Elegant Fare Catering & Events

Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Greater Dayton

About This Vendor

Good taste. Great times. Enduring memories.

At Elegant Fare, a wedding catering company in Cincinnati, OH, we make your wedding dreams come true. We're at the heart of what it takes to help create the most treasured experience of your lifetime: a celebration that includes scrumptious, hand-crafted food, artistic presentation, expert planning services, impressive service above and beyond, and special touches that make all the difference. Wherever your wedding takes place, our catering and event planning team will collaborate with you to design an occasion that helps make your dreams come true and delights you and your guests. They work closely with our award-winning culinary team, which is committed to creativity and flavor, fresh ingredients, farm-to-table, and--most of all--your delightful wedding day. With more than 40 years as a family-run firm known for our passion for excellence, we continue to be a premier catering firm in Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Greater Dayton. We are a preferred or exclusive caterer for many outstanding venues such as Drees Pavilion and Devou Golf and Event Center, Cooper Creek Event Center, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Rhinegeist Brewery, Taft Museum, Newport Aquarium, and Cincinnati Nature Center (including Krippendorf Lodge and Groesbeck Estate). We are also delighted to collaborate with dozens of wonderful venue partners, from some of the grandest mansions to intimate settings and rustically beautifully rural locations. We enjoy backyard celebrations, as well as quiet woodland ceremonies and festivities. In addition, Elegant Fare manages and is the exclusive caterer for Gatherings of Blue Ash, one of the newest venues in Greater Cincinnati known for its simple yet beautiful decor and convenient location just minutes from major expressways and downtown Cincinnati. In addition, we promise to deliver style and good taste for your bridal shower, couples shower, rehearsal dinner, cocktail hour, reception, and day-after brunch. We would be delighted to serve you and celebrate your love. Please contact us for more information about our extensive repertoire of menus to suit your style, taste, and budget, as well as the professional event planning services that are included. It would be our pleasure to help make your wedding dreams come true!

Details

Business Attributes

Asian-owned Business, Woman-owned Business

Cuisine

African, American, BBQ, Cajun, Chinese, Eastern European, French, Fusion, Greek, Hawaiian, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin American, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Northeastern, Seafood, Southern, Southwestern, Specialty, Thai

Dietary Options

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Organic, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Food & Catering

Buffet, Catering Clean Up, Catering Delivery & Setup, Chef Stations, Family Style, Menu Tastings, Passed Appetizers, Seated Meal, Servers

Awards and Affiliations

Pricing for Elegant Fare Catering & Events

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Elegant Fare Catering & Events Reviews

4.8 out of 5.0

30 reviews

5 Star

90%

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Reviewed On 5/19/2023 by Kenny V

We really enjoyed working with Elegant Fare for our wedding. We worked with Kyle Merkl and he went above and beyond to help us craft the perfect menu. We had multiple private tastings, and Kyle helped us every step of the way. He was very patie...

nt and knowledgable. The menu at our wedding was outstanding. We did duet plating, and everything was cooked perfectly. Our guests were pleased with every course. They had nothing but praise for the food. The service was also superb. The servers and bartenders were friendly and accomodating. We highly recommend the Smoked Mozzarella Phyllo Cups with Black Sesame Seeds, Truffle Honey, and Figs. We also recommend the Strawberry Lemonade Salad. But everything they make is delicious and they are very affordable.

Reviewed On 10/17/2022 by Meg M

Elegant Fare provided the catering for my daughter's wedding at the Cincinnati Nature Center, Oct 15 2022. We received many compliments on the taste of the food and the professionalism of the staff from our guests and bridal party! Several...

staff members took the time to tell me how happy we all seemed and they even complimented my dress! They couldn't have been kinder and of greater service! They knocked it out of the park! I would be happy to recommend them based on the quality and taste of the food, the ease of working with them, and the staff on site during the event! Exceptionally well done!

