I first met Andreya at the Tahoe Wine Collective where I was introduced to her intricately…read moreprepared food as well as her phenomenal taste in wine. When we were having a holiday event with a number of different ages, palates & preferences, I knew she was the one to call she prepared an incredible meal with variety for everyone. The focaccia was light & warm with a touch of rosemary to add complexity. As a seafood lover, the crab ravioli was the star of the meal for me but EVERY dish was phenomenal. The surprise of the night was the roasted cauliflower & brussels sprouts with olives. The deep flavor of the roasted veggies was complimented perfectly by the bright briny pop of the olives. I use that trick now in my home cooking. The NY strip was everything you dream a steak could be it was a unforgettable meal enjoyed by the entire family, even the picky eaters. Andreya is so easy to work with and an inspiration to watch in the kitchen. She also offers custom wine pairings for each meal & she has impeccable taste in wine. Also, she is a wealth of knowledge & loves what she does so she is joy to converse with & learn from. If you are looking for an unforgettable experience Mortar Pestle cooking is the way to go! What are you waiting for!

My experience with Mortar Pestle Cooking was honestly a home run. The attention to detail is unlike…read moreanything I've seen --- your menus are handwritten!! I mean, hellllooo chez panisse vibes. Also, we loved the food and wine pairing. It was a dinner for 10 at my house and we all were SO comfortable and happy and felt like we had gone on vacation for the night. Job well done can't wait to recommend to EVERYONE!

IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A GREAT CATERER!! THAN LOOK NO FURTHER!!!! I cannot rave enough about the over…read morethe top experience given by Tim and his sous chef Lisa!! I hired Tim to cater for my dads 80th bday last weekend. Tim worked with me through the entire process beginning to end, making things easier for me. He's so great at returning calls and e-mails. Showed up on time and KNOCKED IT OUT THE PARK!!! It's like I had two wizards in my kitchen that day! They made 4 delicious appetizers they had circulating for the first hour while guests were arriving. I'll include a picture of our entire menu at the end:) I did the seafood paella and the vegetarian one. Both were just phenomenal! Everyone was so wowed by the presentation, beautiful!! They helped with cake service, refilling waters and they cleaned up after themselves very thoroughly. I'm telling my friends and my neighbors, anyone that will listen that this duo is worth every penny! Thank you Chef Tim:)

Chef Tim and his crew were absolutely wonderful and amazing!! He is more than a caterer, but an…read moreincredible and talented chef with a giant passion for his food and the preparation that goes into it. Chef Tim was the highlight of our son's wedding/elopement celebration party that we had at our home. We had a meeting beforehand to discuss details and plans. This process enabled everything to be stress free. The party went perfectly and Chef Tim and his paella creation was a big topic of discussion among our guests. Everyone said it the best food they ever had at a party. He prepared two kinds (chicken and chorizo and a vegetable version) that were both absolutely divine. Each version of paella had perfectly combined flavors that created an extraordinary compilation in every bite. The guests could also watch him put it all together as all of the food was prepared on site on the day of the party! (Not brought in trays to be heated up!) Wow!!! The flavors were incredible, delicious and beyond words. Chef Tim is a true master chef and gem in our city and his kindness and caring, professionalism and talents and passion will be forever treasured by our family, as he made a very special event the best experience possible. Chef will always be our first choice from now on. We highly, highly recommend Chef Tim!

Absolutely adored our private dinner experience with Viveka and Issac! What a professional and…read moretalented duo, they were incredibly kind and easy to talk to, they felt like old friends The food was absolutely spectacular! While they cooked the house smelled divine, when it came to tasting the flavors were beautifully bright and balanced. The octopus ceviche they created was hands down the best ceviche I have ever had. We will be recommending them to everyone we know and definitely hope to use their services in the future. Thank you Viveka and Isaac for creating a cherished memory of our first wedding anniversary

Chef Viveka and her sous chef husband Isaac made us a healthy, creatively beautiful, and impressive…read more5-course meal in our vacation rental and even cleaned up afterward! Great and timely communication before the event, brought us flowers for the occasion, adapted so well to what we had in the rental kitchen, and tolerated our picky toddlers! $700 for 4 adults and 2 children, including $300 groceries. We had two options for 3 of the courses, given diet restrictions. Would definitely hire again!!

