Every Thanksgiving, my friend usually orders a fully cooked whole turkey from Mariano's for her…read morefamily. This year, she invited me to join them. As we talked about the menu, I told her that my brother randomly met Jenna, a Catering by Michaels culinary analyst, at a restaurant right before the holidays last year. She told him about how fabulous their confit turkey legs are so he ordered them, and now his whole family are addicted. I'm a dark meat lover too so I was sorry I missed out on trying them! I guess my turkey description made an impression on my friend because she kicked Mariano's to the curb. She ordered the turkey breast, two confit turkey legs & the gravy. Let me tell you - everything was FANtastic. "Out of this world" as my friend & her family gushed!! They traditionally make their own sides, but this turkey was so delicious that they are planning to order the whole shebang from here next year. The fully cooked turkey breast & legs were so easy, no messy carving necessary. The leg skin was crispy & both white & dark meat were unbelievably juicy. My brother & now my friend both thank Jenna for her confit turkey legs recommendation! We are all stuffed hahaha!

Planning a Chicago wedding while living in California was a challenge - especially for choosing a…read morecaterer. Shannon from Catering by Michaels was so helpful and responsive and very accommodating of our limited availability in Chicago. The food was delicious. The appetizers were unique and delicious and easy for guests to eat while standing around mingling. The dessert bar was so much fun and so tasty, too! The entrees were to die for. The beef tenderloin was actually what sealed the deal for us - my husband said that was the meal he wanted to eat at the wedding! We didn't originally love the salad options we first tried at our tasting but Shannon and the team were so open and responsive and crafted a chopped beet salad that was exactly what we were hoping for. Shannon was also super helpful as we figured out options for kids' meals and guided us to the most economical option. Throughout the entire process, Shannon and her team were super responsive and kind and we ended up with a delicious meal and wonderful experience. We definitely recommend Catering by Michaels for your Chicago wedding!

Five stars, fo shoooo! A group of coworkers and I were in town for a few days together and on the…read morelast night, we were treated to a charcuterie workshop with Cheers to cheese. They came to us, and our office building has a beautiful ,exclusive rooftop. It was the perfect backdrop on an absolutely wonderful afternoon. All of the materials were available, not just the cheese and meats and all that. But also knives, cutting boards, etc. The owner was our instructor and she was the sweetest. Each person in the group got their own kit and they gave us advice on how to arrange things based on flavors and type of item, encouraged our designs and it was really fun. The amount of food we got was insane. I would totally recommend Cheers to Cheese for team gatherings, bachelorette parties, all that stuff. I mean.. Just look at the photos (heart eyes).

i ordered a $100 platter and paid $50 for delivery....the platter was messy and small...not at all…read morewhat was pictured. I reached out to the company and no response. 1/4 of the platter was grapes.

Viola didn't just feed our wedding guests. She organized, decorated, coordinated with vendors,…read moresoothed nerves, and made magic wherever she stepped. Then she showed up months later with a framed canvas of our wedding day. Her food is incredible; her heart is even better. Oh, and the oscipek was to die for.

We couldn't have been happier with our wedding catering from Violas Kitchen at the Arbory - From…read morethe very beginning, Viola worked with us to create a menu that fit our budget without sacrificing quality. The food was absolutely delicious, and our guests are still talking about it. One of my favorite touches was the individual mini charcuterie displays they placed on the tables. I'd never seen that done before, and it was such a beautiful, unique detail that everyone loved. The dessert table was absolutely stunning. I received so many compliments not only on how beautiful it looked but also on how incredible everything tasted. I gave Viola very little direction when it came to the décor, yet every detail--from the glassware and linens to the serving platters--was elegant and perfectly suited our wedding. The service throughout the day was exceptional. The team checked in on us regularly to make sure we had everything we needed, and the bartending service was fantastic as well. If you're looking for a caterer who delivers amazing food, beautiful presentation, outstanding service, and works with your budget, I can't recommend them enough. Thank you for helping make our wedding day so special!

