If I could award more than 5 stars, I would! I worked with Ana Valle to plan a Celebration of Life for my mother--all from over 800 miles away. Ana located several appropriate venues to revue, helped me select the perfect site, and then attended to many of numerous details (set-up, linens, audio-visual requirements, etc.). In addition, Ana recommended a wonderful local florist, who honored my Mother's memory with arrangements that featured Mom's favorite flowers and colors. Not only was her assistance indispensable, but the The Caterist's food was amazing. Ana's recommendations for our luncheon buffet were thoughtful and well-balanced. She seamlessly worked within special dietary requirements. All of the food was great (salad bar, grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, sweets table), but especially notable were the beef tenderloin and the sorbets. Guests were still talking about the luncheon weeks later! Finally, Anabel (event captain) and Cristina (event supervisor) ensured our event's success through their conscientious commitment to every detail, as well as their warmth and kindness. I owe so much to the Caterist! Through the dedication of the staff of this company, Our Mother's Celebration of Life was more than I hoped it would be. read more

My husband and I chose The Caterist as the caterer for our wedding reception and we couldn't be more pleased. From the very beginning with our tasting, Erin from their team was incredibly responsive to our questions and concerns and so easy to work with. On the day of the wedding, the servers and bartenders were all friendly and helpful. Now the important part: the food was amazing. So many guests at our wedding came up to us raving about the food. Entrees were well seasoned and the portions were generous, and the desserts on our dessert table were also very tasty, with a lot of variety. Overall, would definitely recommend working with the Caterist for your wedding! read more

The Caterist provided exceptional service for our fundraising event at the Evanston History Center. We received positive reviews on the food tasting wonderful. As an event organizer, I also appreciated how easy it was to work with their team during planning and on the event day. Their staff was friendly and all smiles which makes such a difference for guests. read more

I am SO glad to have found The Caterist when I did. As a Food Specialist at my YMCA I am in charge of ordering meals for our staff trainings and I wanted something different than your average staff meals. The meals we received were delicious!! I was blessed with working with Cristina, she was such a pleasure!! They were able to work with our budget and dietary restrictions! PLUS we had two locations for delivery and their delivery crew were so great, handled everything with such care straight out of the hotboxes!! We will DEFINITELY be working with them again! Thank you very much! read more

The Caterist catered our wedding on November 25th and I can say without a doubt that the food made our event incredible! We had around 140 guests at an intimate downtown gallery space and everything was perfection. When my husband and I approached the Caterist we knew that we wanted to do a cocktail style "stations" wedding where guests could mingle without having to be assigned a seat and served a formal meal. We weren't sure what this would entail having never been to a wedding like this ourselves, but knew that we wanted the meal to be filling, unique and a reflection of our personalities. Our one stipulation was that there had to be tacos, and boy were there tacos. Erin helped us develop our menu which included three passed appetizers: mini crab cakes, tomato soup shooters with a little grilled cheese, and beer braised beef with a bite of mashed potatoes. and a taco bar, Mac and cheese station, a slider bar, and mini-wedge salad area by the sliders. I was blown away that the food we ate at our wedding tasted just as good, if not better, than when we had our tasting for just the two of us. We mainly worked with Erin who was AMAZING from start to finish! She was so responsive and thoughtful in making sure that all of my millions of questions were answered. She spent so much time with me and had even helped my mom set up a sweets table. She worked really closely with my day of coordinator and together they made my wedding a day I will never forget. My biggest concerns were that people would be left hungry/there wouldn't be enough food. This concern was put to rest immediately after I heard how much everyone ate and how much they loved it. While our meal wasn't the "traditional" wedding food people expect, it was such a crowd pleaser. I honestly can not recommend the Caterist enough. It's hard for me to pick a favorite vendor since everyone we worked with was so incredible, but considering that food was such an important element to our wedding, and these guys delivered, It's easy for me to say that I would not hesitate to hire them again. read more

The Caterist - Caterers Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Attended a wedding last evening catered by this great group! Excellent food. Great service and the nicest staff! Their email is events@thecateristchicago.com! Paige is wonderful! read more

