Diverse Catering & Event Design

Mike, Jess, and the team at Diverse Catering did an awesome job with our wedding. Our guests loved the food and so did we, and they were extremely flexible and affordable. During the event itself, the team went above and beyond in terms of setup and breakdown, and really made it so that I didn't have to worry about anything. What more can you ask for?

Ken & the Diverse Crew catered our wedding at Bartram's Garden June 2016. I can't say enough good things about our experience. Ken helped us with details we didn't even think about. When we had requests that we thought were borderline unreasonable, Ken went further than what we requested to really accommodate all of our needs. The service on the day of our wedding was excellent, all of the staff was cheerful, helpful, attentive and graceful. The food was excellent. We expected decent wedding food (weddings are never about the food, right?) but we were absolutely impressed (especially our BBQ station with smoked chicken, coleslaw, mac & cheese and white rolls). Thank you Ken & Crew for the flawless execution of our wedding!

In complete honesty, words cannot describe how impressed my wife and I were with Ken and Diverse Catering; nothing we write here will ever explain how well he ran our event. But of course, I'll try. For starters, Ken was extremely flexible with our budget. We started off with a slighter tighter budget than we ended with, and felt like he gave us exceptional packages in every category. Then, along the way, he served as our very own wedding consultant, answering every question thoroughly and thoughtfully. He knew our venue (Bartram's Garden) better than anybody, and was able to walk us through all the details with strong clarity. Ken was so detail-oriented we entered our wedding day without any concerns--and that was huge! And of course, the food was delicious. I can't tell you how many guests came up to us and commented on the quality of the food. Ken helped us craft an elegant menu that everybody enjoyed. I'm missing many of the little details that make Ken and Diverse exceptional--like his individual care for each of his couples, his knack for taking care of EVERYTHING on the wedding day, his beautifully-decorated buffet table, his communication with other vendors, and his overall kindness--so you'll have to find out for yourself. I can't imagine that caterers come better than Ken. Highly, highly recommended.

Diverse catering had a lot of good choices, however, their Yards 'bar' menu was by far the best choice. It isn't on their website but it was delicious. They used Yards beer in most of what was served and even had several vegetarian options! Sometimes hard to reach, but always answered

We had our wedding at the Power Plant Productions and you are able to choose any catering service you would like. We looked a quite a few different companies, but once I spoke with Mike at Diverse, I knew we had found the right caterer. Having really great food at our wedding was so important to us, but we also didn't have an unlimited budget. Mike worked with us to fit our budget and still have an outstanding menu. He was there to answer any questions (not just about food) during the planning and served as more of a wedding coordinator than just the caterer. Ken was with us the day of the wedding and he was calm and collected at all times. Everything ran so smoothly and Ken even brought some additional decorations for the place card table at the last minute. I can't recommend Diverse Catering enough for a wedding or any other event. What a fantastic company and great owners!!

I recently got married at Colonial Dames venue on September 7, 2013. I am not from Philadelphia but had gotten a recommendation for Diverse Catering. I am so glad I used them!! I had a wedding with 65 guests and we had a formal sit down dinner after the ceremony. Let me start by saying the food was amazing! Most of our guests ended up ordering beef and the steaks he prepared were perfect. I was very nervous about so many people ordering a steak and how they would come out produced in mass quantity but everyone's that I saw and talked to said that it was cooked to perfection!! No overcooked meat here! I even got comments such as "that was the best steak I have had in a long time". The appetizers were amazing. I just can't say enough about how good the food was. Ken and Mike were amazing!! They were both there on the day of the event and ensured that the entire thing went smoothly. I worked the most with Mike leading up to the event and he was AWESOME! He was very responsive to communication, he helped advise me about different decisions. He met with me AT the venue site multiple times just to make sure we were on the same page as far as concept and that he had all the details right for exactly the way the day was supposed to go. On the day of the wedding he was so attentive, always made sure myself and the groom had a beverage or food and that we were taken care of. He was a pleasure to work with as a caterer and as genuinely a great person. Another thing I have to comment on was the staff for this catering company. They were the most professional and had a great presentation. They were all dressed very nicely, they had a great attitude, and very accommodating. I felt like I was at a upscale swanky restaurant with this excellent staff!!

