About this vendor
Custom Culinary Cuisine
Creative Hands Cuisine is a boutique event caterer based in Mesa, Arizona. Our mission is to take a vision created by our client and create a one of kind culinary concert containing elements of great food and service to produce a theatrical and memorable experience for our guests.
If the old adage of “you are what you eat” is true. It would be best to eat only gourmet, fresh, local and sustainable food whenever possible. Creative Hands Cuisine strives to deliver all of those elements whenever possible. Healthy food makes healthy clients!
Creative Hands Cuisine is a close knit group of people in and out of work. Our team takes tremendous pride in pleasing clients, striving to exceed what’s expected of us. Many of our team memebers have worked with us for over 10 years and continue to elevate their level of skills and performances with us. What all that means for the client is great consistency and fluidity of execution of events.
We boast about our chefs who not only are masters at culinary creations but who are also well manicured, well versed, and interact with and enjoy educating guests. Having a uniformed chef approach your table to ask how your meal was is a common occurrence rather than an isolated one with Creative Hands Cuisine.
Wait staff and Bartenders are all extensively trained for success. Guided by our operations team of experts, all service staff receive training in logistics of different styles of service from plated to stationed to buffets. Etiquette training is another key component to what makes our wait staff superior to others in addressing clients and presenting cuisine and beverages.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Cuisine
- American
- BBQ
- Cajun
- Chinese
- French
- Fusion
Dietary Options
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Halal
- Organic
- Sugar Free
- Vegan
Food & Catering
- Buffet
- Catering Clean Up
- Catering Delivery & Setup
- Chef Stations
- Family Style
- Menu Tastings
Awards and Affiliations
Pricing
See all the vendor’s pricing and services in this helpful guide.
Curious to learn more?
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.8
out of 5.030 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Creative Hands Catering is highly recommended by multiple reviewers for wedding events. The food is described as delicious, with numerous choices available to cater to different dietary restrictions. Guests loved the buffet-style setup and returned for multiple servings. The staff, particularly Sarah, received positive feedback for being helpful, organized, and attentive throughout the planning process. The professionalism and excellent service of the waiters and waitresses were also praised. Overall, Creative Hands is recommended for couples looking for delicious food and outstanding service for their wedding.- Top reviews
- Newest first
- Oldest first
- Highest rated
- Lowest rated
Sort by
Sarah was always extremely helpful, communicative, and detail oriented. The food was delicious and exactly what we had hoped for following the tasting. CHC also did a great job tailoring to our guests’ food restrictions.
The food that Creative Hands made for our wedding in January 2023 was a hit with many of our guests. They thought the food was excellent and couldn’t stop talking about it! We did a buffet style for our wedding, and the guests loved it so much that people were returning for 2nd and even 3rd servings. The waiters and waitresses were very professional and respectful. The number of choices that Creative Hands had for us to choose from for our wedding was also extensive and delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed our initial food tastings with them, and they were great at communicating with us throughout the whole process. Thank you, Sarah, for being so organized, responsive, and attentive. We would recommend Creative Hands to anyone looking for some delicious food for their event!
Sara was the best to work with! She is so sweet and got to know us really well! We appreciated that extra step she took to really understand what we wanted for our Wedding!!! Highly recommended!! Guests raved about our delicious food!! Hands down an amazing experience!
Any questions?
We had to move our event twice due to COVID, which led us to working with Sarah for almost 2.5 years, and she provided exceptional service every step of the way. She was always friendly, helpful, and accommodating. Then the day of the wedding, all of the staff at our event who worked for Creative Cuisine were professional, friendly, and provided excellent service as well. We received multiple complements on the food and even though we had a buffet over a plated meal, the set up was still elegant, clean, and organized. We highly recommend using Creative Hands for a wedding! If we have other/future catering needs, we will be reaching out.
We worked a lot with Sarah the Executive Event Producer. She was extremely organized, easy to work with, knowledgable, and very kind! We had several questions and correspondents with her and each one she went above and beyond to make us feel like we have all of the answers we needed! When we went in for our tasting everything was presented in a very professional manner! The food was delicious and they made amazing suggestions based on our guest needs/accommodations, and our options. On our wedding night we had many guests the raved about the Peppercorn Encrusted Filet Mignon and West Coast Creamy Potatoes! Everything was incredibly flavorful and the staff was very attentive!
My now husband and I are HUGE fans of ice cream and one request we had was to do an ice cream sundae bar at our wedding. We knew we wanted to work with them and they have never done one before, but made it work specifically for us which was awesome!
We would highly recommend Creative Hands to any couple in the Phoenix/Sedona area!
