Mr. Tripp Rion, the owner, is a ridiculously nice guy who owns a catering company. We've met him at a bridal event in which he was showcasing some of his delectable food items - I was digging the homemade bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and a sprig of dill as well as the chicken salad in a tart cup. Tripp mentioned that any menus are customizable, whatever your taste buds, budget, and themes you're looking for or thinking about - he can actually sit down and have a genuine conversation of what his company offers for weddings or any events. Very sweet guy and down-to-earth! If you are having a wedding or any type of an event and are not restricted to vendors, Tripp is the guy to go to. He is an awesome and an incredible caterer in the great Chicagoland area (and elsewhere). He is able to sit down and discuss with you in regards to your favorites, your tastes, etc. etc., and offers a variety of selections to make your reception an instant success! +ask for Mr. Rion +homemade bagels with smoked salmon +chicken salad in a tart cup read more

A New Years Eve wedding that was over the top beautiful!! From the set up to service and lets not forget the food!! Trip was a true professional. Starting with the venue ( a raw space with two levels) I was impressed and pleased with Trip's "can do adttitude". Having a raw space creates many speed bumps and require much re planning. Trip's calm demeanor and attention to every detail was impressive to say the least. From appetizers - to entire - to dessert, the presentation and quality of his foods was amazing. The guests were extremely pleased with everything that Trip brought to this event. and were totally wowed by it all. As the event planner - I am excited to share this review with you and would highly recommend Twisted Oak for your next event.!! Jerry H.Carlson read more

Thank you YELP! My wife and I utilized YELP to help with our wedding planning! I'm a wedding photographer and I know so many vendors in the industry to help us with our wedding! Great photographers, makeup, hair, floral, wedding coordinator, etc! But I only knew of the big companies non-personal companies that did wedding coordinating. And I didn't want the typical wedding food meal...afterall I eat at weddings ALL the time as part of my job...and I wanted my wedding food to be something cool....different and delicious! Afterall..I'm a yelper when it comes to food! Another thing you'll notice about my yelp reviews...I tend to like small businesses and I definitely like to see the owners working in their establishments. Being a small business owner who takes pride in my work...I enjoy complimenting the owner with a handshake when I enjoy their store/food. Enter YELP. My fiance contacted different wedding caterers for our wedding. We were thinking something different...we both like Asian fusion. Tripp and Jodi from Twisted Oak Food came up with a great menu! It sounded so appetizing and so much better than the other 'boring' proposals we got from the other more 'well known' companies. I'll be honest...I was a little concerned about Twisted food being able to handle our large wedding guest count (275) - but after meeting with Tripp and talking about it...I felt confident that Tripp would do a good job and he seemed like an honest man who would stand behind his word. My kind of guy! Ok...this yelp review is getting long... Bottom line: GREAT FOOD! Great value (other companies were giving us such vanilla options for our price range - and he really understood our budget concerns!). Great communication! We emailed a ton and even spoke on the phone a couple times! Great service! No complaints the whole night! Tripp the owner/chef...he takes pride in his work and is cooking for the love of it. He wants to make his clients happy with his food...just like I work to make my clients happy with my wedding photography! Twisted Oak Food: Thanks for helping to make our wedding day so special and memorable! We'll never forget how great you were for us! read more

This review is primarily to laud the talents of Katie, Tripp's assistant/business manager. I contacted the business to get a catering proposal for my August wedding in June (I know, quick turnaround). Unlike the other reviewers for this company, my fiance and I had no contact at all with Tripp during the back and forth about the proposal over several weeks. However, it was great working with Katie. She got back to us promptly, was always available via phone or email, and always had a pleasant and professional demeanor. We ended up going with the other company because we were more enthusiastic about the menu selection. We also were happy with the price. Finally, we were able to taste the other company's food. Katie mentioned that tastings aren't usually done in our price range --small wedding ( around 40) with catering around $2K). I think that might have been a disadvantage because we never spoke directly with Tripp about his "culinary vision" for the selections he chose from our initial suggestions nor was he able to show and prove himself via taste alone. Thus, we never built up any excitement around the selections. We just figured it would all be "fine" based on the other reviews on yelp. If you decide to go with Twisted Oak, Katie is a true pleasure. I would be happy to work with her in the future. read more

I was really surprised to read the negative review about Tripp and Twisted Food. I had Tripp cater a party for my mom's 70th birthday. After originally thinking there would be 18 people, we ended up with 37! Tripp was flawless in handling the increase in guests and put together a very customized menu based on the type of food my mom likes. As the event got closer and I started to panic, Tripp stayed calm and cool and really alleviated my fears. The night of the event Tripp arrived in plenty of time with the server we signed on for. They worked flawlessly to set up the food in a picturesque display. We had duck pad Thai in little take out containers, sushi drizzled with different sauces, beef skewers and a few different tart. The display was the talk of the party - and this was quite a sophisticated, well traveled group of foodies! Everyone raved about the food and there was more than enough for everyone. Whenever a plate ran out it was immediately replenished. We were absolutely thrilled with the entire experience and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Tripp to anyone who asks. He really went above and beyond to make this event special for us. read more

