Steph catered our outdoor Ojai wedding in March, and I cannot sing his praises enough. I am an over-planner and Steph was amazing in answering all my questions, arranging a tasting at his Ventura home way in advance, staying in great communication and editing the menu to our somewhat specific requests, and even scouted our venue the week before--he is a true professional and a joy to work with. His barbecue is elegant and unbelievably delicious (his cherry barbecue sauce was loved and remarked upon by nearly all the guests), and he was thoughtful enough to send us home with a ton of leftover turkey and tri-tip. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were so flavorful, the opposite of typical boring wedding side dishes, and his fantastic pastry chef even made homemade pies for a unique and memorable dessert. Steph actually provided a gorgeous coffee service, which was totally unexpected--this is just one example of how he went above and beyond to make everything perfect on the biggest day of our lives. His staff is professional and sweet, the buffet was set up beautifully, and he even made sure my husband and I had a plate of food, for which I am incredibly grateful. Steph is a gem of a person and a genius of a chef, and would make any wedding or event absolutely unforgettable. read more

Steph and his team catered my wedding in august 2021. His crew did an amazing job. We got the tri tip and smoked turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, salad with bread, and people won't stop telling me how good the food was. He also served appetizers during cocktail hour. He was super easy going, service was great from beginning to end, made sure everything clicked and was taken care of and looked great. He and his staff were so friendly. He was so organized, professional and completely reliable. Steph will make sure you get exactly what you want. His prices are fair and if you like bbq I totally recommend him in a heart beat. He makes bbq look like fine dining. He's the bbq man! read more

I'm the wife of Kevin K. and I just wanted to add on to his review from nine months ago. It has been nearly a year since our wedding last July and we STILL get compliments about the food. Steph and Jamie, the owners of Simply Marvelous BBQ, were easily the most accommodating and nicest vendor we worked with. When we first contacted them, they had us come over to their home for a taste test. We brought our best man along and they gave all three of us full plates of food. Everything was to die for, so without even tasting any other place, we booked them right then and there. As wedding planning progressed and we realized that we were going to end up with a giant wedding of nearly 250 guests, they were beyond helpful. Steph even met with my mother at the site of the event (Elings Park) to decide the best place to set up the buffet and their kitchen/smoker. For appetizers, they set up a cheese and fruit table and also had servers passing around bacon wrapped meatballs. The meatballs were incredible and were the first to go! Some of the groomsmen were eating upwards of a dozen because they were so good. They also helped with setting up punch/lemonade and water dispensers. When dinner came around, the buffet was set up beautifully. We had rolls, salad, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, turkey, tri-tip, and pulled pork. They also had a cherry barbeque sauce and it was so rich and flavorful. Nothing was bland. As Kevin mentioned, the pulled pork is incredible, as it simply melts in your mouth. At the end of the night, their staff even helped with cleaning up! I'm not sure if they always do this, but it was such a huge help and a nice gesture on their part. Overall, a wonderful experience. There's no need to look anywhere else for a caterer as Simply Marvelous BBQ is simply the best! read more

Simply Marvelous BBQ Catering - Our photographer's plate of food from the buffet by Simply Marvelous BBQ at our wedding. - Caterers Near Me

Don't let the "BBQ" in the name fool you. This is not your average "BBQ" joint on the wheels-this is food at its best, combined with outstanding service and tasteful presentation. I've had the good fortune of eating Simply Marvelous BBQ at several catered events. When it came time to plan my wedding, SMBBQ was my first and only choice. Even though I was already confident in the food and service, I had no idea how THRILLED SMBBQ would leave my guests and me on my wedding day. THE FOOD: I'm a big fan of their pulled pork, but went with some more popular dishes among our friends and family for the wedding. We started with passed bacon wrapped meatballs, smoked salmon crab cakes, and cheese/fruit platters. These appetizers thrilled our guests and were presented with style. The bar setup was also attractive, clean, and professional. The meal was salmon, smokey turkey breast, and NY sirloin roast. The sides were garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, salad and rolls. All of the meat was smoked to PERFECTION. We had compliments all night and for days afterward about the quality of the food. Several people literally called it, "the best food they'd ever had at a wedding." I also caught one of my wedding party members (after a couple of glasses of Cab) yelling, "the mashed potatoes are so good, I want to fill my purse with them and take them home." Needless to say, people enjoyed the food. A note about PLANNING: Planning with this vendor was particularly easy. SMBBQ is also great about helping you to coordinate orders with other vendors. If I had to do it again, would I choose SMBBQ? YES, ABSOLUTELY. read more

