Five Star Catering

Santa Cruz, Monterey, & San Benito County Weddings

Watsonville, CA

$100 starting price

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Santa Cruz County, San Benito, Monterey, Carmel, Summit.

Service area

AWARD WINNER (3X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

Five Star Catering is a wedding caterer based in Watsonville, CA. Our menus feature local organic ingredients, and we make everything from scratch. We offer buffet, family style, plated, wandering stations, and farm-to-table service. Our professional service staff handles all of the logistical details so that you and your family can relax and enjoy your special day. It is important to us to be upfront and to serve you with integrity, starting with a useful website that includes pricing and a detailed proposal with no post-event surprises. Five Star Catering is a full-service catering company specializing in Weddings. We offer a private, no-charge tasting to assist you in making menu choices and planning rentals, timelines, etc. Our chefs and event team welcome the opportunity to learn more about your vision and customize a catering plan. Whether you want chef stations, family-style platters, buffets, or seated meals, we can meet your needs.

Hispanic or Latinx-owned and Woman-owned Business

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Details

Cuisine

American

BBQ

French

Italian

Latin American

Mexican

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

Any questions?

Availability

4.9

out of 5.0

53 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

Five Star Catering consistently receives glowing reviews for their exceptional service, delicious food, and attention to detail. Reviewers highlight the professionalism of the staff, especially Laura and Caitlin, who are commended for their helpfulness and flexibility in planning personalized menus and accommodating last-minute changes. Guests are impressed with the quality and variety of food, including standout dishes like duck breast canapes, tri-tip, and mini crab cakes. Additionally, Five Star's ability to seamlessly handle various event logistics, rentals, allergies, and vendor coordination adds to the overall positive experience. The team's attention to aesthetics, such as tablescapes and decor matching, enhances the event atmosphere. Overall, Five Star Catering is highly recommended for weddings and special events in the Santa Cruz-Monterey area, offering an unforgettable culinary experience.

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Sarah C

Highlighted review

10/17/2024

Five Star catering did such a wonderful job for our wedding! The food was delicious, and plentiful, and we got compliments all night on the beautiful spreads they brought out to fill the space. During planning, they accommodated all of our adjustments and changes as the guest list was finalized. They also helped us plan for a few more allergies than we had expected, and gave us confidence that all of our guests would be safe. Our venue complicated by the lack of a professional kitchen, but the Five Star team knew it like the back of their hands, so we didn’t need to worry that any details would be missed or get in the way of the quality of the food. They handled all of the rentals we ended up needing, eliminating the need to coordinate with a whole additional vendor to make the day happen! The staff were lovely and accommodating, and really took care of us during the event. The buffet was managed smoothly and no one had to wait long or missed out on anything. They seamlessly plated and served two cakes - one DIY and one delivered -so we could go back to the dance floor! While there are lots of excellent caterers in the Bay Area, I really think Five Star stands out for the tablescapes they create and their ability to match the decor of the event. If you’re looking at their menu and considering charcuterie tables, dessert spreads, or other interactive stations, I highly recommend! It really adds to the atmosphere and the space to have tables overflowing with beautifully arranged food, flowers and signage. It makes the experience feel rich and abundant. Finally, we are so thankful for their flexibility in providing their equipment to enable us to have our favorite local bartenders work our event. It was really important to us to have friends participating in every aspect of our day, but we couldn’t have done it if the professional vendors like Five Star weren’t willing to accommodate that DIY spirit and make room for it in their very efficient operations. If you’re worried about being shoehorned into a cookie cutter event, and want to make sure you hire a caterer who will work to understand your vision and make it happen, hire Five Star Catering!

3/24/2025

Laura and her team made our 50th Wedding Anniversary a fantastic day! The process was seamless, the food amazing, communication was complete, and the team worked so smoothly it was hard to tell they were there. I have used Five Star several times in the past, and each time the service, menu, and overall experience get better! You can’t find a better choice in the Santa Cruz-Monterey area.

Any questions?

Caitlin F

12/30/2024

We couldn’t have asked for a better caterer for our wedding! From start to finish, they were incredibly professional and attentive. Laura, the owner, was super friendly and helpful, making the entire process feel effortless. I also worked closely with Caitlin, who was so patient and kind, even when I kept changing my mind. She made sure nothing was forgotten and that every detail was perfect. They took the time to help us decide on every detail—silverware, place settings, and everything in between—even when I needed extra time to make up my mind. They offered so many choices and helpful recommendations, always keeping our budget in mind. Their expertise really showed in the thoughtful suggestions they made, and we felt so confident knowing they had everything under control. And the food? Absolutely INCREDIBLE. It’s been months since the wedding, and I still have guests telling me how much they remember and loved the food. It truly made the day unforgettable. They also matched our aesthetic and florals beautifully. True professionals. I’ll admit this was the most expensive part of our wedding, but it was completely worth it. You don’t want to take any risks when it comes to food, and they absolutely delivered in every way. They really do live up to their name and all their glowing reviews. I couldn’t recommend them more! Caitlin & Stephen 3.29.24 Photos by Becky Foy Photography

