Mark was very responsive and was able to accommodate our small dinner party. He brought everything he needed and he was really great with both of my young kids. The food was good. I think we enjoyed the appetizers and dessert the most! read more

Mark was very responsive from the very first moment I contacted him. He immediately sent out a fantastic menu/proposal was so easy to work with. The food was presented beautifully and was absolutely delicious. He helped make this pre-wedding event all that we had hoped for and then some!! I would definitely work with him again!! 10/10 read more

Mark is an outstanding chef and cater to your every need. He has tons of experience and is very personable as well. I would recommend his services to anyone! read more

Everything was fantastic and we could not have asked for more. We used them for a total of 5 family events over the years and everything was always flawless. Highly recommend Mark and his team! read more

Chef Mark is the most outstanding and easy to work with caterer you will find. From menu design to event day execution, Chef Mark provides excellent product (food) and customer service. Great communicator and excellent food and menu options. Whatever you are planning, know that working with Chef Mark is genuinely a pleasure. read more

We selected Chef Mark for our daughter's wedding in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Doing business long-distance can be tricky, but not with Chef Mark. He is personable, knowledgeable, and professional. He catered to our picky eaters' tastes and patiently accommodated several menu changes, creating the perfect summer luncheon. Impeccable service, great communication (as we did most arrangements online or via phone due to distance), 100% punctual, a delicious menu to please all, and professional, friendly staffers as well. Highly recommend. read more

Mark / Affordable Chef Services was great for my wedding! Prompt, professional, delicious food! They presented it beautifully and everything tasted great!! I did not get to taste the appetizers as most brides don't while taking photos, but I heard from guests they were awesome. The dinner was so good and let me just tell you about the VEGETARIAN LASAGNA!!! I am not a vegetarian, but that may have been the best thing I've ever tasted. I am still dreaming about it. Thanks Mark for an epic wedding feast! read more

Affordable Chef Services - Caterers Near Me - Capitola , California

Mark and his team catered our wedding this past weekend and we were very happy with his pricing and services! He was easy to communicate with and willing to adjust the menu to our liking. He provided linens, extra tables, place settings, and bar service in addition to the delicious food! I received lots of positive feedback from guests (more than one person said it was the best wedding meal they've ever had) and my husband and I are still enjoying leftovers Definitely would use again and recommend to friends/family!! Thank you Mark!! read more

I honestly cannot write and praise Chef Mark and his crew enough!! They made our day amazing. We did not have to worry about anything. They were so on their game, and went as far as sending one of the servers out to us while we were taking photos so we could try the apps. They ran on time, and the food was delicious! They made the dinner for us at our venue (OVY Camp - San Greogrio, CA)and then also made a brunch for us that Sunday. They were the best we could have gotten. I so appreciated the fact that it truly was affordable. When compared to other caterers - they don't even come close to the quality and the amazing deal that you can get through Mark. If your're planning a wedding -or just an event- I would hire Mark no doubt. He is extremely easy to work with, mellow, but will also reply very very fast. They went above and beyond our expectations. read more

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Chef Mark and his crew were great to work with and the buffet was fantastic. As an event planner, I will definitely be hiring affordable chef again! read more

Chef Mark was amazing! Helpful in so many little ways that added up to make a big impact. He was kind and patient with my step daughter as she hung out in the kitchen with him talking about her experience in her high-school catering class and how she's decided to go to culinary school. He stood look out for me as I got ready to walk down the aisle and made sure that I ate something. He moved our wedding cake (something I was very nervous about) flawlessly and prepared a delicious meal for our 25 guests. He was a pleasure to work with and a real professional. read more

I hired Mark from Affordable chefs for my Fathers 80th Birthday . I live in southern California and the party was in Felton CA. I had a budget and wanted good food. He was the guy! Mark, came early to set up. Brought extra tables and chair, He had a very nice bartender. They hand passed appetizers and the food was really good and fresh. What I like is that they didn't have to ask me a lot of questions. I could enjoy the party and they took care of everything. Everyone was very happy with catering. I would hire him again. read more

