Valani's is a must if you're in the mood for something sweet…read more Tried the Italian crème cake and a strawberry cream horn. The Italian crème cake was an easy 10/10, super rich, moist, and decadent without being overwhelming. You can tell it's done right. The strawberry cream horn was also really good. The strawberry flavor itself was pretty subtle, but the crème was light and airy, and the pastry shell had a great crisp to it. They have a small outdoor seating area, which is nice, because the inside is very... cozy. Staff is friendly and helped us choose these great desserts Also had their tiramisu here in the past and it was delicious. Overall, really solid bakery. I'd absolutely come back, especially for that Italian crème cake.

Wow... this place is legit! If you want excellent quality, Italian baked goods, you have to come…read morehere. Everything not only looked great, but tasted amazing as well! It was difficult to decide what to get. They had so many options, but everything held up to the highest standard and quality. When we got there, there was a line out the door, however, the line moved very quickly, and it was definitely worth the wait. I do wish they had more of a seating area.

Thank you Ella Celestial Cakes!!!…read more I've started planning my wedding 19months ago. I first heard of Ella on Wedding Wire. I made 4 appointments total to sample cakes for my Engagement Party. After visiting Ella I canceled the other three! She was so professional and her cakes are Outstanding!!!! My fiancé is a major pastry snob! He was thrilled with our selections. Engagement Party: 8-22-15 We hosted our Engagement party at Draught in Uptown Charlotte. I wanted a stripe cake with flowers on top. At the Venus, I left a few fresh flowers for Ella to use. Our order consisted of 40 cupcakes: (20) Strawberry With Lemon Buttercream and (20) Jasmine Raspberry with Cream cheese. We also had a 8inch Round Strawberry Cakes with Lemon Butter Cream. Everything was DELISH!!! Bridal Shower: 6-25-16 I hosted my Bridal Shower with 12 of my close friends and family. My cake was gorgeous!!! I ordered a 2-tier cake. Top Tier: 4inch Amaretto with Honey Butter Cream. Bottom: 6inch Pear Ginger with Lemon Buttercream. Wedding Cake: 8-27-16 Flavor Over Load!!! Prepare yourself! Our 3 Tier Cake contained the following flavors: Top Tier: Jasmine Raspberry with Lavender Buttercream Middle Tier: Pear Ginger with Lemon Buttercream Bottom Tier: Amaretto with Honey Buttercream Our Wedding Guest LOVED every Bite! Thank you again Ella for everything!!!! I look forward to updating this review after our wedding!!

Ella was great to work with! Very easy to talk to, patient, helped inspire me and come up with a…read moreunique design for our special day. Her cakes were the lightest cakes I've ever tasted, and delicious! I can't wait for our big day and glad they'll be our Baker! There was no pressure and her prices were excellent! I'd recommend in a heart beat!

Martha and The Dancing Chef recently catered a private party for 50 at my home. Martha's guidance…read morewas spot-on, the food delicious, creative and beautiful. Everyone remarked about the food. Martha arrived early, stayed to clean up, made everything seamless so I could thoroughly enjoy my guests. I can't wait to work together again!

From the owner: Custom designed cakes for special occassions (wedding, bday, anniversary, graduation, etc.)…read moreSmall receptions for 200 or less (beer/wine but no bartending) Private home dinner parties for 12 or less (custom menus, I bring dinner to you, finish and serve from your kitchen)

Met Mr. Duke at regional Farmers Market 10/6. Purchased a loaf of sour dough bread and a t-shirt…read more Traveled back to Atlanta and served the bread for Sunday dinner. Exceptional taste and freshness. Thank you Sir, it was a pleasure to meet and talk with you. Your suggestion was spot on. The only error was mine, I should have purchased more... Also, the shirt fits like an old favorite. See you next time. G. Chestnut

Enjoyed their baked bread. Apparently they make a variety of loaves, depending upon the day of…read moreweek. Worth the ride to us

The baby shower cookies I ordered were absolutely adorable! I would absolutely recommend Carly!read more

I called Kendra on a Friday to cater a business luncheon for five on the following Monday. I gave…read moreher very little direction - that there were two vegetarians in the group, and that was it. She prepared a BEAUTIFUL meal of lemon pepper chicken (for the meat eaters) and veggie pasta salad for the vegetarians. The meal came in four courses: salad (she brought three dressings), entrée, dessert (cookies individually wrapped for each person), and fruit after our meal. She arrived 45 minutes before I did (I was flying in from Baltimore) to set up, and the table scape was beautiful. She brought her own linens, real ceramic dishes, glass glasses, etc. And on top of that, she served us throughout the meal. Basically, Kendra brought the four star dining experience of a restaurant to us (and on very short notice, I reiterate). She is capable of doing both small parties and larger functions such as weddings (up to 500 people). If you need catering in the Charlotte area, I highly highly highly recommend Kendra. You cannot go wrong.