We found Diverse Catering through the list of recommended caterers from our venue - Ridley Creek State Park. After researching and meeting with a few - we scheduled a tasting with Mike Schmidt from Diverse. The food was absolutely amazing, and we signed with him on the spot. From the very beginning, the way Diverse does business was above and beyond. Mike sent us a few quotes with different menu options to work with our vision and budget. He wouldn't take a deposit or even a signed contract until after we tasted his work, which was a sampling of the menu we were leaning toward. He was always very responsive with emails, and also very patient with our questions and unusual detail requests. He made everything so easy! We met with him a few times at the venue for walkthroughs - these were all fantastic brainstorming sessions where the 3 of us would throw an idea on the table and fine tune it until the vision was crystal clear. We didn't want a cookie cutter wedding and were nervous about our grilling station and s'mores firepit happening - but Mike was right there encouraging us, even supplying the firepit, along with a few other items, so we didn't have to buy one. The food: I can't say enough good things. As soon as our car pulled up after taking photos at the church, Mike met us with a tray of delicious hors d'oeuvres that our bridal party and we devoured before taking more photos. We had a 3 station menu - Tuscan with pastas, chicken and bread, Moroccan with a huge salmon on display as it was served, and a grilling station that was set up outside during cocktail hour, (piquing our guests' interest) with beef, chicken, and shrimp kabobs, and also a mashed potato bar. You always hear that you never get to eat during your own wedding but my husband and I were served first and we both ate our entire meal. Our guests LOVED the food! We saw people with towers of food, going up for seconds. People couldn't stop talking about it. The serivice: Not only is his food absolutely unbeatable, but Mike acted as our wedding coordinator, running the whole reception. Our venue didn't have a maitre'd so my husband and I would have been on our own if not for Mike. The decor was 100% as we imagined, and the events of the night all went off without a hitch. From the cocktail hour to the sparkler sendoff, Mike had everything taken care of so we didn't have to worry about a single thing but enjoying our day. We even had a few obstacles (drunk friend getting flagged, insane mother in law dressing up as the late king of pop as a "surprise") and Mike handled it all so we weren't bothered. Our entire honeymoon all we could talk about was how perfect the day was and none of it would have been possible without Mike. After working with him for so long on this one event, we feel like he's become a great friend and years from now when we look back on this day, we will always remember what an impact he was on implementing our dream wedding.

Mike and his team at Diverse Catering and Events catered our wedding at the Mansion at Ridley Creek in June. Not only did they do an extraordinary job, but they were also fantastic to work with. For an out of town bride, Mike made planning as easy as it could possibly be and pulled out all the stops to work flexibly with me. In addition, he managed/coordinated the rehearsal and all activities on the wedding day, allowing my husband and I (plus our families) to be able to relax and enjoy the day. His team provided fantastic food and service – I received so many compliments both during and after the wedding, even from our foodie friends. Mike’s experience, attention to detail, and suggestions were invaluable during the planning stages as well as on the wedding day. Our entire experience with Diverse Catering was fantastic, but here are some examples of why I think they’re in a separate league to other caterers: - Mike was incredibly responsive and accommodated my schedule. Mike was willing to provide a tasting for us on a Sunday because during my one visit to town (I live abroad) before the wedding week, that was the only day that I could do it. - His team was able to specially create a specific hors d’oeuvre for us that wasn’t part of their standard options and was fantastic! - On the wedding day, Mike was able to coordinate a last minute change with our musicians after I had made a mistake, so that everything went smoothly and I didn’t need to worry about anything. - It rained right before the (outdoor) ceremony, yet Mike monitored the weather forecast, waited and his team quickly dried off the seats so we could proceed when the sun came out - While being photographed during the cocktail hour, my husband and I were brought hors d’oeuvres and drinks so we didn’t miss out on anything - His staff were so attentive that when a relative of mine went to leave to put a baby to sleep, they noticed and boxed up her meal for her to take without anyone asking or saying anything - Did I mention the food was outstanding? I could go on and on about the fantastic experience we had with Mike and Diverse Catering. Hiring them was one of the best decisions I made for our wedding, and I would strongly recommend them.

I was lucky to find Mike Schmidt's business card at my venue, and he was excellent to work with!!! All the guests loved him and the food. He was utterly professional and never intrusive, just gently guiding. He even stepped into the role of wedding planner and coordinator when needed, without my asking. I was not able to fit a tasting into my schedule and he assured me he was known for his food--he was right!! Our only snafu was that he forgot I had already ordered a wedding cake from the awesome Papa's Pastry, so he supplied us with a second cake that we didn't need. Otherwise he made sure everything went smoothly, and all his servers were particularly attentive to myself and my groom. We were even able to offer our guests 3 choices for entrees for no extra fee, and he brought a couple vegetarian meals by request as well. Mike made me feel that everything was under control at all times and I had a lot of fun working with him.