Went to a My Charcuterie Halloween charcuterie board class tonight! Really fun, well organized…read moreand you are given everything you need to make a festive board! It was held at the Board Room restaurant which is a beautiful place! Going to go back and check out the restaurant! Highly recommend the classes!

I've enjoyed a platter from My Charcuterie before at an event and heard that they have a graze bar…read more So my husband and I decided to come by and build a box to enjoy with our movie night. When we came in, we were greeted and were told our options. We decided on the Cutie box and had so much fun picking out the different meats, cheeses and sides. Each box comes with crackers and you can also purchase wine to enjoy there if you'd like. In the shop there's also some super cute charcuterie sets for parties. They also do events and offer boards for catering as well. Can't wait to come by and build another grade box soon.

I cannot say enough amazing things about Pear Tree Catering's food. My office has catered from Pear…read moreTree for a number of years so I've been fortunate enough to be able to try many of the delicious items that they offer. I love the amazing presentation across all items I've seen -- many times exceeding what I've ever seen at weddings. They also provide wonderful cards with descriptions and dietary indicators that look great and are very informative. What really stands out here though is the food quality. All the fruits and vegetables I've had, whether it be in a fruit tray, salad, grilled veggies, etc. are top notch. Generally I won't go towards fresh produce when given other options, but Pear Tree has won me over with their absolutely delicious items. Even items such as breadsticks and crackers with a mix of cheese are absolutely delicious, where the commitment to sourcing quality ingredients is evident with every bite. Salads are also incredibly good here, with fresh greens that are nice and crisp and nice juicy tomatoes and other items like cheese, nuts, fruits, etc. that once again show their commitment to top notch ingredients. Overall, I'm glad that we do so much corporate catering with Pear Tree Catering. Employees are genuinely excited every time they bring in delicious food to the office, as they are consistently excellent across the board with all their offerings

Meh, not really sure how to describe the experience. Staff is on their phones, food sub par and…read morebasically cold, ironically this is the 2nd wedding I've been to that they've catered. Being from Chicagoland, much better catering compiles out there

We have read all the other reviews and basically we agree completely that Froggy's is the best. Our…read morewedding was incredible. Thierry was so wonderful. As far as we are concerned he is part of our family because he treated us like family and made sure everything was taken care of. The crew was so attentive. People could not stop raving about the food. The duck was out of this world. Now we need to find an excuse to throw another party. Thank you Thierry and Froggy's!!!

One of the best decisions I have ever made was booking Froggy's to cater our wedding. Thierry was…read morethe absolute BEST. He was so experienced and professional. From the start he was very accommodating and he gave wonderful recommendations and advice (since we had no idea what we were doing :P). I am not a very organized and I'm a procrastinator, but Thierry always emailed me when necessary and made sure I was on track with everything (which was not even his job!!!)--it was so sweet and very much appreciated. Even before the wedding, he did a walk through with me at our venue and helped me decide where everything would go (bars, tables, etc) and talked with our reception venue to talk about logistics. On the wedding day, I had no idea that our reception venue was not providing napkins (they only provided the tablecloths) and before I had a chance to freak out because Thierry told me we had no napkins, he had already ordered them and we're having them delivered over as we were speaking. During the reception, the food came out in a timely manner, the wait staff and bartenders were amazing and the food was phenomenal!! I got so many compliments about the food (many people raved that it was the best wedding food they ever had)!! But the greatest was the cake!!!! It is the best cake I have ever tasted. My aunt who usually does not like dessert ate two whole slices of cake! Not only was the food and service amazing, but they are wonderful people who really care about you. Even our other vendors told us that they were by far the best people they have ever worked with--not only did the froggy's staff take care of the guests and the bride & groom, but they took care of all the other vendors as well. THEY ARE AMAZING--you will regret not choosing them as your wedding or special event caterers! SO BOOK AWAY! I added some pictures to the review so you can see for yourself!! The food tasted even better than it looked!! Unfortunately, the photographers didn't get a chance to take pictures of the amazing hor dourves!!