Chef Mark came to our house and prepared a gourmet dinner for a group of friends celebrating surviving surgery and a birthday. He started with hors d'oevuvres which were delicious. He then plated salads, removed the plates and plated our entrees, which were either salmon or beef filet. Everyone had a stress free and delicious meal. He made everyone feel at ease and because of his service, the evening was successful. read more

Mark catered a private family dinner for 12 for my mother in law's birthday. Everything was easy and smooth and the evening went wonderfully. The food was delicious and the portions were huge. We especially loved the dessert course. We'd absolutely recommend Mark for your gathering! read more

Just had Affordable Chef cater our first after COVID vaccination birthday party. It was outdoors among family and close friends. They did incredible job! Delicious food ! Professional service . They took care of every detail and cleaned up at the end. I can't recommend them highly enough! Thank you Mark Gallagher read more

I had the great experience of working with Chef Mark and his outstanding team this last weekend.  I was asked to help with my friends' wedding, from planning to day-of.  Chef Mark was fast to reply to all emails, and made their actual wedding day seamless.  His team was there setting up the moment the venue opened to us, and they were all professional and kind.  The tables looked beautiful and the food was tasty.  Everyone I talked to throughout the night raved about the appetizers being the best they'd ever had at a wedding!  On a personal note- Chef Mark just came across as a genuine good guy who works incredibly hard to make your event run smoothly.  I would recommend him and his team to anyone planning an event where you want to be able to trust that everything will get done, and be done beautifully. read more

I'm still not rating this any higher, but I will say that as of today - he reimbursed my payment to him. It took two years, but it suddenly showed up in my PayPal account today. Holy Sh*tsnacks. I did not believe it would happen. I'm still never going to use him again, and I would recommend some way to pace your payment of him - but he finally made right. Thank you for doing the right thing. read more

Mark and his team were wonderful from the start. He was always prompt to respond, kind, and quickly provided any updates to the menu/guest count/linen color change/ etc. We felt so comfortable working with Chef Mark right from the start and that was even more confirmed when we were able to finally meet him on our special day. Mark was adaptable to our decision to move where we were hosting dinner with such a supportive response "It is your day, we are serving dinner where you would like to" with no complaint at all. He arrived a few minutes early to make sure he and his team knew the venue layout and quickly got to work! He was personable making many guests laugh and smile (and even gave them sneak peak tastes into dinner and dessert!). Chef Mark also came down while we were eating to make sure that all guests were satisfied and boy were their smiles on everyones faces! We started with an array of appetizers from olive tapenade to turkey meatballs (my fav!) to ceviche. Our dinner was delicious- chicken, salmon, rice, asparagus, salad, and for dessert, chocolate cake and cheesecake (we ate it all!). All of the food was so good that we were getting texts the next day about all the specifics to our menu from our guests. I would HIGHLY recommend booking with Chef Mark if you want comfortable, reliable, and good vibes on your wedding day! read more

We hired Mark to cater brunch for our wedding, and we were very impressed! He replies in a timely manner to questions, requests, and concerns. From the moment he reached out in response to my project on Thumbtack, Mark worked hard to accommodate our needs. He made sure that we felt good about the menu before we booked him, and had us over for a tasting. Additionally, he noticed an item we didn't originally include on the menu and graciously added it to the meal (potatoes!). Many of our guests made comments to us about how much they enjoyed the food, and everyone (about 130 people) had as much to eat as they wanted with food left over. My only regret was that as the bride I didn't have the chance to eat as much of that AMAZING French toast as I wanted!  One thing to note is that Mark is direct in his communication style. He is very professional, but there's no fluff or BS, like people might be used to experiencing in the service industry. He truly is great at what he does and we would hire him again in the future. read more

