My girl and I attended a party that some friends of mine were throwing up in the hills a couple weeks ago. I was told it was going to be catered, so immediately I thought of food trucks.. Not the case! I was a little worried when we pulled up and saw nothing out front, I felt like we were at the wrong place. Apparently, the caterers were tucked in on the side of the house, totally out of view of the party. We were greeted at the door with a big smile and specialty cocktails that actually went along with the theme of the party. As we walked through the house to the back area, I saw tables set up looking like elaborate buffets with succulents and little decorated tiles everywhere. When dinner was served, the aroma from the table was so enticing, everyone seemed to bull run inside. Note: we were all friends at this party and people were still fighting over being first in line. I think I even saw an elbow fly! Now, if you've been to one catered event in LA you been to them all, this was definitely not the case. We stocked up our plates with carne asada, grilled mahi mahi and all the fixings for a towering taco of deliciousness. They even had home made taro chips with guacamole and mango salsa. Food trucks be damned, this carne asada blew everyone away. I was able to pull myself away from my food for a second to look around because for a brief moment, I thought I was alone. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food so much that a silence came over the party. I slowly started to see people get up to go in for seconds, so when I got up for a few more tacos, I was half expecting to see a buffet that a tornado hit. Surprisingly, the food was all stocked up, table was clean and there was a smiling attendant waiting to warm me up some more tortillas. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The rest of the party was great, everyone was chatting it up, listening to music and getting down even though there was no dance floor. Occasionally I would see a member of the catering staff picking up empties and dirty plates, besides that, it seemed like they were invisible. It's nice to not be running into staff everywhere you turn. There was even some desserts put out later on, but I've probably written enough already. I tend to ramble on when my belly has been sufficiently stuffed. I did however grab a card from one of the servers so that I can have a shindig of my own. Be on the look out SCHAFFER, all my friends are going to want to use you... read more

The food could taste better. You could not put chips and celery sticks on my beautiful dining room table for my guest. This was would never hire this company again. They tell you one thing and they do another. read more

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Met Schaffer catering at the Genesis booth in the LA Auto Show 2023. They were serving some traditional coffees and other specialty drinks. For their specialty, they were serving Dalgona Coffee, Hot Chocolate, and some sort of Asian Pear drink. Friendly baristas and worked very efficiently. read more

Schaffer - Business card - Caterers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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We cannot recommend Schaffer enough for the incredible experience they treated us to for our wedding. Everything leading up to the day was smooth and thoughtful. And the day-of was true magic. Every detail was thought of and we felt so relaxed and well taken care of. Our planner, Melissa, was responsive and attentive throughout all of the planning. And when we had to postpone our wedding twice, they were along for the ride with us with flexibility. Not only did they cater a FABULOUS meal that our family and friends have not stopped talking about it, but they also coordinated all of the set up for our cocktail hour and reception, from linens to heat lamps to lights. Our night was a dream thanks to Schaffer. read more

I've heard that if you saw how some people handle food at catered events you would never eat there, and I hope Schaffer is only the worst one because if all catering services have similar food safety standards then we are all bound to get some gastrointestinal illness at some point. This happened at a graduation event that took place on the playgrounds of a high school in Santa Monica on May 21, 2022. The Schaffer staff had set a kitchen tent and some tables outside of it. They unloaded and carried equipment and boxes of supplies and then proceeded to prepare food with their bare hands. No hand-wash station was visible near the kitchen tent, or at least nobody was instructed of its presence. The staff had to go to the bathroom inside the school building to wash their hands. And that didn't really happened, they didn't even had the common sense to wear some gloves at least. The lead cook whom they called Lex had no clue about food handling safety, he had food prepared and then set it on the ground, about five or six metallic trays with ready to eat food sat uncovered underneath a table, the food must have been there for at least one hour until a woman, who claimed earlier to be the owner of the company, called the guy for it. He lacked the common sense to realize that food that people are about to eat does not go on the ground, but somehow she allowed him to continue working the whole event. A few long tables were set outside the tent to prepare the salad plates, the woman found a hair in one of them, proceeds to remove the hair but leaves the salad, and continues, she got upset about it, so the instruction to the staff was " I just found a long black hair in the salad, be careful, if you see anything on the plate remove it before you continue" Unfortunately some guest ate that salad. When plating the food, the same cook Lex was also spotted by other staff member wiping some chimichurri sauce from the rim of a plate he was working on, licked his finger and continued handling the food with bare hands, no utensils nor gloves. Towards the end of dinner when they were putting away all the dirty equipment a nice lady whom I guess was a host went into the kitchen to inquire about a few VIP meals which were supposed to be ready upon request after the ceremony, of course the staff forgot about it and they didn't have them ready. They rushed to put together four or five plates, grabbing food from all over the place with bare hands, remember they were breaking down the area and handling dirty equipment. When the host lady came back she was impressed by how quickly they put together the VIP plates, she was very happy. Unfortunately she didn't stay there to see how they handled her VIP food. Besides those violations of food safety none of the Schaffer staff wore face masks at any moment., they all kept talking and yelling on top of the food they were preparing, thew amount of spit droplets that went out to the guests makes me sick. read more