We booked The Caterist for a seated meal for our wedding. Ultimately, they did not deliver for dinner service. We had a few guests with severe food allergies and all of that information was communicated and placed in a food map and seating chart up front. Two guests had carrot allergies which were noted ahead of time for a plated salad and my wife (having experience in catering and some concerns about the level of attentiveness shown during our communication) made sure then salads were correct before the guests were seated. Both guests were served raw carrots in their salad. They switched out the salads per request, but it could have had serious consequences. Our matron of honor has celiac (also communicated throughout and were told they could accommodate) and was served the dinner entree with gluten....it wasn't what she ordered. Additionally we heard many of our guests received the wrong meal. One couple had both requested the chicken meal and one was served the fish meal. When they brought this to their server's attention, they were told to "switch with their spouse." How is that acceptable??? It is our opinion that if you are doing buffet, they probably would be fine. However, their catering team was not equipped to pull off a seated dinner. When we started working with The Caterist we were assigned Erin as our Event Producer. We had worked with her on the menu and communicated all of our concerns and wishes for our wedding. She did not initiate any contact with us months leading up to the wedding and we were the ones who anticipated needs and reached out with information proactively. When we did the walkthrough a couple weeks before the wedding, all of a sudden the event producer changed to Cristina. Why they didn't assign Cristina to the other assignment and we continued to work with Erin is not known or understood. However, all of the communication we had with Erin was lost in the transition. Additionally when we did the walk through we discussed with Cristina about having one of the events tall boys set by the ceremony and the staff would set glasses of champagne for us to do our toast immediately following the ceremony. Silly us anticipated they would actually accommodate this. When we walked out to perform the ceremony, there was the tall boy but no glasses of champagne... We walked back into the venue to collect the glasses of champagne. How embarrassing was that???? Both for us to walk out and then walk back in but also for The Caterist to drop the ball on such an important and clearly communicated detail. We did have a couple servers who were attentive to our needs, very kind and we enjoyed having the, Menina, Heather and our bartender were great. The food tasted really good. A lot of our guest were apprehensive about the chicken and fish options but both came out very moist and delicious. Great job to the chef! The head captain never introduced herself and demonstrated poor attitude throughout the event. Our wedding was amazing and went smoothly, except for working with The Caterist. They were the only vendor to drop the ball. The evening will forever be remembered to me as beautiful except for the catering company... read more

We used The Caterist for our 75 guest wedding in Woodstock, IL this summer. Working with Cristina and the team was the best part of the entire wedding planning process. She was always willing to go the extra mile making sure all the details were taken care of- from coming up with the menu, to post wedding when we needed help tracking down our champagne glasses. Most importantly, the food was as good as the day we tasted. We received compliments all night. Chef Sean was amazing - the chicken was juicy, the steak was perfectly cooked and our passed hors d'oeuvres looked and tasted delicious. So memorable! read more

I'll have to update this after our wedding, but I have to put five stars out there already. I've been telling everyone I know how happy I am with The Caterist, I want to tell the world too! Starting with the initial process of trying to find a caterer was overwhelming, but Erin was a standout amongst the rest. While some caterers I had to chase down and some were downright rude to me (after I requested a quote from one caterer he wrote this long winded response and then asked if I still wanted my quote - wait what?) Erin kept following up. I shared with her the pricing we'd received from someone else who didn't have servers but we were hoping to have everything taken care of at one company. Erin did her best to match what we had price wise and food wise, and we actually feel like we walked away with a much better deal. And that was only the beginning! We knew the less vendors we had to be in charge of the less stressful our day will be (our venue we have to provide everything) so we were interested in using The Caterist's recommended bartending group. Another caterer we had considered gave a discount for using their bartender, so I thought doesn't hurt to ask. Erin was on it, getting a couple quotes from their bartender they recommended. While waiting for a second quote from them, she found another bartender that was cheaper. Before I could reply she found another that not only was even cheaper, but that would create us a signature drink. How cool is that? I can't say enough great things about Erin going above and beyond hunting down the best deal for us. I can't wait until their big group tasting next month to hone in on our menu. Oh and that reminds me, one more thing Erin did when we told her our theme was throw an idea she had for decorations out there. Once again going above and beyond. Can't wait to see the final product in October. read more

