About this vendor
When you’re creating the guest list for your wedding, the first names you write are your family members. They are the people who love you the most, who you trust the most, and who you couldn’t imagine celebrating without!
At Catering By The Family, our goal is to make you feel like you are a part of our family. We’re committed to doing our part to ensure that your wedding is perfect. With Catering By The Family as your caterer, you can be confident that your guests will enjoy a memorable dining experience and you can enjoy your big day stress-free.
It’s about experience.
As one of Tampa Bay's largest full-service caterers, Catering By The Family is known for its chef-driven menus, high quality food, and top-notch service. With more than four decades of catering experience, we have the knowledge to expertly handle events of any size and the ability to tailor our services to meet your wedding’s unique needs.
Each member of the Catering By The Family team is fully committed to the flawless execution of every aspect of your wedding – all the way from table settings to a late night snack! We take great pride in preparation, meticulously planning to ensure that our performance lives up to our reputation – and that your wedding exceeds your wildest dreams.
It’s about flavor.
Our culinary team creates dozens of custom, chef-driven menus each week, providing flavorful meals that your guest will savor. We will work with you to create the perfect menu for your budget, reflecting your wedding’s theme and your personal style. We believe in the power of presentation and that food should delight all of the senses. Check out our wedding menus here: https://cateringbythefamily.com/wedding-menus/
You can meet our chefs and taste our award-winning cuisine in advance of your wedding, so you know exactly what to expect. On your big day, we’ll prepare your menu from local, seasonal ingredients and finish it at your reception – ensuring that all food is served at the ideal temperature and freshness to your guests.
It’s about celebration.
A leader in catering trends throughout the region, we know what it takes to create an unforgettable celebration. We are the official caterer for more than 50 venues and events throughout the region. We’ve received many accolades for our work, including the “Best of the Best People’s Choice Awards” presented by the Tampa Bay Times, the “Couples Choice Award” from Wedding Wire, “Caterer of the Year Tampa Bay,” and more.
In addition to the menu, Catering By The Family can also help with other aspects of your wedding, like:
• Bar Services
• Linens
• Tables
• Chairs
• Venue Selection
When you choose Catering By The Family was your wedding caterer, you can trust that we’ll provide the best food and best experience possible for you. After all, we’re family!
Details
Business Attributes
- Hispanic or Latinx-owned Business
Cuisine
- American
- BBQ
- Cajun
- Greek
- Hawaiian
- Italian
Dietary Options
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Nut Free
- Organic
- Sugar Free
- Vegan
Food & Catering
- Buffet
- Catering Clean Up
- Catering Delivery & Setup
- Chef Stations
- Family Style
- Menu Tastings
Awards and Affiliations
7-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2023.2022.2021.+4 more.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
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Reviews
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4.9
out of 5.081 reviews
The food and service was to die for. The Mac and cheese bites that we got were the best!! Such an amazing company with even better food! All my guests said they loved the food as w...
ell!!
Sandra Thiebe at Catering by the Family did an excellent job catering our wedding reception. We had quite a few dietary restrictions so there needed to be Gluten Free, Dairy Free ...
options and they were very responsive to our needs and questions.
Several guest commented on how excellent the food was. Sandra was also very attentive in bringing us appetizers and drinks while we waited for the reception to begin.
They were amazing and professional from the beginning. The food was amazing and all our guests had no complaints! They are reasonably priced. We would recommend them 100%
Catering By The Family made our dreams come true at our wedding with the most delicious spread of food and tasty drinks! Everyone commented about how delicious and fresh the food w...
as at our cocktail hour and reception at the James Museum. Kelly was quick to respond and fantastic to work with ahead of the wedding day!
Worked with Sandy to set up buffet and bar for our wedding. She did a great job suggesting a buffet package and managing any changes and special requests. Food was great, setup loo...
ked professional, wine was good. And I really appreciate Sandy coming to the reception to make sure everything was setup correctly. Would recommend this vendor.
Catering by the Family was amazing for our wedding!!! Communication and tasting beforehand was super easy and helpful. It was a fun date night to go try our favorites with their te...
am! The servers and staff on the night of our wedding were incredible!! We got so many compliments on how good the food was! Everyone went above and beyond to make the day as easy and special as possible.