THIS GIRL DID NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE DINING AREA OF THE EVENT SHE ATTENDED HUNGRY, that's for sure! I WAS SO PUMPED TO GET IN LINE TO GRAB LUNCH... Which is why I continue to write in CAPS? lol... Because I have SALMON RADAR and I knew they'd be dishing up my beloved ;) I grabbed some chicken and some salmon, and some green beans, along with a little butter lettuce and went to town! I wish I could savor my food more, but when you're a human compost, yeah that doesn't happen! The food was delicious and it's safe to say, everyone else at the event completely agrees! The salmon was flakey and not dry at all, and the chicken was moist and seasoned perfectly. The green beans had a nice crunch (cooked a little more would have been nice) and had a subtle light flavor, with no crazy sauces that would weigh anyone down! If you're looking for a catering company, you'd be pretty stupid to not check out this one! They have lots of vegan options as well, that I heard people groaning over in delight, but I can't review those first hand as I'm DEFINITELY NOT A VEGAN! ;) It took all my will power not to go back for seconds or find a to go box and steal ALL the remaining salmon on the buffet! read more

Schaffer - Yum! But seriously, sooooooo good!! - Caterers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Schaffer was an AMAZING choice for our wedding food. They completely understood what we wanted, which was not your average wedding food but instead super fun food (think sliders, mac and cheese, fried chicken, baked potatoes etc.). Desserts included churros, warm brownies and ring dings! Could anything be better!? The tasting was incredibly helpful, Melissa and the team let us try SO much tasty food, it was impossible to find anything we didn't love. They also were very attentive to any notes we had. The entire team, chefs, servers and beyond were truly amazing. While we didn't personally have allergies several guests of ours did and they customized plates for vegan and celiac guests. Their pricing is very fair and they are professionals through and through. Hiring them made a very crucial piece of the wedding puzzle a breeze! Highly recommended! read more

The owner is a doll! Love working with her she has a close eye to detail. However, her employee Chef Alex is the rudest person I ever encounter. I hope his bad energy doesn't effect her business. read more

I wouldn't recommend this catering company for an event with a large group. I personally experienced a rude, unprofessional and bad service from the catering management while working with them for an event. read more

Schaffer - Genuine foods? All it is... is bunch of vegetables and salads with "Not" enough sauce and protein. - Caterers Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We were given a list of caterers and decided to use these caterers because of there beautiful presentation. I want against my gut and never tried the food. I had been in extensive contact(2 months prior) to our event and made it extremely clear about what it was that I wanted. Needless to say I was very disappointed in several instances.... 1. I found out the day of that all my planning was going to be turned over to someone else the day of. Not that they weren't capable but a plan never gets executed properly unless the person you've been corresponding with is at the event. 2. The presentation was typical chaffing dishes aside from my salads that were suppose to be in Chinese to go boxes and salads were undressed without any extra dressing to add if desired. When I called and spoke to owner I was told that when they discussed our event that THEY decided that the salads should be plated. Funny thing is that I'm the one paying the bill and this was done without my wishes !!!! 3. The food was cold. Food coming out of kitchen should never come out of a kitchen cold. It's one thing if foods been sitting then that's a different story. When I mentioned that my food was cold they tried to make it seem that I had waited to eat. Yes, I did wait but waited for the chaffing dishes to be restocked and still it was put out cold !!!! When I'm paying wedding dish prices and hashing out very particular details then I want what I'm paying for. I was told that they would keep this in mind when we used them for another event. I can't consciously use them again or even recommend them to anyone which is unfortunate. I can honestly say that all the super creative food art that is shown on there Facebook page is for high end clients which is unfortunate. People don't realize that the average joes word of mouth goes an awful long way. Looking back on it, I should have used a recommended caterer that I had used in the past. Hard lesson learned.... Not again read more

