LOOK NO FURTHER!!! Vucacious is the caterer for you. A week ago, my husband and I hosted a…read moreSurprise Landmark Birthday Party for my daughter at her home. And it was further complicated since it needed to be planned Long Distance. The celebration was a complete success, with the Vucacious Staff at the helm. Let me explain:
A couple months ago, we decided to explore caterers for the event. We had little experience with this...only our own wedding, many moons ago, so we asked a couple of my daughter's friends for caterers they could recommend. Easy, right??
What we found is the selection of food items from appetizers, salads, entres, desserts, and drinks can be a really daunting task. Many caterers have a crazy extensive ordering process that can overwhelm you at the start. There was much more to it than we originally expected. Then, to complicated it further, there was planning the logistics. Many caterers require access to the event location BEFORE the day of the event to prepare, and then, on the day of, they need to come in 2 to 3 hours prior to the event start to set up. For our Surprise Party, neither of these was workable.
Vucacious Catering came to our rescue. Their name came up on Yelp when I was combing reviews for the best caterers near Manhattan Beach CA, and were we relieved we gave them a call. They responded immediately and put us at ease. Sean expertly locked in the date and number of guests and set the menu with us. He asked what we were interested in, and we explained. We discussed the size and location of the event. When we expressed our concerns about home access, he said that Vucacious could handle their planning with simply seeing pictures of the area of my daughter's home where the party would be held. They also agreed to arrive 1 hour before the start of the event (only after calling 15 minutes before their arrival to be sure the coast was clear) to set up appetizers and bar service first, then to proceed to the main course.
Choosing our menu was actually pretty simple. By then, we knew what we wanted, discussed options that were both popular and that we'd like served. Vucacious was totally flexible. We chose to provide our own drinks and had birthday cake for dessert. The presentation of the 4 appetizers, 3 entrees, 2 salads, and sides was impressive. And it all tasted A-MA-ZING!!!
And let me tell you about the crew. We had an Event Manager, a Bartender, and a Server. Miguel, Mark, and Max called before arriving (as requested, to be sure my daughter was gone), and immediately began the setup. They were very professional and friendly while efficient and attentive. They were ready with appetizers and drinks when our guests arrived, and later began serving the main course. And although we provided it, they even served the cake. It was truly wonderful. I can't say enough for the crew...they went above and beyond, not only doing what we expected, but also going out of their way to assist in carrying, setting up, and taking down our tables and chairs. They boxed up the remaining food (left it with us), cleaned up everything, and even carried out the trash. You'd never know we just held a party for over 30 people, leaving my daughter's home as clean as it was before.
We knew from the start Vucacious Catering made us feel confident the event would go off without a hitch, but little did we know just how well it would go.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, VUCACIOUS!!! YOU'RE THE BEST!