Jessica is amazing! We started having Jessica cook for us after the birth of our first born. We…read morewere so exhausted our first week. All we ate was fast food, pizza and frozen meals and I could feel myself getting more unhealthy by the day. The next week we hired Jessica to meal prep for us for lunch and dinner. It was such a godsend to have home cooked healthy meals! Every week Jessica gives us a shopping list and it is so simple to instacart the exact amount needed for the week. Now we have gourmet meals prepped for home and work. I look forward to it every week. Now we actually spend less total per week including paying Jessica. I think this is because now we do not waste food. It also feels great to have an organized fridge without food wasting. The meals themself are excellent. We are on a healthy plan as well. We loved the chicken salad wraps with Greek yogurt substituted for Mayo. Cashew chicken with rice!! Yummm. She's also very creative and make dishes that I would not even conceive of and I would never make for myself. On the list for the week was ground chicken avocado spinach balls with yogurt sauce. Honestly this did not sound appealing, but we decided to go with it anyways. It was our favorite of the week. The flavors were bursting. It seemed like a fusion of Mexican and Mediterranean and we loved it! The textures we're interesting and mouthwatering. The spinach, chicken and avocado provided a complex medley of different flavors and mouth feel. The next week we had another odd ball on the menu. Strawberry chicken with balsamic? That sounded strange. We again almost discontinued this order and went with a different order however by this point Jessica definitely earned our trust as an outstanding person and chef. This again was our favorite meal of the week. The blender flavor is quite unique with the fruit mixed with the acidity of the balsamic which marinated perfectly into the chicken thighs. What started as a postpartum temporary meal plan has now turned into a fixture of our life. We gladly welcome Jessica into our home and she is very Covid conscious for anybody who is concerned. We also look forward to outstanding gourmet meals every week which far surpass our previous Trader Joe's frozen food and delivery pizza.

Jessica is amazing. Her meals and service are top notch. I love knowing my lunches are covered for…read moresix/seven days of the week and that she comes to the house to prep them so I can see exactly what's going in them. She has so many recipes I've never gotten the same meal twice. Everyone should check her out!

yummy, fresh food that is delivered to my home as often as i want for a price i can afford. Chef…read moreBrandy accommodates my cow's milk & soy allergy w/healthy options (including dessert!!). her prep is safe & i can order as often as i want. the gift certificate option is perfect for friends & family.

We have been using Chef Brandy for over a year now. She develops all our menus and has accommodated…read moreall our dietary requests deliciously! We highly recommend her to anyone looking to have personal chef services.

After my son was born, I needed to cut dairy and soy out of my diet completely in order to…read moreaccommodate his food allergies + breastfeeding. I was referred to Brandy to make sure that my nutrient needs were still being met despite such a limited diet. She specializes in pregnancy and postpartum nutrition, takes insurance, and I have found our sessions super valuable. I was really worried her recommendations would be to spend the whole weekend doing meal prep or how an artisan frittata with slow smoked roasted veggies would be a great breakfast -- like yea right let me just do that with all my free time, hello I have a newborn?? But to my delight, everything that she suggested was extremely reasonable and manageable even in the complete chaos that is my life right now. She gives you specific goals to stick to and doesn't make you feel bad when your typical lunch consists of a fruit leather and 10 sun chips. Instead, she's just like "okay well if that's your lunch, you're lacking in protein -- here's how we can help that." I've found working with her to be extremely valuable and I can definitely notice a change in how I'm feeling on a daily basis! Definitely would recommend her to anyone!

We used Chef Brandy's in home meal prep service prior to covid and we always very happy with our…read moreexperience. She is very conscious of preferences and would even make different dishes for my husband and I because we tend to have different tastes. She was always very professional and great at communicating. I liked having all the nutrition info for meals so I could keep track of things in my food log. I would highly recommend her services!

We found someone else. He was able to meet our price he was very nice but we found someone better…read moresuited to our needs.

A few months ago, I hosted a bridal shower at my house and hired Gustavo as the caterer. This was a…read moresolid decision due to his area of expertise in the following ways. Our first meeting to establish the menu was seamless. His pre-event preparations were timely and thorough. Then, the event was flawless. Food and service were A+. Gustavo and his team were polite and in the end, my kitchen was spotless. Tonette