Working with Tripp has been a pleasure. He's courteous and professional and takes pride in the quality of his foods and his presentation always seems to wow the guests. I work with many caterers and am pleased to include Twisted oak as one of my preferred caterers. Cathy C. read more

I found Twisted Oak for my wedding on Yelp and I am happy to report that he lived up to the high expectations set by others reviews. The things that I was most impressed by was: 1. Tripp's willingness and excitement to design a menu with us. We love grilling and so we created a garden veggie, chicken and steak kabob in addition to passed horderves and wonderful sides. He also served homemade pie (apple, peach, and cherry) along with ice cream for dessert which enabled me to save on my wedding cake. 2. Tripp assured me that his staff would take care of everything, lifting the weight off of me or family to take care of the set up, clean up or whatever came up and they did! I was endlessly impressed by how relaxed and attentive the servers where. I especially appreciated it when they would ask me if I needed anything throughout the reception. 3. Good quality food at a fair price point. I guess I didn't emphasize how good the food was and how my guests still talk about it nearly a month later. Our wedding budget was very low by Chicago standards and Tripp really worked with us to make the cost fit our budget and I am happy to have spent every penny towards the catering. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone for your catering event especially if you want a memorable and unique menu for your special day. read more

Based on a friends recommendation, we met with Tripp for a tasting a couple of weeks ago. This was our first tasting experience, and after writing back and forth with other caterers who tried to charge for a tasting, or would not budge on factors that were important to us, meeting with Tripp was very refreshing. It was a very laid back dinner, with an excellent appetizer and an even better main entree. We had several questions for Tripp, and he answered them all and was very conversational. He provides his honest opinion and it seems like his #1 goal is pleasing his clients. read more

Tripp went above and beyond in order to help make our wedding an incredible, edible event! He is not only culinarily creative, but utilizes a team that executes the food with excellence. If you are able to get him for your wedding or event (he is in high demand) consider yourself extremely fortunate. Alexandria and I are so grateful for your amazing work Tripp!! read more

I looked into a couple of caterers for our private anniversary party and reached out to Twisted Oak based on the reviews here. I chose Tripp because he was friendly, engaged with me and really seemed interested in making our night special. He and his operations manager, Carrie, did a wonderful job. My guests raved about the food. They even helped me connect with a bakery when I decided I wanted a two tiered cake at the last minute. Some of my guests are following up with Tripp afterwards as they were so impressed. Highly recommend! read more

Having Tripp cater our daughter's wedding was the worst decision possible. Not only was he difficult to communicate with prior to the wedding (email not working, not returning calls promptly) but he did not deliver anything that he said he would. If we can help save one bride the embarrassment of the disaster we had to endure, this time will be well spent. Tripp assured us emphatically that we would have enough food and it would be good. He assured us in an email that there would be at least 3 items per person of each food item and that the food would be out for two hours. He was out of food in less than an hour with many people not getting to eat! The quality of the food was not the same that was provided for the tasting. The tasting for my daughter and fiance cost us $100.00 and they were still talking about it for days. The food we received was flavorless, some raw, and one item, a pita chip with a Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade was so hard that no one could bite through it with their front teeth but people were so hungry they put it in the side of their mouths and used their molars. Awful! The first appetizer, a lime infused gulf shrimp, roasted white corn, black beans and cilantro in petit pastry cups, topped with Asiago Cheese was bland but better than what we ended up with by the end, because he ran out of everything and put a piece of shrimp on one of those rock hard pita chips! The room set up was so bad that people could not even access many of the tables and if you did get back there, you became too trapped to get any food. Tripp told me that it was his job to arrange the room and that he would change the room out from the ceremony to the dancing and dinner. He said that his staff would move the flowers and benches. They did not do this! I had to lift the heavy vases myself. He said that it was his job to worry about everything, and he did not do what he said. The one station of Arepas, had so little food, only one server constructing them, one lettuce leaf at a time, and he ended up using his bare hands to touch people's food. The line was so long because people were so hungry and first they ran out of one of the ingredients and then two and then three and then all of it, causing all the last people in line to have no food. At $8,425.00 I was assured by Tripp over and over again before the wedding that we would have enough food. It was like a hide the ball game all night long with only two servers coming out with about 6 to 8 items on a tray, running from the guests to try to make it back to the kitchen with the food. I couldn't believe it! He never came to me to ask me if everything was all right, he never came to ask if he should pull the food. When after 45 mins. I didn 't see any food out, I asked one of his staff and he said, "the food is gone". So I went to find Tripp and he said, "no, it's not gone, it's just that your guests didn't want any more so we put it away". I told him that people were coming up to me to tell me that they were hungry. He did not pull out this imaginary food! I told him staff to bring out the dessert. The drinks that were served were very tiny. We were told that we would have two drink servers and we paid, in advance unfortunately for two and we had one. Root beer floats were supposed to be served and they kept refusing to serve them until the very end of the evening when most people were gone. The photographer took pictures of them and they were about two inches high. I'm happy to send photos to anyone who doesn't believe it. In reading the reviews here I have to wonder how our experience can be so different than that of these others. Are they all really written by real clients? He had refused to refund any of our payment. We paid for 11 people to work the event and gratuities for them as well and there were not 11 people working the event. He now tells American Express that it was not his job to set up the room even though I have a room map and plan that he sent me and that the whole problem was that I was too cheap to pay for a big enough event space and enough food even though he assured me that he had worked that event space a lot and loved it and that he guaranteed that no one would ever leave one of his events hungry. My guests are still talking about how bad it was. Many of them left to go and get food. Please save yourselves from a terrible experience. I am so unhappy and feel so cheated. Kathleen Johnson Mother of the Bride read more