Andrew J

11/12/2024

Five-Star was excellent. We both worked in restaurants and were not going to have bad wedding food like overcooked chicken and soggy veggies. We got so many compliments on the food, from a grazing table to our passed appetizers, full buffet and desert. Favorites included the duck breast canape, the mini crab cakes, butternut squash soup shooter, the halibut with lime, the tri-tip, the caprese salad, the strawberry goat cheese salad, and the lemon bars, but everything was fantastic. They were also excellent at helping us match the décor to the vibes we wanted, and were always quick to reply when we wanted to add heaters or swap out the flatware at the last minute. All around very happy with them.

Heidi S

8/30/2024

Laura and her team were absolutely incredible. Laura helped us to create a Peruvian wedding menu and was so integral in pulling everything together. The food is delicious and the staff are all so kind and professional (and for such a reasonable price). Would absolutely recommend Five Star Catering!

Chiravann U

7/25/2024

We knew food for our wedding was in our top 3 priority list for our wedding budget. From start to finish, we were impressed by Laura and team's professionalism, truly customizable menu based on our favorite dishes, and transparent pricing and options for our catering needs. While we were hesitant because we were only able to do a tasting after signing the contract, this was surely a moot point the moment we tasted the quality of the food. They know what they are doing! The food is fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced. We had Five Star also take care of our signature drinks and they came up with the cocktail recipes. Our guests raved about how delicious the cocktails were and how fast the bar line moved without compromising the quality of the drinks. Five Star is your one stop shop if you're getting married in the Santa Cruz county area. It's been weeks since our wedding and we're still thinking about the food..

Bronwen C

7/16/2024

Oh my goodness. I have nothing but amazing things to say about Five Star Catering, but even better: my guests feel the same way. We got married three months ago and just the other week someone told us that they couldn't stop thinking about the food at our wedding (and that's just one in a stream of people who have brought it up after the fact). Five-Star was organized, professional, communicative, and truly cared about making our special day as perfect as it could be. They were quick to respond to questions, helpful with design, and accommodating of all our needs. During the tasting, we were impressed at how attentive they were to our thoughts and ideas. I appreciated how thoughtful their suggestions were, it was like having a friend at the tasting helping us pick out exactly what food and cutlery would fit us best. Five Star certainly lives up to their name!

Colette S

7/03/2024

5Star is the absolute BEST Catering service; We cannot say enough wonderful things about them!!!! From our delicious tasting to our big day, 5Star was beyond helpful!! They helped us with so much more than just food - heater rentals, napkins, cocktail barrels, dishes, details!! They are worth every single penny! Our guests are still talking about how delicious our food was and how much they loved the prime rib bar. We loved the options 5Star offered and how incredibly helpful they were from start to finish. Cannot say enough wonderful things about them!!! Thank you 5Star!!!

Rachael P

6/09/2024

Five Star catered our wedding, and both the food and service was excellent. Laura was very helpful in planning our menu, accommodating our requests, and obtaining last minute heaters. We had their fiesta buffet, and the food was delicious. Everyone loved it! The servers were also very efficient and helpful. We were also able to request custom cocktails, which were a hit! We had a great experience.

Nina M

11/27/2023

The name says it all.. Truly a five-star experience with Five-Star Catering on the day of our wedding. From the beginning, Five-Star was super easy to work with; up-front pricing, options to personalize to our individual taste, very communicative and friendly throughout the process. Then there’s the food.. The stuffed chicken breast, tri tip, vegetables, and rice were perfectly cooked, and loved by all our guests. Even our ‘food snobby’ guests raved about the food that Five-Star Catering provided. Their wait staff were so kind and helpful on the day of our wedding. Truly could not imagine a better catering experience for our big day. Easy five out of five stars for Five-Star Catering. Thanks for helping make our big day so lovely. Cheers! -Sean & Nina Murphy

Maren C

8/11/2023

More like 10 stars!! We could not be happier with our experience working with 5 Star! In our initial meetings with Laura to work out the menu we were able to make 2 special requests for items off the menu (a salad and an appetizer). All through the planning process we were SO excited about our menu and couldn’t wait to share with our guests. And having 5 Star come with all the rentals we needed made it so easy. Our guests were blown away by the food, and the service. Everyone was complimenting 5 Star throughout the day. We had our wedding at our church, which entailed rapidly re-setting the space from ceremony to lunch, and the 5 Star team did it perfectly and on schedule. They made everyone feel taken care of, especially our celiac guests. And they were phenomenal with clean up and resetting the space. In short, our wedding day would not have been possible without this team. We cannot express our gratitude and thanks enough. Look no further, 5 star has it all covered!!

