Ingredient-driven + thoughtfully produced
Massachusetts & New York
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Justin Carafotes
OWNER
Typically responds within 24h
Based in Stockbridge, MA, Hand Crafted Creative is a full-service catering and event production company serving weddings in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. We specialize in unique, off-premise weddings and celebrations. Our food is ingredient-driven. We believe in sourcing locally and thoughtfully while reducing food waste within our company as a whole.
Our primary mission is to provide food that is delicious, sustainable, and beautifully executed. Our planning and production process is whole cloth, from coordinating with vendors to developing your day-of timeline. We are here to execute your unique vision.
Speaks English
Details
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
Halal
Kosher
Nut Free
Organic
Sugar Free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Food & Catering
Buffet
Catering Clean Up
Catering Delivery & Setup
Chef Stations
Family Style
Food Trucks
Menu Tastings
Passed Appetizers
Seated Meal
Servers
Any questions?
Meet the team
Justin Carafotes
Executive Chef / Owner
From an early age, I was taught about etiquette and various cuisines while dining with my Grandmama at the finest Boston area restaurants and hotels.
She would gift books on the subject for birthdays and holidays, following up with a quiz and the threat of McDonald's.
I treasure these memories as I do every event Hand Crafted produces. From our weddings, rehearsal dinners and everything in between we strive to make every event not just one of a kind but unforgettable.
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.014 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 4
Lauren B
Highlighted review.
5.0
7/01/2025
Justin and his team provided the most memorable tasting menu we could have imagined for our intimate wedding at Silver Maple Farms. The food was absolutely delicious and beautiful...
ly presented. The quality of fresh, local ingredients came through in every dish. Justin came out to explain each course, which added a special touch for our guests. In addition to the tasting menu, we opted for the harvest bounty table and dessert board, both of which were works of art. Beyond the amazing food, Justin helped execute every part of the evening, including the rentals, set-up, and impeccable service. Justin is an incredibly talented chef and a dream to work with in planning our wedding. Our guests are still raving about the meal!
Victoria S
5.0
1/19/2026
Justin and his team were absolutely outstanding! We loved working with Hand crafted for our wedding. During our initial calls we explained what we were looking for and the team pai...
d so much attention to the details we provided to really make the night special! They were super accommodating when we’d add or change things around and made the entire cocktail hour and dinner stress free on our end. Not only that but we’ve had nearly every person at our wedding compliment us on the food! And we had over 100 guests!!! We had some guests with lots of allergies and everyone was able to have a delicious meal and plenty of options. Picking Hand Crafted was easily the best decision we made during wedding planning, I could not recommend them enough!!
Any questions?
Gary P
5.0
3/23/2023
As the General Manager at Taconic Ridge Farm, a premiere Barn wedding venue in the Hudson Valley, I observe a lot a Caterers at work. The team at Handcrafted are true pros. Their ...
service is smooth, detailed orientated and flexible. The staff are truly nice people that deliver an outstanding dining experience. I hear the food is pretty good too!
Aly C
5.0
2/02/2023
Justin, Rachel, and the Hand Crafted team went above and beyond to make our day perfect! In the months leading up to our wedding Justin and Rachel were communicative and helped gui...
de us through an unfamiliar process with ease. On the day of our wedding, the Hand Crafted team executed all of our ideas to make our day special. The food was incredible!! People were stopping me to tell me it was the best “wedding food” they’ve ever had. On top of all that, the staff were so friendly and personable with my guests and again I was getting comments left and right about how nice and accommodating everyone was! We quite literally could not have had the incredible wedding we had without Hand Crafted. We highly and enthusiastically recommend them!!!
Rose F
5.0
6/20/2022
People are still talking about the food at our wedding! We LOVED working with Justin and his team. We were thrilled with our food (presentation, how it was served and most importan...
tly taste) and really got along with Justin from the start (inclusive of a really fun tasting in his kitchen in Stockbridge). Straight forward, passionate about what he does, easy to work with and knows what he is doing. He took all of our opinions and delivered - would not hesitate to rec or work with again. (We served 120 people fried chicken, salmon, amazingly tasty side of broccolini/carrots, best gnocchi we've ever had, amazing :) )
Rachel R
5.0
1/10/2020
There are truly no words to describe how incredible the food and presentation was at our wedding! My guests are still raving about the flavors, creative plating of our family style...
meal (we opted for service on boards), and the cocktail hour!
We were able to cover all guests with dietary restrictions, while having some of our favorite foods! The ceviche station during our cocktail hour was unreal and each passed hors d’oeuvre was devoured! Our bounty table was gorgeous and a huge crowd pleaser! We also opted for four different proteins for our family style dinner which surprised and delighted our guests!
Working with the Hand Crafted team was an absolute pleasure and our menu was custom designed for our needs and vision.
I want to do it all again so I can eat everything again!
Frank W
5.0
11/12/2019
Our wedding planner found Hand Crafted and we decided to take a chance on a first-time wedding venue with them. We are so glad that we did since our wedding was fantastic. Justin...
and his team constantly tried to do everything possible to make our wedding an incredible day for us, our families, and our friends.
We had a taco bar, and we continue to get compliments on the food when we talk about our wedding with family and guests. Everyone loved the food and appreciated the quality.
Hand Crafted provided the rentals and made sure the set-up was great for both the ceremony and the reception, and they were excellent in quickly transitioning the same space from seating to cocktail reception venue (NOT an easy task). The rentals themselves (chairs, tables, etc) looked really nice and added to the wedding aura.