Twisted Oak Food Company did an absolutely amazing catering job for our wedding! Tripp worked with us to customize a unique menu with delicious food. After the wedding, our family and friends said they loved the food and especially loved with burgers with various toppings. Everything was beautiful. No one was expecting a cotton candy tree with cotton candy in our wedding colors. It was really fun to see people dancing with cotton candy. We totally recommend Twisted Oak Food Company to anyone planning a special event. I was able to completely enjoy my wedding day knowing Tripp was taking care of everything, which is a really nice feeling when you are a bride! read more

Tripp catered my wedding and did a fantastic job. The food was delicious, unique and just what we wanted. He was flexible and worked with us to ensure we were happy with the menu, rentals and all the other details. He was always willing to chat and rework something if we weren't satisfied. We received many compliments on the food from our guests and saw that a lot of people went back for seconds & even thirds. He was great the day of the event (and even came up with a safety pin when my bustle broke!) And very imporantly, Tripp's prices are extremely competitive. I would definitely recommend him! read more

Their food is incredible. They did our wedding and people were mentioning how great everything tasted for months after the event. It was delicious and affordable, which is a winning combination in my book. read more

Working with Tripp and his team at Twisted Oak Catering was everything we wanted for our wedding. We knew we had high hopes going in - we wanted a personal experience, food that would stand apart from traditional wedding food, and a price that we could afford. Tripp and Carrie made everything we wanted come true. Tripp crafted a menu based on our favorite foods that is still being talked about by our family and friends. The food was perfectly prepared, tasted just as fantastic as it did at the personal tasting Tripp did for us at our home, and brought smiles to everyone's faces. (Think gourmet barbeque - pulled pork, lemon tarragon chicken, mac & cheese, gorgonzola coleslaw... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.) The late-night hot dog station was a huge hit - the dogs couldn't have been more "Chicago" and everyone devoured them. Carrie worked tirelessly to make sure that the rentals and room set-up worked with our desired flow and their catering needs, went over our rental order with a fine-tooth comb to make sure we avoided any extraneous charges, and worked hand-in-hand with our wedding coordinator to make sure we didn't miss a detail. When we were nervous that we were going to be going over budget because our guest list had grown, Tripp assured us that we would not have to sacrifice a bit and that he would find a way to make it work. And he did. Tripp and Carrie are two of the most laid-back, friendly, fun-loving people we've ever met. We are already thinking about planning an anniversary party so we can be sure we stay in touch with these two! read more

Top-Knotch chef and guy. Been at several events where Trip has catered and the food was always inventive and outstanding. He easily mixed with the crowd while working the event and made sure all the guests were enjoying themselves. He also manages his employees well because they were all efficient and polite. Next party I have I'm definately booking Twisted Oak. You should too. read more

I love this company!!!!! Everytime i have a catered event - tripp and his crew is my one and only call! Kepp up the good work!!!!

Twisted Oaks did an amazing job catering our non-standard wedding reception. It took place in our co-op building with four apartments hosting and some friends bringing potluck side dishes. Tripp and Michael were great at accommodating our particular setup. They provided the meat dishes with outstanding grilled chicken, salmon, and portobello. (I'm still thinking about the salmon two months later.) They arranged the food and drinks throughout the four apartments and made sure everything was always well stocked. Michael came a couple of times in advance to help plan and was extremely friendly and helpful. Tripp's marinades were excellent and thoroughly impressed our guests from around the country. Highly recommended. read more

Thank you to Tripp and Twisted Food for the fabulous job catering our annual Christmas party. The food was wonderful - the filet and mushroom sauce was a big hit and everything down to the smallest detail was perfect. I appreciate that they went above and beyond to make our guests happy and it was great to be able to actually enjoy the party knowing that things were in good hands. Would absolutely recommend! read more