Denise was a great caterer who is detail oriented, organized and most of all , prepared a delicious Mediterranean buffet dinner for my birthday over the weekend. My guests were impressed of how tasty her food was. She and her staff took care of food set up, serving, cutting cake and all the way to cleaning up. They even packed the leftover food for me to take home. I would highly recommend Denise to catering future events. read more

Look no further! Denise was an absolute delight in our kitchen. We chatted over the phone a few days prior, covered all the details and expectations, went over the menu. From planning to plating, this was such a great experience! The occasion was surprising my wife for her birthday. We cook most meals week to week, but have never had 'formal' training or spent any time with a personal chef. Not only did we learn tips and tricks, but Denise even showed us some things we could do in our kitchen we hadn't thought of before! The level of instruction, teaching and seriousness was all super appropriate - we all had laughs and a great time overall. Absolutely recommend! read more

Once again, another excellent event by Denise. Food hearty, great tasting, great portions and excellent presentation. 10/10. read more

See all

We recently had Denise come to our home and create an incredible pre-Christmas dinner extravaganza for the second year in a row. Last year was such a huge success and created such great memories, we repeated it again this year. From the start, working with me to create the menu, to the final presentation of the dinner, every step along the way was not only well orchestrated, but also fun. Great food, great service, great fun. Highly recommend making this an annual part of any holiday! read more

For a catering event, I found that Denise Stephens was an exceptional listener. She made professional suggestions and really understood the theme we were looking for. She is courteous, on time and delivered like the pro she is. She has her own unique business sense and you can't go wrong eating her delicious food and great service. read more

Cooking it personally made the best food I've ever tasted. I attended an event recently and fell in love with everything. She makes all the food herself with her own personal signature style to make it taste unique. I grabbed her information because I'm always hosting events and I will definitely be contacting her next time. I helped set up the event and was able to interact with her and try her food and she is just lovely. read more

I gifted my son and his girlfriend beginning cooking lessons with Denise. Boy, is SHE a little dynamo! So patient, professional and so so kind and generous. As part of homework, my son made us a DELICIOUS meal at home all on his own (salmon, mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli!). They enjoyed their lessons so much they're continuing with her on their own! So as awesome as her catering business is, also consider taking (or gifting) classes from Denise no matter your current cooking abilities. read more

We've had the pleasure of working with Denise for over a year now and it's been a game changer. She's been delivering meals to us weekly for the past year and as a busy family we've saved so much time since we've started with her weekly dinner service. From the moment we started, she's displayed professionalism and attention to detail. She's taken the time to understand our dietary preferences and requirements. Cooking for a picky 2 and 6 year old is not easy but she's learned their preferences and incorporated their tastes into healthy dishes. She knows what we like, don't like, and has even cooked us some of our cultural dishes as well! She's always prompt, on time, and has never missed a delivery. I feel like every dish that has been made for us has been tailored to perfection. It's been an easy seamless process working with her and we plan to continue with her services for the foreseeable future. In conclusion, I highly recommend this talented personal chef to anyone seeking an exceptional culinary experience. Her passion for cooking, attention to detail, and ability to create a truly personalized dining experience makes her standout. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the delightful expertise of this amazing personal chef. Your taste buds will thank you :) read more

Denise from Cooking it Personally does it again. I hired her to cater a tea party bridal shower I was hosting and she worked with me to create a menu that was perfect for the party. We designed a menu of four different tea party sandwiches including egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, and cucumber sandwiches. We also had some spinach and feta cheese quiches, gazpacho shooters, and a fruit salad. The guests kept asking me which restaurant it came from and I shared they are all homemade from her. 5 STARS all around. See you at my next event! read more

I called Denise for a last-minute birthday celebration for my mom and she was able to squeeze me in! Not only was she super sweet but surpassed my expectations! She showed up and was super friendly and very personable; not to mention the food was amazing! And presentation was to die for! She just did an awesome job and we will definitely be hiring her for future intimate dinners! read more

Cooking It Personally - Shrimp - Caterers Near Me

See all

It was my niece's 10th birthday and she invited three friends over to celebrate. I had originally asked Denise to decorate cookies and cupcakes to keep the girls busy but instead Denise came up with the idea of doing a cooking class and the girls would make their dinner for the night. It was awesome. The girls made individual portions of tiramisu and lasagna. The girls had a blast learning cooking techniques and tasting amazing food. Thank you Denise for giving my niece a memorable birthday!! read more

See all

I just had a baby a month ago and in Chinese culture we usually celebrate baby's 1 month. So instead of ordering oily restaurant food home I wanted to do something different for our family and friends that were coming over. That's how I found Denise through Yelp and gave her a text. Right when I spoke to her on the phone I knew she would be the person to create this party. She went above and beyond to help me put together a nice dinner for my 12 adults + kids. I told her my idea of a 3 coarse type of setting and she made it soo beautiful! (See posted pictures) we had steak, shrimp, and salmon. Kids had chicken tenders + Mac n cheese. Denise did all the shopping for me and saved me money by getting me the best deals + best quality of steak/salmon. She also worked with me on the set up for our dining table. She brought beautiful flowers and let me use her vintage silverware. After dinner she also stayed late to help us clean the kitchen. Denise is also super affordable and will work with you on EVERYTHING. I didn't expect the party to be so detailed but she really did more than I expected. Everyone loved the delicious food and had a great time. It was such a wonderful experience for everyone having a personal chef in the comfort of your own home. Denise, you have such a kind and funny personality. I'm happy I met you and will recommend you to anyone looking for yummy food. Thank you ! (Pictures below) read more

