Culinary Concepts

was delicious and fresh. We were worried that the food made for 70 guests won't be as good as a couple of portions carefully prepared for the tasting, but we didn't have to worry at all! The food was amazing, and even our most picky foodie friends appreciated the taste and quality. When we met with the chef during the tasting, he made me confident that we can trust him pick the best quality vegetables and ingredients, most appropriate for the season. Hot churro station was a great and memorable surprise for our guests too. - The presentation of food was great too, so it didn't just taste good but it looked festive and appetising as well. - The communication was impeccable. Our main contact was Cailey and she patiently guided us through the entire process for over6 months of preparation, including numerous quotes and menu options, and countless modifications we made to the order along the way. It was a destination wedding for us, which added layers of complexity, but the team professionally helped us with everything, and was flexible enough to squeeze a tasting in a very small window of opportunity we had. - The team is very helpful, kind, and caring overall. There are so many little details that showed their care, like keeping a separate plate with appetisers for the bride and the groom running late to the cocktail hour because of the photoshoot. The Culinary Concept team offered to help us with rentals too, but we decided to take care of it ourselves. Nevertheless, Cailey was so attentive that she checked our rentals order, to make sure we covered everything. They also helped us move chairs from the ceremony site to the dinner area, arrange the napkins/cuttlery/etc on the tables, and quickly collect the items (including decor) from the table to prepare rental equipment for pickup same night. We didn't have the day-of-the-event coordinator, but Culinary Concepts helped us stay on track with the timeline too. For the tasting, they even decorated the table according to our theme, which was a delightful surprise and demonstration of care again. Wedding prep is really stressful, especially if you do it without a planner. But the Culinary Concepts team really went out of their way to make the preparation and the event go as smooth as possible. Big thanks to the entire team, including the coordinators and especially Cailey, captain Xavier, chef Dough and his sous chefs, bar tenders and staff (especially Victor who was so sweet that we and multiple guests remembered his name and bright smile). Thank you all so-so-so much! If my friends have a wedding in San Diego, I'll insist on hiring you for catering <3

ncredibly happy that we went with them. Katie was our point of contact and she did such an amazing job helping us understand the whole process from the tasting to glassware rentals and then the big day. This was our most expensive option out of the set, but we truly believe it was worth every penny. Guest after guest noted to us how highly they thought of the food. And the staff was efficient, friendly, and discreet. We felt the “station” format that CC offered helped set the tone of “comfortable and relaxed” that we were looking for while keeping everything organized and on schedule. We’re writing this review exactly one year after our wedding which, according to many of our vendors, was one of the last that they held in 2020. A big thank you to the team at Culinary Concepts for the incredible memories - we can’t recommend them highly enough.

ponsive as we made changes or asked for different estimates etc. The food was delicious! The staff was also very attentive and friendly. We did pasta and flatbread moving stations- they absolutely surpassed our exceptions. SO GOOD, but also felt more high-end than basic pizza and pasta. We also had tray passed apps, a charcuterie display, and assorted mini desserts- everything was perfect.

fantastic! Leo and I were sure that Culinary Concepts is THE ONE for our wedding when we first had a call with Katie. She asked great questions and listened to what we had envisioned. We wanted to incorporate the cuisines from places that we’ve traveled to into our catering experience. Katie and her team came up with brilliant ideas and helped us realize our vision, and they executed it perfectly. Katie and Anita were really friendly and easy to work with. They are so organized and detail-oriented that they helped me make sure I am not missing anything for our wedding. Overall, we are extremely satisfied with the quality of service and the food they provided!

om heaven and was the most helpful person and took the time to answer so many questions and help me out with planning. I will never forget what a stellar person she was.

caterers from the list were being scratched off for being way over our budget, the ones that seemed manageable to us just ignored my e-mails after I told them what our limit was. I was already feeling self-conscious from other vendors snubbing us off for other services, but thankfully, Katie and her team were amazing and patient from day one. As if the great service wasn’t enough, the food was also delicious. The day of the tasting, we were fully convinced that they would deliver the kind of experience we were hoping for on our wedding night. When the actual evening came, they were prompt in their service, able to fully communicate with the venue and the other vendors we had employed for the night's festivities. We heard nothing but compliments from all our guests on the reception food and bar service. Great service, great food, awesome people. Thank you for making our small wedding feel more grand and amazing.

