only was her food so delicious, she is the most genuine person! We loved chatting with her while she was cooking and when she served us our corses :) You can really tell she cooks her food with love and care. We started off with the most amazing French 75 cocktails which had fresh Meyer Lemons from her garden and a grazing platter with amazing cheeses and meats. We then had the best squash soup I've ever had! She made it with squashes from her garden as well :) Then a very fresh and citrus salad, then Chilean Sea Bass, then a Steak, then a really moist raspberry Chantilly birthday cake! We also did a wine pairing with each course and the wines she picked worked so well! This experience was fantastic!

Adam Small and his team were recommended to us by a family member who also used his services for…read moreher wedding. We could not be happier with the recommendation as the appetizers and entrées were absolutely stunning -- both in flavor and aesthetics! Our biggest difficulty was choosing dishes from his diverse catalog of offerings since they all sounded delicious. He was also very accommodating and made various adjustments to account for particular food allergies that some of our guests had (without compromising on flavor at all). For appetizers, we chose: - Pepper-Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna (Seka Hills EVOO, Sicilian Pesto, Herbs) - Ratatouille Tarts (Puff Pastry, Seka Hills EVOO, Parmigiano Reggiano) - Pistachio Flatbread (Onion, Burrata, Honey, and Chili Oil -- this one was a extra-huge hit with all guests) For dinner, we started with a Local Harvest Salad (Farm Vegetables, Fruit, Vinaigrette, Cheese, and Nuts -- plating was particularly beautiful for the salad), and had three entrée options: - Wagyu New York Steak (Imperial American Wagyu, Roasted Vegetables, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Potato Galette, and Red Wine Jus) - Signature Duck (Mary's Crusted Duck Breast, Hind-Quarter Confit, Potato Cake, Charred Vegetables, and Duck Jus) - Roasted Butternut Squash with Cannellini Beans (Charred Vegetables, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, and Saffron-Rosemary Broth) Throughout our entire wedding and afterwards, guests were telling us how impressed they were and that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding! He and his team arrived right on schedule, set up (including silverware and plates) cooked and served outstanding food, provided extremely attentive service, and then cleaned up, leaving the kitchen absolutely spotless (while also deftly navigating a brief power outage!). We cannot recommend Adam Small Cooks highly enough! His food, attention to detail, and service are truly next level. Thank you again for making our wedding so special!

Chef Adam was amazing!!!…read more We celebrated a friend's birthday with 6 people at an Airbnb in Sonoma. We had a six course menu (see below for details) that was excellent! For the vegetarian in the group (me) he was able to whip up a wonderful dish when everyone else was eating halibut. Every single dish was a stand out and the group was so happy with how everything turned out. This was a wish of the birthday girl - to have a private chef and to spend time with her girlfriends. She was blown away by the experience. The 6 course meal included: Fried Baby Artichokes: lemon aioli, herbs, chili oil Flatbread: preserved truffle, pistachios, onion, burrata, honey, chili oil Ash Roasted Beets: kimchi honey, pistachios, ravigote, feta Charred Zucchini Agnolotti: fried sage, brown butter, lemon, pepper, parmigiana Seared Halibut: fennel-potato salad, herbs, haricot vert, preserved truffle champagne sauce Under-Baked Chocolate Cake: Italian meringue, Luxardo cherries, cocoa nibs Also, our kitchen was left spotless! Thanks again Chef Adam for giving us the perfect first day of our trip!

Great food, professional service up, easy communication…read more Patti prepared the menu and meal for an 11 person bachelorette party at an Airbnb. We had two main course options with sides, veggies, and bread/butter, and Patti accommodated a few tough allergies too. Everything tasted great, good portions (wasn't stuffed, but was definitely satisfied). Patti is a GEM and it was easy and enjoyable planning the menu and executing the evening. Highly recommend!

Patti was incredible! Super responsive, easy to work with and professional. Menu planning was…read moreseamless, communication was great and the dinner was delicious! The day of the our event she brought Brittany to assist, she was also fabulous and fun to work with! They did all of the set up, prep, service and clean up. (They left the kitchen spotless!) We were a group of 6 women in Sonoma for a girls trip. Every one of us left the table stuffed and so satisfied!!! I would absolutely recommend Chef Patti and her team to anyone looking for an exceptional dinner with great, fun service. Thank you Chef Patti and Brittany!

typically do not leave reviews so when I do it's either absolutely phenomenal or far In comparison…read more Epicurean Escape Catering was by far PHENOMENAL! Matt and Patrick were extremely friendly and the food was to die for! We celebrated our microwedding in Mill Valley and I have always selected new restaurants based on yelps top reviewed restaurants. I figured this would be the best way to go to select a catering option for an area we're not local to or able to try before in person. The reviews did not steer us wrong. We would love to book again after experiencing the food and stellar service. Appetizers: We ordered the heirloom tomato bruschetta which was one of my favorites! The tomatoes were fresh and every bite was memorable! The goat cheese croquettes were to die for and the braised pork shoulder had everyone coming back for more! Dinner: I'm not a huge kale person but we had an amazing kale Caesar salad that had me hoping I could recreate it at home. I honestly don't think there was any left over! It was accompanied by the grilled antipasto platter which complemented the lasagna dinner we had perfectly! The vegetables were cooked and seasoned to perfection! We had the classic bolognese lasagna and red wine braised boneless beef short ribs for our dinner option which were gone in the blink of an eye. Dessert: To top it off, we finished with the mini amaretto panna cotta and blackberry coulis. They were as delicious as they were aesthetically appealing!