Huy P

8/10/2023

We cannot say enough about the amazing job that Laura, Caitlin, and their Five Star Catering team did for our May wedding at Waterfall Lodge and Retreat in Ben Lomond! Laura was so easy to communicate with and so very flexible with the menu. When we did our pre-wedding planning, it was so easy to bounce ideas off of her and to work with her to craft our unique menu based on recommendations she had. When it was time for our in-person tasting, she was very attentive to the details that we wanted and was very accommodating when it came to subtle changes we wanted to make to the wedding menu so that we could accommodate all of our guests. Also, when we expressed our interest in designing custom signature cocktails, Caitlin at Five Star was very open to the idea and very helpful in coming up with unique recipes that fit the vision for our special day. When the wedding day rolled around, wow! The appetizers and dinner buffet were amazing! Such delicious food and so much of it! Our guests raved the entire night and for weeks after the wedding about how delicious the wedding food was and how full they were from the buffet-styled set-up we had! They were all so happy with the food and the service that Five Star provided! And the signature cocktails were so popular! People loved the uniqueness of the drinks and kept coming back for more! As for us, the newlyweds, we were busy running around with the photographer getting photos taken for much of the afternoon. But that didn’t stop Five Star from sending two attendants out to us with our signature cocktails and warm appetizers so that we could have them fresh! That little gesture was so nice and really telling of how great and detail oriented the team at Five Star Catering is! They really take good care for you and everyone else at the wedding. And at the end of the night, Five Star cleaned up and left nicely packaged leftovers from the wedding so that we could enjoy our delicious wedding food (that we didn’t really have a chance to eat during the wedding) for a few days! It was very nice to know that the food wouldn’t go to waste and that they would take care of making sure everything was cleaned up and packaged accordingly. We had heard so many good things about Five Star when looking for wedding caterers. Because how many things they offered as part of the wedding package, how cost effective they were in many ways, how good their food was, and how great their staff were. It’s crazy to think that despite knowing all of that, they really did an awesome job and exceeded our expectations! So thankful to Laura, Caitlin, and the team for their amazing job! Can’t recommend them enough for anyone looking for a caterer that fine tunes things and caters to your needs and takes care of you with great food and amazing service!

Alice L

7/15/2023

Omg Five Star catering is the BEST of the best!! I had them at my rehearsal dinner and wedding at Holman Ranch this July and they blew me away! For our rehearsal dinner we had the Fiesta taco bar and wow I wish I could have those tacos all the time. Our wedding food was also amazing and a guest remarked that our snapper was the best fish he ever had! Five Star's thoughtfulness also did not go unnoticed. Their entire staff was so kind to everyone and went out of their way to bring me & others water on such a hot day. Working with Laura and Caitlin was so easy and I felt taken care of the entire process. I can't wait to hire them again for future catering!

Kate D

1/24/2023

Five stars is not a high enough rating for Five Star Catering! If you need catering for a wedding or any other event, we cannot recommend Five Star enough. In short: professional, communicative, outstanding service, and outstanding food, all for an extremely reasonable price. We hired Five Star Catering for our smallish wedding approximately a year in advance. We are not local and had to do almost all of the planning from another state. Laura managed to squeeze us in for a tasting and design-consult during a busy time for them, since that was the only time we were going to be in town. Their food is incredible - this is not your standard "dry chicken or steak" wedding food. Many people commented that it was some of the best wedding food they've ever had. They worked closely with us to make a menu that would satisfy everyone. The buffet is presented beautifully. We also were married during the atmospheric river storms in CA, which put a damper on our planned outdoor wedding. The Five Star staff were incredible and helped us do a room flip so that we could hold a ceremony indoors. They were consummate professionals who did everything in their power to make our day amazing.

Stephanie H

1/11/2023

Five Star Catering catered our wedding at The Waterfall Lodge in Ben Lomond, CA. From day one communication with Laura to the clean up at the end of the wedding ceremony, the entire process was professional, transparent, flexible, and just an overall positive experience WITH GREAT FOOD! There is so much positive stuff to say about this company. But first and foremost, communication with Laura was flawless; she was available when we had questions, updated our menu, updated our place settings, napkins, etc. They were extremely flexible and transparent with pricing which we appreciate since so many things change during the wedding planning process. They have various price ranges and many options to fit any budget! The entire staff was very professional on our wedding day; they prepared delicious food, beautifully laid out the food, and were extremely friendly to all of our guests. Our family and friends praised the servers' attentiveness, friendliness, and sense of humor, saying they remembered their requests for drinks and appetizers and kept the snacks coming! Thank you again, 5 Star.

