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!

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!

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.

Spencer was a dream to work with for our 40 person wedding at a private residence. He created a…read morebeautiful menu featuring locally sourced ingredients that was exactly what I had in my mind for most of my out-of-town guests! He was incredibly flexible with last minute requests and his staff went above and beyond! We had a self-serve drink station but I didn't see any guests there bc the staff was amazing at refilling guest glasses even though it was beyond the scope of what we hired them for! The food was soooo delicious! My family and friends were raving about the meal. We loved it so much that we went ahead and booked Spencer's services for another event already! All photos (except the horrible one I took of the menu) by our photographer, Jack Vu! I wish we had gotten photos of the main meal but we were too busy eating it!!

What an experience. Highly recommend. I reached out to several chefs for a special meal for our…read morefamily, while on vacation, over Father's Day weekend. Of all the responses I got, he listened the best. His menu catered to all my requests. He was great at communicating and delivered exactly the experience he promised. The food was amazing, and we ended up having enough leftovers for 2 more meals with our family of 6.

It was such a pleasure to be able to hire Chef Adair's chef and server on our recent trip to…read moreSonoma/Glen Ellen. I'll start by saying the put together two perfect menus for our two nights. The Humboldt fog cheese in the meat and cheese board was outstanding and I still dream about the pickled grapes. The main courses were exactly what they said and beyond delicious. Filet cooked perfectly and the tastiest chicken I have had in a very long time. The desserts were to die for! All ten of us agreed that the flourless chocolate dessert was the best ever!!! The chef was so nice. Both were very professional. I would recommend Chef Adair to anyone heading to wine country.

Coursing, service just OK. Made a mess of my kitchen. Still finding tempura batter stains on my…read morekitchen cabinets across the last 5 years.

We used Chef Ryan Freebern's services to create a dinner for a party of 12, celebrating our son's…read moreUCSC graduation on June 12th, and couldn't have been more pleased with the results. Chef Ryan and his sous chef, Laura, arrived promptly the afternoon of the dinner and quickly set up in the "limited" kitchen of our Santa Cruz vacation rental. They were both professional and congenial, and, while remaining focused on their preparation, continually interacted with the guests. They delivered a delicious 5-course meal, paired with carefully chosen, wonderful craft beers, at the scheduled start time and with appropriate pacing throughout. Our menu featured an entrée of (fresh local) Broiled Black Cod, Spinach, String Beans and Lentils, which was perfectly prepared and presented. Every course was savored and after the dessert (and third excellent beer) we all had the feeling that comes from enjoying a very special meal. Each guest felt that Chef Ryan went way above and beyond to make sure we were happy. One detail that showed Chef Ryan's commitment to the evening's success was the special dinner menu he printed for each guest with a dedication to the guest of honor. The kitchen was left immaculate, and the chefs were generous with their time afterward. From the first time I called Chef Ryan through the menu planning to the end of our event, he was always accessible and fantastic to work with. The only negative comment I can make is that the fish was so delicious we all wanted more. Yet, after we had finished our dessert duet, we weren't left wanting at all...so, portioning wins and therefore earned the five-star rating!

Wow! Chef Ryan Freebern made several delicious meals for my friends and I. Every bite was…read moreflavorful, perfectly spiced and a joy to savor. He also surprised us with a panna cotta for dessert, served with fresh local fruit. Absolutely the most delicious dessert I have ever tasted, both in the US and abroad. Ryan has the culinary skills to delight your taste buds! I am looking forward to my next dinner party, just to see what he prepares. YUM!

Chef Chuy and his team catered our wedding of 11 people and was the best decision I made, aside…read morefrom saying I do of course! Everyone RAVED about the food, and months later are still going on about it! He and his team were all very polite and non-intrusive, they came in and out of the wedding with such grace and ease, Iv never experienced anything like it. Every course was outstanding, cooked to perfection! The dining experience made our wedding magical and I would definitely use Chef Chuy in the future.

I really don't have enough positive adjectives for Chef Chuy. He was professional, creative and…read moreincredibly flexible. When I started planning my husband's 65th birthday party I knew I had a challenge ahead of me, only because my husband himself is an amazing cook. I connected with Chef Chuy through another chef's recommendation and I hit the jackpot. He was on top of the planning from the beginning and his food was spectacular, he is a talented chef, who knows how to build complex flavors with unique ingredients. Also his server Sierra helped top of the evening with her wonderful personality, she was pleasant and professional. She left the kitchen spotless. I would hire Chef Chuy again in a heartbeat!

Chef Christian was more than just a caterer and chef, he spent quite a bit of time giving us…read moreinformation on the area and best ways to get to our villa from the airport, he cares about his guests whole experience and not just the food aspect. Speaking of food, he and his team provided exactly what they promised, and we will certainly use them again.

I wish Yelp let you rate 10/5 stars. Christian and his team were more than amazing. My experience…read morewas unbelievable. They literally took care of everything. The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious. Big family-style Italian dishes. The courses were served, shared.... and devoured. We were a party of 10 and it was such an easy operation, completely hands-off. I would 1,000% recommend Culinary Mercenary to everyone. I will use them every time I go back to Napa Valley. Thank you!! P.S. Read the contract, it will have you literally rolling on the floor laughing.