We used Simply Marvelous for our Wedding in October and could not have been happier. Steph and Jamie, the owners, we nothing but nice and accomodating from the tasting through the wedding. The food was amazing- our guests are still raving about it; the service was great- we were waited on hand and foot- and you really can't bet their prices in the area. We had pulled pork sliders (gotta have that cherry BBQ sauce) & the cheese & fruit platter for appetizers, followed by tri-tip, chicken, salad, grilled asparagus & garlic mashed potatoes for dinner. It was all topped off by Jamie's amazing dessert creations- Pecan Pie bars to die for, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes & brownies (we didn't even order the brownies and were surprised to find them on our big day- just one more treat from Simply Marvelous). Steph and Jamie were a pleasure to work with and walked us through the planning of our wedding eats and their staff at our event were professional and fun. I'm ordering some of their products for my husband for Christmas as we'll always cherish the memories they helped us make and I can't wait for another big event where we get to taste their goodies. I would HIGHLY recommend Simply Marvelous BBQ to anyone looking for an event caterer in the Ventura County area. You get the personal touch of a small business with the knowlege and experience of true professionals and masters of their craft. Thank you Steph and Jamie- I'm getting hungry just writing this! read more

Simply Marvelous BBQ provided not only the best food I've ever had, but they are some of the best people that I have ever worked with. Wedding food is not usually memorable, at least not in a good way, but almost 2 years after the wedding my friends are still raving about the smoked turkey breast and raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce. The only thing better than the food was the service and attention to detail. In addition to turkey we had smoked salmon and Tri-Tip, and I couldn't tell you which was the best, but rest assured your guests will not be going home hungry as they leave a Simply Marvelous BBQ catered event! Food like this should cost a premium, but Steph and Jaime keep their prices competitive without compensating for taste. This is a winning combination and I definitely recommend these guys to anyone for any event! The only downfall, once you taste Simply Marvelous you won't want any other BBQ, ever! read more

When we started planning our wedding we knew we needed to find good food. We decided to look into BBQ and found Simply Marvelous BBQ. We went to do a tasting and talked about what we wanted for our meal. Everything we tasted was spectacular and it was hard to narrow down. We went with smoked turkey, brisket, garlic mashed potatoes, veggies, and salad. For appetizers we did a fruit and cheese platter, pulled pork sliders, and a smoked salmon crab cake. The food was delicious!!!! Throughout the planning Step and Jamie were so responsive to all our questions. They were so patient through all the changes and additions we did and made the process so pleasant and easy. My husband and I were provided appetizers as we were taking pictures (which were amazing) and when it was dinner time we were served at our table first so we could eat while the guests got their food. Before we walked in for our grand entrance we walked through the area where the fruit and cheese platter was and there was crumbs left! We nibbled on the cheese and fruit for a few minutes and we could have finished off the platter! I was a little worried that with buffet style that the food might look messy but Steph and Jamie had it set up beautifully. I can not stress enough on how good their food is. It is a week after our wedding and we are still having guests tell us it was the best food they ever had at a wedding. We did try Jamies desserts at our tasting(we didn't have them at our wedding due to budget constraints). Her desserts were sweet and delicious! I definitely recommend them, she is a very talented pastry chef. We also used their bartenders and they were funny and personable and the guests loved them. Thank you Steph and Jamie for providing the best meal at our wedding! read more

Simply Marvelous has catered several wedding and events that I've been too and all they do is delicious--the meat is tender and crispy in all of the right places and their BBQ sauces are the best--spicy/tangy/salty/sweet balance! read more