Gianna + Matt D

11/10/2022

Despite an initial lack of communication with FiveStar, the food, drinks + flow at our wedding turned out amazing! We were working with another person at the company for the several months leading up to our wedding, and there were some serious communication problems. We do understand how busy event seasons became post-Covid, but we would go weeks, sometimes months, without a reply back to an e-mail. At certain points, we were thinking about losing our deposit and going elsewhere. Thankfully, we didn’t! A couple months before our wedding, Caitlin took over catering responsibilities. It was an immediate difference in responsiveness, and she put us at ease right away, answering all of our questions and addressing all our concerns. Our wedding day went seamlessly, thanks to her and the FiveStar staff. We were so appreciative of their consideration of our day + us, providing us time to ourselves right after the ceremony and making sure we didn’t go hungry. Even the bartenders made sure we always had a drink in our hand. It made us so happy that guests kept commenting how great the food, drinks and service were. Seriously – even almost 2 months after the wedding, our guests keep saying how much they LOVED the food. The staff paid so much attention to the details – even the food stations we envisioned were executed beautifully. We would definitely recommend FiveStar for your next event, but make sure you ask for Caitlin!

response 11/11/2022

Hi Gianna, thank you for your honest review! You are completely right about our lack of re...

sponsiveness during that time period and we feel terrible about the anxiety and stress that it caused you. The past few years have been difficult as we struggled to keep afloat in the midst of pandemic craziness while rebuilding our staff. To add perspective, historically we have had a 3-4 person office team, but until fairly recently, we were operating with just one, while corresponding with nearly double our normal wedding clients. In addition, behind the scenes we lost our kitchen lease, so much of our time was suddenly consumed with finding a new location where we could seamlessly transition our operation in the middle of our busiest wedding season ever. Our number one priority was making sure that we wowed our couples on their special day and that often meant prioritizing events in the immediate future, and not being there for our couples trying to get answers during the planning process. We are so sorry. Definitely not ideal and we hope we never find ourselves in that situation again. We were so excited to have Caitlin join our office team (yay!) and are happy to hear that she turned things around for you. She is awesome! We also now have a new home in a building that we recently purchased and are almost complete with construction of our permanent kitchen. We look forward to returning to a high level of responsiveness for 2023 couples and are so grateful to our clients like you, who stuck with us through all of the challenges. Most importantly we are thrilled to hear that you and your guests enjoyed our food and service and ultimately had a great event. We wish you and Matt the best of luck in the years to come!

Jenny M

11/06/2022

Five Star Catering is simply THE BEST. Everyone was extremely kind, flexible, communicative - the staff the day of our wedding at Waterfall Lodge seemed just as excited to see us as any of our guests. The level of service and attention to detail is incredible. Everything from following up about allergens the week before, to them being sure to bring drinks and appetizers to me and my husband before we got to happy hour to ensure we got a moment alone to eat and enjoy being with each other after our ceremony - everything was so thought out. But most importantly - THE FOOD! We couldn’t believe how incredible everything was at our tasting, and somehow it was even better the day of. The reviews are true: this is genuinely the best wedding food any of our guests have ever had. We loved digging into leftovers that were thoughtfully packed up for us during our honeymoon. Thank you again Five Star - Do you cater date nights? Because we want more!

Rachel L

10/12/2022

Five Star catered our wedding at Waterfall Lodge, and we are glad we chose them! They were very familiar with the venue, and were able to give us recommendations about which rentals we needed as a result. Also the food was fantastic! We got numerous compliments from our guests saying that they loved the meal and were surprised how good it was, and the tasting that they offered was very useful for making sure we chose the dishes we liked the best. You can’t go wrong with choosing Five Star!

Alyssa B

9/21/2022

Five Star Catering was so amazing with all of the different options they had — anything you try will make your mouth water, it certainly did for us! They are so good about customizing or creating a personalized option for a dish if that’s what you want and you don’t see it on their pre-listed options; they helped us come up with a fall seasonal salad during our tasting. They also ensured and made it so easy to have food options that accommodated all the different food preferences of our guests (gluten free, vegetarian, non-red meat, etc.) while still making the menu choices feel like us and having something for everybody. They are SO GOOD at what they do!! All of our friends and family who attended loved and enjoyed the food we chose. The day of staff were also so attentive to us and we were pleasantly surprised when they packed us a box of all of the night’s food sampling for us (the bride and groom) so we could enjoy the food again the next day! It was also so convenient to go through them for all of our rentals like table linens, napkins, bartending, extra tables, etc.—even helping us with last minute rental add ons. They made sure the drinks were flowing throughout the night and worked with us on serving a custom cocktail and sangria. Highly recommend Five Star Catering if you want a smooth and delicious experience for your wedding~

