I cannot say enough nice things about this extremely unique experience. This beautiful couple came to our Airbnb and set everything up and cooked out by the pool for me and 20 of my friends while we relaxed and enjoyed a pool day. Their setup, supplies, and food handling are so clean and professional. Can't wait to recreate this experience next time we are in town. Pricing is really reasonable as well, we had a lot of leftovers for a late night snack :) read more

Hola Paella - All Seafood - Caterers Near Me

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We hired Hola Paella for our son's rehearsal dinner at our home last weekend and it was a huge success. Everything was perfect!! The presentation of making the paella in front of our guests was so unique and fun! Everyone enjoyed watching the process and then of course eating the delicious paella. Fernando was very flexible with the dinner schedule that was delayed due to traffic. Fernando and his wife were a complete joy to work with. We had leftovers and everyone fought over who was able to take some home. The next time a party is planned at my house Hola Paella will be at the top of my list to hire!! read more

Fabulous food and amazing family running this business! Every guest raved about the Valencia paella and the vegetarian one was even completely empty by the end. We'll absolutely be hiring them again. read more

Fernando catered my wedding at UCSC in August this year. He was a delight to work with both leading up to and during the wedding, and the paella is delicious! Our venue didn't have a kitchen, so his self-contained outdoor set up was perfect! We did stationary tapas and the paella buffet with both Paella Valenica and Vegetarian Paella. Fernando brought my husband and me our plates directly, and checked in with us to see if we wanted seconds. Our family and friends loved the food and the opportunity to see the paella being made. As an aside, paella is a great option for large groups, as it's naturally gluten free, and Fernando makes a vegetarian option as well (which our vegetarian guests say was delicious!). We love Hola Paella! read more

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If I could give Fernando and his staff 10 stars, I would! Hola Paella Catered my wedding during Labor Day weekend and endured record breaking heat with a smile and exemplary customer service! My family cannot stop talking about the amazing seafood paella, meat paella, goat cheese stuffed dates, bruschetta, and the empanadas!!!! Wow!!! We wish we would've had some left overs to bring home with us but everyone devoured the paellas the next day. We cannot wait to have another large family event so that we can book Fernando again! The food was absolutely delicious!! My husband and I were busy running around but Fernando and his staff got a picture with all of us :) we had such a wonderful and memorable wedding. The food was such a great hit with everyone! Look no further, Hola Paella is your one stop shop for a great menu! read more

Fernando and his wife cooked up a wonderful meal for our family reunion. Paella, appetizers, and salad for 30 people. Made it look effortless and was a joy to watch. They were on time and very flexible with dinner schedule. Rave reviews from all family members. We were lucky enough to be invited to two events they had catered while in San Jose. So glad they relocated to Templeton. Kevin & Mary Templeton, Ca read more

Hola Paella Catering Service did an AMAZING, AMAZING job catering my husband's birthday party. My husband and I are so ecstatic that we went with them. The food was delicious! Many of our guests commented about how good and impressed they were with the food; the variety, the amount and the flavors! Chef Fernando was very responsive and patient with all of my questions and he is so extremely talented. The entire staff went above and beyond our expectations. They were so pleasant and professional from set-up to food and to clean-up; we could not have asked for a better caterer!!! Hola Paella helped make our event as successful as it was. When attendees are raving about the food and asking who the caterer is, you know you've hit a grand slam! read more

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Wow..... I'm nearly speechless. I went to a friend's bday bash last night and Hola Paella catered the main course. I'm usually not a fan of paella since most places can't time the cooking process well. The chicken ends up tough, the seafood gets rubbery and the rice is either mush or over cooked or still gritty. Given the amount of ingredients with different cooking times, making a good paella takes major skill. The owner set up two huge paella cooking pans in the kitchen and got to work. The house smelled fantastic while he performed his magic. The seafood paella was amazingly fresh; prawns were large and juicy and the clams were cooked perfectly. The chicken was well seasoned and the rice was cooked al dente with socarrat. AMAZING!!!!! Now I just need to figure out an occasion to hire the Paella Man to cook for me again... It's a testament to his skills when the day after I'm sitting here drooling and craving paella. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! read more