Kraving Catering provided my daughter with a beautiful and delicious array of gluten-free…read moreappetizers and desserts for her wedding reception, along with lovely wedding reception table decorations. My daughter (the future bride) planned her wedding reception with Chef Kendra of Kraving Catering. She often raved about Chef Kendra's help throughout the process: "She is wonderful to work with! Chef Kendra is such a big help! She gets right back to me! She has wonderful ideas!" I met Chef Kendra prior to the actual wedding. She and her crew were personable, prompt and professional. My daughter was thrilled with the delicious desserts, as were our guests. When Chef Kendra found out how our wedding cake baker bowed out at the last minute, she baked the bride and groom a special gluten-free wedding cake for them! (as a wedding gift to them) It was a wonderful relief to know we didn't have to think about tablecloths and table decorations; Kraving Catering provided them and they were lovely. They were a joy to work with; we highly recommend them and would definitely use them again.

Quick service from the staff and willing to answer all my questions about the various baked goods…read morethey had. I also got some cream cheese to go along with my gluten free bagels I purchased. I got 2 bagels, a fall spice donut and something else. I'll def come back they have a cute set up and it's right off the main road.

From the owner: Dedicated gluten free bakery! Everything is made from scratch with the best quality ingredients…read more(organic, grass fed butter, farm raised eggs, etc.). From artisan breads, to the Charlotte Magazine’s Best of the Best runner up for best bagels, to the BOB runner up for best custom cakes (oh and this is among all bakeries and not GF bakeries), we have something for everyone! We are appointment only during Wednesday-Friday and have walk in service Saturdays from 9am-12pm or until we sell out. Be sure to get here early because the line usually start about an 1+ hours before we open on Saturdays! Because everyone deserves good $h!t

Finally got a chance to check out this event space! The lovely folks at Lupus Piedmont hosted their…read moreannual Mardi Gras Gala here and it's such a cool event space. From the outside, I would have never expected such potential. The large building is planted very near the tracks off of Tryon & Dalton - just a few minutes from Uptown. Now, I'm sure the space varies per event, but the folks at Lupus decorated it beautifully. Tons of tables, a large bar to the right, dance floor near the stage and plenty of walking around room. Plus, there are two old train cars outside the side doors that are perfect for additional entertainment options - the event last night had a fortune teller and a bones reader in these cars. Per Extravaganza Depot's website, it looks like they are full service event planning and execution company. Capacity wise, the site reads 350 seated and 600 standing and there are adequate restroom facilities and probably 200 parking spaces (total guess here). There aren't too many well put together venues in Charlotte that host these types of numbers, but Extravaganza Depot does offer a great option!

After looking into several venues in the greater Charlotte area, we chose Extravaganza Depot for…read moreour son's Bar Mitzvah on 10/21/17 and it was AMAZING! What a GREAT space for ANY party or event! Extravaganza Depot converted part of their warehouse into a venue for parties and events. It's a very cool open space with a back deck that has a GREAT view of the Charlotte Skyline and 2 train cabooses that can be used. Not only do you get a GREAT venue for your party, you get access to the thousands of their props for your party. The folks at Extravaganza Depot were extremely professional, courteous, fun to work with and did a fantastic job! I could go on and on but the bottom line is, Extravaganza Depot is an AMAZING venue for a party or event and they did an AMAZING job and exceeded our very high expectations! We could not be more pleased with our choice to go with the Extravaganza Depot for our very important event! We would totally recommend using Extravaganza Depot for your next event/party!!! THANK YOU EXTRAVAGANZA DEPOT FOR BEING A HUGE PART OF MAKING OUR EVENT/PARTY SO SUCCESSFUL!!!