Adam Small and his team were recommended to us by a family member who also used his services for…read moreher wedding. We could not be happier with the recommendation as the appetizers and entrées were absolutely stunning -- both in flavor and aesthetics! Our biggest difficulty was choosing dishes from his diverse catalog of offerings since they all sounded delicious. He was also very accommodating and made various adjustments to account for particular food allergies that some of our guests had (without compromising on flavor at all). For appetizers, we chose: - Pepper-Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna (Seka Hills EVOO, Sicilian Pesto, Herbs) - Ratatouille Tarts (Puff Pastry, Seka Hills EVOO, Parmigiano Reggiano) - Pistachio Flatbread (Onion, Burrata, Honey, and Chili Oil -- this one was a extra-huge hit with all guests) For dinner, we started with a Local Harvest Salad (Farm Vegetables, Fruit, Vinaigrette, Cheese, and Nuts -- plating was particularly beautiful for the salad), and had three entrée options: - Wagyu New York Steak (Imperial American Wagyu, Roasted Vegetables, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Potato Galette, and Red Wine Jus) - Signature Duck (Mary's Crusted Duck Breast, Hind-Quarter Confit, Potato Cake, Charred Vegetables, and Duck Jus) - Roasted Butternut Squash with Cannellini Beans (Charred Vegetables, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, and Saffron-Rosemary Broth) Throughout our entire wedding and afterwards, guests were telling us how impressed they were and that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding! He and his team arrived right on schedule, set up (including silverware and plates) cooked and served outstanding food, provided extremely attentive service, and then cleaned up, leaving the kitchen absolutely spotless (while also deftly navigating a brief power outage!). We cannot recommend Adam Small Cooks highly enough! His food, attention to detail, and service are truly next level. Thank you again for making our wedding so special!

Chef Adam was amazing!!!…read more We celebrated a friend's birthday with 6 people at an Airbnb in Sonoma. We had a six course menu (see below for details) that was excellent! For the vegetarian in the group (me) he was able to whip up a wonderful dish when everyone else was eating halibut. Every single dish was a stand out and the group was so happy with how everything turned out. This was a wish of the birthday girl - to have a private chef and to spend time with her girlfriends. She was blown away by the experience. The 6 course meal included: Fried Baby Artichokes: lemon aioli, herbs, chili oil Flatbread: preserved truffle, pistachios, onion, burrata, honey, chili oil Ash Roasted Beets: kimchi honey, pistachios, ravigote, feta Charred Zucchini Agnolotti: fried sage, brown butter, lemon, pepper, parmigiana Seared Halibut: fennel-potato salad, herbs, haricot vert, preserved truffle champagne sauce Under-Baked Chocolate Cake: Italian meringue, Luxardo cherries, cocoa nibs Also, our kitchen was left spotless! Thanks again Chef Adam for giving us the perfect first day of our trip!

My husband and I had the chance to experience a dinner by…read more "Cuisines By Lela", Private chef, Linda McCullough, last night. I cannot rave about Linda and her staff enough Her food is exquisite from appetizers to dessert ... absolutely delicious with such attention to detail and presentation. Her stories between courses were engaging and endearing ... talking about the recipes she still uses who were her grandmother's and how she procures herbs and veggies from her own garden..... loved it all !! And the food THE BEST SHORT RIBS I have ever tasted. Every epic bite was so full of rich flavor All the food was THE BEST EVER AND the house was left immaculate, everything cleaned and left better than how she found it I cannot recommend Cuisine by Lela more highly. A dining experience you won't soon forget !!!

We hired Linda to cook a private dinner for my grandmother's 90th birthday, and she was absolutely…read moreoutstanding. From start to finish, the entire experience was seamless and so special. Every single dish Linda and her team prepared was absolutely incredible. The flavors were perfect, the presentation was beautiful, and it was clear that she uses high-quality ingredients. My family is still talking about the meal! Linda was so much fun to work with during the planning process. She nailed the menu right off the bat and the food exceeded all expectations! Her energy added so much to the evening. She is professional, warm, and made the whole night feel effortless for us so we could focus on celebrating with my grandmother. If you are looking for a private chef who is talented, creative, and a joy to have in your home, I cannot recommend Linda highly enough. She made our family dinner truly unforgettable! Thank you, Linda and team!!

Chef Alyson recently provided an incredible meal for our family dinner party in celebration of my…read moresister's 50th birthday party. The meal included appetizers, a salad course, an entree, and dessert and the whole thing was truly superb from start to finish. My sister is gluten-free and we have a few food allergies in our household. Alyson worked with us to craft a menu that would fit those dietary restrictions without losing any of the flavors or textures that make a great meal. Chef Alyson was also such a pleasure to have in our home. We were able to enjoy our time together as a family without having to worry about any element of the dinner - and she really made the whole experience fun and relaxing for us. We hope to hire her again for future family celebrations. Highly recommend!!