Mark was ALWAYS responsive and more than willing to make sure he understood fully what it was we envisioned for my daughter's wedding and then made that come to life on her special day.  The food was key to what she wanted with her intimate wedding setting at Bargetto Winery, and he knocked it out of the park.  In putting together a personal menu for both the appetizers and buffet style dinner, Mark was the perfect balance of allowing us to choose options but gently guiding us on the "how" we could get there, so that our guests would get the best quality out of the rustic Italiano choices. Mark also allowed us to stay on budget and understood what we wanted to achieve in that department as well, which was more than appreciated by us. Mark and his staff killed it on the big day, it was seamless and our guests raved about the food.  Thank you Mark for everything you did, we appreciate you!!!!! read more

We used Mark and his staff for our wedding in May at Roaring Camp, THEY WERE AMAZING! Our guests LOVED their meals and I'm still hearing about how good the food was! My husband and I completely missed our cocktail hour due to taking photos. I was super bummed because we had chosen to serve these delicious meatballs as an appetizer during it. Mark came over to check on us during dinner and I had told him how sad I was to have missed them and 5 mins later he appeared with my very own bowl full!! From the great communication before the wedding, setting up a tasting that was convenient for us, beautiful table settings/flatwear/glasses, attentive/friendly/professional/FUN staff and the DELICIOUS FOOD!!! We can not recommend Affordable Chef Services enough!!! read more

Affordable Chef Services - Our wedding buffet - Caterers Near Me - Capitola , California

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As I come up on my 3 year wedding anniversary, I'm yet again reminded that Mark is still owes us thousands of dollars. After not liking our tasting, and being told we could have our money back if we were unhappy with the tasting, it's been an incredibly long frustrating journey of trying to be repaid the stolen money. Time and again Mark would tell us he would finally make it right and then always he would go silent. I guess he thinks I'll just forget about all the money he stole if enough time goes by, but he's wrong. Mark - please make this right, I'm begging you. read more

Mark Gallagher and staff provided excellent food and service at a very important event, my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party. I informed him of some dietary restrictions, and he was able to adjust his menu and provide great choices for everyone. Thanks, Mark! read more

Please note: I have not actually used the services of this company. This review is based solely upon initial contacts. So, back when I was planning on getting married in Santa Cruz, I emailed a number of different catering companies hoping to find what we were looking for. I got a response fairly quickly from Chef Mark Gallagher, but it turned out that our budget was really too low to get what we wanted at that point. Okay, no problem. Several weeks later, I got an email from him saying that he was "clearing off his desk" and had found our inquiry, and were we still needing a caterer. I thought, okay, he follows up, neat. So I responded back saying that by this time we had decided to marry farther north and wouldn't be using him. No response. Several weeks later, and then every other week since then (it's been months), we got the EXACT SAME EMAIL, or at least I assume they were all the same, because I stopped opening them eventually and directed his emails to my junk folder. Geez, guy, give it a rest! read more

I recently worked together with Mark for a beautiful event in a classic beachfront property in Aptos. Beyond his experience, I was impressed by his willingness to help with work beyond his normal scope of duty His staff helped move tables before the event, assisted the other services staff during the event, and clean the kitchen until spotless after a lovely dinner. I think it's wonderful that he can provide full rental services in addition to his delicious catering. For the area and the industry, Mark's beyond the call of duty. read more

We hired Affordable Chef Services to cater three meals at the 2017 California State Horsemen's Association Trail Trials State Championship Event at Santa Cruz. We hosted 70 horses and their riders along with nearly 50 volunteer staff members at the Graham Hill Showgrounds and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. We enjoyed our catered meals outdoors at the Santa Cruz County Horsemen's Association Club House. Mark and Blanca were completely professional every step of the way and ensured that we had enough food even when our dining guest count exceeded our original estimate. Mark met his promise, "I do not run out of food." Our guests were delighted and gave great compliments about the food and food service. I recommend Affordable Chef Services to enhance your Santa Cruz Experience! -Andrew Turnbull Chair, 2017 CSHA Trail Trials State Championship Event at Santa Cruz September 23-24, 2017 read more