First, you don't have to live near Lake Bluff to use these wonderful caterers. I live in Evanston,…read moreand it worked out perfectly. I was introduced to Heller Catering's fabulous food and presentation at a surprise party for a friend. Recently, after testing food from other caterers, I chose Heller, and its proprietor, Catherine O'Meara, as the caterer for an 80-guest anniversary party. We, and most of our friends, are foodies, and I didn't want ordinary. I wanted amazing. Heller came through. (Heller also arranged for all linens, and party attendants, including bar tender and servers. The service was outstanding). We had passed hor d'oeuvres that were unique and delicious; guests were awed by the selection: Brie & Pineapple Chutney in a phyllo cup; Zucchini Fritters with roasted red pepper sauce; Grilled Shrimp Skewers, sweet & spicy peanut sauce; many other choices were available. Dinner: Plated salad: A Grilled Peach Salad; Gourmet greens, goat cheese, toasted pistachios, Red onion, blood orange dressing Buffet Grilled Tequila Lime Breast of Chicken with Roasted tomato, garlic and grilled corn relish Pasta Orecchiette: Red bell pepper, green beans, arugula, toasted pine nuts Shaved Asiago, lemon tarragon dressing Baked salmon with Artisan breads, butter Assorted Mini Desserts---all delicious Lemon Cheesecake Lavender Crème Brule (Fabulous and unusual) Caramel Nut Cups, chocolate ganache drizzle (Whoa! To die for!) Assorted Cookies, Double Chocolate Brownies They also delivered 2 Quiche Lorraine and lovely fruit platter for us to have for brunch the next day, which was Father's Day. We celebrated with my brother and family, all of whom said it was "the best quiche" they'd ever had. Just today I had a luncheon for a group of 16 friends. Again, Catherine outdid herself: a fabulous cranberry tuna salad (Dried cranberries, green onion, pecans Honey mustard mayonnaise dressing served with both mini croissants and cranberry buns; a really outstanding chopped salad of Romaine, avocado, grape tomatoes, sweet corn, red onion, cucumbers, Apple-wood smoked bacon (on the side), bleu cheese, Zesty gazpacho dressing Smoked Turkey Wraps: Baby spinach, raspberry horseradish cream cheese Honey whole wheat wraps Platter of Fresh Fruit Again, nothing but raves. I can't recommend Heller Catering highly enough.

Heller is our go-to caterers for all parties from formal New Year's Eve to anniversary parties,…read moreshowers, and rehearsal dinners. They are flexible and innovative. Catherine can provide delicious selections for gluten-free, vegetarians, and vegans.

My boss gave my wife and me a private dinner with Brian at home as our wedding present…read more Best. Wedding. Present. EVER. Brian arrived promptly at 5:30pm as agreed, and over the ensuing five hours, he whipped up a wicked four course meal while we sat back and enjoyed the show. Blackened shrimp with Creole remoloude...finger lickin' good. Jumbo lump crab cake with spiced Dijon lemon vinaigrette...heavenly. Seared baby lamb chops with mascarpone mashed potatoes and rosemary butter cream sauce...saliva inducing. Dark chocolate molten cake with quad berry sauce and lemon vanilla whipped cream...it's so fluffy I'm gonna die! In addition to his ridiculously tasty food, Brian's personality is electric. Talking to a stranger for five hours in your home would normally be awkward, but not with Brian. He had us rolling on the floor laughing with stories from his crazy life and cooking for A-list actors and athletes. He was also very inclusive of us in his cooking...explaining what he was doing all along the way and asking us to taste this and that at each stage of the meal's preparation. We highly recommend Brian for all your cooking and entertaining needs!

Well, in spite of the anonymous peach who posted the 1 star review, I somehow managed to be brave…read moreenough to book Brian to cook as a surprise birthday present for my girlfriend. The food was excellent, the conversation was a blast, and I would (and will) recommend him to everyone I know.