The food was so good, my husband and I have followed Steph to local BBQ Competitions just to eat his food again (most recently in Dana Point, CA). After doing some research into caterers in Santa Barbara, I quickly decided that I did not want a big catering corporation catering my wedding. My wedding was at a private home and I wanted a personal touch. When my fiance and I met Steph and Jamie at our tasting I was instantly smitten. The food was prepared with high quality ingredients and with love. We chose the tri-tip and cedar-planked salmon, with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Crab cakes and bruschetta were our appetizers. Everything was freshly made on site - I was surprised when between greeting guests, a friend of mine gave me a crab cake to try and it was still hot and crispy - just off the fryer. Steph loves BBQ and it shows through his food. My (now) husband and I were extremely lucky to have Steph and Jamie cater our wedding - it was absolutely a perfect meal on the perfect day. We even joke that we should have another wedding just to have Steph and Jamie's food again. read more

Stephan catered my recent wedding in Santa Barbara, CA, & I cannot possibly say enough wonderful things about our experience! He was kind and accommodating through the entire planning process, always getting back to me quickly whenever I had questions. On the day of my wedding both he & his staff were very friendly and professional, working hard to make my wedding perfect. The food was absolutely phenomenal. We had so many of our guests tell us that it was the absolute best food that they have ever had at a wedding! Both my husband and I HIGHLY suggest Simply Marvelous for all of your catering needs! read more

We used Simply Marvelous BBQ to cater our wedding a few weeks ago and they were amazing! They came recommended by a friend who had attended a wedding and said that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding. We have since heard our guests say the same thing! Here are a few reasons why we would highly recommend them: 1)Steph the owner and Jaime are super nice, professional, and all around awesome 2)The food at the tasting was amazing 3)The food at the wedding was just as amazing (we had the Stuffed Mushrooms and Cheese and Fruit Platter for Appetizers and for Dinner we had the Cedar Planked Salmon, NY Sirloin, Mushroom Risotto, Rice and Vegetables) 4)They were easy to work with and flexible before the wedding, during and after! 5)They were the best price for value in the area If you are looking for great food, nice people to work with and the best value, I would highly recommend Simply Marvelous! read more

At fairly short notice, we decided on a small family-and-friends celebration for our golden anniversary. Simply Marvelous BBQ, and others, were already booked for the weekend. But reviews indicated Simply Marvelous would also do drop off. They did and they were fabulous. Stephan was a delight to work with. Drop off included setup in our kitchen, they provided serving dishes, utensils and everything promised. They were on time, totally professional and discrete as guests had already arrived. The food was absolutely delicious and generous. We were more than happy and looking for the next excuse to use Simply Marvelous BBQ again. Because they were. read more

Simply Marvelous catered our wedding at Gainey Vineyard in Santa Ynez in March. They did an amazing job! I would recommend them to anyone. Their professionalism and warm, generous attitudes through out the whole process was so welcomed through out our wedding planning madness. The food alone sold us on hiring them as it's the best BBQ and Peanut Butter cupcakes :) we've ever had. Their team's level of quality in food and service at the wedding only added to the positive vibes and what was an incredible day. I hope to hire them again for a future event. I echo all the other positive reviews already noted here on yelp. They are the BEST! Thank you, thank you, thank you Steph and Jaime! read more

My husband and I were married this past June. One of the most important decisions for us was what to feed our guests. As we are both BBQ lovers, we decided on a BBQ style dinner. We must have gone through a dozen BBQ caters before we discovered Simply Marvelous at a local BBQ festival. We were blown away by the quality and flavors of their meats. We could tell that Steph had great passion for his BBQ. Needless to say, we were sold after our first meeting. Upon making the decision to go with Simply Marvelous, Steph and Jamie provided us with a proper tasting that included multiple meat selections as well as appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Deciding on having Simply Marvelous cater our special day was easy, but making the decision on the exact menu was extremely difficult because everything they served us at the tasting was absolutely amazing. Any choice you make will be a winner. We were extremely happy with the process of working with Simply Marvelous. Steph responded back to all of our emails in a promptly fashion, and we were never left in the dark. Jamie was absolutely awesome when it came to preparing and setting up everything at the venue. The staff was fantastic! The wedding went as smoothly as possible and all of our guests raved about the food. We are so happy with our decision to go with Simply Marvelous as our caterers on our special day. Thank you so much Steph and Jamie for doing such an awesome job! read more