See all

I was hosting a tea themed bridal shower for 25 guests. We hired Denise and we were so please with everything. We did a few FaceTimes to discuss the menu and table decorations. She was so easy to work with. The food was delicious. I would definitely recommend her! read more

Cooking It Personally - Caterers Near Me

I obtained Denises services for my 50th birthday party, it started out as a huge event and with Covid 19 ended up having a much smaller affair. Through all the planning and re arranging during this time Denise was simply amazing , professional, a joy to work with. Her input was spot on at every turn and made the evening so smooth and enjoyable. The food was out of this universe amazing no matter what your idea of a menu you have to listen to her suggestions believe me she knows and it's delicious. Denise is just overall a delight to work with and she made my birthday one I'll never forget. We will definitely use her services again In the future. read more

Denise catered my wedding four years ago. It took me this long to get my butt to this site to review. Excellent food, excellent service & the set up was gorgeous! read more

I don't think there is enough space for me to give this review it's due credit. I found Denise on Yelp then discovered someone I knew has already used her so I contacted them and they highly recommended Denise. I personally had never tasted her food so she came to my home and made a sample of what we were looking for, Italian food; meatballs, cold pasta along with a charcuterie board with all the extras of fruit, cheeses etc. The meatballs, stuffed with cheese and cold tortellini salad was awesome. we made an agreement with her right there on the spot. We were having an after wedding dinner party at our home. I wish I had a picture of the charcuterie board because the way she displayed the meats and cheeses was gorgeous in addition to the range of flavors. Everybody raved about the food. I haven't even mentioned all the other food she prepared for us ......cannolis that didn't even make it out of the kitchen before they were gobbled up!! One of the most important things to mention in this review is Denise. She was so friendly and gracious that when people were asking which side of the family she belongs too, well what more can I say. It was an epic party!! Thanks Denise read more

If you're in need of a great Chef I definitely recommend Denise! I recently hired Denise for an intimate family birthday dinner and she exceeded my expectations. She cooked an amazing 3 course meal that included stuffed mushrooms, Caesars Salad, and a Filet Mignon dinner with creamed corn, creamed spinach, and twice baked potatoes. The food was delicious and her service outstanding. We planned the meal before hand and she gave great suggestions for appetizers that included a Charcuterie board and Blackberry Mango Margaritas. Denise and her server stayed until everything was cleaned up. read more

See all

Denise was a pleasure to work with! She was hired for my brothers 50th birthday party at my house. Denise was very organized and did an amazing job setting up. Her food is outstanding!! She also catered to the different food allergies of some of the guest. I can't say enough about her!!! I will definitely use her again!! read more

On May 4th, 2018 we hosted a dinner party at home and hired a personal chef to prepare the meal, for the very first time. There were 20 people with guests visiting from Hong Kong, Toronto, North Carolina, Paris, London, Vancouver, Las Vegas, etc. Denise designed a menu that looked great, tasted great, and stayed within budget. It was a meal that would be talked about in the years to come and cross continents. It was a great experience and will do it again for sure, with Denise, for any size party up to 200 some guests. We very very very very very strongly recommend her service. read more

Cooking It Personally is an amazing catering company! Denise Stephens and her team do an incredible job of presenting mouth-watering, delicious food in an elegant setting. We have utilized Denise's company for numerous events -- from an intimate dinner gathering to a larger dessert gala -- and the food has been extraordinary each time! I strongly recommend Cooking It Personally to you! read more

Cooking It Personally - Dessert reception --- so delicious and beautifully set-up! - Caterers Near Me

Denise is a fantastic caterer. She delivers breakfast to the Walnut Valley Women's Club once a month and all the women rave about it. She even makes a special meal for one of our members with food allergies. She has catered special dinners for many of our members. She will be catering my sons wedding. I would highly recommend Denise if you want a delicious meal at a reasonable price. read more

My husband and I found Denise on yelp and hired her for a birthday dinner for 12. She was great about creating a custom menu with me and going over pricing for ingredients, etc. Due to COVID19 she did request that we wear masks and not be in the kitchen while she cook to protect her as well as ourselves which we thought was totally understandable. She was so personable and sweet and the food was INCREDIBLE but what really wowed me about her was how accommodating she was with our last minute changes. A few days before our event, we had to increase the number of guests, then we unfortunately found out the day before that people within the home were exposed to Covid so to be cautious we decided to change to a drop off meal rather than have her cook in the home. She did all this with no problem and even packed my family's meal separately for us since we were not joining the rest of the group. We will definitely be working with her again in the future. read more

Denise Stephens planned and cooked for our father's 80th birthday party. From beginning to end she was professional and really listened to what we were looking for in the menu. The food was absolutely delicious and she made the evening so special! She also made macaroni and cheese for the kids and an alternate menu for everyone with allergies. We all were so happy with how the evening turned out. Thank you, Denise! read more