My husband and I just got married last weekend in Lakeview with 150 guests and we couldn't wait to write this review. Erin and Cristina at The Caterist are an incredibly dynamic duo! We were so thrilled to have them as our caterers and would highly recommend them for any wedding in Chicago. Overall, everyone at The Caterist was exceptionally easy to work with and always available for questions, confirmation, coordinating, etc. Both Cristina and Erin made me feel completely at ease throughout the whole process and assured me that everything would turn our perfectly (which it did :)). The Caterist not only did our food, but they also managed all of our rentals and served as day-of coordinators. All of my bridesmaids kept commenting on how incredible Cristina and team were. For food, we opted for a buffet style meal with the tomato mozzarella salad, chicken roulade, butternut squash ravioli, roasted potatoes, and lemon broccoli. All of it was delicious! We got multiple compliments throughout the night from guests about how amazing the food was. We had done a tasting months ago (the tasting was beautifully orchestrated) but I had forgotten what most of the food tasted like. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised! The day before our wedding, Cristina was at the venue, coordinating the set up (they used super fancy software to tell us how to best use the space for the number of guests we had). I had to leave to get ready for the rehearsal but she was texting me pictures and updates to make sure everything was in line with the vision I had. The day of everything looked beautiful! And Cristina was there all evening to make sure things ran smoothly. She even dismissed the tables one by one to ensure the buffet line was never too crowded. The staff were also wonderful - very professional! At the end of the night, I popped my head into the kitchen to let Cristina know we were doing our send off and make sure she didn't need anything else from us. She then handed us breakfast boxes they had put together for us - Greek yogurt and granola and fruit - I couldn't believe how sweet it was! All in all, they made our day completely incredible and I would 100% use them again. We love the team at The Caterist! read more

I don't even know how my wife and I could have pulled off our wedding without Cristina and her team. We planned it nearly 2 years in advance but Cristina made sure to check up on us every so often to assure she was meeting all our needs for every little detail. Our guests loved the food! It tasted exactly how we remembered and the quality was definitely a high point of the wedding. Cristina and her team are incredible at what they do and I would definitely recommend her services to anyone! read more

I hired The Caterist after reading their great Yelp reviews--they are 5 stars for a reason. From the quality and creative presentation of the food to their accommodating and helpful staff--we will definitely be using them again. Cristina was wonderful to work with and helped us create a wonderful event. Also, the smores were a HUGE hit. The other wonderful thing is the price--much better than most of the catering services in town and you're getting very high quality food. Thanks for making our event a great success! read more

Erin from The Caterist organized the food and linens for our wedding reception and did a fantastic job. She was there when we arrived from the ceremony and personally made sure everything was in order. The food was delicious and the service great. We highly recommend this local Evanston business. read more

The Caterist went above and beyond what we could have ever hoped for as caterer for our wedding. From start to finish, Ana and her team were easy to work with, listened to our needs and provided honest guidance and advice. The food was absolutely delicious and generous! All of our guests kept telling us how great the food was, we were all very impressed. The bartenders and staff were friendly, attentive and efficient. A+ service all around, would absolutely recommend. read more

We did a tasting with The Caterist in December and our wedding was the following July. We had already put a down-payment with another caterer, which we were not happy with so we were on the search for a new one. The Caterist worked with us on what we wanted which aligned with our budget. Not over budget, but within budget, as a lot of caterers try to sell you on more and up-charge for everything. At the tasting, we were absolutely blown away! The food is more than amazing and the set up and care they take to make the tasting special is above nothing else. They set it up to show you what you would see and experience at your wedding. My fiance at the time, was not going to go, as he was tired of doing wedding stuff. He was blown away with the food and said he would have missed out. Ana and Cristina are very accommodating, professional, patient and organized. They know what they are doing 100%. Our day had some hitches with our wedding coordinator, but Ana and Cristina had a back up plan and were on top of everything. I cannot speak highly enough about The Caterist. We have received so many compliments about the food, decor and waitstaff since our wedding. We aimed for amazing food, a great bar and a unique venue and we got it all. The food, decor, service, professionalism was all top notch. I would definitely use them again for another life event. A big Thank you to The Caterist. They are truly amazing. read more