Simply Marvelous catered our wedding at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in August and they were beyond amazing!! We were thrilled with absolutely everything from day one. They were kind, accomodating, reliable, friendly, responsive, knowledgeable and professional throughout the entire process. The day of the wedding the service was outstanding and the presentation perfect! Stephan makes an incredible tri tip and an out of this world smoked turkey! And Jaime makes the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had! I would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for great people to work with, great service, and DELICIOUS food that all of your guests will love, devour, and rave about for weeks after your event! There is no one out there better. They are the BEST! read more

Simply Marvelous is amazing. They catered our Rehearsal Dinner in Montecito last August. Steph was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. The food was delicious - our menu included Brisket and BBQ Chicken. Everyone loved it! They cooked on-site, which was great. They also handled the rentals which was a huge convenience. Steph and his team are exceptional - professional, reliable, courteous - just all around perfect. I would highly recommend them! read more

Steph and his team are very professional! I went on a limb hiring them for our wedding based on all the great reviews. We never tasted the food before the event. The food was AMAZING. I am so glad we went with Simply Marvelous BBQ. They were very organized, and take pride in their food. I would highly recommend them to anyone for any occasion. I received so many compliments from our guests ranting and raving about the food. read more

Wonderful food, service and staff. At my wedding everyone really had positive things to say and Steph really knows his BBQ. Thank you.

I just want to say the Stephan Franklin is just amazing at catering, he just recently catered my daughters wedding at my home and I still hear the raves about his wonderful food and staff, Stephan and his team were such a god send to my family and his food omg is sooo delicious. Everyone loved the beautiful set up and I thoroughly enjoyed how much love they put into what they serve, so professional and courteous, I could not have asked for a more. You made my daughters wedding a day to remember, Thank You from The Maharaj Family read more

We had a small party so we had the food dropped off. Steph dropped it off himself and was right on time. Not only was everything was delicious (some of the best bbq ribs and brisket I have ever had)but the quantities were very generous and we all had leftovers! read more

Simply Marvelous BBQ is just that, SIMPLY MARVELOUS! We have been planning our wedding and booked SMBBQ. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our original wedding plans but it was still such a pleasure to work with Steph. After contacting Steph he scheduled a tasting and we were blown away. The food is DELICIOUS and such a great price. Steph is so relatable and fun. He made us feel right at home and had great advice regarding our wedding as a whole. If all vendors were this amazing wedding planning would be a breeze! Upon finding out we had to cancel our original wedding plans Steph went above and beyond. He was extremely sympathetic and even refunded our deposit. He is a fabulous business man and chef. I wish I could give 10 stars for this business - do yourself a favor and book them!! read more

We had them cater our wedding, and it was possibly the best decision we made. Even months later we still have people who tell us how good the food was. Our wedding was on Elings park, in Santa Barbara. The pulled pork was possibly the greatest pulled pork I've ever eaten in my life. We also got the tri-tip and turkey. For our hor d'oeuvres we included the bacon wrapped meatballs. This was also one of the best things I've ever tasted. We didn't run into any technical problems, the food was ready on time, and everyone was happy. I cannot say enough good things about this group, we are so happy we chose them! read more

Steph and Jamie were wonderful to us. Their food is outstanding, their service is professional and they've got gracious personalities, too. We had a tasting with them early in the stages of planning our wedding, and in the end, we had to go with a different caterer because of venue restrictions, but had we been able to, we'd have booked Simply Marvelous without hesitation. Delicious and affordable. A++ read more

Oh so yummy! Simply Marvelous catered my daughter's Wedding this past week. The food was excellent, the staff attentive and the prices can't be beat. I've received multiple calls this week from our wedding guests raving about the food and service. Thank you Simply Marvelous for an amazing dinner! read more

Simply Marvelous BBQ catered a pre-wedding afternoon party at Haskell's Beach outside Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara for about 100 guests. The food was delicious, healthy (we did salmon, chicken, salad, corn on the cob, and potatoes) and reasonably priced. They arrived on time, the staff was very pleasant, and setup and breakdown were seamless. I would highly recommend them if you would like some hearty food options for your beach party! read more

Stephan is amazing! He catered our wedding last Oct and everything was so so great. People are still talking about how good everything was. He even went out of his way to serve us. The staff was great very professional. The price was beyond good & he was flexible and very experienced. Could not be more happy with our choice to go with Simply Marvelous BBQ! read more