Reviewed On 10/10/2022 by Renee' G

We used Elegant Fare Catering and Events at our daughter Renee' Gabbard Mills wedding recently, September 24, 2022 at Krippendorf Lodge in the Cincinnati Nature Center with the help of Renee Fink, Catering/Events Consultant. The food was delic...

ious and allowed us to add on to our menu, the staff was extremely professional to all our guest and decorated just as we had invisioned. Renee Fink was exceptional in providing all her knowledge to help in the planning of our daughter's wedding. Our hearts are full, Krippendorf Lodge was breathtakingly decorated and more than we ever expected. Many, many of our guests remarked what a beautiful venue it was, all served eloquently and thoroughly for a more than perfect event!

Any questions?

Reviewed On 9/27/2022 by Evan G

The food was amazing! Many of our guests commented on how much they enjoyed the food. Kyle and the Elegant Fare team were very easy to work with throughout the process, and the tasting was included. The servers on site for our wedding were very...

friendly and responsive to our needs, including dietary restrictions.

Response from the Vendor on 09/27/2022

Thank you Evan! We are glad you were delighted with our food and service on your special day. Best wishes!

Reviewed On 7/17/2022 by Cara I

Elegant Fare was wonderful! They were super helpful to make sure all of our guests with food allergies/intolerances/preferences were taken care of, and the food itself was fantastic! They run a tight ship, and their servers were wonderful! Woul...

d highly recommend!

Response from the Vendor on 07/19/2022

Cara, thank you so much! All of us at Elegant Fare were delighted help make your special day as perfect as possible, and we appreciate your kind comments. All our best to both of you as you begin your new life together!

Reviewed On 6/28/2022 by Laura R

Everything was wonderful. Renee was great to work with and was very helpful and flexible with all of our requests and questions. Elegant Fare catered our rehearsal dinner and wedding reception and the food was all exceptional!

Response from the Vendor on 07/19/2022

Laura, thank you! We consider it our privilege to be part of your wedding day, and we are pleased that you are delighted. Best wishes fora wonderful future together!

Reviewed On 5/23/2022 by Angela B

The food at our wedding was phenomenal! We did stations and everything was perfect. We worked with Renee for our tasting and the signing of our contract. Come day of, I didn't have to worry about anything when it came to our food!

Response from the Vendor on 05/25/2022

Thank you Angela. It was a pleasure working with you and Steve. Wishing you both all the best!!

Reviewed On 5/06/2022 by Jordan S

The food was excellent (we did passed appetizers, plates dinner, and late night bites) and all were a big hit! The stuffed chicken was so good we had multiple guests ask for the recipe! The Elegant Fare staff were great. Renee and Kyle make ...

the process easy, through, and fun! Catering staff really went above and beyond to ensure the day went well - they even helped care for a young fussy baby during the ceremony! Highly recommend this company!

Response from the Vendor on 05/07/2022

Jordan, the pleasure was all ours. Such a special couple and beautiful celebration of your love—and the fussy baby was such a cutie! Thank you for your kind words and for calling out Renee and Kyle—we agree they are both gems! All our best to ...

you both as you start a new chapter of your life! — Emily and Raj

Reviewed On 1/25/2022 by Penni C

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your service and food! Scott and Stacy were phenomenal! They went out of their way to make sure everything was the way we wanted it and were very flexible and helpful with their own suggestions. The...

beef was so tender it was great! I enjoyed the fresh vegetables and potatoes - they were well seasoned well cooked! The salad had a bit too much dressing but that was my personal opinion (no one said anything). Thank you for making our event even better and relieving my fears about a new caterer! Elegant Fare definitely surpassed all of my expectations!!

Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022

Penni, the pleasure was ours! We enjoyed being part of your special day and are delighted that YOU are delighted. Thank you for your kind comments!

Reviewed On 6/07/2021 by Anne B

My husband and I enjoyed working with Elegant Fare. They were flexible and understanding throughout the pandemic. We had to change our date, venue, and menu. They made the process easy and provided delicious food for the wedding. Our guest are ...

stilling talking about how great the food was!

