Riverview Farm is an exclusive private catering company in Ben Lomond, California. I have hosted…read moreseveral offsite work retreats for between 25 and 50 people at my home in Ben Lomod. I've used Riverview Farms exclusively to cater the breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We also used them to cater my brother-in-law's wedding for 125 people. I'm really impressed by the freshness of the food and the quality of the staff. I think they excel by preparing simple, yet incredibly tasty dishes. I think we can all relate to the ugliness of the rubber chicken entree at most events. This isn't something we've ever experienced from Riverview Farm. Without exception the food is tasty, plentiful, and fresh. Many times things are sourced from local suppliers right in town. I'm also happy that the menu options presented can always be tuned to my own preferences. One thing that I really like is that the staff is focused on the care and comfort of my guests well beyond the food. The keep my home clean, and when the staff leaves, it is hard to tell we have ever had a party. The owner, Dori, is now a trusted friend and I wouldn't think of hosting another event without consulting her. The best part of the whole experience is "good value". What I like most about Riverview Farms is that I can set a price point and then work with Dori on the best menu possible. Most other caterers start at the menu and work to the price.

We planned a corporate event and had Riverview Farms cater it for us. We were charged over $550 for…read morethe event and it was supposed to feed 20 people. We only had 15 people show up, we ran out of food pretty quickly, (even after the admin staff barely ate to make sure that others got something) The presentation was awful, the food was mediocre and the service was nonexistent. In fact there was no one to help resolve the lack of food and poor presentation. RIP OFF.... that is how we felt. Use someone else to cater your event if you want to avoid embarrassment .

We last minute booked SweetSurf Catering for our wedding and we are SO HAPPY we did!!!!! We love…read moreMarianne's Ice Cream and found that SweetSurf Catering is part of their business family. Kelly, the owner, helped us finalize the details and went above and beyond to confirm directly with our venue that there was enough space to set up their cute ice cream booth and coolers! We also got to do an ice cream tasting with Taylor and it was one of our highlights of wedding planning!!! SweetSurf was reasonably priced and so self-sufficient that we didn't have to worry about them at all day-of. They showed up on time, set up, and scooped ice cream at our wedding all night! Our guests raved about them!!! This was especially full circle for us as we had our engagement pictures taken at Marianne's on Ocean St. and then got to have them at our wedding!!

Seeing that we had an opportunity to share Marianne's Ice cream with all of the guests at are…read morewedding in April 2022, there was no way we could refuse. We reached out to SweetSurf Catering to make this a reality and they were amazing to work with. Responsive, ready to address our needs, and easy to communicate with. They also made sure that they brought the best flavors and a smile on their face when they came to set up on the day of. We still hear from our friends and family how wonderful it was to have them there (especially getting a scoop of every flavor) that it most definitely was, and excuse the pun, the "cherry on top" of an already great wedding. Thank you to the team for all they did!

Local Harvest is off the charts! If it's a wedding reception, a business dinner, or catering for a…read morefamily gathering... you will not be disappointed. Food was fantastic, lots of options, great communication, reasonable pricing, on time delivery... all around high marks. We looked at a few catering options and landed on Local Harvest, they are now our "go to" catering going forward.

Local Harvest catered our daughter's wedding at Bargetto winery on July 14,2013 and we couldn't…read morehave been more pleased. It's not often that every guest at the wedding comments on how good the food is and that's exactly what happened. One of the main reasons we went with Deena was because we could pick exactly want we wanted and know the per person cost upfront. Most caterers quote a per person cost for the menu of their chosing and that cost increases when you attempt to tailor the food choices to your liking. Every staff member was friendly and helpful, but the food stole the show. Everything was fresh and, like the company's name implies, was from local harvests. My only regret was, being the mother of the bride, I didn't have an opportunity to go up for seconds. Trust me, you will not be disappointed in Deena's food or employees and I can't recommend them highly enough.

We hired Conscious Creations to cater and staff our small wedding, and it was one of the best…read moredecisions we made! Joshua was very patient with me, as I spoke to him several times and went back and forth on whether or not to get a caterer or just order food from a restaurant. In the end, we decided to hire Joshua to make appetizers and the desserts, as well as a server and bartender, so the reception would be less stressful (and tastier!). Let me tell you we were so happy we did it! The appetizers were delicious. He even made us a little extra so we had leftovers - the bruschetta was delicious in the egg casserole we made :) The cupcakes were also amazing! The server and bartender were professional, friendly, outgoing and very helpful. They even stayed a little extra to make sure everything was cleaned up. Thank you, Joshua, for making our day even better!