a real sense of San Diego cuisine, and they absolutely did it! Our guests (and us!) loved our Baja Taco bar set-up and Churros and Ice cream, and I still get messages from friends who are craving more of Culinary's tasty food - But not only is the food incredible, the entire team at Culinary is absolutely lovely to work with. Emilie in particular is so thoughtful and kind, and never hesitated to answer any question we had immediately - even in the last week before the wedding! She also provided great suggestions around gluten-free and vegetarian options for some of our guests, and was so supportive throughout the entire process as we selected linens, discussed seating plans, and arranged additional rentals for a somewhat restrictive venue space. I strongly recommend Culinary Concepts - if you don't fall in love with them in your first phone call, just try their food at a tasting, and you'll see why they are so worth every single penny. Thank you Culinary!!!

ey were quick to reply and clearly the most engaging of all catering companies I reached out to. They were interested in working with us to create a unique menu, that we would find fitting for a California beach wedding. Before committing 100%, we came in for our tasting (Rack of Lamb and Salmon for entrees. Tuna, Ginger wonton, crab cake, and caprese skewer for hors d'oeuvres). The food was exceptional, everything was absolutely delicious and we signed all the paperwork on the spot. Over the next year or so, there was a lot of turnover within the company. Our POC left the company, then that POC left the company, then we transitioned from the person who was responsible for gathering new clients to the person who was responsible for execution of the wedding (but not the head server). It was confusing, and to be honest, we didnt have the best response time from them since we were sending emails to people no longer with the company. With that said, once our wedding was around the corner we were able to communicate freely with them and address some minor issues without a problem (a check was lost in the mail). All in all, 4 stars. Wedding Service and Food - Exceptional. I truly didn't think that they could make the wedding day food as good as they did during the tasting. My wife and I were thinking all along, "how is it possible that it can taste the same when they have to make a hundred of them?! Did they just give us the best pieces?" Answer: No. Everyone came up to us, before and after the wedding, commenting on the quality of the food. The service was prompt, everything was on time, and the service was quick, efficient, and kept clear of the flow of the wedding. All in all, 5 stars. Overall the food and service left nothing to be desired. With that said, they were not cheap. Expect to set aside over 10K for their services (2016 prices). If Culinary Concepts is in your budget, they come highly recommended.

r obvious professionalism. We worked with Emilie at CC as our main contact point until we were getting close to the wedding and then they bring in an entire team to coordinate the day. We had a meeting just prior to the wedding at the venue where every detail is discussed from timing to tables. Nothing was left to chance. Our venue was Scripps Forum in San Diego and they have to bring the kitchen, food and all of the staff to the site. Quite an undertaking. We had a sit down dinner for 125 people. On the reply cards the guests chose one of three entrees. I mention this because the wait staff had to make sure they noted which entree each guest was to be served that night and they did that flawlessly. The service that night was incredible. Not one dinner was served cold and it seemed as if everyone was almost served at the same time. The servers were super professional in terms of service as well as dress. As for the food, it was superb. One of my friends said it was one of the best meals she had ever had. For the record we offered porter glazed beef short ribs, roasted pork tenderloin with a pear chutney and a vegetarian artichoke and rice dish. Each was served with mashed potatoes and broccolini. The appetizers and pre dinner salad were all fabulous. Instead of a cake the bride and groom wanted the apple pie from Julian Pie Company. They coordinated that for us as well and added the special touch of a shaker of cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on the ice cream or pie.I would use Culinary Concepts again in a heartbeat. They were amazing.