Fantastic food, service and great people!! What a treat! What a show to watch The Chef and his assistants cook the fabulous paella. We tried hiring Chef Fernando twice before but he was busy. Third time is a charm and lucky for us. We had a group of about 40 for our house warming party and it was the perfect choice to make it a memorable event. The appetizers were great and we had 2 paellas - meat only and the real paella. Some friends arrived later and still enjoyed the warm paella. Leftovers? Just a few everyone that stayed late enjoyed a third or fourth serving and gladly took a to-go package. I enjoyed time with all my friends and new neighbors. I knew I did not have to worry about the food. Perfect for a special occasion!! read more

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Hola Paella did everything right. Communication before the event was clear and prompt. Suggestions to my proposed menu were spot on. Fernando and Vicky showed up on time, looking professional driving a clean and well marked van. They set up with a minimum of effort. Vicky prepared appetizers in the kitchen while Fernando set up on the patio outside. He covered our pavers to keep spillage from causing damage. The Valencia Special Paella with chicken, sausage and seafood was delicious. The salad was fresh and tasty. They explained the preparation to inquisitive quests and were friendly and polite. Their clean up was quick and unobtrusive. We hope to have Hola Paella return for other events and highly recommend Fernando and Vicky. read more

This is a review based on my experience of working with Hola Paella as a fellow vendor for a wedding. Fernando and his team were very pleasant to work with. They arrived at the venue on time, setup, cooked, served all of the guests, and cleaned up everything seamlessly. It was also my first time trying Paella, and it was delish! Thanks to you and your team, Fernando! It was a pleasure working with you! read more

Hola Paella was amazing. I've now passed on his card and information to several of our 75 guests! The food was delicious. My only regret was that I was so busy, I didn't get a chance to taste any of the appetizers that I ordered, but after checking with a few of my guests they stated that the mini skewers, empanadillas, caprese and potatoes with spicy huancahina sauce was delicious. I was able to sit down and eat the main course of All Meat Paella with Shrimp, which was so tasty and perfect for the cool evening we had on Saturday. My shell fish allergic friends enjoyed their All Meat Paella, while my no red meat friends enjoyed the Chicken Paella with Vegetables. Fernando and his team were fantastic, being both friendly and attentive. The paella is all served with a green salad and bread and Hola Paella provides the plates and dinnerware. I'm now spoiled. Who wants to cook and clean when Hola Paella will come in and do it all for you? Plus, their food is simply much more flavorful, served smoking hot and mouth-watering. Thank you Hola Paella for making my party such a success! read more

After tasting Fernando's paella the question on everyone's mind was "How is it possible?" How is it possible for the food to taste THAT good? How is it possible for the rice to be THAT tasty? How is it possible for the seafood to be THAT fresh? How is it possible for the calamari to be THAT tender? How is it possible for there to be THAT much food leftover? Fernando was great! He works better through phone calls so be sure to call him as well as email him! Prices are very reasonable with a minimum order for 10 (order is based on amount of food prepared not actual head count so you can actually invite more guests than said head count). Service fee is included but we loved him so much we gave him more. We told Fernando that one of the kids had a seafood allergy so he made a small veggie and chicken paella just for her (it could probably feed 4 people) without any additional costs. Wow! Who does that? We were able to chat with him a bit and he has a lot of his ingredients imported from South America and picks out the freshest seafood- I know my seafood since my whole family loves seafood and it was delicious! Posted a picture on facebook and now all my friends are drooling and demanding an invite next time. And yes there will be for sure a next time! Thanks Fernando! read more

I was simply a guest at a party catered by Hola Paella this Saturday, so I can't speak to the business details - but I have to say this was the most memorable and delicious food I have ever experienced at a private event. It was exciting to be able to go into the garden house and watch the paella being assembled. The garlic! I was in heaven. Fernando is a real charmer, and an obvious talent in the kitchen. And when it was served up - incredible! I was somewhat shocked to see the massive portion that I was given (I'm a light eater) and then... I ate it ALL. I even considered seconds. Complex flavors, bright textures... the best paella I have ever tasted. And get this: I chose the vegetarian option. How did they do it? How did they make veggie paella REAL paella? And the best ever? Even though I watched them create it, I'm still not sure. Those little chorizo skewers were to die for, as well. Bottom line - if you hire them, I know you will be happy, and if you are a guest at one of their parties, you are a lucky, lucky person. Salud! read more