Julia M

8/21/2022

The full experience with five star was incredible. Our 180 person wedding was amazing due to their professional and experienced staff and exceptional food they prepared. We were able to meet with five star a couple of times before the wedding to taste and choose dishes, walk through the venue, and plan the necessary rentals and overall strategy. We by no means had an unlimited budget and although Five Star is not the cheapest caterer in the area, they are by far the best value and we have no regrets spending a little extra to have everything handled in such an excellent fashion. Big shout out to Caitlin, who was our go-to person at Five Star. She was incredibly nice, helpful, and experienced and she made us and all of our guests she interacted with stoked about the wedding. All of our guests made great comments and rave reviews about the staff and the food. Short Ribs are an absolute must, the Lemon chicken breast was made perfectly, and honestly so was everything else they provided including the drinks and apps. We are still getting comments about how great the food was, how awesome the bartenders were, and how excellent the signature cocktails were. Can't say enough good things about these guys!

Rochelle B

6/14/2022

Laura was so helpful and really took the time to help us pick out the perfect menu and place settings. We also worked with Caitlin the month leading up to our day and the day of, and she was fantastic! She was very sweet, helpful and knowledgeable. The whole catering staff on our day was was fantastic. On top of the wonderful service the food was delicious! I highly recommend Five Star.

Nicole J

12/21/2021

We are so glad we chose Five Star Catering for our wedding! Laura was an absolute joy to work with and she made us feel like the only couple in the world whenever we met with her. The food was so delicious and the servers all so nice and fun and good to be around. They really helped create the vibe I had wanted and were so glad to have had them there!

Kelsi B

11/28/2021

THANK YOU to Laura and her team for helping make our wedding day the best day ever! The food was absolutely delicious and her staff treated my husband and I like a King and Queen! We had countless guests come up to us saying that it was hands down the best food they had tasted at a wedding and we completely agree. We also had many people say it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and I know Five Star was a big part of that! The staff were all so sweet and professional, helping make our day run seamlessly so that my husband and I and our guests could have the best time celebrating. The bartender was also amazing and kept everyone refreshed and happy! Your help with all of the rentals was also incredible, our reception was so gorgeous and taking the stress of sourcing rentals off our shoulders was truly appreciated. All the leftovers were packaged up so nicely that we were able to enjoy delicious food for several days after the wedding 😋 Thank you thank you thank you!! I definitely recommend Five Star to anyone getting married in the Santa Cruz area.

Michael Lauren K

11/27/2021

Laura and her team are amazing! You can't go wrong with hiring them for your next event, especially your wedding. :) Our guests are still talking about how delicious the food was! Five Star uses local farms to supply their amazing dishes and their entire team including the event staff, the chefs, and the "Ops brain-child" Laura are so incredibly nice and accommodating. They handled my rentals contract and even curated my dessert bar too! Good food, good people, great value. This team is an asset to any couple getting married!

Leslie A

10/29/2021

We hired Five Star Catering for my daughter's wedding on Oct. 24, 2021. They were wonderful!! The food was excellent and the service was phenomenal!!!! We never had an empty glass. I've never seen a team work so hard and the service just kept coming. After the event all I got was compliments about the food. Laura was easy to work with and took care of our rentals too. Best decision I ever made!!

Kimber D

9/16/2021

We hired Five Star Catering for our daughters wedding at Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton, CA (near Santa Cruz). Wow, wow, wow!!! Their food was absolutely to die for, their service was impeccable, and we received nothing but compliments from our guests about the food choices! They passed around appetizers, we had a plated meal, they served wine during dinner, and because they offered us the right amount of staff, everyone was eating at the same time. Beautiful all around…..

Emily B

9/12/2021

Five Star Catering is a dream to work with! Laura was incredibly professional and kind. She responded promptly to every question and communication we sent her way. When our plans changed due to COVID, Five Star Catering was accommodating and willing to work with us to make our much different event still feel incredibly special. The service staff that helped at our event were great too. They were highly professional and really delightful to be around. And the FOOD! The food was absolutely delicious and was beautifully displayed. We enjoyed every single dish they served and so did our guests! We could not have asked for a better experience!

Kristina K

8/01/2021

Five Star did a delicious Fiesta Buffet for our summer wedding. So many people complimented our food that night and even afterward! The mini quesadillas, the enchiladas, and the chips and salsa on the table were a few of my personal favorites! The staff was incredibly prepared for the evening, even bringing my partner and me a plate of food as soon as the dinner started so we had food immediately to eat and a quiet moment to talk while everyone else went to the buffet for their own. 100% delivered a delicious meal and everything went off perfectly the day of the wedding! I don't think Five Star's communication was as outstanding as their food. We were still negotiating rentals and menu items the week before the wedding, having to carefully review the contract to get everything right and not be overcharged accidentally. When our wedding was pushed out due to COVID we were hit with extra charges, which didn't feel fair either. I will say I think these cons were directly related to stress on everyone brought on by COVID-19 postponements and cancellations. They might not continue once all the strain on the events industry subsides.