Schaffer's is one of my preferred vendors. I have referred or hired them more times than I can count because I trust the service and the quality. I have worked with them on at least 5 large events and dozens of smaller productions. Every time I get great compliments from my clients, even the "high maintenance" ones. The food is amazing and the team has always been pro. As a producer and a planner I have been hiring and referring caterers for 16 years. This team is the real deal. read more

This company is really outstanding the food was delicious and the staff very attentive and professional I would highly recommend them

I was at an event this past weekend and found out that the caterer was Schaffer's Genuine Foods. I was so impressed by their look and food that I had to write a review! First of all, they passed appetizers on beautiful ceramic tiles that perfectly matched the event and the food was absolutely gorgeous and delicious. You can tell this company cares about the quality of the food. The servers are so friendly and good looking as well. I work in marketing and attend a lot of these social events, but their food and service blew me away! read more

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Schaffers did a great job catering cocktail hour and dinner for our wedding last year. We got a lot of compliments about the service and the food. They are not cheap, but they were one of the most reasonable and most responsive caterers I found among the list of vendors for our venue (Annenberg Community House). The food and service on the day-of were very good, but I have to say my great experience with them was mostly thanks to our coordinator/project manager Juls, who is super nice, very well organized, accommodating, and really worked with us to keep the tab within our budget. read more

Charlie and Kathleen Schaffer catered my wedding and the food was off the hook: We had a picnic style affair and they accommodated with dishes made with locally grown produce and the best fried chicken I've ever had. Seriously. Some of my friends still talk about the food. I very highly recommend them. read more

We used Schaffer for an offsite training event. The food and service were outstanding!

Thoughtful chefs and local heros, Shaffer's uses local family products to produce delicious unique flavors that are unforgettable. I have called on them for events and at every event I have received rave reviews on every aspect of the catering. If you are looking to impress this is the company to use. read more

I highly recommend Schaffer's Genuine Foods. They were recommended to me by the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica for a company event, and Schaffer's was amazing. I have since used them for several other off-site events, as well numerous on-site events. Their food has never disappointed, and I have found their staff professional, friendly and intelligent. Our company has a standing "Green" Policy, preferring to do business with vendors that are environmentally responsible. Schaffer's support of local organic and sustainable farms meets this requirement and has the added benefit of producing amazing food. We love the bamboo plates. There have several 'foodies' in my organization and Schaffer's is the only catering company that I've used, that they have all loved. If I want to make sure everyone shows up to a meeting, I use Schaffer's. I wonder if Kwiri and Jessica's reviews are for the right company, as their reviews do not in any way reflect the consistent, professional service that receive from Schaffer's. I will continue to recommend Schaffer's to anyone that wants that extra touch to make their event over the top. I can't wait for our April 26th meeting where Schaffer's will be making their liquid nitrogen ice cream!! read more

I have had the pleasure of working with Schaffer's Genuine Foods several times over this past year. Their food is AMAZING and unique....the presentations are spectacular. Always the most unique flavor combinations that make each and every dish a signature. Every client raves about the food and their staff. Their team is my favorite group to work with in the business. Additionally, their commitment to sustainability makes them an award winning business. I highly recommend SGF for the most incredible food and the very best service! read more

I have known the Schaffers for nearly four years both personally and professionally. Worked with them on small dinner parties, large cocktail parties and full sit down dinners for 200/300. Their food, decour, service and attention to detail have always been above and beyond what was expected. Having been in the PR/Event field for over 15 years I have worked with many companies and recommend Charlie, Kathleen and Schaffer's Genuine Foods without hesitation. read more