Think twice (or more) and don't do it!…read more A group of four couples (hailing from Michigan to New Mexico) were flying into Napa for a long-planned get-together. We rented a home through VRBO and thought it would be a treat to have a catered meal from Epicurean Escape. The price was over $1000 but seemed well worth it and we paid the bill 10 days prior to our arrival. Unfortunately, if not unbelievably, we were alerted by VRBO the very next day that our contract was being cancelled as the rental house had just been purchased by a new owner. Thinking we might have to cancel the trip as VRBO might not have an alternative (they did not), we immediately contacted the caterer that we would have to cancel plans. This was 9 days prior to the planned dinner. The caterer then informed us that this was beyond their normal 10 day cancellation policy and there was nothing they could do other than a (hold your breath) 25% refund!! provide a 'credit' - a great idea for a group of 8 with most of us living thousands of miles away, or assisting us in relocating to a new venue. We eventually located a hotel where we could stay and proceeded with the trip - still very much disappointed with the caterer for not refunding our money with 9 days prior notice (along with forwarding them the note of cancellation from VRBO). With a $150 delivery fee charged by the caterer for delivery to our hotel, and no way for us to warm the food in our rooms, we anticipated the meal would arrive on serving trays with sterno heaters. But of course not.. The server who delivered the food was very nice and accommodating (we tipped them as well even though the paid contract already included an 18% gratuity fee). We began eating immediately, only to find all the food (fish and beef main courses) at room temperature. Perhaps everything would have tasted better had it been heated, but classifying the meal as 'mediocre' would be overly kind. Making matters worse (if that's possible), we have been promised a 'final' contract as three of the planned attendees could not attend, and the caterer agreed to 'adjust', only to never hear back from them almost 2 weeks later. Inflexible policy + less than thrilling meals = at least in my book, an experience worth avoiding at all costs. Caveat emptor.

Lone Pine General Store catered my mom celebration of life. With only four days of lead time, they…read moregenerated a menu based on some ideas that I had and delivered everything on time and according to plan. The food was very good and the server they sent to help out on site was excellent. She was courteous, punctual, and self-directed. I really didn't have to worry about anything.

Chef Rachel and crew catered our daughter's 40th birthday in this past weekend. We had @ 30…read moreguests so it was a fairly sizable engagement. Not only was the food fantastic, the service was equally exceptional! Beyond that, Rachel was highly responsive throughout the entire process, which gave me comfort that the event would be a great success, which it was. Thank you chef Rachel for the love, care and craftsmanship you put into our daughter's birthday celebration - you made the event that much more memorable for everyone there. Continued success, you deserve it!!!

Chef Adair and team did a wonderful job for my son's wedding at Beringer Vineyards. We did a food…read moretasting before the wedding at Chef Adairs commercial kitchen which I highly recommend. Katherine was amazing! She helped with tables, linens, glassware, umbrellas, cake, and so much more we needed for wedding day. Her communication and timely emails throughout the entire process was incredible. Everything she chose for the wedding set up was exactly what the bride and groom wanted and she was very flexible. Chef Adair created a menu that was perfect and we had numerous guest tell us how delicious the food was. The dinner was served family style and when some tables asked for more the servers were more than happy to bring more to the table. Their staff was very professional and also did an incredible job keeping up with all the transitions from cocktail hour, dinner, cake and coffee. They were very pleasant and helpful throughout. I hope to someday enjoy another dining experience with Chef Adair and his team.

We had an afternoon birthday party for 57 people on Aug. 29, and the food was served family style…read moreto 7 tables. The quality of the food was outstanding, but the service was not. The food was supposed to be served in courses, with replenishment when needed. Instead all the food was served at one time, and the lamb chops and filet mignon were only slightly more than luke warm. When several tables asked for more lamb chops, they were told they were all gone, and one guest did not get even one lamb chop. Yet there were lamb chops available on other tables and at least 20 were taken back to Cotati. If the food was served in courses, it could have been served hot. If your service is family style, be sure that you insist that left over food be left on premises. Ours was not and we were told it was thrown away. After several messages to the owner, it turns out the left-overs were put into a refrigerator in Cotati. We went down the next day to retrieve them, and found there was quite a bit left over.