The food was amazing! The price was very affordable and the staff did an amazing job. The servers went above and beyond. We brought stuff to have a charcuterie board that my bri...
desmaids were going to set up and Catering by the Family set it up for them. I have used them for company catering as well. It was great to have a food tasing for 4 people and they bring to go boxes for the leftovers.
CBF was a great choice for our wedding. They had great prices and the food was delicious. Their staff was kind and professional and the service was great at the wedding. Sandy was ...
easy to communicate with and so helpful during the planning process.
Catering by the Family did an amazing job for my wedding. The food was excellent and they were very accommodating to my requests! Many guests commented on how delicious everything ...
was at our reception. I was extremely pleased with their quality of food and service.
My husband and I decided we wanted to do a cocktail style reception for our wedding with heavy appetizers and stations. The menu was really important to us because we wanted to mak...
e sure guests remembered the food. The team at Catering by the Family was great in working with us to execute our vision. They coordinated an appetizer tasting for us to be able to try a few different items to help with our decision. Our guests were blown away by how great the food was and we still get compliments! We served paella, pasta, & tenderloin along with 8 different appetizers and each item was incredible. The cuban cigar eggrolls are a must :) In addition to the food, we also used catering by the family's bar service which provided us with bartenders, mixers, ice, cups, and drink garnishes which was really convenient as we brought in our our alcohol. I would highly recommend catering by the family!
From the moment we attended the tasting, we knew that Catering by the Family was the perfect choice for our event. The food was absolutely incredible, exceeding all our expectation...
s. Each dish was bursting with flavor, perfectly prepared, and beautifully presented. Our guests couldn’t stop raving about the delicious spread—they were all impressed by the quality and taste of every item served.
The team at Catering by the Family truly went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect. The variety offered something for everyone, and each dish was a hit. Our guests kept coming back for seconds (and even thirds!)—a true testament to how amazing the food was.
If you’re looking for exceptional catering with fantastic food that will leave a lasting impression on your guests, look no further than Catering by the Family. They made our event memorable with their incredible culinary skills and top-notch service. Highly recommended!
The communication leading up to the event was phenomenal. The food was delicious as well! Would definitely use them again!
The food was so good! We sampled three different caterers before making our decision. We started with CBTF and we ended up right back at their door. The range on their menus will m...
ake sure you find something you want. The breaded lemon chicken was out of this world! We had so many guests come up to us complimenting the food. They packed us up with leftovers and even made some custom trays with a bit of everything for our parents to take with them. We absolutely recommend using them for whatever you need. In addition to the food, we used their bar services and they also did not disappoint!
We chose Catering by the Family due to trying their food at wedding events and loving it. They did a fantastic job with our wedding! Erika was our point of contact pre-wedding and ...
did a fabulous job keeping everything in line and making sure all of our choices and linens were confirmed and ready to go. We had a Cuban style buffet and appetizers and it was amazing. They did our bar too which was pretty reasonable and our bartenders were great. Helena was wonderful and so was our chef who I believe if I remember correctly, was Chef Carlos. They kept us hydrated and fed during pictures and throughout the night. Everyone raved about the food and how great it tasted and the service of the employees was superb.
Catering By the Family came recommended by my wedding planner at Coastal Coordinating. Steve was great to work with and the guests could not stop talking about the food for weeks a...
fter our wedding! We had a pasta bar which was a huge hit with the guests, and the prices were extremely reasonable especially when we compared with other vendors. Great experience, would hire again!
We used Catering By The Family for our daughter's wedding reception. Let me start by saying I'm a foodie. I'm from New Orleans and I'm very picky about food. I knew from reputat...
ion that Catering By The Family would do a good job but WOW, was I surprised by how much they hit it out of the park. The appetizers were delicious and the actions stations we chose and buffet were beyond compare. Everyone is still commenting on the food and saying how delicious everything was. In addition, the service was spectacular. Steve was great to work with and executed our vision to a T! Helene (our captain) was on top of everything. She made sure the bride and groom were served, our elderly parents were served and she even checked on us to see if she could grab us anything else. Catering By The Family is a true professional team! Thank you, for making our event so special!