4.5 stars Mark is a kick. He catered for our wedding two weeks ago and was one of our favorite vendors. We had our friend plan our wedding and she was in constant contact with Mark. Mark never failed to reply to e-mails and was always really accommodating to us in terms of what we wanted. He's very much about the couple and their wedding day and "anything you want". We had a tasting with him at his place with my parents and they absolutely loved his food. The only caveat I had with the food was that it didn't taste as good at our wedding as it did during our tasting with him. But, my husband and I did grab food later into dinner service and by that time, some of the food had gone cold (it was an outdoor venue). Also, it's just not realistic to expect food to taste the same when you're preparing for 120 people as opposed to 4 people. He had two servers and one bartender working with him and I was a bit skeptical that they'd be able to handle that many guests but they did a wonderful job! However, they didn't haul all the trash off the property before they left, leaving behind several bags of trash behind some trees. My poor friend had to drive in a car full of ~10 trash bags (not all of them from dinner service) up highway 17, back to Sunnyvale. Overall, we had a great experience with Mark. The little caveats I listed were small details but they didn't detract from our overall experience. He's a wonderful guy (I even asked him to be one of our witnesses to sign our marriage license) and I would recommend him to cater your next event. read more

We hired Mark back in January for our June 26th wedding in Monterey He was simply the best. Mark maintained contact with us leading up to the actual day of the wedding. He is incredibly personal, and his easy going attitude really relieved a lot of stress from my wife. He knew what he was doing and everything was delivered as promised. His staff was wonderful and the food was a big hit. He made sure we didn't have to worry about anything the actual day. Mark was essentially a caterer and wedding planner all wrapped up in one! If we ever need a caterer again, we will definitely be going with Mark. I would recommend him to anyone. He's simply a great caterer and a great guy. read more

I really cannot express enough of how wonderful of a job Mark and his team did to make our day the best day ever! I felt bad about how stressed I was as the bride going into the process of getting the catering details down, I had never planned a wedding before and I felt as if I was going to forget a little detail. Mark made this process SO easy for us with his at hand communication and straight to the point service. I was really thrown off at how laid back and confident he was and to be honest I almost felt unsure at times, but he definitely backed his game up with every detail!! We were blown away with his service and also the affordable pricing. My family and I love ribs and we were getting compliments all night of how tasty they were! Great job guys and thank you again!! Love Sara and Kyle July 25th 2015 Memory Garden Monterey CA read more

Planning your wedding? Look no further!!! Chef Mark and his crew put my husband and I at ease and made the food planning a breeze. Our buffet was outstanding and made quite the impression! Our guests are still raving about it weeks later. Not only was the food outstanding, but Chef and his crew also set up all the chairs, table cloths, and napkins to ensure the tables looked just as we wanted. (Not to mention then packed everything up after the reception was over!)The presentation completely exceeded our expectations, and looked stunning. Chef Mark is super fun to work with and really allowed us to infuse our own likes and wants into the overall meal. We look forward to enjoying his culinary expertise, and incredibly friendly staff at our next event! read more

We hired Mark in October of 2012 to cater our wedding reception in Santa Cruz and we were very impressed with the quality of service and food from him and his team. From the beginning we were happy with Mark's willingness to accommodate our needs and specific requests whether it was regarding the menu, the set-up or the equipment. Everything was delivered as promised and the food, set-up, and staff were impeccable. The staff were helpful, punctual and a great addition to our party. Mark's food was fantastic - we are still getting raves from our friends and family about how great the food and how friendly the atmosphere was. Working with Mark was an experience for me - he is a genuine mix of professional and relaxed. Being a bit of a control freak myself there were times where I would have appreciated additional communication about delivery times, etc. but in the end everything was how I had wanted/hoped it to be. I could not have been more satisfied with the final outcome. Mark was truly a joy to work with and I plan to use his services again. I recommend Mark and Affordable Chef Services for any special occasion - please consider them! The service and the price cannot be beat. Thank you Mark! read more