My girfriend and I ate at Conscious Creations earlier this evening because I got a Groupon for a…read moredinner for two for $17. I'm going to list the reasons for my two- star review. 1. The food is a 6 out of 10 at best. I had a salad, soup and a vegetarian "enchilada." The dressing on the salad was good, the soup was bland and the enchilada was full of tofu and didn't taste remotely good- or like an enchilada. 2. If we hadn't used a groupon, the prices for each item would have been ridiculous. The salad is $7 and is simply a small plate of greens with dressing. The entrees run between 10 and 12, and really aren't worth it. 3. Josh, the owner/manager, who was also somewhat our waiter is not the friendliest or most agreeable person. I asked if any of the food we ordered had peanuts, since I'm allergic and he looked at me like I was making some big request. He acted like most of the things he did were him doing us a favor, which exactly the opposite of how you'd like to feel going out to dinner. I ended up having an allergic reaction to something in my food, even though he told me my food was not made with peanuts. The ambiance is somewhat nice, and everything is pretty fresh, but even with that, I'm sure there are better vegan/vegetarian places out there. If you have a nut allergy, are not trying to spend a fortune on a meal, are looking for something other than vegetables and tofu in your food, and like friendly service I suggest looking somewhere else. UPDATE: I originally gave my experience one star, but came back to give it another because Joshua sent me a sincere message apologizing for my nut reaction and for the service, and offering a refund for the money I spent on the groupon.

We used Mickey's for our wedding three months ago, and I still haven't decided if I enjoyed…read moreMickey's food or her presence more. We chose the BBQ menu, and it was a ton of really really great food. She was happy to make little tweaks to the menu so it would be perfect, and was super organized. My guests are still raving about how great she/the food was, and my dad is now floating the idea of having her cater a (completely gratuitous) housewarming party. Mickey's staff were fun and fantastic, and definitely added to the celebration vibe. Mickey made sure that my husband and I had everything we needed, was by my side to help wipe the cake off my face, and even got in a solid Cupid Shuffle on the dance floor. I'm not going to lie, I had a little post-wedding letdown that I didn't have a reason to meet up with my vendors, and Mickey was definitely on that list. Hire her for your next event, or stop by her cafe. You'll be stoked that you did.

We LOVE Mickey. She is just the sweetest person to work with and we really loved having her cater…read moreour wedding. She even got down with us on the dance floor! Mickey was so great to work with, we would highly recommend her for any catering needs. She was very professional, prompt and so easy going. We changed our venue, guest count and catering needs 3 months before our wedding, Mickey not only adapted to our changes but was so flexible- it took a huge stressor off our shoulders. She was very clean and diligent about upholding any changes needed for COVID. We would highly recommend Mickey for anyone needing a caterer for a party/wedding.

WOW! Where do I begin? I first spoke with Kim about 4mo before our wedding. We live in the SF Bay…read moreArea, she's in Santa Cruz and the venue was in Monterey. Right off the bat I connected with her on our first phone call, and she not only listened to what we wanted, she heard it. We had a very specific menu that we wanted, and I told her I'd be open to suggestions in a couple of areas. Essentially our menu request was a Family Style Italian dinner with: Caprese salad, Caesar salad, Chicken Saltimbocca,and a pasta. I told her we wanted to use local ingredients like crab, artichokes, etc., and was open to suggestions for appetizers as long as they fit the overall Italian theme, and type of pasta. Kim promptly provided us with a quote for the menu requested, and the appetizers she suggested were: Crab Cakes, Blissful Benedict Bites, Squash Sippers, and a Gorgonzola and Port Wine Poached Pears cheesecake along with an array of cheese, fruit etc. and the pasta recommendation she made was a penne in Thyme infused Asiago, and she also recommended grilled artichokes as a vegetable side at dinner. I think she may have made a couple of other recommendations but the above is what we went with. Let's just say Kimberley's Catering is the only caterer we didn't do a tasting with. We had been underwhelmed by the caterers we had done tastings with, and while we would have loved to have had a tasting with Kim she doesn't do formal tastings and my husband and I just didn't have time to try and negotiate making other arrangements with her to do something for us. At the end of the day we selected Kim for the following reasons: 1. First and foremost she respected our wishes and prepared a quote for what we asked for, while every other caterer we contacted ignored our menu request either in its entirety and tried to push us towards what they wanted us to take, or, had one or two of the menu items we requested and then directed us to what they wanted us to take. Seriously, when a potential client calls and says "this is the menu we want, can you do it?" and they say yes but don't quote it, do they seriously think they're going to get your business? I even had on caterer who it took two weeks to get a quote from and when it came through she had the audacity to say "I wanted to make sure to do your quote personally and give it the attention it deserved" and she didn't quote a single menu item I had requested! But I digress... 2. Kim sounded excited about the opportunity to cater our wedding while the others made us feel as though we'd be lucky if they catered for us. 3. Kim came in at a lower price! Certainly this makes one stand up and take notice, but considering she was the only one we didn't do a tasting with, it could have been disastrous. 4. She asked to come see the venue. One of the caterers had implied on the half dozen calls I had with them, that they were familiar with our venue and had catered there before. When we went down for a tasting with them, we learned they had never catered there before but "it won't be a problem..." Considering their food was "eh" "nice" "okay", they quickly got booted from consideration for having lied to us. When Kim met me in Monterey and drove to the venue with me, she was excited! Considering this was a private residence and the kitchen was not licensed for catering use, Kim didn't bat an eye and assured me that this was no problem for her and her crew. When I got home from having met Kim face to face and going to the venue, I announced to my husband "We have a caterer!" He said "did you talk to her about arranging for her to cater a dinner for us so we can do a tasting?" I told him I hadn't because I couldn't see when we'd have time to do it, and that I had a good feeling about her. OMG! The venue was perfect (casaborondamonterey.com), the day was perfect, and Kim's food was PERFECT!!! More than a month later our guests are still talking about how fabulous the food was! In addition to the menu as noted above, Kim threw in another appetizer, a seared ahi tuna that was amazing, and an array of roasted vegetables at no extra charge (because she thought they would go well with our menu...that's artistry!). I might also add that our wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, sit down family style dinner, cake cutting and dance area were all happening within one space, albeit at common as well as different ends of a courtyard area. Kim's crew seamlessly transitioned one area to the next, unobtrusively and very politely. I can't recommend Kim and her crew highly enough, and would hire them again in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact finances permitting, we'd like to go back to Casa Boronda for our first wedding anniversary and hire Kim to come down and cater our wedding menu for just the two of us.