We were completely blown away by the team at Catering by the Family. We actually previously had a different caterer who just wasn’t cutting it, and CBTF went above and beyond to pr...
ovide amazing service. The team was SO communicative, prompt, flexible, and friendly. They provided us with such a customized experience to make sure all of our guests were satisfied. The food was INCREDIBLE- people were coming up to us all night raving about their meals! The staff also went out of their way to ensure we (the newlyweds) ate. Although we had a buffet, the lead staff member Helena brought us a tray of cocktail hour bites we missed, and brought us plenty of plates of food. We actually got to eat and enjoy at our wedding! Can’t recommend enough, they’re truly the best of the best.
Great food!! The staff that was there on our wedding day was so excellent. Our liquor service dropped the ball on a couple of things, and catering staff/team saved the day for it! ...
We had crab phyllo tarts, Mac n cheese bites, and mini Cubans for cocktail hour - all delicious. For dinner we had a pasta station, Italian breaded chicken, Caesar salad, potato wedges, and seasonal vegetable medley - also all delicious. We did not utilize their dessert or alcohol, but paid for bartenders. The staff that came to our event was truly amazing!
My now husband and I used Catering by the family this past weekend for our wedding and the food, service, and staff were amazing. Let's talk first about the customer service before...
hand. From day 1, everything was smooth. From the tastings, to the many edits of our invoice/menu, customizable drink menus, and phone calls with Steve's personal assistant (You are amazing Erika) were always professional. Steve the owner, and his son Stevie, the chef always made us feel like we were the only clients they currently had and they were never to busy for us. Fast forward to the day of the wedding and OMG. The food was just as good as the tasting. We had a cuban themed wedding and had their amazing croquettas, empanadas, devil crab, stuffed potato balls, and their famous cuban cigar rolls (cuban sandwich rolled up and fried). They were outstanding! Our main course was their lemon chicken, breaded steak, yellow rice and beans, and their salad (similar to 1905). The food was hot, flavorful, and the presentation was amazing. I have been to MANY weddings before and one thing the guests and I loved and agreed on was that the food was hot and ready to eat throughout the entire night. The owner and son personally came up to us and thanked us for using them. They had a server that was soooo sweet and came up to us during photos just to make sure we had a bite to eat and I am so happy she did. The hors d'oeuvres were wonderful! She even came up to me when I got done with pictures outside for another one, and made sure we had a hot plate of them at our dinner table. I cannot say enough great things about this local tampa family other than to use them for any event you may have because we had 140 people at our wedding and everyone loved the food, bar service, and servers throughout the night. From start to finish, hands down the best catering company in Tampa. You will not regret using them! Thank you Catering by the family for playing such a huge part in our wedding and contributing to the wonderful memories my husband and I will share for a lifetime.
Everyone at my wedding said the same thing, it was the best wedding food they ever had. From the cuban cigars and oysters passed during cocktail hour, to the tenderloin and finall...
y the french fry bar, everything was fresh and delicious. Don't hesitate, they are fantastic.
They knocked it out of the park!! Erica was such a joy to work with leading up to the wedding and then every single staff member at our event was perfect. They were over-the-top ki...
nd to us and our guests (shout out to Jacqueline for being the BEST). They even managed a small medical emergency. The food was delicious and reasonably priced compared to other quotes we got. Our guests are still talking about how delicious our appetizers, Cuban buffet, churro bar, and slider bar was! They accommodated every small tweak and change we wanted to make, even with things that weren’t on their menu. Highly recommended for anyone!
"Catering By the Family. Catering By the Family. Catering By the Family." That is all I was saying all night long at my wedding. Every single guest kept on asking who was the cater...
er. The food was simply out of this world, a delicious home cooked meal - as if every grandma from every guest was slinging pots around the kitchen. The service was stellar - we felt like our own family was pouring drinks and slapping down portions of mashed potatoes. The drinks were cold, crisp, and poured perfectly (secret: as the couple you can cut to the front of the line :) ).
From the first call, Catering by the Family was the right fit. The initial information type call was straight forward and professional. Every question was answered directly and no room for any misunderstandings remained. The tasting was absolutely wonderful and matched the food provided at the wedding exactly. There was no frills or extra measures to get us to sign. The service provided at the tasting was an exact replica of the event evening. Contact throughout the process was very quick and easy.