Aeen A

7/25/2021

Five Star Catering blew us away with the delicious food they catered at our wedding. We chose salmon, ravioli, and lamb shank as our entrees which were delicious. But the lamb shank stole the show. We had multiple guests who are "foodies" come up to us to tell us how much they enjoyed the food. Laura and her staff were very professional and helpful. They even made sure to bring some hors d'oeuvres during our photo session. Overall they make amazing food and make a memorable meal.

Cosmo K

7/24/2021

Wow, this is an amazing company. We were new to wedding planning and weren't sure about costs, what was included, etc., but Laura was fantastic to work with and the overall cost was very fair. Five Star helped us do it all: in addition to the food, we were able to get a bar and all the rentals we needed. This was incredibly helpful to us because we didn't want to forget anything, and we also didn't want to have to work with a bunch of different vendors to figure out all the rentals we needed. Laura was amazing to work with. Our guests raved about the food. Typically guests at a wedding will give you a courtesy compliment, "The food's great", but our guests were genuinely blown away by how excellent the food was, and we got many compliments. It was important to us because most of our guests traveled a long way to be with us, and we wanted them to have great food. The staff on our wedding day was phenomenal. They worked hard and paid great attention to detail. It was nice to know that everything was taken care of and that we could just enjoy our day together and with family. Amazing work. I would highly recommend Five Star Catering for a wedding. You'll get fantastic, quality food at a great price, they'll help you with all your rental needs, and the staff won't miss a beat. Huge thank you to Laura and the Five Star team.

Yvonne L

7/18/2021

We worked super closely with Laura and Five Star Catering with only a short amount of time left until our wedding, and they made our wedding day so much more amazing than we could have even imagined! From the very beginning, Laura was extremely communicative and helped us with deciding a menu and even timeline that worked well with us. We had a milion questions for her, and she always took the time to explain the details to us as well as provide insightful advice. On the actual day of the wedding, the Five Star team was absolutely phenomenal! They went above and beyond in taking care of one of my guests who has extremely complex and severe allergies, and they made sure to have more than enough options for her. They came up to us at the sweetheart table to make sure we had food to eat, and they took care of us directly throughout the reception! They even asked one of our family members who had a child with him if they could help him grab his plate at the buffet since he had his arms full already. They have amazing service to begin with, and their food is just as wonderful and delicious! We had a tasting with them and couldn’t choose because everything we tried was sooo good! All of our guests came up to us to tell us they loved the food which is not always the case for wedding food, and everyone raved about each different dish, which goes to show how each of their menu options was just as tasty! They did amazingly with setup and breakdown, and we could not have asked for more as they performed well beyond our expectations. If it weren’t for Laura and Five Star, our wedding day definitely would not have run as smoothly as it did, especially because they took the time to help us work directly with the venue and even to figure out cocktail and reception setup well beforehand. I would 10000% recommend Five Star to anyone for their event!!!

Katie A

7/17/2021

Laura at Five Star did an amazing job with our wedding day. The food was DELICIOUS and the staff was attentive and professional. We had a seamless day as Five Star helped to put the finishing touches on our wedding. Laura was responsive and even scheduled a walk through with us in person a few days before the wedding since we were coming in from out of town. This walk through helped us to feel supported and relaxed about the wedding day! Laura thought of every last detail. On our day, the food tasted exactly like it did on our tasting and everyone raved about the stuffed mushrooms (app) and short ribs (main)! We would recommend Five Star Catering for any event.

Kelly R

1/03/2020

We could not have done our wedding without Wendy, Laura, and the whole Five Star catering staff! We changed up our menu a few times and every time the staff was totally flexible and willing to work with us. We went with a mexican family style dinner and it was the perfect amount of class and comfort food and was absolutely DELICIOUS! Wendy was present the entire duration of our wedding and ensured everything was absolutely perfect! We highly recommend utilizing their bartending service as well who were all super professional and delightful. Thank you so much Five Star catering for the delicious food and amazing drinks!

Ashley D

11/15/2019

Laura and her team at Five Star Catering catered our wedding and everything went off without a hitch (at least nothing I noticed). My wedding was about a month ago and I'm still getting compliments from our guests about how great the food was. Laura was also able to customize and recommend things for us that we wanted that were beyond your typical dinner buffet (e.g., making use of the wood-fire ovens at the venue for flatbreads, chocolate fondue station, etc). Definitely recommend Laura and her team!