Response from the Vendor on 06/09/2021

Thanks so much for your kind remarks! Our Elegant Fare team was truly committed to doing whatever was required to help you navigate through safety and health challenges and still achieve your dream wedding from beginning to end. We are delight...

ed that you are delighted! —Emily

Reviewed On 3/27/2021 by Adrianne E

While we ended up cancelling our wedding due to COVID, we wanted to make sure to share how wonderful it was to work with Elegant Fare throughout the process. From beginning to end they were incredibly responsive and professional. Despite having...

to change our wedding plans twice, they were always fantastic to work with and accommodating. Out of the 6 vendors we considered, their food was by far the most delicious as well as the most affordable. We found their options to be sophisticated and interesting, which was exactly what we wanted. Renee is the best and we highly recommend using Elegant Fare!

Response from the Vendor on 06/09/2021

Adrianne, we agree that, in our opinion, Renee is truly "the best" in every way. Thank you for taking the time to let us know how much you appreciate Renee, as well as our expertise, our responsive service, and delicious food. We love working t...

o achieve a wedding you'll never forget, despite the regrettable COVID circumstances that resulted in some cancellations. We wish you all the best!

Reviewed On 7/08/2020 by Sarah W

I am very pleased I used Elegant Fare for my wedding reception! My wedding was on 06/13/20. The original plan was to have my reception that date at a venue that had catered food included, however, due to that reception venue not being open due ...

to COVID19, I was scrambling to find a catering option for a small wedding reception in my parents backyard instead. Elegant Fare did not disappoint! The food was amazing and did not taste like your typical 'wedding food'. My husband is vegetarian and they had many options to accommodate. I would highly recommend!

Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022

Sarah, thank you for asking Elegant Fare to be part of your special day. While health considerations were strongly observed, we were committed to doing whatever was necessary to meet your special needs. Thank you so much for expressing your ap...

preciation!

Reviewed On 9/24/2019 by Erin H

We celebrated our daughter’s wedding this past weekend at the Krippendorf and could not have been more pleased. Julie and her staff were on top of everything...food, drink, layout, and countless and wonderful suggestions! Our family and frien...

ds raved about the food and the Krippendorf was the perfect setting! Hats off to Julie and everyone t the Krippendorf!

Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022

A belated thank you for your review! We are always super-pleased when we hear that our staff exceeded your expectations. And yes--Krippendorf Lodge is truly awesome!

Reviewed On 4/17/2019 by Ali K

We used Elegant Fare for our wedding at Drees Pavilion. They have tons of menu options and the food is absolutely delicious! We had a lot of allergies and some dietary restrictions for them to work with and they were very receptive to all of th...

at! The food was delicious and did not taste anything like the typical “wedding food” we were trying to stay away from. The only reason I am not giving them 5 stars was the communication. Renee was our consultant and while in person and at our detail meeting she was great she does not respond to emails and is very hard to reach. In the long run it was fine because of the meeting 10 days before the wedding we worked everything out but for brides that want to be in constant communication with their vendors I found it difficult. However, I would 100% recommend Elegant Fare to other brides because their food and service was that amazing!

Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022

Thank you, Ali, for letting us know about your experience with Elegant Fare and your high recommendation. As you can imagine, we strive every day to guide our clients through the process. We want you to have complete peace of mind on your speci...

al day! Our best wishes to you!

Reviewed On 10/15/2018 by Ellie R

We used Elegant Fare for our September wedding at the Cincinnati Nature Center. The representative there, Julie Fleisch, is a nightmare to work with. She never informed us of when the calendar would open to book our wedding date, she takes 2 we...