My husband and I are so glad that our venue suggested CHC for our wedding! The food was absolutely delicious (our guests still comment on it) and the service team was friendly, professional, and punctual. We did not have to worry about a thing! Schedule a tasting, you won’t regret it!! 😋🍴
Chef Doug created a delicious menu for our wedding, and was able to incorporate our guests' dietary restrictions well. We also requested a Disney-themed dessert table that was super tasty AND surprised our guests. (Especially the churros!)
Response from the Vendor on 01/13/2020
Thank you so very much for the wonderful review, Amanda! Your Sedona wedding was beautiful!
After meeting with several catering companies and looking through quotes, Creative Hands rose to the top of our list! Not only did they have some of the best food we tasted, but their prices could not be beat. I know most people don't come to the wedding for the food, but several guests commented to me how great the dinner was. Additionally, Sarah was probably the most responsive vendor we hired. She answered every question and made every small change I asked for quickly! I couldn't believe the great service. I most defiantly would recommend Creative Hands for any catering needs!
Response from the Vendor on 01/13/2020
Thank you so much, Melinda! We are so happy that we were able to produce your special day!
My husband and I had our wedding at a private residence and needed to find a caterer who would be able to accommodate a large guest count and also deliver without the standard amenities of a venue. We went for tastings at several different caterers in town but fell in love with Creative Hands Cuisine! We are very particular about food and did not want traditional banquet style at our wedding. The food we sampled was absolutely delicious and the presentation was so fun and colorful. Sarah was excellent to work with and very responsive to all our needs. She went above and beyond to ensure we were
happy and well prepared for our big day. Everything went very smoothly on our wedding day and all my guests commented on how good the food was. The staff was super attentive and well organized. We had several non-traditional requests that they handled beautifully. They were super flexible to our wishes and I’m so happy with the outcome. Would highly recommend them for weddings or any other event!
Response from the Vendor on 01/13/2020
WOW, thank you Kylee! Your words mean the world to the CHC team!
Amazing food and great service. We selected creative hands from our Wedding Planner Casey Green's recommendation and they exceeded our expectations. We had a number of options for our horderves as well as a number of special dinner orders for our guests (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) The food was so much more than banquette chicken, many of our guests complemented the food and the service
The owner of Creative Hands was personally on staff for our Wedding in Sedona Arizona - he was kind enough to introduce himself to family and guests. I would strongly recommend selecting Creative Hands for your catering needs
We hired Creative Hands Cuisine for our wedding 9/30/18. After arranging a rough menu based on phone discussions, we met at their dining room for a full menu tasting in November 2017 and met Chef Doug and Sarah. They were both very personable and responsive to requests for small changes in the hand passed appetizers and plated dinner menu. Sarah and I corresponded multiple times in the next 10 months, with more frequent interaction as the wedding date neared. Between our wedding coordinator, Sarah, and me, all of the details were confirmed and reconfirmed. I wish I could give 5 stars for the entire experience, but the execution did not warrant that. Overall, the sides were disappointing - fingerling potatoes were shriveled and dry, the "ratatouille" was not ratatouille but rather al dente mixed vegetables and did not have the agreed upon butternut squash (without explanation for the omission). Our guests raved about the hand passed appetizers, the plated salad, and the desserts (flourless chocolate torte by CHC and our own provided gelato), and fortunately they were none the wiser about the side dish error. Another point that precludes a 5 star review is that despite the CHC team previously working at our venue and commenting about how they liked the space and kitchen, knew the layout/equipment/logistics of working there, it was not until 1 week before the wedding that the absence of a freezer at the venue created a hiccough regarding our transport and storage of gelato for dessert. Also, the plan was for wait staff to pour 2 of the wines during the plated, seated dinner but no wine was poured. Finally, we provided the alcohol and CCH provided a licensed bar tender. We took all remaining alcohol home with us and found a free flow pourer and 3" piece of plastic inside the 1/2 used 1.5L bottle of tequila.
Creative Hands Cuisine is exceptional! We heard from people who previously attended a wedding at Secret Garden that the food was delicious, and knew at our tasting they were right! The tasting was amazing and what we chose for our wedding was perfect. I was nervous to go with a buffet and serve steak, but everyone got through the buffet so quickly it wasn't even an issue at all. The guests raved about the food and were shocked at how tasty it was. I was very impressed with both Secret Garden and Creative Hands Cuisine with the timing of food, serving the buffet, and quality. I wish I could have their mashed potatoes again!
If I could give the Secret Garden, Creative Hands Cuisine, and their staffs 10 stars for creating the dream, fairytale wedding for my daughter, Chase, and her new husband Angel, on March 30, 2018 ... I most certainly would!!