Kim catered our wedding at Pajaro Dunes in October, 2011. She and her staff were outstanding in…read moreevery way, and I cannot recommend her enough. Kim's advantage over other catering companies boils down to three things: 1) scalability (she can do a small dinner party or a 300+ person wedding); 2) professionalism (responsive, great staff); and 3) creativity. Kim's background is in event planning. This is important. I really recommend asking your caterer how they got involved in the business. There are lots of people out there who are great cooks and decide they'll do catering - but getting it right is probably 10% cooking and 90% event planning. If the food tastes great, but your guests have to wait in a long line for it, or they run out, then what's the point? Kim had everything worked out really well and made it appear seamless on the day of the event despite some significant unforseen events. She made sure to visit the site well in advance of the event, made helpful suggestions and gave us a variety of creative options. Kim works primarily with Alexis Party Rentals for linens and china. Although she will work with other vendors, she recommended Alexis and that worked out well. We met at the Alexis showroom with Kim and picked out the placesettings, linens and some other decorations. Kim coordinates the delivery and set up and then charges a handling fee based on what you order through Alexis. So you pay Kim directly and she takes care of the details - it's well worth it for one less detail to worry about. Keep in mind that you do need to rent china and linens so don't forget to budget for that! Even with that cost, Kim's quote was very reasonable with a great menu from her plus the rentals. I've had restaurants do drop-off catering for almost as much and the food was no where near comparable, never mind the extras you get with Kim. We had no idea what we wanted to serve and she made some great suggestions. We ended up with salad, mushroom risotto, vegetables, napa chicken and tri-tip. She also did some outstanding appetizers including a butternut squash soup that was divine. Our guests raved about the risotto but really all the food was good. Kim doesn't do tastings, but if she's catering a large event she might be able to bring you a plate if you really, really have to try her food. We didn't end up tasting anything prior to the event which goes against all the "wedding planning" conventional wisdom, but we had multiple recommendations for Kim from people we knew and trusted. Kim works with a great event staff. Everyone we dealt with was incredibly pleasant and professional, particularly the bartender. You know how sometimes you go to a wedding and the staff are kind of propped against a wall, looking angry and tired? None of that here. Kim's staff smiled at everyone and really contributed to the upbeat, welcoming feeling we wanted. I very much hope I'll have the opportunity to work with her again soon. As far as I'm concerned, we've found the only caterer we ever need.

Absolutely amazing catering. I tried "In A Pita"at my cousin's wedding and was so impressed that I…read moreended up booking them for my son's wedding at the end of September. ( got lucky that they where not booked that weekend ) The mini lamb burgers were incredible, the beef and lamb kebabs were full of flavor, and the falafel was honestly one of the best I've had. The salads were fresh, crunchy and clearly made with quality ingredients. Everything was spot on from start to finish. The food, the presentation, the service, you could tell they really care about what they do. Everyone at the event was talking about how good the food was. A great guy to deal with and an absolute pleasure from beginning to end. Five stars from me.

We have used Crown Cafe Catering on several occasions, and they are the best! The tri-tip is a hit…read moreevery time! Mikey and Ron and catering staff are great to work with. We are so lucky to have them in our area. I used another caterer from Santa Cruz, and they were extremely expensive and the service was NOT FRIENDLY! We had to use them due to the fact that they were on the venues "list of approved caterers" :((((