If you're considering supporting small, independent businesses during COVID, I found a PHENOMENAL…read moreone. Alyson, the brilliant chef behind Nourish, is a gift. She's a talented and gifted cook who creates delectable dishes. Beyond that, she makes you feel truly taken care of. Services begin with a comprehensive interview about food preferences, from favorite cuts of meat to your feelings about pumpkin seeds. She then cooks for your specific dietary needs, whatever they may be - low-carb, vegetarian, high-protein, extra-gluten, etc. She prepares a personalized menu and you get veto-power. (Unless you defer to her choices, which I highly recommend!) On the designated day, she then brings over bags full of AMAZING food, from stews to casseroles to soups and salads. The flavor profiles and creativity are astounding. There's enough to freeze and save for later, depending on how many people you're sharing with. It isn't cheap, but it shouldn't be, and she is worth every penny. If you or your partner need a break from cooking, are tired of eating the same foods, or just want to feel extra-nurtured, Alyson is the Answer. Thank you, Nourish, for the nourishment!!!

Rachael was very prompt with getting back to me when I requested a quote and very knowledgeable…read moreabout everything we might need for the day for my dad's celebration of life. She always got back to me quickly and handled the day amazingly well. Our venue was very much a self-service place and her team just set everything up and made sure all of the dishes were clean at the end and the kitchen was absolutely spotless. We'd highly recommend her for your next event!

Chef Rachel and crew catered our daughter's 40th birthday in this past weekend. We had @ 30…read moreguests so it was a fairly sizable engagement. Not only was the food fantastic, the service was equally exceptional! Beyond that, Rachel was highly responsive throughout the entire process, which gave me comfort that the event would be a great success, which it was. Thank you chef Rachel for the love, care and craftsmanship you put into our daughter's birthday celebration - you made the event that much more memorable for everyone there. Continued success, you deserve it!!!

typically do not leave reviews so when I do it's either absolutely phenomenal or far In comparison…read more Epicurean Escape Catering was by far PHENOMENAL! Matt and Patrick were extremely friendly and the food was to die for! We celebrated our microwedding in Mill Valley and I have always selected new restaurants based on yelps top reviewed restaurants. I figured this would be the best way to go to select a catering option for an area we're not local to or able to try before in person. The reviews did not steer us wrong. We would love to book again after experiencing the food and stellar service. Appetizers: We ordered the heirloom tomato bruschetta which was one of my favorites! The tomatoes were fresh and every bite was memorable! The goat cheese croquettes were to die for and the braised pork shoulder had everyone coming back for more! Dinner: I'm not a huge kale person but we had an amazing kale Caesar salad that had me hoping I could recreate it at home. I honestly don't think there was any left over! It was accompanied by the grilled antipasto platter which complemented the lasagna dinner we had perfectly! The vegetables were cooked and seasoned to perfection! We had the classic bolognese lasagna and red wine braised boneless beef short ribs for our dinner option which were gone in the blink of an eye. Dessert: To top it off, we finished with the mini amaretto panna cotta and blackberry coulis. They were as delicious as they were aesthetically appealing!

Chef Matt and his team are absolutely unbeatable!! If you're looking for someone who is able to…read moreexecute something a bit out of the norm, or even the normalist of things , you will not find anyone better than Epicurean Escape Catering. My husband and I were set on having pupusas for our wedding, and it was a surprisingly difficult thing to accomplish. From all of our efforts and research, pupuserias don't really do wedding catering, and wedding caterers don't really do pupusas, but Chef Matt pulled it off for us on a whole nother level of excellence! When we originally reached out to him, he just said that they could do it, and we were ecstatic. At our first tasting, he had already gone to his local pupusa spot to analyze the timing, and watch the whole process. He hadn't done pupusas before, but had the drive, determination, and confidence to pull it off for us. When our wedding day came, we along with every one of our guests were absolutely blown away by the quality of every bit of food and drinks that they provided us all with. He was able to find the wife of a Salvadoran friend, and her mother, to help him make them all fresh on our wedding day, on a plancha that they were able to bring. The vibe was incredible, the food was impeccable, and even the Salvadorans attending were incredibly impressed. From the yucca fries to the plantain chips, from the guacamole to the curtido, from the coffee to the agua frescas, from the salsas to the amazing service, from the compostable serving ware to the incredible bartender. People still can't stop raving. The pupusas, the dips, the black chili salsa, the coffee, just everything. Kharma worked with us relentlessly over every tiny detail to get all of it right, and everything came together SO beautifully, and went SO smoothly without even the smallest hitch. Chef Matt and the Epicurean Escape Catering team literally made our dreams come true. We cannot recommend them enough!!!