From their amazing food to their amazing service - this place is simply outstanding. They really are like a family and work to provide you an amazing night. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a caterer for their event.
We could not have imagined picking another caterer after having our initial tasting with Sandra! Everything was so delicious and she was so helpful! She even brought out hors d’oeu...
vres to us when we were taking our wedding pictures. Everyone always mentions how great the food is when reminiscing on our wedding.
CBTF catered my rehearsal brunch and it was probably the best brunch food I’ve ever had! Our guests/family, raved and raved and raved!!! The captain Art and servers were amazing, t...
he setup was beautiful and the service was 5-star!! All of that with amazing food. I am so happy with how everything turned out and wish I could go back and do it again!!! Erika coordinated the menu and all the arrangements, I didn’t have to worry about a thing!!! Thank you so much CBTF!!!
The food was delicious! Everyone kept raving about the chicken wings and mac and cheese bites we had as appetizers. We chose a vegan Pad Thai dish and a breaded chicken in a lemon ...
cream sauce dish for our meals and our guests really enjoyed them. Erika was our point of contact and she did a great job coordinating everything with our wedding planner.
We hired Catering By The Family for our wedding this past weekend and WOW. They are truly amazing!
Our guests could not stop raving about the cocktail hour and how delicious every...
thing was. The staff is also phenomenal, catering to different dietary needs our guests had and making sure me and my husband were taken care of the day of the wedding. We were so sad to miss our cocktail hour but the staff made a huge plate of hors dourves for us so we didn't miss anything.
We were so impressed with our seated dinner service, our servers were all amazing. It was a colder than usual evening in Florida and the owner even came the day of to make sure everything went off without a hitch. I could go on and on but they truly are experts and we loved working with them!
I cannot say enough good things about this company! My family has used CBTF on three accounts— for mine and my two sisters weddings and each time has been exceptional. The food, se...
rvice, attentiveness from staff are excellent; particularly Rachel Cloke. Rachel was our point of contact throughout the entire process and was BEYOND amazing. She goes above and beyond to ensure you have exactly what you need and is extremely attentive to detail. Her professionalism, patience, kindness and hard work makes a world of a difference in ensuring you have a perfect day. The food is delicious, staff is amazing and service is out of this world— cannot recommend Catering by the Family enough!!
Best wedding investment!
The staff is absolutely amazing. I couldn't have asked for kinder, more genuine people. Wow! Our guests were thoroughly pleased with their meal and the ser...
vice received. Ensured we ate during pictures! Seriously, the food... absolutely incredible. They truly catered to every single guest. Rachel is incredible, organized and great communicator. Relieve your stress and hire CBTF.
First and foremost the food was absolutely amazing! Everyone was raving about how great their dinner was (we did chicken and steak). They made sure my husband and I ate, bringing u...
s food during the cocktail hour because things can get hectic during that time. They made the evening go smoothly. Their staff was super friendly and accommodating to my husband and I throughout the process. Our contact Rachel was always able to answer our questions and work with us on any concerns we had leading up to the wedding.
We had Catering By the Family for our wedding this past Saturday (3/13/21) and they were amazing. A huge shout out to Rachel Cloke (our POC) who put up with all of our detailed que...
stions and helped to execute everything so flawlessly. We had a specific budget when we were looking for the best catering company and Rachel was able to provide affordable options for us to choose from that met our needs. Not only do they provide bartending services if you plan to purchase your own alcohol (which we did), but they also were nice enough to plate all our desserts for each guest since we didn't do a traditional cake cutting without complaints.
Thank you again CBTF and Rachel for being awesome to work with and so flexible, especially during COVID. Highly recommend!
Catering By The Family was nothing but amazing for us and our wedding. Rachel was our POC and she went above and beyond for us answering any questions we had or to keep us on track...
with planning. The food was absolutely amazing and our guest LOVED IT. We had a few guest who did not eat meat and they offered options such as fish or vegan choices for our guest (which were loved and enjoyed by the guest). I highly recommend going with them!
