I had Tamara's Catering cater an event for me this past weekend. Tamara did an incredible job with food, service and being polite and pleasant. I've hired several caterers in the past, and Tamara is one of the best. I would recommend Tamara's Catering to anyone... read more

Not all heros wear capes! With less than 24 hours to go until a farewell party I was throwing, and my caterer fell through--I reached out to all of my friends and someone new Tamara. With little hope, I sent her an email asking if she could put together a meat and cheese platter for us. She responded right away and not only put together an amazing platter, she brought it to us, and even jumped through some hoops to get us copies of her business license and insurance for the venue. The food looked as lovely as it tasted, and we were able to continue on with the party without the stress of figuring out the food situation. Thank you to Tamara and her team for being so helpful and reliable! We appreciate you! read more

First off - the food is very good. My husband and I booked Tamara's Catering because our tasting with her was the best out of the (many) we sampled, and everyone who mentioned the food at our wedding said it was delicious. This should really be a one star review, but I'm giving an extra star because the food was tasty. However, the overall experience of working with this company was very poor. Tamara is very disorganized, so the process of confirming the order and making sure the proper items were in place for our wedding was very difficult. Even after "confirming" things, she would forget and have to call or email to go over them again. This would have been fine if it were once or twice, but I just counted 18 emails (that are on top of the standard quote/confirmation emails). All of those conversations wouldn't have been so bad, but she also made a large mistake at the wedding, and did not seem to be entirely focused on our event during the day of. She made an effort to remedy the situation the next day, which we appreciated, but we were still very disappointed. Overall, I would recommend going with a more professional organization for a wedding or large event. read more

Tamara has been the most helpful person in my life recently. Seriously. I am so grateful we hired her! I'm getting married in May of next year, up at a winery in Santa Maria. I called many caterers and they were all outrageously priced, most refused to consider traveling to the venue, and quite a few couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that we are vegetarians so we wanted an all vegetarian menu. It was like it was an alien concept that you don't need meat to be the star of the meal. And very foreign to some companies who wanted to charge us just as much per plate as a steak dinner! When I called Tamara, she was a breath of fresh air. She's totally down to earth and has helped tremendously with coordinating different rental companies that don't cost an arm and a leg because she's familiar with the area. (She's hooked us up with lighting, generator, and porto potty vendors as well!) She also has great cost-saving tips ("Spoons, you don't need to rent spoons. You're not serving soup. . ."). Not to mention her food is great! She did a tasting for us and we're really excited about the menu. It's yummy, simple, meat-free, and practical! She has gone the extra mile for us. She will go the extra mile for you. We have booked her for our Sunday brunch after the wedding too. I was worried because she was going to be working so hard at the wedding the night before, but she said with out blinking, "No problem." She worked with us on the menu and we are grateful that we don't have to worry about coordinating a brunch on our own. If you are having a wedding or any type of event in the area or in Santa Barbara, do yourself a favor and call Tamara, talk to her, and then book her! I feel like I have found vendor who is on my side and who doesn't want to take advantage of the fact we're having a wedding and up-charge the crud out of me. I feel as though I found a friend/mother figure who is willing to guide me through this incredibly stressful process. I'm not paid to write these reviews. I like to support people who support me, and Tamara has and will! read more

If you have guests with allergies or diseases related to food - do NOT use Tamara. She is not ADA compliant with regard to serving & cooking. She catered an event for us and at first was not willing to cook uncontaminated food for someone w/ celiac and a few other allergies , then said she would try, but could not make any guarantees. The guest had ti bring their own food in as a result, and still charged for the guest. Also had an issue where coffee was only available for about 5 people at a time with long waits in between for the pot to be filled. Likes to use way too many servers unnecessarily and try to hide this by telling you she will "rotate" the severs out. She will try to charge you extra for the cooking surfaces she needs to use for preparing your food. Exactly! Who charged you for the types of cooking surfaces you need to cook your food? That's like saying I need to charge you extra because I need to store your food in a fridge. I have been hosting / throwing / coordinating corporate parties for years and was far from impressed with her pricing, food, honesty and willingness to accommodate eating restrictions. Unacceptable - especially now a days. read more