We had a great time at the annual 'gingerbread house' event at Relish…read more Our 11 and 18 year old grandsons decorated a gingerbread house from the supplied kit and decorated it with the supplied candy. We'll be back next year for sure!

I did the foraging experience at Merriam Vineyards in Healdsburg. It was a really fantastic…read moreexperience overall, despite the downpour we found ourselves in. It was held at a beautiful winery and Healdsburg, and we were greeted with a glass of rosé. Donna was very communicative about the event, details and weather conditions before the event and engaging during the event. While she obviously couldn't control the weather, she was very effective at accommodating different comfort levels for walking in the rain. About half the group went back to the tasting room early. I stayed out with the group. Our guide David was extremely knowledgeable and fantastic at answering any and all questions. The lunch was both beautiful and tasty, and accommodated for both vegan and vegetarian needs. Overall a great day. I've already recommended it to several of my friends!

I attended a wine tasting / dinner event at Old World winery and their menu was designed by the…read morefantastic private chef Helena Gustavsson Giesea. Each course was a tasters delight with ingredients which came from local sustainable farms, gardens and (nearby) ocean caught fare. As was her food a delight, her presence after the meal was a treat. She shared passionate experiences, stories and her favorites of food. Helena offers her services as a private chef & mixologist and information can be seen at www.helenaskitchen.com

Helena came to our vacation rental last night and brought a wonderful meal to celebrate my…read morehusband's birthday and our first wedding anniversary. She even made a carrot cake (with banana filling - was awesome!) for my husband's birthday. Working with Helena was a breeze - she made it very easy. The food was delicious and she prepared everything while we chatted and tried not to bother her too much. She was awesome to have around - so friendly and personable, which is what I was looking for. At the end, she sang happy birthday in Swedish. It was such a memorable evening and I recommend Helena to anyone who wants a lovely meal from a gracious chef.

We used Goodness Gracious catering for an event at a private residence this week and the whole…read moreexperience from start to finish was exceptional! The initial booking process with Dayna was so smooth and easy. I really liked working with her and knew I was in good hands right away. Then our event captain Dan was super communicative and available for all of my questions in the lead up. For the actual event, the food was amazing, their tablescape pretty, and the service was top notch. We had a food allergy in our group and everyone was great about serving them safely! Highly recommend booking with them! I know we will be repeat customers for sure.

This is an experience you don't want to miss. Arranged for my sisters 50th birthday, they were so…read moreeasy to work with pre-event. The team of two (server & chef) arrived on time and got to work. They brought the decorations and set the beautiful table. Had personalized menus for each seat, were SO incredibly friendly, warm and accommodating. Explained each delicious course and did ALL the dishes, leaving the kitchen SPOTLESS. I can't recommend enough. I hope you get lucky enough to try a meal.

Jeremy has taken care of us 3x times. We're had him for all our family events. He's done a unique…read moremenu every time, always making sure to take care of any allergies or preferences. He's amazing to work with and always so helpful in building the menu. 10/10 definitely have him take care of your next private event

We hired Jeremy for a board dinner for our company. I organized the event so I worked with Jeremy…read moreon the menu, scheduling and price. Unfortunately, I wasn't in attendance but the following day these are the words I heard, "amazing food", "such a treat", "wonderful food", and "best duck confit I've ever had!" The owner of the winery that hosted the event said he would hire him for events at the winery in the future. If that doesn't say he's amazing, I'm not sure what does.

Natasha created an amazing catered dinner experience for my 50th birthday! The cheese and…read morecharcuterie board was incredible, followed by 4 spectacular courses (with 3 options for my friends to choose for the entrees) and all paired with wonderful wines. One of my friends needs gluten free food, and Natasha was very attentive to the menu creation and in the food preparation to avoid cross contamination. She and her team were also so friendly and informative, and they knew their way seamlessly around the rental house kitchen as they had catered many dinners there. I would highly recommend Natasha for your special life event, and I think all of my friends will be calling on her again!

We were in Sonoma for my partners birthday and we surprised her with a private chef. I am so…read moreincredibly happy we had Chef Natasha cook for us! Not only was her food so delicious, she is the most genuine person! We loved chatting with her while she was cooking and when she served us our corses :) You can really tell she cooks her food with love and care. We started off with the most amazing French 75 cocktails which had fresh Meyer Lemons from her garden and a grazing platter with amazing cheeses and meats. We then had the best squash soup I've ever had! She made it with squashes from her garden as well :) Then a very fresh and citrus salad, then Chilean Sea Bass, then a Steak, then a really moist raspberry Chantilly birthday cake! We also did a wine pairing with each course and the wines she picked worked so well! This experience was fantastic!