Mark Gallagher catered my wedding on August 22nd and I am so happy that my husband and I chose him. He is very personable, knowledgeable and super easy to work with. Mark is the perfect mix of organized yet relaxed. He didn't stress us out like other caterers we talked to - Mark is very good at putting you at ease. His prices are very reasonable and he does not skimp on quality. On our wedding day, the food was delicious. I got several comments from family & friends praising the appetizers and entrees. The staff was very good as well - attentive and friendly. Everything went very smoothly and I would definitely recommend Affordable Chef to anyone in search of a caterer. If you are looking for good quality, value and someone who really cares about your event, call Mark Gallagher. read more

We hired Mark for our wedding May 2019 and we couldn't have been more happy with our selection. We wanted a more casual "food truck" style dinner and Mark delivered- everything was delicious. Mark returned all of my emails and calls promptly during the planning process and was very open to any changes we made to the menu. Mark and his team also handled glassware, dish-ware and linens as well which was one less thing we had to worry about. On the day of the wedding itself, Mark and his team were AUTOMATIC and everything went like clockwork. My wife specifically wanted grill cheese and tomato soup appetizers and we completely forgot to eat while greeting our guests- Mark overheard and made sure that all of the apps we missed were at our table so we could eat them. Finally, Mark did late night food for our guests- burgers, dogs and Mac and cheese - nothing better to soak up some booze. I can't recommend the affordable chef and his team enough from both a price point perspective but for quality of food and service. Thanks Mark! read more

Affordable Chef Services - Grill Cheese & Tomato Soup Shooters - Caterers Near Me - Capitola , California

Now folks, if you're looking for a great Chef for your events, well look no further because( Affordable Chef) will take care of you. I played at a wedding in the Santa Cruz Mountains at the Highlands Park. There I met Mark the Chef who was catering for the wedding. He was very pleasant and fun to work with and also his crew. Mark's cooking skills are AMAZING and he was always on top of everything and made sure there was plenty of hot delicious food to go around. I saw many people go back for thirds and that's very rare especially at events. People were talking about his food all night long how flavorful everything was and they were going to hire him as well. Well Mark all I got to say is, you made the wedding a success and The DJ (me) and Bride and Groom (Mike & Terresa) thank you very much for all you done to make this event a success. Thank you Ezequiel Gonzalez read more

We hired Chef Mark to cater our daughter's wedding at Roaring Camp in Felton. He and his staff did an outstanding job from providing a bartender for the alcohol to a delicious buffet. We received many compliments on the food which we had tasted beforehand. Chef Mark responds quickly for any questions or concerns. I would highly recommend Affordable Chef for your event planning. read more

Mark and his team were great! They catered our rehearsal dinner and did an amazing job. Mark was always incredibly responsive and flexible, and the event went flawlessly and exactly as planned! Not to mention, the food was delicious and very tasty. Thanks Mark & team! read more

Mark and his team did excellent job for my mother's Celebration of Life. The food was fresh, delicious just what I ordered (with some helpful tips from Mark), and plentiful. Mark and team were highly attentive, making sure empty plates were picked up and dishes were refreshed constantly on the buffet table. They also were really nice to work with. read more

We recently celebrated our "30th" wedding anniversary. My romantic husband hired Mark from affordable Chef to prepare our lunch for us. Our lunch however was under a tent on the beach in the pouring rain along with a white table cloth and wine glasses! I was stunned as we drove up and mark escorted me from our vehicle with umbrella and then continued with making us the most fantastic and delicious meal! We had seared ahi salad, cocoanut Mahi, Mahi, petite filet, and a fantastic dessert of Cream filled Cannolis and Bread pudding! Mark went out of his way to make it special and it was! It was the most memorable, Romantic and delicious anniversary we have ever had!!!!!!!! A HUGE THANK YOU MARK!!!!!!! and of COURSE A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY HUSBAND RON FOR PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!!!!!!!! read more