eks to respond to any email, she dresses incredibly unprofessional and she arrived 1 hour late to our final details meeting because she forgot about it. After our wedding, I received the most hateful email imaginable from Julie pretty much stating I had not done anything right. She said I didn’t help clean up after our event, we rented chairs and we weren’t allowed to.and I didn’t provide gratuity for staff. However, I spoke with Julie personally at the end of our wedding night and asked what I could do to help. She stated everything was good and she would leave our items on the porch to be picked up the next morning, which we did. We also spoke a year in advance about renting chairs for our space, but she misunderstood the email and assumed I only rented chairs for the head table. She freaked out 2 days before my wedding and said she couldn’t make it happen and needed to contact the rental company. She called them and cussed out the rental woman because the company was unable to arrive earlier than 2 pm, which is the time Julie had initially stated. She also put someone else in charge of our wedding 2 days before, who had no clue about anything regarding our timeline and details. The person in charge left me standing in the rain for 39 minutes before our ceremony started with no communication. She also didn’t introduce speeches and therefore. Put our timeline 45 minutes behind. In terms of gratuity, none of our envelopes were padded out the night of the wedding as my bridal party forgot. I have to mail them out still with all of our thank you cards. However, Julie pretty much said in her email that since we didn’t tip staff, we would not be getting our deposit back. I reached out to Lisa, the owner of elegant fare, and she was mortified at Julie’s behavior. She apologized and stated she would be meeting with Julie to discuss her email. The best thing elegant fare could do for themselves is get rid of Julie as she is unprofessional and completely negated all good things that happened at my wedding with her negative email and poor attitude. Krippendorf Lodge is beautiful, but there should be another catering option.

Reviewed On 7/19/2018 by Jennifer H

Wonderful experience with Elegant Fare! They were our only option due to the location we selected, but we could not have been happier. Waitstaff was attentive and food was delicious! We had so many compliments on the quality of the food. Wo...

uld highly recommend.

Reviewed On 6/28/2018 by Maggie L

Elegant Fare caters my company holiday party every year and the food is always great so choosing them to cater our wedding was a no-brainer. And they did not disappoint. The food was great as was the service, and the price was competitive of no...

t better than other caterers. Some of the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding and we heard the same from our guests. We’d recommend Elegant Fare any day!

Reviewed On 6/06/2018 by Annalia V

Elegant Fare did an excellent job with our wedding day! We looked at several caterers and they blew everyone else out of the water. The quality, taste, and unique menu was amazing. The food was just beyond delicious! Guests absolutely loved the...

food and we continued to receive positive feedback after the wedding. The staff was attentive and very helpful. Would 10/10 recommend!

Reviewed On 5/23/2018 by Briana S

Elegant Fare catered our wedding at the Krippendorf Lodge at the Cincinnati Nature Center and I could not be happier. Julie did a great job helping us decide on all of the details and gave great suggestions. The day of ran smoothly and we got s...

o many compliments on the food (we had a buffet option). Special shout out to Jacquie who made sure we were taken care of and ate during the reception. Definitely recommend Elegant Fare!

Reviewed On 5/04/2018 by Annie M

We used Elegant Fare as our wedding caterer and it was delicious! We had passed hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour and a plated, sit down dinner. We have gotten so many compliments on the selections, portions and taste. Everything went smoo...

thly and on time. We worked with Renee and can't say enough wonderful things about her. She made sure everything was just right. You won't regret your decision with Elegant Fare!

Reviewed On 9/12/2017 by Katie C

We had Elegant Fare cater our wedding at the Cincinnati Nature Center's Krippendorf Lodge, and the food was delicious. Eating a vegan diet, I was pleasantly surprised when Elegant Fare rose to the occasion and provided us with a plant-based mea...

ls list. Not only that, the meals were creative and flavorful, not just 100% pasta. I was happy to hear that our guests enjoyed the food, too. After our first food tasting, I asked our EF coordinator, Julie, if we could try another dish, and she agreed. We ended up with what we thought was an excellent menu. Everyone server and bartender at the wedding was kind and accommodating. They all seemed to be enjoying their job. Julie, thank you for helping us navigate a wedding world we knew so little about! Our night was perfect, and EF is a huge part of that success.

Reviewed On 9/09/2017 by Gracie H

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Elegant Fare. Julie was a pleasure to work with. We had rave reviews about the food and service at my daughters wedding. The wait staff was the best I have ever encountered. Unlike some caterers the...

y don't nickel and dime you for things. (example no extra charge for plating salads, keeping reduced staff till end of evening, ... like some others we talked to.) Food selections were amazing. There was plenty of food. I would highly recommend them.

