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've had the pleasure of working with Chef Lela on multiple occasions over the last ten years…read more We've had dinner parties as small as four people and we had a 35 person dinner for my husband's 50th birthday. We live in Texas but always make a point to book Chef Lela anytime we are fortunate enough to make it to CA wine country. The food is always outstanding and we never leave one of her meals even remotely hungry. We love that she incorporates so many fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs from her own garden into our meals. It's also a huge perk that she brings an assistant with her and they do all of the cleaning up at the conclusion of the meal. Absolutely recommend without hesitation!!!

Chef Alyson cooked for us as we welcomed and integrated our third child into our family. I count…read moreher as a major reason my physical and mental health remained strong. She tailored the menu to meet everyone's needs, and it was just such a relief to have meals handled for this period. She is attuned, responsive, and a really talented cook. I highly recommend her services!!

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!!

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!

Think twice (or more) and don't do it!…read more A group of four couples (hailing from Michigan to New Mexico) were flying into Napa for a long-planned get-together. We rented a home through VRBO and thought it would be a treat to have a catered meal from Epicurean Escape. The price was over $1000 but seemed well worth it and we paid the bill 10 days prior to our arrival. Unfortunately, if not unbelievably, we were alerted by VRBO the very next day that our contract was being cancelled as the rental house had just been purchased by a new owner. Thinking we might have to cancel the trip as VRBO might not have an alternative (they did not), we immediately contacted the caterer that we would have to cancel plans. This was 9 days prior to the planned dinner. The caterer then informed us that this was beyond their normal 10 day cancellation policy and there was nothing they could do other than a (hold your breath) 25% refund!! provide a 'credit' - a great idea for a group of 8 with most of us living thousands of miles away, or assisting us in relocating to a new venue. We eventually located a hotel where we could stay and proceeded with the trip - still very much disappointed with the caterer for not refunding our money with 9 days prior notice (along with forwarding them the note of cancellation from VRBO). With a $150 delivery fee charged by the caterer for delivery to our hotel, and no way for us to warm the food in our rooms, we anticipated the meal would arrive on serving trays with sterno heaters. But of course not.. The server who delivered the food was very nice and accommodating (we tipped them as well even though the paid contract already included an 18% gratuity fee). We began eating immediately, only to find all the food (fish and beef main courses) at room temperature. Perhaps everything would have tasted better had it been heated, but classifying the meal as 'mediocre' would be overly kind. Making matters worse (if that's possible), we have been promised a 'final' contract as three of the planned attendees could not attend, and the caterer agreed to 'adjust', only to never hear back from them almost 2 weeks later. Inflexible policy + less than thrilling meals = at least in my book, an experience worth avoiding at all costs. Caveat emptor.

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.

Goodness Gracious was one of the best decisions we made in our whole catering search. We'd been to…read moreseveral tastings before theirs and came away underwhelmed every time. Theirs was the first tasting where my partner and I both knew immediately we'd found the right caterer. Being connected to an actual restaurant clearly shows in the quality and execution. Service on the wedding day was smooth from start to finish, and more than one guest told us the food was their favorite part of the whole wedding. It was their first time working our venue, and you'd never have known it! Everything ran seamlessly. Communication throughout planning was easy and consistent the whole way through.

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.

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!