Hola Paella (Fernando Craff) and his great staff catered our recent "Valentine's in June" (06/14/14 wedding) at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, which is an old Spanish hacienda so we knew we wanted our menu to complement and be cohesive with our venue. We had around 60 guests (not too big) and HP did a stellar job not only with the quality of the food but at serving as well. I contacted them many months before our big day and it proved to be a good decision since they are very busy and cater to a lot of weddings. They were very reliable as far as responding to all of our e-mail and phone queries. After we chose and finalized our menu, we were sent a draft contract for review. We have read all the rave reviews about them so there was no doubt in our minds that the food will be fantastic. We signed the contract and met with Fernando and his equally wonderful wife, Vicky, at our venue to talk about details and the location itself. They also met with the Event Director at the Allied Arts Guild about a month before our wedding to go over everything. On our wedding day, they arrived well-prepared and on time. And they all looked so nice in their matching red uniforms. And we were right, all of the appetizers and paella (chicken, seafood/chicken, veggie) we chose were fantastic. A lot of our guests expressed how much they enjoyed the food and the wonderful atmosphere. HP helped us create that atmosphere for sure. Everyone in their staff was friendly and cheerful. They even went around and served water during our reception and waited to cut/serve our wedding cake to everyone. All in all an amazing experience! That said, we highly recommend Fernando and his staff for any event big or small. Your guests will also enjoy watching the paella being made right in front of their eyes. A presentation of bold colors and wonderful flavors! Thank you so much Hola Paella for everything and for helping make our Valentine's in June so special and memorable for everyone. We wish you continued success! (Photos to come shortly) read more

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Paella Lunar New Year Party, this was the best I've ever had. In fact, it's the only paella that I like. Fun times! read more

Hola Paella - Paella Lunar New Year Party, this was the best I've ever had. In fact, it's the only paella that I like. Fun times! - Caterers Near Me

Fernando and his wife were a hit at my small dinner party. It was fun to watch them cook and the paella was tasty. read more

Fernando was a pleasure to work with, and everything went smoothly. I was enlisted to coordinate the food for a coworker's 20 year anniversary at our company, and Hola Paella did not disappoint! When I called, Fernando was very kind and helpful with suggestions. We ended up going with the Hola Paella Special Paella Valenciana and a smaller order of another paella. We set the date and time and he sent over his invoice, so everything was set fairly quickly. A few days before, he called to confirm. I really appreciated that as it shows that every event, no matter how small or big, are important. On the day of the event, he came right on time and got started cooking his delicious paellas in our gazebo. He provides everything - all the cookware and even utensils and plates for us! About an hour later, the food was ready and all my coworkers were super impressed with everything. Go me! LOL They could not stop raving about how delicious the food was. This isn't the normal type of catering either, so it made the event even more special. All the 5-star reviews are a testament to their great service and yummy food. I would HIGHLY recommend Fernando and Hola Paella to anyone looking for a fun, unique caterer for a party or special event. You will not be disappointed! read more

The law firm I work for had Hola Paella cater our Staff Appreciation lunch today. The food was amazing, and people who didn't ordinarily like certain foods ended up loving them. The date/goat cheese/walnut appetizer and the tomato/cheese/sausage appetizer were fantastic (people who don't even like dates were gobbling them up!). We had three different paellas - all meat, seafood, and vegetarian. I had the latter two and loved them. They piled the plate so high I wasn't sure if I could finish it all, but I did, and ended up getting a small second portion of the vegetarian one. The salad they served was equally amazing, a mixture of super fresh field greens and walnuts and one of the best dressings I've ever had was already on the salad in the perfect quantity - just enough, not drowning in it. Fernando and his wife are wonderful people who seemed very relaxed while preparing food for 75 of us. If I can think of a way to have them cater an event for me, I will definitely be contacting them, and you should too! read more