Diana F

11/15/2019

“No one likes the food at weddings, but yours was actually really delicious.” We heard this over and over again after Five Star catered our wedding. And it was true! Our wedding food rivaled that at expensive restaurants. I’m still craving it. There wasn’t a single dish that missed the mark. Five Star has some very talented chefs. Not only was the food delicious, but the servers were great as well. They were professional, prompt, and even took special care to make sure that we ate. While everything was served family style, we were at a sweetheart table and they actually took the time to make us heaping plates of delicious food. They also did a great job with our drinks. Our bar and cocktails were beautiful and kept everyone well “hydrated” :) If you’re looking for wedding food that your guests will actually rave about, Five Star is the catering team to choose!

Ann F

11/11/2019

I was the mother of the bride, and we financed the October 2019 wedding at the beautiful Sand Rock Farm in Aptos. The venue has a number of required vendors they work with, and Five Star Catering was one of them. Fortunately, they were fabulous to work with, and we could not have been happier with all that they did on our wedding day. How often do you actually hear people compliment wedding food? We have received so many emails complimenting the food and the staff. There were delicious passed appetizers and drinks during the cocktail hour and dinner was served family-style at round tables. It was perfect! When I had questions and concerns prior to the wedding, Wendy in the office, was quick to reply and so helpful. They even thoughtfully packaged up the leftovers for the couple as they missed much of the dinner during the sunset photo session. We could not be happier with Five Star Catering. Thank you for making our day so special!

Talicia W

7/07/2019

Wonderful! Great food, great service, all in all great people to work with. The food at my wedding was such a hit!

Denise A

6/09/2019

I would say 5 star catering absolutely killed it. The food was tremendous and everyone couldn’t stop talking about it. I also appreciated their flexibility in letting me use two of my recipes for the menu. Finally, they went above and beyond in tailoring the food, ingredients and the presentation of the food to match exactly what I had envisioned. They were incredibly affordable for the area and I would recommend them a million times over. Laura and Wendy are top notch.

Samantha F

8/17/2018

This team was amazing! I worked with them at Monarch cove, and the day of was a lot more than I expected. The food was delicious and Laura was very helpful. Thank you all!!

Stephanie S

7/17/2018

We used Five Star for our wedding this past weekend and were so impressed with the day of coordination and execution! We booked them early on in our planning process and loved the food, pricing, and options they provided. We did have difficulty as the wedding got closer finalizing our contract and communicating with them which was stressful as we just wanted to get everything done so we could enjoy family time, but the day of made up for it. Wendy and her team were so friendly and responsive to our needs and were one step ahead of everything. The set-up, turn over, and dinner were fabulous. The food was tasty and everyone was complimenting it. We were packed bride and groom to-go containers for post-wedding time and were given the remaining food in wrapped containers. The staff broke down their stuff very quickly and then helped my family and us pack our good out (drinks, flowers, etc.) All in all we would recommend them, but you may have to send a couple follow-up emails/calls for responses! Thank you 5 Star!

Dia Q

3/29/2018

We used 5 Star for our June Wedding at Monarch Cove Inn. Our criteria was that we wanted to bring our own alcohol and they got great reviews. We worked with Laura and she was a pleasure to work with. They were really accommodating with everything we asked for. Everything was workable in some way. My favorite things were the Mushroom Corralitos, Seafood Crepe and Tri-tip. I gave them a recipe of what I make and they did the best they could. If you do this, you should be really specific and not be really disappointed if it's not exactly what you're expecting. All the staff were really friendly and responsive. We were really happy with the outcome and they provided great value.

jessica R

10/03/2017

I can't say enough good things about this caterer. They really made sure I was stress free the day of the wedding and went above and beyond what normal caterers do. Not to mention the food was amazing! I would highly recommend Five Star Catering to anyone.

Karen S

9/08/2016

We had a spanish style rehearsal dinner and the best banquet food I have ever had with tons of left overs. The staff was hard working and on top of things too. I had nothing to worry about . My daughter , the bride and her husband had gone down for pretty much a full meal to sample dishes and it was all so good and they were very loving. The chairs and choices of table settings was great too.