I had the good fortune to attend TWO Schaffer's Genuine Foods events before I then immediately booked them for a very intimate and elegant 50th birthday party. The first was an event with a few hundred people, a very slick opening night kind of gala in Hollywood. The moment I tasted their food, I was like, "Oh. My. God. Who are the Schaffer's and where have they been all my life?!" Seriously, their food is so unique and so delicious, there are no words. Turns out they were there at the event and I went over to say hi. They're just the most delightful people who not only have unprecedented knowledge of and experience with food, but they are great advocates of buying locally and working sustainably. They are not just being environmentally conscious because it's "the thing to do." They really mean it and they make good on their word. The second time was a charity event, in which they generously donated a ton of (again) not only delicious food, but presented it with elegance and graciousness. You can tell they really love what they do. So, I finally took it as a sign that I need to book them for a 50th birthday party that I was hosting. And, wow. I was blown away and so were all my guests. I wish I had a better vocabulary to describe the succulent and utterly creative and amazing food they served. They personally saw to it that my event was perfect, and went WAY above and beyond to make sure it was special. In planning the event, I got to know them, and I'm really glad I did. I consider myself a "foodie," and I learned so much about food, just by talking with the Schaffer's. They liked that I was curious about food, and were delighted to indulge my questions and curiosity. They're so well traveled and well-studied - they've studied with some of the greatest chefs in the world. They're just very impressive people. Their events not only have the best food you will find in LA, they bring class and charm to everything they do. The Schaffers are the real deal. Hire them. Don't even think about it. Just do it! read more

I cannot even express how amazing these fine folks are! Locavore? CHECK! Organic? CHECK! Amazing service? CHECK! Fast response time? CHECK Last minute? CHECK! Their food is incredible. So delicious and they will absolutely customize to your needs. I began using them when I had an event at the Annenberg Community Beach House. My team of 20 executives came from all over the country/world and gathered in Southern California for a 2 day off site meeting. I had a variety of dietary needs including vegan. Each day they came early and made a FABULOUS set up (presentation is gorgeous) for breakfast. The selections were delicious (LOVE LOVE their fresh juices) and my team got off to a great start. Then we did a lunch and finally a snack in the afternoon. Each meal was unique. My meat eaters and my vegans were happy clams. The quality was perfect...and the price was on par and even a little low for what I felt I was getting. In addition, their customer service is excellent. They are happy to make last minute changes and fit in spur of the moment meetings/events. As an Executive Assistant I have used a lot of caterers. These fine folks are the best by a very, very long shot. Make sure to request their vanilla lemonade...wow. Just...wow. read more

The people at Schaffer's made the most delicious food for my daughters's wedding!!! The were accommodating to our special needs and flexible to all the changes that we made! BUT THE FOOD WAS OUTSTANDING! Beautiful and on time both for the wedding and the brunch the next day! They took care of every single detail with a friendly and good attitude. The are the best I wish I could have them at my home every singe day!!! Charlie, Kathleen Thank you again and again for creating such great food!! With Love, Amanda K. read more

I can't recommend Schaffer's Genuine Foods enough! Their food is amazing! You can taste the love that goes into each and every dish. It is obvious the chefs love their job and have a passion for that they do. Each dish I have ever had at any of their events has been top notch. A huge bonus is that they buy local and serve organic. Schaffer's catered a baby shower for me and every one loved their food. So much so a few people hired them for other events and later came back to me thanking me for introducing them to such a great business. I would hire them again for an event in a heart beat simply because I know what I am getting every single time. Delicious, well thought out, unique, food that will impress your guests! read more

I would highly recommend Schaffer's Genuine Foods. They take locavore eating to a new level. Everything on their menu is made with sustainable and eco-conscious products. They also compost all food scraps, recycle all plastics and use disposable products that decompose in landfills in just 50 days. They minimize their carbon footprint by highlighting local and seasonal foods in their menu. They are located in Los Angeles (Venice). read more

Great organic, local food but overpriced with the worst management / customer service I have ever worked with. They will nickel and dime you and charge you thousands of dollars for... paper plates. Not worth the headache. Even a few of the staff I met in person were extremely rude and apparently didn't understand the meaning of "customer service" adding unnecessary stress during the event. Move on to other better, local catering companies - this one isn't worth your money or the risk. read more

Schaffers offered an exceptional evening for a private evening at our home. The staff was extremely professional and lovely to work with from the start. The food was beautifully prepared and presented and our guests were extremely happy, as were we. I would work with Schaffers again in a New York minute. read more

Totally overpriced, constant back and forth on email correspondence. Yummy food but not aware whats on the market and whats their competition ! I will stick to my usual ones.... read more