DO NOT HIRE. BAD REPUTATION. MANY PREVIOUS DELETED REVIEWS. I don't know where to start with this review.... I ALWAYS try to give people chances, hear out their side of things, and make things right but I feel it is my duty to alert all future brides and grooms NOT to use Mark for any catering needs. I had a bad feeling from the moment we did our tasting (at his house). I was sure because of this feeling to get everything in writing and be very clear with what we needed and wanted. 4 weeks before our wedding we went to a rental company and while making small talk with the owner, she asked us who was doing our catering. I informed her and she turned white. She asked if he was providing the rentals and I replied yes. then she stated "nobody in SC county will rent to him so that is a surprise" and i asked why was that. she stated "he doesn't pay his bills, you need to be very cautious with him," Just what a bride wants to hear a month before the wedding! I have put off writing this review for about 6 months to allow mark to make things right and he has failed us over and over again. We hired mark for our wedding in August over a year prior to date. We gave a high estimate of people (220) and prepaid in January 2018. As the wedding approached Mark was notified of the guest count being low (165) and he agreed that after the wedding we would even up and get a reimbursement for what was over paid. During this email exchange mark asked if we would like to change out our menu selections from New York Steak to tri-tip and from Asparagus to green beans, stating that many of his clients were making the change because it is easier. I replied stating that I would like to keep the meat the same but the veggies could be changed. The day of our wedding comes, I arrive at the venue and hear nothing but negative things about Mark. Everyone was telling me how hard he was being during set up. Dinner comes, we were served tri-tip instead of NY steak and asparagus instead of green beans.... I was so disappointed and honestly embarrassed that we had this huge menu sign by the buffet that was misleading our guests. Not to mention the major cost difference between tri-tip and NY steak.... We paid for something that wasn't even provided. The catering staff was a joke. There was one really nice lady who checked on us every few minutes which was amazing but other than her it was a joke. Stained T-shirts and all. there was a boy probably not older than 15 pouring wine for our guests at their tables. The bartender, who was a complete ass was literally never at the bar. Our guest served themselves about 80% of the time. Then to top it off, we had over ordered cases of wine and the bartender was caught trying to take them home. Stating, "Well there is so much extra i thought i would take a couple cases home." He was reminded several times that we provided the alcohol. The staff left behind a number of items, which i collected and took home. After returning from our honeymoon 2 weeks later, I contacted Mark about the refund and returning his items. He stated that he needed to calculate the refund and that he would put a check in the mail and asked if i could drop off the items at a random apartment. Out of good will, i returned the items, hoping mark put a check in the mail. All attempts of contact to Mark were not returned. I sent a final attempt to collect letter and my husband called Mark to see if there was something else going on. Mark refuses to answer the call and responds in text messages which is perfectly fine with me because things in writing hold up better in court. We have been promised many times that a check is in the mail... and still nothing. FYI there were many reviews JUST like mine that have mysteriously disappeared. many of them included the fact that personal checks from Mark had bounced. Do your self a favor and do not go anywhere near this man or his company. He will say whatever it takes to get your money. read more

We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and my 50th B-Day, at Bargetto Winery in Soquel. Chef Mark was a pleasure to work with. Great menu ideas. The food was great. The day of the event all went smooth with Chef Mark at the helm. Also, his catering contract was great all inclusive, included everything, including the tip, cake cutting, coffee service, no additional add ons. We really like this style with an all inclusive catering contract. We would highly recommend Chef Mark for any event. Also, Bargetto Winery patio is perfect venue for all events, We had approx 112 guests and it was a beautiful setting, our guests loved the entire party. It is the perfect venue for any party. Patti & Coult. read more