We hired Saveur for our wedding's reception and rehearsal dinner. We needed a flexible caterer who…read morecould provide gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options in addition to meat options and as close to farm to table as possible. (for 180 people and then for 60 people, respectively.)
It has been our two main priorities to have clean, local food if possible, and to have food that would be accessible to everyone there. She is well versed in creating alternative foods and adapting cultural favorites to be just as much, or more flavor than the traditional dish.
When we asked for a quote, she drove from New Orleans to Baton Rouge just to give an interview and quote! She interviewed us to determine the type of wedding food we would like. We were realistic with her from the beginning about our budget. We knew we could not afford to go all out here, and we tried to get that point across. We did our best to be transparent at every point and also to review every detail of her offerings to ensure we were all on the same page.
A disclaimer for those with unrealistic expectations: if you ask for a major alteration from this talented chef, you may get something that deviates from what you are used to. For example, she cooked crawfish etouffee for our rehearsal dinner. It had to be gluten and dairy free. It was not a north Louisiana butterfest, so don't even think about it. It was a rich, deep-flavored dish (made with olive oil), that surely was not traditional etouffee. BUT THIS ETOUFFEE WAS BANGIN! and... EVERYONE COULD EAT IT!
Melissa arrives several hours early for each meal, likely depending on the food prep needs. We chose a venue that had a large commercial kitchen, so she could be comfortable. She will provide ancillary services as well, servers, dishes (china as it is referred to), drinks, but you need to do your due diligence and ask to make sure you get what you want.
The rehearsal dinner was five-course. Melissa created four, and we made homemade pumpkin spice ice cream (she served it for us :) ).
We had a one-bite alligator sausage with cane syrup, a wonderful baby arugula fall salad with dates, a mushroom pho, and the etouffee (vegan dish was ratatouille on polenta yummm). Each dish was delicious.
Sometimes, some aspects of the menu changed when items were not available (she is a farm to table caterer, you have to be able to accept that some things aren't available seasonally), but we were so grateful to have her, and our expectations were well-framed before the event.
The rehearsal dinner was likely the greatest spread of flavorful dishes I'd never had before.
We had pork tenderloin, gluten-free seafood gumbo (every single person loved it!), ratatouille, homemade mac and cheese, etc etc. There was something for everyone.
While maybe Melissa could benefit from a project manager or someone to help her with the business interface to the client, she did a great job, the food was delicious and on time, and everyone enjoyed the food.
All-in-all we are extremely happy with the services she provided, and we are grateful to have met her.