I was a guest at two different events catered by Schaffer's Genuine Food and was absolutely blown away by both the food and service of this team. I knew they were the people to cater a recent birthday dinner for my husband and six weeks later, people are still raving about it and I get weekly emails from friends wanting to impress their friends and colleagues by hiring the Schaffer's. It's easy to know why. Kathleen and Charlie are a class act. Their passion for food and zest for good living is evident in every single bite. My husband adores Italian food and they served homemade ricotta ravioli that...honestly, you'd be hard-set to find better in Imago in Rome. Between the three different events I've been to, I know there's nothing they can't do. Their braised beef short ribs ribs would bring a Texan man to tears and a Sushi Bar that might even turn Nozawa on his head. Their team serve with style and unpretentious professionalism. Two little words...DO IT. read more

this lovely team made our wedding an amazing event. they not only made us a unique menu that was soooooo delicious and creative, they helped decorate the whole venue, talked with the dj, and made the whole day a dream. my husband and i are both chefs so food was the most important part about the big day and i must say, everyone raved about the food, including us picky chefs. we even had some people ask for a second plate!!!! my dad was sick on the day of our wedding and could not eat the food due to a specific diet restrictions, he had been in the hospital the night before, and they went out of their way to make a special meal for him, without us even requesting it. they truelly become one of the family during your catering process. i would recommend them to anyone!!! read more

Schaffer's catered my daughter's wedding. From creating a unique menu, fine tuning it patiently through a number of revisions to perfection, and serving it with style, they were impeccable! Everything was delicious, on time, and plentiful. The servers were gracious and courteous. Would I recommend them? Absolutely and without reservation!! Schaffer's Catering was never short of highly professional and amazingly accomodating of our needs. Love them! read more

I had never worked with caterers before and so I was nervous, but it fell to me to organize a party for my boss's 5th wedding anniversary. A friend recommended Schaffer's and so despite being dubious, as I am not particularly into organic or local food and my boss, even less so. However, I went with them on the strength of our initial meeting. The truth is Kathleen and Charlie were nice ( it matters to me), had honest faces as my mom would say and their menu certainly sounded good. They are very into running a no waste shop... whatever... what really mattered to me in the end, and more importantly to my boss, his wife and their guests was that the food was as good as it sounded on the menu. I am here bothering to write this review because, straight up, it was. It was that good and then some. The appetizers were awesome, they had these little pulled pork sandwiches and some little pizzas that were definitely not your run of the mill za. A mean blue cheese and fig sticks in my mind. There was other stuff that they just brought by too, chicken skewers with mexican-mole sauce and what not, but the killer was... this kinda Italian sashimi bar...what????... Italian sashimi ... who knew? Awesome! They also had a taco bar which I did not get to try ... Then we sat down to dinner.... I had the dry aged rib-eye, every bite of which made my job seem worth it and my "date"( not really my date, she is also an assistant) had the Shrimp Vera Cruz which she swore was "super legit", and some of my bosses-wife's friends who are vegetarians had a Moroccan thing and when I asked them about it they went on and on about how good it was. It all ended with Ice cream that they made on the spot with liquid nitrogen. Charlie and Kathleen were there the whole time taking care of the food and the service was really good. The next day at work my boss came up to my desk and said I had done a " really good" job of putting the party together. So far as I can remember it's the nicest thing the man's ever said to me. High praise, really. Anyway I thought I owed the Shaffer's a shout out. Next year, if I am still at this desk (God willing, next year I will have moved onward and upward) I will go with the Schaffer's again. Daniel Halevy read more

Schaffer's did a 60th birthday party this past Saturday night for a dear friend of mine and I think it was the best food I have ever had at a private party. Everything was small bite sized, tasty and beautiful. I loved the risotto cakes and the lobster rolls. There was also a small nut cracker with a blue cheese mouse and a wine gelee on top and it was amazing. The service was great and I can't recommend this company any more highly. read more

I had checked this caterer out on Yelp before selecting them for my wedding in July and was braced for great food and less than stellar management. We went to the tasting and were very happy with the results. We were a little taken back about price increases for a few upgrades and the reluctance by management to be flexible enough to go back to our original plan when we didn't want to pay the high upgrade costs. I think their less than ideal customer service during the planning is what causes everyone to rate them as mediocre, as they could be a little more gentle with the way they deliver a negative message. However, the food got rave reviews and the professionalism on the day of the event was top notch. The end result was worth the few bumps in the road, and in fact, the issues seem so minor now. I would recommend using them and ordering the beet falafels..you can thank me for the suggestion later! read more