I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Pantry Catering! One of my duties at work was to plan the company holiday party and it is a formal event for 150 people - this year we decided on a masquerade ball theme. We have used the same caterer the last few years and wanted to change things up a little, so the first step was to find a new catering company. After searching through Yelp and Wedding Wire, I found The Pantry and added them to my list of caterers to try. I used the contact page on their website and after a couple of exchanges through email and phone, we set up a time to meet in person and do a tasting. I had looked up several other caterers and narrowed the tastings down to three catering companies. A coworker and I went to all the tastings together and the Pantry was the last of the three. I guess we saved the best for last because they are the ones we ended up choosing and I am so glad we did.
When we first got to their office, there was a welcome sign outside the doors. It had our names on it and I really loved that personal touch! Paul greeted us like we had been friends for a long time. We walked in and met Dan and Keara and everyone was just so nice and personal. The tasting was done right in the middle of the kitchen. As we spoke to Paul and Keara about our event, Dan was cooking up a storm and served us food as he prepared them. Everything we tried was amazing and delicious.
We left the tasting very full and I knew that this was the company we wanted to go with. I compared notes, pricing and reviews from the other tastings we did with the other caterers and decided to go with The Pantry. Their pricing was in the middle of the three companies and the food was just amazing. But more than that, was the personality of the staff. I had researched them through other reviewers and knew that they would be able to get the job done - and get along with us in the process. Even though our event was a company holiday party and not a wedding, it was still a lot like planning a wedding! Paul and Keara helped us vision our masquerade ball and even made a specialty drink to match our theme colors. I met with them once more in their office for a final tasting - to narrow down our hors d'oeuvres and desserts, which is a lot harder than it sounds. How do I select only a few of their amazing dishes?? In the end, the ones we chose were the right ones: buffalo chicken wontons (everyone else mentioned these in their reviews and so we had to!), petite lump crab cake (served on a mini pancake!), wok charred thai shrimp skewer, brie and spiced mango chutney, and five cheese macaroni served on a silver spoon. We chose to do an assortment of mini parfaits as our dessert.
For our event, we were having three different stations for dinner. Station 1: Slow roasted chicken breast and butternut squash risotto. Station 2: 24 hour beef brisket, sweet potato puree and potato rolls. Station 3: Farfalle pasta with alfredo and basil pesto and penne pasta with italian sausage and roasted plum tomato sauce with grilled garlic bread.
Paul did his research on his end for our event as well. He visited our site and took measurements so he knew what he was working with. Our event has been in the sanctuary of a church close to the office. The chairs are removed and it is just a big open space. Paul used a pipe and drape company to cover the church decorations on the wall and together we chose beautiful linens and white chairs for our tables (venue provided the tables). To save on centerpieces, I bought masquerade masks to use and Paul and Keara put them together with their vases and other decorations to make a beautiful table setting.
The night of the holiday party, I showed up a couple hours early to make sure everything was getting set up and to also meet with our site contact from the church and the DJ. When I showed up, Keara and the team had everything under control. It looked beautiful and they were putting the menus I made at each table setting. The stations were all decorated beautifully and when the party started at 6 pm, they were all ready to go!
We had a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres and The Pantry also offered a welcome drink to guests as they arrived. After cocktail hour, we had a seated salad while the president of my company gave a speech and then the Pantry staff coordinated with all our tables to the different stations for dinner. From there, the staff filled water, bartended, took away dirty dishes and just provided the best service. I received so many compliments on the catering compnay choice and everyone asked who they were. I gladly told them it was The Pantry and I will continue to recommend them to anyone looking for an outstanding catering company! It's been over a week since the party and people are still talking about the food! Many people said it was the best food they have ever had - and we have a lot of picky eaters! read more