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I have a million amazing things I want to say about The Caterist and everyone there - They are absolutely THE BEST! We hired them for our August 2015 wedding with 170 guests, and we couldn't have made a better choice. We did unconventional small passed plates instead of a traditional sit-down dinner, and they nailed it. Erin was really great in the planning process and helping us complete our vision of how we wanted the night to go. She was great with following up on questions, sending us information on how everything would look and feel, and was very organized with everything. Cristina was our catering fairy - SHE. IS. AMAZING. She was in charge of running the show on our wedding day, making sure everything was set up exactly how we wanted it. Her staff was amazing and helpful, and she checked in every so often to make sure we were doing okay. They were truly amazing and helped to make our wedding day unforgettable. We would (and will!) highly recommend The Caterist for any event. Thanks Erin and Cristina!!!! We love you! read more

Cristina was so easy and great to work with! She helped us come up with a fun menu and suggested the perfect amount of food for our son's 1st birthday party at our home. The food was delivered promptly everything was super warm and ready to eat. Our guests raved about the food and we couldn't have been happier. read more

We hired the Caterist for an open house for the company I work for in the West Loop. We had around 75 people in attendance, and let me just say everyone who attended could not stop raving about the food! All the servers were pleasant, and the presentation was exceptional. We could not have had a successful event with the Caterist! Cristina was so helpful and was in constant communication leading up to the event. They were able to work with the small budget we had, and Chef Shawn was outstanding! read more

The Caterist made our wedding the best day of our lives! I do not even know where to start... Cristina and Chef Shawn are amazing. They took all of our ideas and ran with them. We did not want a traditional wedding menu and they were happy to work with us and our budget!! We had four food stations, serving two dishes at each station. I am still getting emails and texts telling us how great our food was! Most people have told me they have not had such good wedding food in years. Cristina and her staff really listen to everything you say and provide every detail you can ask for. I have experience in the industry, so I was a little particular at times. Cristina always welcomed my ideas and the most important, she actually made them happen. My husband and I decided to rent a raw space, great feel and look, but tons of work on the couples part. I am pretty organized, but it is up to the staff the day of to execute everything the day of the wedding. As the wedding got closer I was nervous that it would not be what I envisioned. On my wedding day I walked into the venue and was shocked. The room look better than I imagined! Cristina handled all the details and never once asked for my help, opinion, etc. My only regret, Cristina handed me two brunch boxes for my husband and I to enjoy the next day and I forgot them at the venue! We joke that we know it was probably so delicious! My husband also jokes that I am going to find reasons to host events with a caterer just to use The Caterist (he might be right)! I promise, you cant go wrong if you choose them for your event! read more

Ana and her team are awesome! Our nonprofit fundraiser is always on a budget-- and The Caterist gave us maximum value at a reasonable price. Not only was the food DELICOUS, but Ana put together the cutest menu that went with our theme. They went out of their way to make this event a success. Thank you SO MUCH Ana & The Caterist. You are wonderful! We will be working with them again & again. read more

They are truely the best. We choose the Caterist for our wedding and I could not have been more thrilled by the experience. Weeks after the fact, people are still raving about the food. Every bite was delicious! Not only that but their wait staff was very friendly and were extremely diligent the entire night. The real reason to go with the Caterist however is the planning. I mostly worked with Erin and she was consistently on top of her game. She remembered every detail from our food to our tablescape to the schedule for the day. I had a very specific look for our wedding and Erin not only listened to what I wanted but also contributed ideas to make it even better! And she was so quick to respond to emails!! We almost always received an email immediately or first thing on the next business day (they are also very transparent about when their office hours are so you do not think they are not responding.) They we're also very receptive to our ideas. They always found a way to say yes to our vision. We are so lucky to have found them. It was an amazing experience from start to finish. You have no reason to not go with them. read more

FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE! I spent some time researching for caterers in Chicago for our wedding because I was a DYI bride. These guys were fantastic! Our first great impression was their proposal. They put together a great menu, based exactly on what we were interested in. The chef listened, was very creative and very accommodating. The administrative coordinators, Christine and Kourtney, were fabulous and very proactive. They predicted all our needs and came up with solutions before we even asked them. Professional, on time, kind, food was GREAT (we got many compliments), went above and beyond their duty to help us out after the ceremony...I can not say enough good things about them!!!! LOOK NO MORE. HIRE THEM!!!!! read more