, conducting a walk-through with our day-of coordinator, selecting and adjusting our menu, keeping on top of our table layout & seating (even up to the last minute!), and more. She was very careful in handling the dietary restrictions, and even helped us save a bit of money, when our guest count turned out lower than expected which would otherwise have increased the per-person price. Javier was our banquet captain, and he made sure the service & food quality was top notch. He & the team served tray passed appetizers and cheese & veg displays at our cocktail hour, and served plated dinners of salad with a choice of bourbon mustard glazed tri-tip, crispy skin herb roasted chicken or stuffed bell peppers. During the ceremony, they presented a water station (very popular with the heat we had that day!) and after dinner service, they presented a coffee & tea station. We loved the food (though the versions at the tasting were a tad better) & the service, and we heard great reviews from guests for both as well! Also, my dad suffered a bit of heat-stroke towards the end of our reception, and one of the staff tended to him (along with members of my family), and regularly checked on him. (I wish we had gotten her name!) It was clear that the staff cared for our event as a whole, and not just the food, which meant a lot to us. My husband & I being fans of food & cooking, were very careful in choosing our caterer. We found Culinary Concepts to have the most flavorful, inventive food, mostly sourced locally, with professional & personal service, for an amazing value. We wish we could have the food at our wedding again!!

and on the actual day of!! The food was amazing and the service from Merlot was outstanding. Our guests still haven't stopped raving about how delicious the food was! Everything was served so perfectly, we were so happy with our service. While it's a small detail, we had originally agreed to a few minor items that didn't pan out on the actual wedding day. No one else noticed but us (because the guests didn't know any better) but I was a little disappointed in these missing items (having two types of tortillas, having the salads plated vs. being in line with the buffet, not having rolls as we were originally promised). Still, they were WELL worth the money and overall we were extremely pleased with the quality of the food and service. We would recommend Culinary Concepts to anyone looking for caterers for their wedding day! They are professional, organized, and involved with you through every step of the process.

hop lollipops, caprese skewers, steak, salmon with avocado/mango salsa) and we and our guests were very happy!

y and taste of food. The presentation was wonderful as well and all of the servers were professional and kind!

always responded promptly. The only minor complaints I have is that the day of the wedding there were some last minute changes their onsite manager decided to make without consulting with us (bride and groom) or even our assigned go to person for the day. I didnt appreciate the lack of communication especially since it may have been minor changes to them but were big things for us that affected the decor. We were told by our amazing DJ (Jeremy Jones party people san diego) who knew we wouldnt be happy with the changes. Secondly...although the food was good...it was slightly different than what we were given on our tasting...so that was a bit disappointing since our tastings was amazingly delicious! Service was great, servers were very attentive and bartender was personable. Overall, good experience.

experience. She was able to ask the questions we never would have thought to ask, and she was thoroughly impressed with Donald and Chris. We also all agreed that the albacore bruchetta they brought for us to sample was our favorite of the day! We scheduled a tasting, and after working briefly with Kathy (owner), we were one of the first couples to have the opportunity to work with Christie as she started working with Culinary Concepts. Christie was absolutely INCREDIBLE to work with!!! She was professional and fun, and was extremely responsive whenever we had questions for her. She made sure everything was absolutely perfect on our wedding day, and the server staff was extremely professional and friendly! One of the servers brought a plate of hors d'oeuvres for us as we were taking bride and groom photos in the vineyard (during cocktail hour), to make sure we didn't miss out. He even followed us around as we stopped between bites for photos... so fun! When my husband and I snuck away for sunset photos, we had only gotten a chance to have a few bites of our dinner. When we returned to our sweetheart table, one of the servers let us know that our entrees had gotten cold while we were gone, and offered to bring us new ones. I said it was alright, but she insisted, which I thought was so sweet! She brought us new plates, and we were able to enjoy a hot, delicious dinner! I highly recommend Culinary Concepts for your catering needs, whether it is for your wedding or otherwise!! Hors d'oeuvres: -Beef wellington tart -Curried chicken salad on coriander dusted flatbread -Panko & pecan crusted brie with jalapeño jelly -Albacore bruchetta First course: -Caprese salad Main Course: -Dual entree (chicken and salmon) with rice pilaf and vegetables -Vegan/gluten free option of quinoa stuffed poblano peppers

more than enough to eat. At the reception, they provided a private server to make sure that my husband and I had food and drinks throughout the whole night. Overall, their quality of food is great as well as their service!