Tamara and her crew were so amazing. I really wanted a family style meal for our wedding reception and all other caterers were going to charge us an insane amount just because of that. Tamara was so willing to work with me and make sure we got everything we wanted. We did family style tacos, a chips and salsa bar, and passed ceviche. She provided a bartender and also managed the rentals (tables, chairs, glassware, etc.). Because of her and her team, my husband and I had nothing to worry about at the wedding and were so pleased with the result. The food tasted amazing! We can't thank Tamara enough! read more

We were preparing to have a birthday party for my 90 year old mother at our home for 35 people. We were struggling on what to serve our guests. We decided to hire Tamara's Catering for the job, and boy were we glad. She prepared everything we asked for to perfection. Set everything up, served everyone, and did all the clean up. We had nothing to do but enjoy ourselfs and all our guests raved about the food. I highly recommend her and will definitely use her again read more

We used Tamara for a small going-away get together with friends in Santa Barbara and she and the servers were fantastic! There was plenty of food, our friends were very complimentary, even the vegetarians were impressed. From set up to break down, they were all very professional and yet personable. It was a casual and informal "backyard" gathering and all of our friends felt completely at ease and comfortable. I hope to use her again in the future for another get together, as it was nice to have someone else take care of the food and beverage for a change and just enjoy our friends. read more

Tamara and her assistant were great - we had an Italian style dinner for 60 people and it was plentiful and delicious.

We used Tamara's Catering for my daughter's wedding on 6/29/13 in Santa Ynez. The food was delicious and we received many positive comments on both the quality and quantity. Tamara was really easy to work with. Her staff was friendly, professional and helpful. I was not concerned about the food for this special day because Tamara took care of everything! Definitely book early because she is reasonably priced with great food! read more

Tamara did a great job on my 50th birthday party. She worked with me to stay within my budget. The food was great and got many compliments. She hired the bartenders and servers, all of which were professional and efficient. This is the second time I've used her, and I will be recommending her to my friends read more

Where do I even begin? There were a lot of concerns that were brought up to the caterer's attention a few weeks back. To this date, there wasn't even a response or acknowledgement these issues. 1. The timing on the food service was completely off. It took a bit of time for the lobsters to be served. The sautéed sausages and peppers were late. It was served as the guests were finishing up their lobsters. As discussed in a meeting we had back in May 2014. The salad, pasta and sausage & peppers were to be at the table just after the chowder was served and long before the main course. The saving grace was that since it was a feasting table, guests were able to interact with each other and not know how you failed at the food service delivery. A few of our guests though, since they do not eat seafood, decided to just stand next to the bar and drink because they thought that we were only serving lobsters. It is hard to understand how this could happen when the distance between the kitchen and the feasting table was even made closer compared to its original location. 2. Some of the bread bowls with the chowder were only half filled (mine was an example). 3. Most of the water mugs did not have water - it only had lemon slices. Our guests had to ask for water. 4. There was not enough staff to handle the dinner. Our wedding planner, had to work the dinner. He and his family were invited guests. I made it clear to him that he was to enjoy the celebration with us. Not having enough help is a poor excuse. They knew the layout of the property and the type of seating and service. 5. Since it was a feasting table, the wines should have been at the table as discussed, they failed to staff the event appropriately. Our guests had to get up and get wine at the bar. Again, I am not sure how this was overlooked. 6. The Champagne Toast - not sure what happened there. I had to ask a second time. 7. The cupcakes were served on the deck and the guests were told about it - right before the champagne toast. So some guests missed the toast (These were from guests comments), since they went up to the deck. 8. The Bibs. I just do not understand how that could be missed. I paid good money for those because they were custom-made for the wedding and it's really disappointing that this was totally messed up. It's money down the drain. And of course, they were never returned to us. I was informed later that them saw them last next to the fridge, but then again, we were never told of that. So not only that they were never used...they also ended up disappearing. Believe it or not, those bibs had some sentimental value. It was actually handed to them personally. I would have felt a little better if they were at least returned to us. We have worked with caterers for over 25 years in the hospitality industry - and they would always give back any personal items that they think need to be returned. 9. The Brunch. The contract states a bartender, 2 servers, the caterer and her assistant were the "servers" (so we were also paying the owner as a server?). There was no Bartender. We ended up making our own drinks and had to set the bar area up ourselves. One of out guests even stepped in to help when he got there. There was a charge for ice on the contract. We bought the ice. I was expecting the brunch station to be at least "manned" but it wasn't. I went into the house a few times and saw them both on their phones (texting or emailing...). For the cost of the catering contract, it wasn't really worth it - especially with the fact that we even provided a lot of the ingredients - lobsters, ice, roasted pig, non-alcoholic mixers, sodas, water, wine, beer, alcoholic, etc. The service and the attention to detail was the most important to us and had the most weight in our eyes, but it just wasn't there. We have worked with reputable caterers in the past for about the same price or even less but received a much better value and service. In all cases, the caterer (or on site contact) would always check with clients to see if everything was OK, if there is anything else that we need and update us of any hiccups. In this case, I had to find out from our wedding planner and not from her. While our wedding planner was the main coordinator - the dinner part was her show - we hired her and paid good money for very poor service. Even the post event correspondence was unprofessional. We did receive a refund check for the Bartender's Fee with a "Post It" stating so. There was not even an ounce of apology on that "note". These are feedbacks that she needs to take to heart, especially if she wants to have a successful business. read more