From the first phone call, we knew we were in great hands. Maggie was tremendously helpful in setting up our tour, answering our initial questions, and securing our date. She is so knowledgeable and personable, and the Secret Garden is so beautiful that our choice for this venue was a no-brainer for my daughter’s night of a lifetime!!
Next came Monica, the Secret Garden's Coordinator/ Planner Extraordinaire. After booking the Secret Garden for our wedding, she sat with us to thoroughly tackle all details of my daughter's special day, so that nothing was missed or left to chance. She worked with us throughout the process and was there to navigate and guide us through my daughter’s big day ...she is absolutely amazing!!
The service at cocktail hour and at dinner was top notch and on point. Whenever I was ready for a passed Hors d'oeuvre, a Butler was there with one ...much like the Butler in Mr. Deeds!!
After Sarah helped us with planning everything bar related, Jimmy, the bartender, stepped in and was personable, helpful, funny, witty, talented, and kept our guests entertained while they were sampling his tasty libations.
...which brings me to the food... Words cannot describe how incredible the food is. Chef Doug (with his lovely wife Camille) created a mouth-watering menu for us that was out-of-this-world OUTSTANDING (including his famous, signature vanilla-basil lemonade), and Chef Layndon delivered the knockout punch from the kitchen that night for all our guests!! Everyone is still raving!!
From beginning to end, my daughter’s magical day went off without a hitch. I have 3 more daughters, and plan to have all of their weddings at the Secret Garden as well... it was that phenomenal!!
We appreciate everything the Secret Garden and Creative Hands Cuisine did for us, and absolutely and whole-heartedly endorse and recommend them to make all engaged couple’s special day as memorable and magical as they made ours!!
Thank you again Maggie, Monica, Sarah, Jimmy, Layndon, the Secret Garden, Creative Hands Cuisine, and staffs, and a special thanks to Chef Doug and Camille, for going out of your way to make my daughter’s childhood, fairytale wedding dreams come true!!
You guys are truly the best!!
Absolutely excellent food! We used them for a cocktail party, and they came up with a creative vegetarian menu that was a huge hit with the guests. I recommend Creative Hands highly.
The food from Creative Hands was great! Many of our guests commented on its deliciousness, especially the hors d'oeurves. Their staff was very professional and responsive to our guests needs.
I love Creative Hands Cuisine! They were the caterer for our wedding in April 2017 and I could not be happier with the food and service they offered. We met with Chef Doug months ahead of our wedding and he blew us away with each plate. He presented beautiful dishes and each one absolutely delicious. Chef Doug was also very flexible and accommodating. He offered some off menu items to fit our vision for the wedding menu.
When it came time for our wedding, the food was a hit. We loved it and so many guests told us how much they loved the food, from the small bites at cocktail to the duel entrée plates at dinner. I loved the chicken and short rib – and those potatoes are amazing!
Creative Hands Cuisine and the Secret Garden team were amazing to work with throughout the planning process. They were responsive when we wanted to make menu updates and they were very professional each time we worked with them. I was never concerned about the food for our wedding because I knew Chef Doug and his team were reliable and they would meet our expectations. I highly recommend them for your wedding, or event!
The food and service during our April wedding was spectacular. We customized a fun, summer menu complete with seasonal produce. The flavor was rich and the guests loved every bite!
It was that good!! We went with the Tuscan meal and my husbands Italian family loved it! Wonderful appetizers as well! People were bunkered at the exit for the staff to get ahold of more appetizers they were so delicious! Chef Doug was amazing and Sarah is super helpful and sweet! I would recommend them to anyone!
The food tasted great! We had several guests that commented how wonderful the food was. However there were a few issues that I was not happy with. The two dealing with the champagne/apple cider were unacceptable in my opinion. First my Maid of Honor is allergic to alcohol and they poured her champagne instead of cider. Luckily she was able to smell it just before she took a sip but needless to say, she couldn't even drink to her own toast. The other issue I had was I specifically told the Chef how I wanted the champagne and cider handed to the guest. I had a few people who are recovering alcoholics (my mother being one of them) and so I know how important it is to them to be asked a choice not just given champagne and have to ask for the cider. Not only did I tell them I wanted the servers to have both available and say "would you prefer champagne or cider" and then let the guest make the decision (and in fact had to say it three or four times even saying you aren't listening to me before he said he understood), my coordinator stressed it the day of the wedding, and I put it in writing in the instructions for them, just so nothing would go wrong. Needless to say, they ignored what I wanted and in fact not only did they not ask the guest the choice like I had instructed but when the guest said they wanted cider instead, they pointed to another table and said the cider is over there, and made the person go get it themselves. I do not think it is acceptable that my mother was directed to go get her own cider! Especially after I had made it clear what my instructions were. Just so I made sure it wasn't a one off, I asked a few other people if they were given the choice and they also said no. They said they were just handed the glass of champagne and told "this is for the toast." The only reason I said a 3 on the service instead of marking it much lower is because they did remember to have the non-alcoholic butter for the Maid of Honor. So if you don't care if they honor your requests I would highly recommend them since the food was great but...