My boyfriend and I became patrons of Chef Michael Barone's other business, Walden's Coffeehouse, a…read morefew months ago and have always been wowed by the food there (which I've also reviewed), particularly the specials that he creates. So when we started planning our wedding, we were thrilled to hear that our favorite local chef also caters... While our wedding is still in planning stages, we decided to have Mangiamo cater a simple family style dinner for our family and friends to be sure of our choice. In short, we are sold! But for the sake of a more thorough review, I will elaborate further. We just wanted the basics... a pasta dish, a salad, and bread. We were served a baked penne with a spicy marinara topped with mozzarella, spring mix salad with cranberries, candied walnuts, feta, and vinaigrette, and crisp pugliese bread with garlic and herb butter spread. The pasta was a total standout from the vast majority of pastas I've been served, ever. The perfect balance of garlic, the subtle sweetness of basil, and bite of chili flake was spot on. Thankfully, Michael brought enough food for all of us to have seconds, or thirds. It was the kind of dinner that you are already full, but you keep eating just because you want to keep tasting it. An excellent chef can take a very simple meal and make it amazing and memorable. Chef Michael Barone does just that. He also anticipated several of our needs and details that I had completely overlooked, so I feel confident that Mangiamo will deliver for us on the big day. We have not only found a caterer, but also a new friend.

Chef Michael Barone of Mangiamo prepared and delivered an extremely tasty 2011 Thanksgiving Day…read moregourmet dinner for our family to enjoy while we were visiting my almost 95 year old Dad in Carson City, NV--as it would turn out this would be Dad's last Thanksgiving Dinner for he died from a stroke the first week of Dec. I live on the San Francisco mid-Peninsula, and decided I wanted a gourmet catered dinner for our Thanksgiving Day celebration so that I'd have lots of time to spend with Dad--without the challenge of buying, transporting, storing and cooking foods. I'm so glad that I reviewed Yelp and read the wonderful reviews of Mangiamo. Michael has relocated to the Reno, NV area, but still caters events in the San Francisco and San Francisco mid-Peninsula area. Now that I've had the pleasure of meeting Michael and enjoying his handiwork, I will continue to use his catering services for events at/near my mid-Peninsula home as well as any celebratory family meals we'll need as we finalize the Estate in NV. I recommend him to others in either venue--SF mid-Peninsula or Reno area-- wanting a delightful catered meal. Thanksgiving Menu We Enjoyed Primi Piatti: Homemade ravioli filled with beef and spinach accompanied with Bolognese sauce Secondi Piatti: Whole boneless Turkey rolled and stuffed with savory sausage and sage stuffing. Whipped mashed potatoes with chunks of roasted butternut squash Delicious pan drip gravy Sauteed green beans with toasted almonds Mixed green salad with dried cranberries & crispy candied walnuts--accompanied by homemade pear vinaigrette. Home-made cured olives Freshly baked, handmade dinner rolls Dessert: Homemade pumpkin pie topped with cinnamon whipped cream and toasted pumpkin seeds

Priceless! We had Daryl Paul and Ramona come to our home to prepare a 25th anniversary dinner. It…read morewas beyond expectations. Prompt friendly and prepared a delicious meal! Started off with an amazing charcuterie and followed by a decadent dessert! Delicious. All of it. Can't thank you enough for the entire experience as we got to enjoy our guests and they even cleaned up. Bravo ! Chefs kiss !

WOW! My friends invited us to a Facebook Live cooking show with Chef Jonathan Chapin of Reno…read moreRecipes. This event was a dinner and show that would rival any fun night out in Reno. Chef Jonathan puts on a raucous, joke-filled (R-rated), cooking show with audience participation and brings along a wonderful cast of cooking teammates to make for a wonderful event! When we arrived at our friend's home, there were appetizers and drinks out. Chef Jonathan laid the ground rules for the live show, and then the jokes started. I'm sure he would use different one's if kids were present, but if you're over 18, all bets are off! LOL The live show had humor, great smells, drinks handed out, and tastings for the guests. He made food for vegetarians, lactose-free dishes, and all different types of food preferences...truly a remarkable feat. During the show, I learned a few things, laughed a lot, and was VERY entertained. The food was DEEELISH! There was plenty of food for everyone, and a lot of good times were had by all. With the holidays just around the corner, if you want to have a memorable dining experience for your friends and family, DEFINITELY call Reno Recipes to reserve a date!

Excellent products. But you really need to treat yourself to one of Laurel Pine Living Luxury…read moreDinner events. We have enjoyed several at various venues. These are extraordinary evenings of experiencing the kind of meal you would only get in a 5 star Restaurant complete with paired wines. You will not find better gourmet products anywhere. Check out the website and treat yourself to some truly high end products that will be sure to make your next special party, extra special. The Holidays are just around the corner and so why not indulge yourself and your family and friends in a few of the delicacies that Laura Pine has to offer. Plus keep your eyes open for an invitation to one of her special dinners. You won't be sorry.

We love Laurel's dinners for the elegance, creativity and simply fabulous food! She is an artist!read more