Great food, great staff and we were well served. Thank you Tamera, Lacey's wedding was a hit, in part due to your excellent catering services. read more

Tamara catered my wedding back in 2013. The food was wonderful and she was great at working with our budget. She offered lots of tips that helped plan our reception. Recently, I had a work event for about 100 people that needed catering. I was happy to reconnect with Tamara and work with her again. The guests love the food! read more

We used Tamara catering for a special birthday party. Tamara was recommended by a friend of ours and we were not disappointed. Tamara is easy to work with and she helps you with all the details. The food was served according to plan and our guest commented on great the food was. Tamara's staff is extremely friendly and very helpful to us and all the guest. If we decide to have another party that requires catering, we will hire Tamara's Catering. If your party needs catering, please call Tamara. You won't be disappointed. read more

I have to agree with what's been said by other reviews here: the food was just awesome. Perfectly paired with our rustic wedding in Templeton, Ca., local veggies and meats, everything tasted fresh and was excellently prepared. The food and service that day went so well with the overall setting, we were delighted to hear how much people loved what they ate! (watch out if you're planning to get married: have someone save you and your partner each a plate and eat it later - we did!!! because you might find yourselves so happy and excited (like us!) that you just might forget to eat!!) Haha, I mean it, but in all seriousness, nothing was better than later that night, after the ceremony and all the dancing, after everyone complimented the day, the setting, the food, the ceremony, after we'd gone to our 'honeymoon suite', we woke up ravenously hungry and had Tamara's food saved for us!! Awesome, delicious, thanks Tamara! read more

I took a group of 40 high school students to a retreat this summer. They were all thrilled with the food! Plus, Tamara was willing to adjust meals as she saw the kids' preferences and adjusted to the multiple kids who recently decided to be vegetarian. As an adult, I also enjoyed the food. She had snacks out for us all day which was such a nice touch! read more

We have used Tamara's Catering several times to prepare business lunches for our employees.....Everything that was cooked and served at our meals was delicious......She has always been super helpful with her suggestions, willingness to help with serving options, and overall care in this special treat we offer....We will always consider her catering business whenever we plan parties or other employee fun times.....In addition....she is very reasonable and very easy to work with....Everyone loved the food!!! read more

tamara catered our wedding and it was AWESOME. she was extremely helpful in all areas and listened well to what we wanted and executed it perfectly. everyone loved the food and the staff was great! i highly recommend tamara for any event - she is wonderful! read more

Tamara was so great to work with - her warmth and caring nature made us immediately realize that she really cared about making our wedding all we wanted it to be. We both come from families that know and appreciate really good food so getting everything right was really important to us, and boy did she deliver! The food was beautifully presented, hot and delicious, and every guest raved - and are still raving - about how great everything was. From the appetizers to the salads, the pastas, the sides, the entrees and everything else was delicious. The whole process from our first meeting and tasting in her home, through staying til the end of the reception and delivering leftovers to our bridal suite to make sure we had some tasty snacks during that special night - went way beyond our expectations. Her and her staff were wonderful. They were on top of every detail all night long to make sure everything went perfectly. We can't recommend her enough and wish we could give her 6 stars. read more