We used them for our daughter's 1st birthday and had the best food and experience. I have tasted their food on many occasions before and after out party. Now we are waiting for another occasion to get them back. The ingredients are fresh and everything is very tasty. My friends from the party still talk about it. read more

Hola Paella made us a fantastic lunch for a graduation party of 32 people. Everybody in attendance was very impressed with the delicious food and friendly crew. The leftovers were placed in a secure aluminum tray and provided us with a few extra meals to relive the experience. We look forward to utilizing their services again in the future. Highly recommend! read more

I selected Fernando and Hola Paella largely because his Yelp reviews were so good. Yelp comes through for me again! I arranged a surprise wedding anniversary and vow renewal ceremony for my wife, and contracted with Fernando for appetizers and his special paella for 30 guests. My guests and I could not be more pleased !! Fernando and his wife, Vicky, and staff arrived right on time and they set up in our back yard so quickly and efficiently that my wife was shocked to discover that we were having a catered dinner! The food was just amazing. We had their empanadillas, caprese and fruit and cheese platter for appetizers. Then Fernando prepared his amazing Special Paella Valenciana! Our guests raved about how good the paella was. Everyone had lots of food and many guests went back for seconds. Hola Paella, Fernando and Vicky, are just the best! If you want to have a wonderful paella prepared for you and your guests, look no further because you've found Hola Paella!! read more

So, a friend of mine used to always have the family and I over for Paella, things are now busy for him so we don't go over as often anymore. One day i was having some guest over for dinner and was craving Paella, went on yelp and sure enough...I found a Paella Man that lived really close to me. I was so happy, i called and booked with him right away. Fernando, was very professional and nice. He came in set up everything in our outdoor kitchen and went right to work! He was very organized and kindly refused any help from us. He provided salad and bread with the Paella. The salad dressing was to die for!! Yum!! And the Paella was delicious!! My guests were so impressed, they hired him for a small party they are having this Friday. Can't wait!! I would higly recommend him. read more

Hola Paella is amazing! We had a large seafood paella and a medium vegetarian paella for a party with 45 guests. Both paellas looked and tasted delicious. The seafood was super fresh and cooked to perfection. We had the Peruvian cookies for desert and those were also a big hit. Everyone loved the food! Fernando was very easy to work with. He responded promptly to email and text to arrange the catering. On the day of the party, he arrived right on time and set up two paellas in our family room. He puts a lot of effort into his work to make sure the presentation is perfect and all the guests are happy. We couldn't have wished for a better caterer. read more

Hola Paella - Fernando behind a seafood paella for 30 people - Caterers Near Me

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Fernando helped us out on a short notice , with throwing a party on a Sunday. Party was outdoors at a park, and Fernando , Vicky catered the small gathering of 20-25 people. Very professional, arrived on time. Food served was great, ready at the pre-determined time and appetizers were popular as well. Fernando was able accommodate any special preferences, from guests. read more

The experience was fantastic, delicious food and great Service. Fernando is very helpful with helping make your decision. read more

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This food was so delicious!!!! Highly recommend! 10/10! If I could have this everyday, I would!

Hola Paella is AMAZING! I have used them twice now for dinner parties at my home. The first was for my fiance's birthday and we had a total of 17 people. I was so impressed with how DELICIOUS the paella was...Really the best I've had, and EVERYONE present was oohing and awing. It was quite a show, when the paella was ready we moved it to the dining room for serving. It looked beautiful! Besides the flavor and aroma, Fernando and his wife are so organized, clean and efficient. I got to enjoy the whole night with my honey and friends. Needless to say, I've had another Paella party for 27 at my house with Hola Paella, and will continue calling Fernando up for my big gatherings. I have to say that the value for the price is OUTSTANDING. The Paella is DELICIOUS, and Fernando is one of a kind.... Love IT! read more

We had a team building event in my house for 12 people in my house, and thank goodness, I called Fernando for the best Paella ever. It was a hit, he use the best ingredients. The biggest prawn, mussells, calamari. Also, he use Saffron ( the real saffron). It's top notch.... Highly recommended for any party. Even when he sets up the stove, make all of us ... u.... and ah...... read more