So I am incredibly disappointed that I even have to write this- and I so contemplated not doing it but to this day I have yet to even get a quote or a real follow-up. I first saw Caterist at Indie Wed i.e. the best damn wedding "expo" extravaganza ever!!! anyhow i digressed. I saw The Caterist there and being a fan of supporting small local business start-ups I left a voicemail. nothing. then I emailed in March and did get a response from Cristina. we attempted a video chat that ended up just being a convo with no visual- no biggie. I explained what I was looking for and things I would be open to. Cristina said she'd get me a quote by end of week and this is where the excuses begin.... email sent stated she was out on a 4 day weekend and forgot to tell me and would get me my quote the following week- OK. the following week comes and goes. I give her another week and send a followup email. nothing. It's 4 days shy of one month before I get a response- that shes trying hard to stay under my budget (an avg she told me based on appetizers for my party) and asked for another week, at this point we're in later April. Much stalking on my part! Several emails, and even left two voicemails and it isn't until June, YES JUNE, the 9th to be exact where I just ask for the food options so I can put something together MYSELF. and crickets! more crickets! another phone call and I get a response FINALLY! after my June 23rd email asking if I can just work with someone else (STILL trying to support this small growing company). The response = sorry i've been busy and that "it's tricky finding substantial food station options that don't require servers" and that she needs more time to make it happen. more time???? My response = I understand the "business" but we've been doing this since March ... I'm up to working backwards, i.e. just send me the list, my hunny and I will select the food we want, this way you don't have to worry about being too creative, or do double work and then you can tell us the price point for everything we want. This way I can take the biggest part off your shoulders. ...... Because at this point I have to even figure out whether I should look elsewhere. and frustrating enough frigg'n CRICKETS!!!!!!!! NOTHING and when I say nothing I absolutely do mean NOTHING! SINCE JUNE 24TH when I told her I would do all of the work! Not a list, not a follow-up call or follow-up email NOTHING! So even if she was blowing me off until the end of the wedding rush, since my wedding was scheduled for NYE, NYE is a pretty damn big deal and not an easy date to get a back-up. Well we're now September 27th and I can say that the wedding rush is probably about over .... and yes you guessed it STILL NO FOLLOW-UP! guess I wasn't important enough or a valuable customer to her/them. which is really sad because I throw several parties throughout the year and had hoped to make this a potential vendor. good luck to the rest of you who do actually get a response but reading the few good reviews feels like a continual slap in the face as Cristina never even bothered or couldn't be troubled enough to assist me. read more

We were thrilled with our wedding catering experience with the Caterist from start to finish! Ana was amazing and always went above and beyond for us. They blew us away with the initial tasting--which was a perfectly styled, decadent feast where we were served every food item we were considering--and kept that standard of service throughout our time with them. After our initial meeting, there was no way we could even consider another caterer. Ana worked hard to find the best setup for our budget and tastes, and she worked closely with our venue coordinator to make sure the evening went off absolutely seamlessly. She was the most responsive and helpful vendor we worked with. And most importantly, the food and custom cocktails were amazing and our guests loved it! Ana and her team were so incredibly thoughtful about every detail from beginning to end--at the end of the night, they even gave us breakfast boxes for the next morning. Our only regret is that we, as the bride and groom trying to talk to all our family and friends, didn't get to enjoy the food as much as our guests did! I would absolutely recommend the Caterist to any other couple planning their wedding, and would not hesitate to use them again. read more

Where do I begin? Our wedding was this past weekend (6/25) and thanks to The Caterist (Erin and Cristina) our wedding was complete perfection. From our first meeting, when our car got stuck in a pile of ice/snow, and the team was understanding, kind and had a delicious beverage awaiting us alongside of our amazing wedding menu. Throughout the entire 18 month engagement I was constantly treated as though my wedding was "coming" up and I felt like they truly cared about OUR big day, knowing they were planning many others within that time period. Erin responded to all of my emails and took care of all and anything that was needed. They assisted us with the décor, seating arrangements, making sure all the goodies made it back home to us and the food.. well the food was AMAZING. The chef did an amazing job with ALL of the food, considering we had some "foodies" at the wedding and I know they wouldn't say it was the best wedding food ever if they didn't mean it! The staff (servers and bartenders) were constantly smiling, kind and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It makes an event with the staff appears to WANT to be there (and they did just that). I cannot RAVE enough about the professionalism, promptness, and thorough job The Caterist provided us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU and to anyone else looking for a catering company - your search is over. I promise, you won't regret it. It will leave you wanting to redo your wedding over and over and over again. read more