You will not be disappointed with Catering by the Family. They catered for our wedding in January. Rachel Cloke was our POC, can't say enough positive things about her. She was fle...
xible, communicative, professional and overall truly cared about our day. We chose the pasta bar for dinner, with chicken piccata, with a couple vegan dishes for our guests. Everything was fantastic with great feedback from all out guests. The service was outstanding too. All the servers and bartenders were polite, professional, and kind, checking to make sure we were good throughout the night. I would hire them again in a heartbeat!!
I cannot say enough great things about CBTF and how incredible the food/rental services were for my wedding. Hands down one of the best vendors I had the pleasure of working with....
Right from the start, we met with Rachel who sat down with us and provided samples of their food along with a set up of table/place settings. From that meeting up until our wedding, Rachel was always easily accessible by phone, text, or email to answer all of our questions and continuously improvise our quotes as my mind was always changing! She gave amazing suggestions and recommendations on how to make sure our day flowed as smoothly as possible and that our guests would be kept happy throughout the entire wedding. When people make comments that wedding food is never good... this is a complete myth when it comes to CBTF. I had been told by people prior to our wedding who had had food by CBTF just how amazing it was. My guests left my wedding RAVING about how incredible the food tasted. I have never been so pleased and confident with having CBTF as our caterer for our wedding. From the initial inquiry to the last hour of the wedding night, they will go above and beyond to make sure your food and rentals are exactly what you have dreamed of and to meet all of your expectations. I would HIGHLY recommend CBTF to any couple who value the quality of food that will be served at their wedding and desire to work with people who will make the wedding planning process a little less stressful and hectic!
Above and Beyond. Rachel, Steve and the entire staff at CBTF made our wedding food and beverage dreams come true. From helping us choose the most amazing place settings to the best...
plated dinner (beef short ribs for the WIN!) they were great to work with every step of the way. We also appreciated their extra attention to details regarding Covid, and their patience as we had to first postpone our wedding and then later we cut from 200 people to a micro wedding of just 50 people and they helped us make changes to how bread was served, the appetizers etc. all to help provide guests with an extra comfort level. We could not be more grateful. Do yourself a favor and roll with CBTF, it’ll be the easiest and best vendor decision you make - I promise!
From my first inquiry email Rachel was so personal and efficient. She called me an hour after I had emailed her for a quote! After speaking on the phone for a few minutes and heari...
ng all the services Catering by the Family provided I knew we had to go with them. Rachel was in constant contact with me answering any questions I had and making sure all of the details were covered and taken care of. We were truly so impressed from our first meeting to our food tasting, everything was delicious! One of our biggest compliments from our guests was how amazing the food was from the cocktail hour to the buffet. We never had a doubt in our mind that everything would turn out perfect and it truly did. If you are looking for a caterer for your special day you really need to look no further!
My daughter’s wedding was catered by Catering by the family. From appetizers to the carving station everything was delicious! We received lots of compliments on the food. There wa...
s plenty of food and we didn’t run out as well they offered us dishes for our vegan guests and gluten free! Would definitely recommend and use them again!
We hired Catering by the Family for our December wedding last month, and it was worth every penny! We worked closely with Rachel Cloke (the BEST) leading up to our special day, who...
went out of her way to help us solidify our menu and make sure we had the best dining experience for our guests. She was so patient (I emailed back and forth with her quite a bit) and always treated us like family when we met in person.
I highly recommend Catering by the Family for your event needs. They go above and beyond to serve you with amazing excellence. When we went around to ask our guests if they were enjoying the food, we received many compliments! My only regret was not being able to eat the food myself (I was too caught up with socializing, haha).
Catering by the Family went above and beyond for us on our wedding day! We sat down many times with the owner Steve and his assistant Rachel and they truly treated us like family! ...
We could sit and talk with them for hours! The food was very impressive and we tasted many different caterers and nothing compared. Our guests were raving about the food at our wedding. Steve had many different weddings to cater on 11/2/19 but he made us feel so special when he showed up to our reception (which was about an hour away) to make sure everything was going perfect for us just like we had planned. Like I said, they really do make you feel like family and we 100 percent recommend this company!
We worked with Catering by the Family for our wedding in Ybor City. Being a Tampa native, we really wanted authentic Cuban food for the wedding, and they delivered! Our coordinator...