Justin provided great referrals and worked really well with our wedding planner, who said after the fact that she really appreciated Justin and would absolutely work with him again. We are very appreciative to Hand Crafted for making our wedding an epic and special event, and we certainly recommend them--they'll take care of you and make sure your wedding is incredible!
Mike D
5.0
10/11/2019
I'll start by saying, that my wife and I are food nuts, and it was our mission from the start to have a wedding centered around a memorable food experience and to make sure we ate ...
plenty! I cannot say enough good things about how Justin and his team executed on this goal.
We had a backyard cocktail style DIY wedding without assigned seats or a sit down dinner portion. Instead we had an extended cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres followed by a taco station which included a pig roast for "dinner."
From the beginning, Justin was super responsive and helpful in planning this, and we needed plenty of help. He and his team's eye for presentation and what made sense in terms of quantities and layout was spot on. He also suggested certain materials and cost saving ideas which we certainly appreciated.
While I may be biased, head chef Rachel delivered the most memorable wedding menu I could have asked for. We had a few special requests including having choco tacos and chipwiches for dessert. They went above and beyond, strapping coolers over the server's shoulders and having them wear ice cream shop paper hats was genius. She was even able to make an idea for a passed app come to life. I always loved roast beef french dip and she was able to turn this idea into a unique and delicious bite, along with plenty of other delicious treats already on their menu.
We also had a local pizza truck come while the taco station was available and lets just say there was a clear crowd favorite. The pizza was great, but the roasted pork at the taco bar was all the rave. As Justin had promised, I was worried about lines and crowd control, but their servers and caterers were great at keeping things moving.
Speaking of service, the wait staff and bartenders could not have been nicer or more attentive. My wife and I were constantly brought plates of food without having to wait on line, and I am glad to not be another story of a couple that didn't get to eat at their wedding... we were stuffed and happy. Several other guests went out of their way on the night of to tell us how great the service was and how pleasant every interaction was.
Throughout the whole process, it was truly invaluable to have and trust Justin and his team help with a lot of decisions big and small. I now consider him a friend and would trust leaving full and happy at any party big or small that he and his team are involved with.
Hannah M
5.0
9/14/2019
The food from Handcrafted was delicious! The staff was great to work with and they were willing to customize and explain everything. Very transparent about pricing, how the process...
works, etc. We highly recommend them for your wedding!
Renata T
5.0
9/10/2019
We hired Handcrafted for our wedding catering and could not have been happier. Justin and his team were a breeze - so easy to work with, super responsive and flexible. We knew at t...
he tasting that we didn't have to evaluate any other caterers. The food was clean, simple, fresh, local, inventive, beautiful. And of course incredibly delicious. We were blown away and so excited to be serving such gourmet food to our guests. They are still raving about all the cocktail hour and entrees. The most memorable element was the "experiential" table which we chose to do for our dessert station. Make sure you ask Justin about it, you will not be sorry.
Kabuzi M
5.0
12/09/2018
My wife and I self-planned our “Rustic Wine Garden” wedding in Summer 2018, and were regretting that choice until Hand Crafted came into the picture weeks before our big day.
They...
were prudent throughout the prep, and went out of their way to ensure we had the best service, and stayed within our budget - whilst preserving our own vision for the event. The staff was cordial & well-presented, and the menu still gets raving reviews from our friends till today.
Overall, Hand Crafted rose to the occasion & left us with nothing but positive words with regards to their professionally-run operation.
Response from HAND CRAFTED on 12/19/2018
Kabuzi we loved and enjoyed helping you with the end details. You both planned a beautiful...
wedding and we couldn't be more honored than for you to have chosen us to see the final vision come to life!
Natalia F
5.0
11/30/2018
Absolutely excellent overall! I wish I can give them 6 stars! The food was out of this world. Starting by the creative platting, to the correct amount of portions, and of course th...
e great taste of the food. Hand Crafted understood our vision and were extremely great to work with. Definitely the best choice and would recommend to anyone.
Response from HAND CRAFTED on 12/04/2018
Natalia it was an absolute pleasure & honor to be apart of your big day! Thank you for you...
r kind words and continuing support.
michael s
5.0
11/29/2018
Hand Crafted was the perfect choice! The food was OUTSTANDING! Everyone was coming to us raving about it. Working with Hand Crafted was an absolute delight, as well. They helped us...
to customize a menu that met our budget, allowed for a nice variety, and took advantage of seasonality. They were very direct in assisting us with estimates on quantity and always responded to questions, day or night. The bounty table is a must have, as is anything steak! We will absolutely use them again for future events and I highly recommend them to everyone in my network.
Response from HAND CRAFTED on 12/04/2018
Michael! Thank you for making us a part of this wonderful day. once again always a pleas...
ure!
Will M
5.0
11/29/2018
Was fortunate to hear about Handcrafted through a friend who had a art showing catered by them. Me and my fiancé hired Handcrafted for enganangemt party and the event was absolutel...
y incredible thanks to them.
From the service, to the food, and to the drinks, everything was beautifully orchestrated. The service which is huge for me was prompt, the servers were well mannered and professional. The drinks were on the money, not too light and not 80% alcohol.
The food? WAS PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!
The whole menu was esquiste and hit every taste bud. Executive Chef Lisselly Brito outdid herself. The food was beautifully presented and everyone was raving about it.
Response from HAND CRAFTED on 11/29/2018
Thank you Will! It was a pleasure to have served the both of you as well your guests. We ...
look forward to crafting and producing your upcoming nuptials!
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HAND CRAFTED
Justin Carafotes
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Owner
Typically responds within 24h
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