We used The Caterist for our 2016 wedding. They are the BEST. We worked mostly with Erin and Cristina..but the entire team was just as amazing. They are so professional and really make you feel like your wedding is the only wedding they are catering. Erin went out of her way to send photos of examples/ideas and would always check in. I was searching for rustic "dish towel" type napkins and could not find them at any rental place...Erin joined the search and found some for me. We really enjoyed our tasting and all of the details that went into it. I am a photographer .. so they made sure to have photography props. We wanted a unique menu (taco bar, grilled cheese/slider bar, pies for dessert) and they worked with us to come up with an awesome menu. They even set up a tray of our hors d'oeuvre /a cocktail of our choosing after our ceremony so we could scarf down some food before heading to cocktail hour. The food was amazing...all of our wedding guests could not say enough about it and all said it was the best wedding food they had ever had. The team worked so hard during our wedding..setting up and doing room flips/food service..but at the same time it did not seem chaotic. If you want a hard working team, great food, people who pay attention to detail, creative, artistic, awesome...then use The Caterist. menu: Pass arounds: chicken and waffles lamb kabobs melon/prosciutto hummus/tabouli Dinner: Pasta bar - pesto pasta, parmesan crusted chicken, rolls with herb butter Taco bar - chicken/steak tacos with all the fixings Slider bar - prosciutto grilled cheese, hamburger sliders, pulled pork sliders, broccoli slaw, mini corn on the cob Dessert - S'more bar, baklava, assortment of pies, cake to cut into read more

We used The Caterist for an evening baby shower with 40 women attending. The mother and father to be are both foodies and have careers in the restaurant industry so we wanted something modern & delicious. Cristina and her team were terrific to work with starting with planning the menu and running all the way through providing excellent service during the event. Their food it very inventive, not your ordinary, boring buffet menu. Everyone loved everything, not easy to get 40 women to agree on anything. The shrimp seviche, tuna & beet skewer & onion tart appetizers were all amazing ! Our entrees, chicken scallopini & seared salmon were perfectly done, hot and very tasty. The bowl for the poached pear green salad was emptied quickly, great for light eaters as well as a nice side dish. Brian, our server was friendly, knowledgeable and a very hard worker. He ran everything very efficiently and calmly - not easy in my small kitchen ! I would recommend The Caterist for any type of event - large or small. You won't be disappointed. read more

More than a week after our wedding, my spouse Kathy Forde and I are STILL getting compliments for the food. I have literally lost count of how many people told us it was the best food they'd ever had at a wedding. And they accommodated us in many ways--including providing gluten-free food for guests with celiac disease; special meals for our young niece and nephew; amazing vegetarian entrees; and letting us use another vendor for our dessert (pies from a nonprofit org). Even the salad--or, rather, especially the salad--wowed our guests. Many really nice touches, too, such as giving me an entree that I especially like but that we didn't select for the rest of our guests and sending us home with a "breakfast box" at the end of the night for the morning after the wedding. I can't say enough nice things about how great The Caterist was. I'm only sad that I don't have another reason to hire them again immediately! read more

We worked with The Caterist for our April 26, 2014 wedding and had an excellent experience. Everyone at our wedding raved about the food, citing it as "gourmet" and one of the best meals they've had in their lives (not to mention the best meal at a wedding). The groom's cousin is a manager at one of Chicago (and the nation's) top restaurants and he raved about how delicious the food was. My aunts all spoke of how impeccable the service was, saying in their New Jersey accents, "I never had a dirty dish in front of me for more than a couple seconds." The Caterist worked to set up our venue to make it absolutely beautiful. Guests said it was so warm and inviting, classy and elegant. We agree! Cristina, who we worked with, was patient and accommodating as we threw in last-minute requests (lavender lemonade, a hot dog bar as a "midnight snack", popcorn bar, etc.). She helped us stay within our budget and was very respectful of that. We had a very lovely tasting with Chef Shawn, during which I was very specific about what I wanted, and he worked creatively to capture my "spring" tastes requests. I wish we could do the day over and over again. I would hire The Caterist again in a heartbeat. read more