Great tasting food and a very professional presentation. I was worried that buffet style food was going to taste just like ever other wedding I'd been to..bland, boring, and meat that was either overcooked hard and dry or undercooked and cold. My eyes were surely blown away the day of my wedding. Every cut of filet mignon was was perfectly cooked as well as the chicken and other side items. My family is a very outspoken Italian family and they were so pleased with how delicious the food was. I would highly recommend Creative Hands Cuisine for all your catering needs.
Absolutely the best wedding food I have ever had! Guest have not stopped talking about how wonderful the food was and wish they could have taken some home!
Chef Doug and his crew at Creative Hands Cuisine made the most delicious meal we could have imagined. For months I had been talking to everyone about how excited I was about my wedding day dinner and they did not let us down. The food was absolutely amazing from the salad to the chicken piccata, right down to the flavored butters! Every single person applauded the food as being the best they had ever enjoyed!
Our guests praised the entire staff that helped throughout the event. We heard compliments of how helpful the staff was during dinner; helping explain the buffet choices and clearing plates quickly.
Creative Hands is top notch! They worked with us to create a custom buffet menu for my wedding that was exactly what we wanted. My mom's top priority was incredible food and Creative Hands delivered! Camille and Carla and the whole crew are just amazing to work with and they even had us come for a private tasting with the chef. If you do that, come hungry, because they stuff you full of goodies! They are open to working with your budget and whatever your needs are - every suggestion we had they said they could do it! They can also take care of outside needs such as linens, glassware, wine servers, etc. if needed. I highly recommend them for any of your catering needs!!
AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING! People could not get over how good the food was and at a wedding LOL From our tasting to the day of Chef Doug was great to work with and we truly enjoyed working with him. Food is usually the part of a wedding that people always get negative comments on and I am so happy to say that this time around it was only positive things to say… even one guest wanted to go work with them
Chef Doug managed to amaze all of our guests, and we took to his suggestions to make a perfect food combination for our wedding. Can't wait to try his lunches at Stonebridge
Creative Hands Cuisine is the best caterer in town as they create delicious menus in such a great presentation. Our guests are still talking about the food from our wedding!! Plus, they are great to work with.
So my father is a commercial fisherman, so when it came time for my wedding we knew we needed to work with the caterer to bring in some of our own seafood. Creative Hands and Chef Doug were incredible to work with. We flew in King Crab and a few Smoked King Salmon and Chef was excited at the opportunity, or at least he made us feel this way, which was even better. Weeks later people are still talking about how great the food was...Truly a highlight of the day!
I am so please with our selection for the caterer at our wedding. Chef Doug was very personable and welcoming. He invited both my parents and my husbands parents to the dinner tasting. He provided creative and delicious dishes that our guests are still talking about!
Our wedding menu was hands down the best we have ever tried and our guests are still raving about it! Chef Doug helped us create our menu based on our personalities and the style of event we were looking to host. We had a stationed style of dinner service and loved the options we had in creating this for our guests. Everything was delicious and we wouldn't change a thing!!!
First, the good: Our guests loved the food! We get a lot of comments about how good the food was at our reception. They set the food up so that it looked really nice too. Now, the bad: Some of the guests ended up with cold food (we had a buffet). We also had a difficult time working with our contact before the wedding reception. Most of the contact was initiated by us and their responses took a long time. We asked for sample menus and sample appetizers, main courses, and sides. They gave us one at time and they didn't have a list of items they offered or often ordered. We kept asking for sample menus and put a list of appetizers, main courses, and sides together ourselves to pick and choose from. But, I was told that our contact was new, so maybe that's why it was so difficult. Either way, I was not happy dealing with a new person for my wedding.
Contact
3035 N Maple St #1, Mesa, AZ | Arizona, State-Wide
Interested?
Meet the team
Sarah Nett
Events Director
Sarah has been with Creative Hands Cuisine since 2011, acting as their Executive Event Producer; overseeing inside sales, menu creation, accounting, customer service, event management, and other day to day operations of the company. It has been a long journey, but there is always more to learn, especially since she has hopes to take over the business when the current owners, Chef Doug and Camille Brochu retire... maintaining the companies "Women Owned Business" title.
Message vendor
Starting Cost: $$$ – Moderate
Sarah Nett
EVENTS DIRECTOR
Typically responds within 24h
- Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
- Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
- Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
- For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.
Creative Hands Cuisine
Creative Hands Cuisine's photos