Reviewed On 9/09/2017 by Katelyn H

We chose Elegant Fare for our wedding on 7/1/17, and they did a great job. They were helpful, accommodating, and professional in the work they did for our wedding. Julie and her colleagues did a great job executing everything on the day of, and...

were helpful in guiding us, as needed. Delicious food and excellent presentation!

Reviewed On 6/17/2017 by Susan H

We choose elegant fare for our wedding 6-3-17 and I can't say enough about how amazing everything was. From the tasting on-site to the execution the day of the wedding, everything was great. Renee did an amazing job coordinating everything an...

d making sure the wedding day went smoothly. Our favorite item was the beef Wellington appetizers, my husband ate so many during the cocktail hour he hardly had room for the main course. Overall, great food, service, and communication. Would highly recommend.

Reviewed On 6/12/2017 by Kim F

We chose Elegant Fare for our wedding and we are so happy we did!!! Everyone has told me how great our food was!! We worked with Renee throughout the process and she was so helpful. She made sure that we got exactly what we wanted. We stressed ...

to her how we wanted the food to be hot and she made sure that on the day of everyone of our guests received hot food!!! She also made sure all of our guests with allergies got the right food. We are SO happy that we chose them!!! I highly recommend them!!!

Reviewed On 5/27/2017 by Sarah I

We had our ceremony and reception at Krippendorf Lodge in the Cincinnati Nature Center - and the Elegant Fare crew made the whole event impeccable from start to finish. Our guests loved the food, it was elegantly presented, and the servers and ...

bartenders were absolutely wonderful. Definitely defied my expectations - would highly recommend!

Reviewed On 10/31/2016 by Lauren J

We worked with Renee at Elegant Fare for our reception at New Riff after our destination wedding in Mexico. Renee was so helpful and accommodating to all our reception needs. The food was by far the best among their competition. The pricing was...

what you'd expect for the type of food and service they provide. We had a great variety of food options that all of our guest thoroughly enjoyed! If you are looking for a caterer that will provide you with amazing food and fantastic customer service, then Elegant Fare if you place!

Reviewed On 7/20/2016 by Angela R

Renee and Elegant Fare were so great to work with!! We have heard from so many guests that this was the best wedding food that they have ever had! Elegant Fare was easy to work with, and they were beyond accommodating for our special day. Th...

ey did so much more than just cater. They helped with the setup and many other things. We had a few guests who were celebrating Ramadan (they can’t eat during daylight hours), so they had a big to-go box packed for them to take with them full of appetizers, the meal and even some dessert! They helped make our day so wonderful, and I would highly recommend them!!!

Reviewed On 7/10/2016 by Allison S

We used Elegant Fare for our wedding at the Freedom Center and they are much more than a caterer. Elegant Fare not only served delicious food without access to a kitchen at the venue, but also did a fantastic job setting up the ceremony, flippi...

ng the room for the reception, mixing drinks, and serving the cake. They have a great selection of meal options that are completely customizable and we were able to try a variety at our tasting before selecting our final options. We worked with Renee who had answers to all our questions and was able to provide great insights based on her vast experiences with weddings.

Reviewed On 7/08/2016 by Lindsay E

We have received so many compliments about our wedding food! Julie was so great to work with and was on top of everything we needed. Everything was delicious and the staff working the wedding were extremely professional.

Contact Info for Elegant Fare Catering & Events

2575 Commerce Blvd., Cincinnati, OH | Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Greater Dayton

Meet the Team

Raj Pradhan & Emily Gibbons Pradhan

Owner

“New generation” Elegant Fare leaders Raj, Emily and their team will make your dream wedding come true. From Kathmandu, Nepal, Raj served Elegant Fare in finance for 20 years. He’s an at-home chef, specializing in Nepalese and Indian dishes, as well as soccer player, musician, and photographer. Emily, a Cincinnati native, excels at the creative, personal aspects of catering and is devoted to gardening and environmental stewardship. “We strive to use local farm-to-table and support environmental sustainability,” she said. Together they nurture an “always amazing” daughter and two Doodle dogs.

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