The food at my wedding was amazing!!! Guests continue to talk about how much they loved the food (incredible flavor, fresh ingredients, and perfect warm temperature when served), which was so important to me. Working with Ana was an absolute pleasure. I could ask her anything and everything (and believe me, I did), even the smallest of details, and she addressed all of my questions and provided options to fit my budget and preference. From start to finish, I made many changes to the menu/proposal as I changed my mind several times during the wedding planning process, but Ana was always willing to make the updates. In the beginning when requesting a quote from The Caterist, I gave them a broad type of cuisine that I wanted (Mediterranean, and all gluten-free) and discussed my vision. The proposal came back as a beautifully put together presentation with elevated menu items described in such a delicious way, highlighting fancy and unique flavors/ingredients. I was so impressed and couldn't wait to select the items to try at the tasting! The tasting (which was much more reasonably priced than other caterers) was a fabulous experience - the table was set up with several different place settings and glassware, they had a signature cocktail specially created for us (which we ended up serving at the wedding, it was good!), and we were able to try a ton of options, we left so full! They had a nice gift (notepad book) waiting for us and even packed up the leftovers for us to take home. I'm so happy with the food and level of service and attention to detail that The Caterist provided. The wedding felt so seamless thanks to their team. The Caterist was instrumental in making my wedding incredible, and I'm so happy that they were able to accommodate dietary restrictions without sacrificing exceptional flavor. read more

I've used The Caterist for years! They are THE BEST! Easy to work with, incredible presentation, as well as absolutely delicious! You can always be sure that you're getting the best when you use them. read more

The Caterist was an amazing find for our wedding. The ceremony took place outside and moved indoors for the reception. Ana consulted with us on the menu and the rentals, as well as where and when champagne, hors d'oeuvres, buffet, and cake would best be served, and provided us with an elegant tasting. Throughout our special day, Ana kept us on schedule, guiding us along. Many of our guests commented on how delicious the food was and how impressed they were with Ana and her staff. I can't say enough about how pleased we all were. Next time we need a caterer, it will be The Caterist! read more

If you need a wedding caterer in the Chicago land area, go with The Caterist. You will not be disappointed. I got married on 10.15.16 and Erin and her team went above and beyond. The appetizers and dinner were AMAZING!! The staff was kind and they all went above and beyond to make my wedding so special! My dad is all about the food at weddings and let me tell you that he is still talking about how good the apps and his chicken were at the wedding. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. We looked a few different catering companies and nothing stood out like The Caterist. Erin helped us stay within our budget for 239 guests. Other caterers we looked at didn't give us options like the Caterist did. The best choice we made was hiring you guys for our wedding!! So thank you Erin and your team!!! You truly made our wedding so special and memorable!!! read more

My husband and I got married last weekend and I couldn't be more pleased with the work of Cristina and her team. Cristina helped us through our planning process in the year leading up to the wedding. She had great ideas about how to make the day flow more smoothly. She also has a very calming demeanor and a "can-do"attitude which was helpful when I was feeling stressed about logistics. On the day of the wedding, she and her team took care of everything and I was able to relax and enjoy the day. The food and service were both great! Some guests have asked me who our caterer was because they were impressed too! Overall, The Caterist was a great choice! read more

We got married in late September in 2017. We had interviewed over seven caterers, but once we met Erin and her staff, we were sold. They invited us over to their site and went through a tasting of many meat and vegetarian dishes. Even our veggie friend who went with us was impressed by the options. We were also impressed by the custom cocktail they served us. Once we decided on a menu, Erin happily worked out various modifications to the food menu as well as bar menu as we leveled up to the more premium liquors, beers and ciders. She even worked without outside bakers to coordinate nontraditional cupcakes for dessert -- including dairy-free ones for us lactose-challenged types. We went nontraditional with food stations that rotated throughout the night and an open bar: walked appetizers to start with, then a taco bar, followed by sliders and the aforementioned cupcakes. The food stations were always well stocked and we got LOTS of compliments on the food; especially the taco bar. People raved about it. Personally, I have to thank Erin for magically materializing throughout the night with a plate of food for me since we were constantly moving from table to table, fraternizing with our guests. She was a godsend as well when it come to working with a side vendor who supplied a lounge area for us (AFR Event Furnishings). And since we didn't have a traditional sit-down dinner, her team flipped the room in 20 minutes, putting up the casual seating along with the lounge area with no stress to us at all. Seriously, if you need someone to come in, take care of everything and serve amazing food that your guests will remember, then give Erin and the Caterists a ring! read more