Jean is a pro and was very quick with providing quotes and answers to our questions. We did a food sample and everything was delicious! We had such a generous portion of samples we really should have brought another couple with us! And during the tasting we actually changed our mind on one part of the menu after having their famous ‘Lemon Chicken’. We weren’t planning on having that, but it was so delicious we knew we had to have it at the wedding. They are a full-service caterer and can provide everything you need for a wedding, from tables, tablecloths, to serveware and ice. They day of the executed beautifully, and the servers were all awesome. They even saved us appetizers from cocktail hour and had our food set on our sweetheart table ready for us! Everyone had great things to say about the food!
Simply the BEST. I had a million questions and changed my mind a dozen times but they were so east to work with, not to mention DELICIOUS. Every single thing at the wedding was so ...
good! Jean was so great to work with and truly made the planning process a breeze. At the wedding she made sure to stop by and say hello and made sure everything was to our liking. I even asked for an extra card to placed on every setting and they had no problem doing so. I loved working with them and would highly recommend!
We are a small manufacturing business in Tampa that hosts numerous customer meetings throughout the year. Erika Miller is my go to for all of these occasions! Erika does an amazi...
ng job putting my menus together, getting us on the schedule, and following up after the event. Erika knows our business, who our customers are, and details our menus for each meeting. Erika is a true asset to Catering By the Family!! Dennis, who delivers all of my catering, is just terrific. Dennis not only delivers, but sets everything up in the space you provide. Always on time, and is attentive to every detail. Awesome caterer, food is delicious, and a staff that goes above and beyond every time! I highly recommend Catering By The Family for any event!
Have used Catering by the Family for large events as well as more intimate gatherings. Always a five star experience. Steve and his entire staff are always most courteous, efficie...
nt and professional. Erika in sales is the best!!! Communication is a huge plus ensuring expectations are surpassed. The food has always received high reviews from my guests. Not your typical caterer. Prices are very reasonable for such quality all the way around. Thanks to Catering by the Family, my son’s wedding experience was wonderful. Delighted to have Catering By the Family as my go to for my events!
I have used Catering by the Family for many events and could not be happier. Every time the experience has been fantastic. From booking to the day of the event everyone is always s...
o friendly and incredibly helpful. They always go above and beyond to make sure everything goes smooth and always take the time to help clean up after the event. The food is fantastic and the salad dressing is absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend Catering by the Family.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND Catering By The Family if you're looking for a caterer that will far exceed your expectations. My husband and I worked with Sandy, and she made our entire experien...
ce with Catering By The Family so smooth and stress free! Not only did the customer service from Sandy and the Catering by The Family team exceed our expectations, but the food was spectacular! We still have friends and family telling us how amazing the food was at our wedding! For any events that my husband and I need a caterer for, we will definitely use Catering By The Family!
Catering By the Family catered our wedding and it was SO delicious! We had a great experience working with them and their staff. Highly recommend!
Incredible food and service! They made our wedding a dream come true.
Poor communication but excellent food.
We had a wonderful experience with Catering by the family! Sandra worked with us to create a custom menu that suited our wedding perfectly. The tasting was a great experience wit...
h a lot of great conversation and definitely some flexibility with our requests. Our wedding day was wonderful! Everyone raved about the food, and everyone with a special request was accommodated without an issue. The staff was truly professional and our guests complimented our caterer many times - highly recommended!
Our daughter and new son-inLaw were married this past weekend at the Davis Island Garden Club and Catering by the Family was our catering company. The food was fabulous and the sta...
ff went above and beyond with everything from Kelly bringing the hors d’oeuvres out to the bride & groom and bridal party and family while pictures were being taken to having dinner brought to the brides 97 year old grandmother all cut up and ready for her to enjoy. The food was fabulous and tasted just as good as it looked. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the hole night!! Thank you Sandy and the hole staff!! Five stars aren’t enough to give you all. Love the Short Family!!!
The food was great and our guests all enjoyed. Juan is wonderful to work with and worked with us in every option we picked. The staff at the venue were the nicest and wonderful to ...
work with. Our only negative was communicating with Jean as she was very unorganized.
Contact
2322 W. Cypress St., Tampa, FL | FL
Catering By The Family