I am an event coordinator in the Bay Area and was looking for something other than a buffet-style catered meal for our guests. Our customers were coming to our offices and it was important that we "wow" them. After a little research, I came across Hola Paella on Yelp and I could not be more thrilled with the results. The food was fantastic, the crew was beyond wonderful and everyone was so incredibly sweet. I gave them all hugs! Their staff helped make our very important event such a successful one. We got such great feedback about the food and the fact that our customers could see the paella being made right there in front of them was the topic of discussion in many groups. I will definitely be recommending them to fellow event coordinators and I will be using them again myself! read more

After reading the reviews, I had pretty high expectations. But Fernando & Vicky exceeded those! We had two wonderful paellas for my wife birthday, and every single person absolutely loved them. Hola Paella will definitely by one of my top choices when I need catering again. read more

Great, fun and delicious! What else can you ask for? Fernando and Vicky are the best chefs! They bring the best Paella in the Bay Area and no doubt about it. They cook in front of you so you know what you are getting. The aromas are mouth watering. Just book ahead of time. They are always booked because they are great! read more

Hola Paella - Best Paella in the Bay Area! - Caterers Near Me

Absolutely, ABSOLUTELY fantastic. Everyone was so kind and excited to show their craft. The meal was to die for, and made the whole house smell amazing. Hola Paella will be at the top of my list of catering services from here on out. Thank you! read more

Fernando was at the top of my list when considering our catering options for a family reunion party I was planning. I was so impressed by all the reviews that I got so excited and I even told the guests that we'd be having this fabulous paella. I sent a message to him via the website--heard nothing. I called him and spoke to him personally. He was out running errands, and he told me to send him an email via the website again and that he would respond. Still heard nothing. I checked my spam folder! lol--nothing. He never wrote back to me or called me on the phone to say, "You know, I'm not going to be able to make the commitment." It seems out of character with what I'm seeing and reading here, but it was my experience. I'm sorry it didn't work out. read more

I recently coordinated a wedding with 130 guests that Hola Paella catered. Fernando and his family were prompt, friendly and helpful, and of course, the paella was incredible. All the guests and vendors absolutely loved it! It was a chilly SF evening, so paella was the perfect thing to warm everyone up! It's not only delicious, but beautiful as well, and really added to the festive mood of the event. read more

We hired Fernando and his crew to prepare paella and appetizers for 60 + guests at my husband's 60th Birthday party.From start to finish they were fun, organized, and professional Even when it started to rain, they never missed a beat. They just put up a canopy and kept cooking. The ingredients were fresh, and everything was delicious! Not to mention the dishes themselves are beautiful to see. I'm sure he will be getting a few calls from people who attended the party, because they were that impressed with the meal. I would love to hire them again. read more

Review is for the paella only. I recently got to try paella for the first time at Yelp's Mobile Mashup. They were cooking it in this huge pan/bowl thing outside & it smelled so good. The paella was very good & it was cooked just right. I'd definitely consider having them cater an event in the future. read more

Hola Paella catered our wedding in Sonoma in Oct. Fernando and his crew did an amazing job! They are very professional, amazing food, gorgeous presentation, and excellent service! After dealing with another paella caterer who would return my emails sporadically I was able to call and email Fernando and have him answer all of my questions that came up right away. They brought everything they needed, really a seamless operation! read more

I recently had Hola Paella cater my wedding and it was a huge hit! We were looking for something different to serve for dinner and I found Hola Paella on Yelp. Everything went smoothly and I can not tell you how many people told me how delicious the food was. Everything was wonderful from the food to the presentation to the helpers. I would definitely use Hola Paella again! Highly recommend their services and food. read more

We had an engagement/birthday party for about 60 people in our backyard for which we had chosen the Meat and Shrimp Paella and a small vegetarian Paella. Both the Paellas were absolutely delicious and beautiful. The meat and shrimp were plentiful and the veggie paella had tender asparagus and a lot of flavor.The aroma of saffron was wonderful and got appetities going! Their was plenty of food and then some. The salad and bread rolls were a nice accompaniment. They were punctual and the entire set up from the time they arrived to dismantling was efficient and very tidy. Both Fernando and his wife were charming and we really enjoyed their company. I would highly recommend them and we are planning another event for which we cannot wait to have them back! read more