We knew we had a challenging menu requirements - wanting Korean food for appetizers and an Indian buffet food for dinner - and we couldn't be happier that we chose to go with The Caterist for our wedding. They stepped up to the challenge and delivered quality food and service. From our first meeting with Erin and The Caterist, we felt comfortable with the staff and the food. Erin was clearly outlined the choices and options we had without pressuring us into picking certain options (such as expensive silverware or linens). After our first meeting, Caterist sent us another batch of food that they changed based on our comments and gave us options to add another dish for dinner. Erin was always available and responsive, laying out an achievable and convenient schedule for us to make decisions by. Anytime there was a snag or a hiccup, Erin worked with us to resolve matters quickly and seamlessly. The walk-through we had a few weeks before the wedding was incredibly helpful in understanding the catering schedule and needs. Patrick was our wedding day manager and did a fantastic job keeping things moving on a schedule and also prepared dishes for myself and my wife (it is easy to forget to eat). Both friends and family loved the food! To top it all off, we had a delicious ice cream bar from Black Dog, which was a perfect end to a great dinner. read more

You guys, this is a gem of a catering company! It begins and ends with the food for me, and hosting my mom's 70th birthday party I really wanted the food to be memorable. Cristina helped me plan a gorgeous event for my mother and our guests. She was so accommodating and knowledgable, and she made some great suggestions for food that was in line with what we wanted for our sophisticated but warm and homey event. Chef Shawn was incredible in his execution of our menu. Our guests could not stop talking about the gorgeous and delicious food! From the planning, to the day of, to the service, to the FOOD, to the "tear down" at the end of the night...I realized after the party that it actually isn't JUST about the food, although without great food what's the point, right? I realized, though, that it's also about the relationship you have with your caterer. I really felt like Cristina and her staff just knew us, y'know? They listened, asked the right questions, and gave us something to talk about, in the best possible way. Seriously, whatever you're planning, if it involves eating, these are your people! Head to toe fabulous. read more

Firstly, Erin makes the whole package worth it. She's calm, organized, and gets it done. They gave us two tastings, as we weren't totally sold at the first tasting. I've heard that the food is never as good as it is at the tasting, but, somehow, it was BETTER. We assumed we'd have mediocre food because we got the one of the most affordable caterers, but everyone raved about the food, and we had quite the judgmental crowd (seriously). The food was DELICIOUS. We gave them all of our flowers and candles and decor for the tables, and they set up the tables amazingly! It was beautiful, and take this from a lazy bride, Erin makes it easy. She also added additional details that I only saw in the pictures, things I would have never thought to look at! For example, we had a plain white cake (I was totally fine with it), but she added flowers around the base and it made it look so much better! I only just noticed that in a photo today! Just go with them, and TRUST, because she will get it done! read more

Cristina was a pleasure to work with. She was always professional and was easy to get in touch with whenever we needed to. She definitely knows her stuff and she made sure we had every detail covered, even meeting with us multiple times at the venue to go over everything to ensure she had it right. She went above and beyond for us and we completely appreciate that, from making us a timeline of the day and helping with seating arrangements to being in charge of contacting our other vendors in case they were late. She definitely made the day much easier on both my husband and me. Everything from the appetizers down to the dinner was delicious and fresh. She was able to stick wiithin our budget and people had more than enough to eat. They also made sure the presentation and service was perfect! They have such a variety of foods that its not just your ordinary wedding plates. She had even boxed us up a breakfast snack to have the following day which truly made us feel special. I would recommend the Caterist to any of my friends that will be marrying in the future, they did a wonderful job! read more