Talia I

8/06/2015

There are really no words for how amazing Laura at Five Star Catering is...but I'll try. We first came across Five Star because it was just outside of Carmel (where we got married). We were initially discouraged by Carmel/Monterey catering prices. We didn't want to cheap out on the food, but it was hard to swallow the idea of $15,000 for food for less than 75 people...not including china or linens. Then we found Laura's website. All the menu options looked amazing, and so did the prices. We booked a tasting (which was free, private, and easy to schedule). The food was incredible, Laura and her staff were so kind, and we learned that everything from bartenders to tablecloths were included in the price. When the wedding day finally rolled around, we were impressed again by Laura's professionalism. Without us even asking (or knowing) she had brought decorations that went with the general theme of our wedding. Please keep in mind, we had very minimal decorations of our own. She brought beautiful platters for the cupcakes, lovely centerpieces for the buffet table, and wine racks with gorgeous floral garlands on the cheese table. Her entire staff was extremely professional and was a huge part of the day going smoothly. They were able to set up and break down the whole operation quickly and well within the limited time budget provided by the venue. Through the entire wedding planning, Laura was always available to answer questions. She is understanding, organized, and extremely gracious about both giving advice and receiving direction from clients. Aside from all her personal attributes...the food was incredible and our guests are still talking about dinner. Our other vendors even asked for Laura's contact information because they were so impressed by the quality of the food and were especially surprised to hear how reasonably priced it was compared to other vendors in the area. We have nothing but wonderful things to say about Laura, her food, and her staff. Our wedding wouldn't have been the same without them!

Tish S

7/01/2015

This was my absolute favorite cater that I have ever used. They did more than just food. They knew the venue like the back of their hand. They set up more than food-they helped with tables for favors and sign in. Anywhere we needed an extra set of hands they were more than willing to help. They communicated SO well and were well prepared. They are also VERY flexible and are prepared to solve any last minute things that can pop up. We were so happy with the quality of food during our taste testing that we used them for our rehearsal dinner to! Great food, great people and great service.

Angel A

6/10/2014

The food was AMAZING.... from appetizers to main course everything was delicious and everyone said it was among the best wedding food they had eaten. I have worked with a number of caterers but none were better than Five Star. Their quality, flexibility, and friendly service is remarkable. We had a buffet and the meat was juicy, the vegetables crisp and the mashed potatoes were out of this world!! The staff was incredibly friendly and everyone worked very hard to make everything perfect for our special day! I would highly recommend 5 Star!!

Tiffany S

2/11/2014

This catering service was highly recommended by our venue, and we are very glad we listened. My husband wanted the food to be memorable, as most wedding food is good, but forgettable. We showed up to the tasting and were hooked from the first appetizer. It was amazing. The service was amazing at the reception, and everything went perfectly. The only thing was the slightly delayed return emails and calls, but I was aware of this from previous reviews and knew everything would work out. If this is something that would bother you, I would let them know as they would probably step-up the service. It was not a problem for me, and worked out perfect. We are still getting compliments on the food. Even if someone was not a fan of something, they loved something else. There is never pleasing everyone with everything, but everyone seemed to find something they loved. We went with a buffet style with the popular beef and chicken dish, opting for a healthier (my side) choice, and a comfort food (husband's) choice. Salads were spinach with dressing on the side, and macaroni (husband's choice). Mashed potatoes were a favorite and we opted for two vegetables instead of a rice dish, and it was perfect. Laura was amazing to work with, and we loved the whole process. We highly recommend this caterer, and are still getting compliments when people bring up the wedding. Most often we hear, "Usually weddings don't have such great food," or "I'm still thinking about those mashed potatoes, steak, appetizers, et cetera..." 5 star indeed.

Jessica L

8/17/2013

Five star catering was perfect for our wedding! I was looking for a caterer who included the tables & chairs so I wasn't working with a bunch of different vendors. They did an amazing job setting up our tables and they all looked gorgeous! They had worked many weddings at our venue so they were able to help me with the planning because they had experience there & I didn't! My guest loved how the waiters served hor d'oeuvres during the cocktail hour! It really brought a feel of class to our wedding! And the food was simply amazing!!! It was so delicious and everyone was blown away! I can't thank 5 star enough for making helping make our wedding day perfect!

Roxie G

1/13/2013

Several of our guests commented that our wedding food was the best that they'd ever had at a wedding! And we had a vegetarian wedding. After 3 in person meetings and several calls and email exchanges, they created exactly what we wanted for our wedding!

Sharon S

10/04/2011

We had vegan & vegetarians & meat eaters. NO PROBLEMS. My veggie friends thanked me for the good food they could eat. I loved how they set up and took down everything. The tables were beautiful and the help was very gracious.

Laura D

7/31/2011

We tried 5 caterers and these guys were the best. Everyone loved the food at our wedding. Thanks guys for making it an assume day!!

Corrine C

6/18/2011

Five star has a reasonable price withthe quality and service needed from your caterer. They took care of our linens, food, staff and bartending. It was awesome to have a "one stop shop" for all areas above. Not to mention the food was delicious! The staff work very hard to please evernyone and are very professional. I would recommend Five Star catering to anyone!

Erica G

5/10/2010

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10 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA

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Santa Cruz County, San Benito, Monterey, Carmel, Summit.
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(831) 728-3090

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Five Star Catering

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