y portion of our seated dinner (from linen colors to napkin fold) and sweet additions for our dessert display. Our guests (which included a few professional chefs) were so complimentary about the food! We were answering questions for weeks about who our caterer was to other engaged couples who attended our wedding. We couldn't have been happier with the taste and service of Culinary Concepts.

tiple choices within my budget. I had met with 3 other caterers and ultimately chose them because of their food quality, presentation, and accessibility. I couldnt be more pleased with my choice. The day of the wedding was great! Of course we were hungry after the ceremony and pictures, and on our way walking from the ceremony site to the reception site(same location, different area) we were greeted by the head server with appetizers for myself and my husband, as well as drinks. They were just standing there waiting for us--what a great personal touch!! (BTW, we both scarfed down the food) And during the reception, the staff was very tentative, especially to us. They did not serve us if we were not at the table, and gave us a fresh serving when we returned. My other guests raved about the quality and tastefulness of the food(which is rare at a wedding). And they did all of this within my budget! I would recommend them to anyone who wants great food, great service, along with a great presentation of their food! They have many different entree options in different price points so they can work within your budget! And ask for Gina---she was a great contact and help in arranging everything!

was also slightly unprofessional at the meeting. We also had to work with several different people and I was never sure who was managing our wedding. The day of, they were great, the staff was friendly, the food was great and Craig was fantastic! Just a little stressful to plan with.

eative job in setting up the buffet stations, and matching my beach theme. I had a plated summer salad, which was delicious, and beautifully done, and then stations. Craig and Walter even had saved appetizers for my Groom and I as we missed the cocktail hour and boxed up some plates for us to take back to our Hotel, as we hardly were able to eat. I was also able to drop off some centerpieces and decor to CC's warehouse on the Thursday prior and they put everything out for me. As I did not have a coordinator, this was really appreciated and saved me from having to worry about who was going to do this. I heard from a lot of guests that the tray passed items during the cocktail hour were really good, and just kept on coming, which I was so happy to hear! The ahi tuna and inside-out-nachos were a big hit. I had a slight issue in the pre-planning as my main contact went on maternity leave and I did not know she was already gone and did not know who to contact and my emails were going unanswered. But they soon put me in touch with Mallory and Craig and all was wonderful from then on. Mallory was really responsive and detailed out my BEO and had every item listed, I really appreciated how she took the time to put everything in there, so I knew it was communicated. Craig and I went back-and-forth on a few diagrams, and once set, I walked into the Reception and it was exactly as we had agreed upon. He came to a walk through the Wednesday before, and all we discussed was carried out. Craig and Walter kept checking in with me all night and were really on top of the schedule and keeping things moving, which I was so appreciative of. I would definitely highly recommend CC! They are very accommodating and creative with their food and open to making it exactly how you want it. I thought the price was extremely appropriate for the high level of service and quality of food you receive.

nning our menu. In the end we got exactly what we wanted. They are very flexible, and though they have a wide variety of specific items on their menu, they told us "And if it isn't there, just let us know and we can do it!"

e all very available and helpful, answering e-mails promptly, talking us through menu and décor choices in person, and providing feedback on bar ordering (even though we did the purchasing on our own). I also appreciated that Christie and the team have a lot of experience working at the UCSD venues and could help guide us through the various regulations. Because we had two locations (CC took care of the ceremony rentals for us, as well), we ended up working with probably 5 different people as we got closer to the wedding. While it complicated things a bit since I wasn’t always sure whom I should be contacting and I think some details weren’t passed on to the right people, everyone was nice and extremely professional. As a bride working without a wedding planner, I thought it was great that the CC crew acted as day-of coordinators for both sites. They had names and numbers of all the vendors that would be setting up or making deliveries and made sure that people were there on time. Additionally, my husband and I especially appreciated the personalized service we received during the reception – they saved appetizers from cocktail hour for us to taste when we first arrived to the venue, brought our meals as soon as we sat down, and made sure to leave us slices of cake to eat during a break from the dancing.

hicken mole, and street tacos. All our guests were raving about the food, and many said that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding. Also, the service was impeccable, and everything just turned out well beyond our expectations. Without a doubt, we would highly recommend Culinary Concepts.