Inspired Catering & Events

We serve the Chicagoland area, from the city to the suburbs

About this vendor

In 2015, Karen and Gina Stefani re-branded Phil Stefani Signature Events to become a certified Women’s Business Enterprise: Inspired Catering & Events. Our Executive Chef, Elizabeth Tokarczyk, offers the ability to produce custom menus based on dietary restrictions, allergies, or simply your likes and dislikes, allowing for a wedding that is customized specifically for you. We pride ourselves on our unparalleled customer service, quality, and attention to detail, so you will feel comfortable knowing that every aspect of your wedding will be handled with true care.

Details

Cuisine

American
BBQ
Eastern European
French
Fusion
Greek

Dietary Options

Dairy Free
Gluten Free
Vegan
Vegetarian

Food & Catering

Buffet
Catering Clean Up
Catering Delivery & Setup
Chef Stations
Family Style
Menu Tastings

4.9

out of 5.0

16 reviews

Search reviews

11/04/2019 • Hanna A

We hired Inspired Catering for our wedding this past weekend and it was the best decision we ever made honestly. I’m naturally a skeptic & do tons of research before making any sizable decisions, so to save any brides-to-be (or anyone planning an event) out there looking for a caterer, the time and hassle of doing tons of unnecessary research: INSPIRED CATERING IS THE BEST VALUE OUT THERE AND ARE THEY ARE AN ABSOLUTE DREAM TO WORK WITH. Trust. Everyone LOVEDDDDD the food at our wedding, like I can’t even believe the amount of people who complimented the catering the night of and are still telling me about how delicious their meals were and how much they enjoyed the food, from the appetizers down to the entrees. Even the most hard to impress foodies have been throwing out praise for the catering at our wedding. I was blown away by the food personally, as was my husband. The quality and depth of flavor they present with each dish is truly top tier. Additionally they were incredibly understanding, professional, and so easy to work with. We had a horrible medical situation take over our lives for a year and were so beyond depleted/behind when we finally got the opportunity to plan our wedding, and at that point it really felt like having the wedding we wanted would be impossible. But Inspired Catering’s ability to so easily work with our situation and deliver at such a high level was a godsend that turned our wedding planning around completely for the better. The owner Karen, personally connected with us to make sure we were getting exactly what we wanted, she also ensured that we were able to get it all without exceeding our budget, and provided extra insight that really helped guide us while we were making our final decisions. We also worked with Maribell, their Sales Manager, who could not have been kinder or more accommodating and professional. She gave us so many tips and honest opinions, truly went above and beyond. She literally managed an event setup and helped us select cost effective/complimentary color beautiful linens (it was the only time we were both available to meet with her), at the same time, and was still somehow so calm cool and collected while doing it. Having Maribell onsite at my wedding was SUCH a value add, she held things together keeping the whole wedding reception running smoothly and on schedule (I.e. helping the bridal party lineup for entrance etc...), all while she managed her staff in delivering flawless service and meals to all of the guests. Each of their servers were also so professional, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful! All in all....The best advice I could give any future bride (or any event planner) is to hire Inspired Catering. They really helped make our special day the absolute dream boat that it was! Our wedding was absolute perfection and I cannot thank the team at Inspired Catering enough.

10/31/2019 • Elyssa R

Inspired Catering was perfect for my wedding! The service was amazing and beyond that the food was delicious! I always say that people only remember really bad food or amazing food at weddings, nothing in between. Well, guests keep talking about how outstanding my food was, even the foodies! The staff was great and Liz, our main contact, was so wonderful! She was easy to work with and quick to respond. I can't recommend Inspired more for your wedding or any catering needs!

6/19/2019 • Susan S

Inspired Catering and Events catered our wedding at the Museum of Surgical Science last weekend and it was amazing! EVERYONE came up to us during or after the wedding to tell us that the food was incredible, and that really is what having a great caterer is all about! Inspired really blew us away right from the beginning. They treated us extremely well at our first tasting, really listened to what we wanted, and seemed eager to customize everything to our liking. The food really needs to be highlighted - all the food was delicious, from the passed hors d'oeuvres to the plated meal to the drinks. I don't just mean it was passable. I mean it was REALLY good. We loved it, and guests kept telling us at the wedding that they loved it too. The day-of, everything went really smoothly. The service was very attentive but not overbearing. We had a plated dinner and dessert with coffee service and everything was quick and professional. We worked with Liz throughout the planning process and she really made the effort to make sure the food, service, linens, and everything else really matched exactly what we wanted. Neither of us had been to many weddings, and Liz really made the process very easy and stress-free, and was very communicative throughout the entire process with us, the venue, and our DJ. She answered all of our questions promptly and was just really wonderful to work with. I would definitely recommend Inspired and especially Liz for anyone's event!

8/03/2018 • Sarah R

Inspired Catering and Events made our wedding day absolutely perfect. The food was to die for, everyone raved about it! The decor was exactly what we planned only better and more beautiful than we could have imagined! Working with Karen and her team was the best decision we could have ever made. Her and her team were on hand at the venue and personally went table to table to ensure everyone was enjoying their food and having a wonderful time. From planning to executing, we highly recommend the Inspired team! They will treat you like family and make sure all of your wedding dreams come true! We can’t say enough about how amazing they are!

10/24/2017 • Cynthia D

We cannot say enough great things about Inspired Catering. The amount of time and detail they put into their events is just amazing. We just got married on 10/21/17 and people cannot stop talking about the amazing food! The staff is so attentive and great, I would recommend them 1000 times if I could!

5/25/2014 • Liz P

We just had our wedding four weeks ago and people are still raving about the food and the service. I personally never have good food at weddings, but I tasted ours at it was delicious. Everyone tells me all three options we provided were amazing, best food they ever had. Do not go anywhere else but Stefani's. Food is important at Events, and you are getting THE BEST here. Our wedding was flawless thanks to Stefani's. They went over and above than just the food. The service was amazing and every detail was thought of and done great. I can't rave enough about Stefani's, I would send every bride to them. Everyone keeps telling me it was the best wedding they ever went to, and Stefani's is to thank for that.

10/07/2013 • Kelly S

Anna at Phil Stefani nailed it. She was so helpful and accommodating. She also remembered our odd requests (from a mix of square and circle tables to the specific drinks my family prefers). She and her entire staff were so attentive not only before the wedding but the day of too. Anything I wanted, they immediately made sure to get. The food especially was fantastic. We just attended a wedding with some friends who were also at ours. While the other guests were saying that wedding had the best food ever, our guests argued that ours still won. All in all, we couldn't have chosen a better caterer!

9/23/2013 • Morgan M

Anna from Phil Stefani's was fabulous to work with and their staff as well. Our plated dinner turned just how we tasted it on our tasting day and the chicken was moist and we even had one guest ask for another peice ha!

9/22/2012 • annie l

Expensive but well worth the incredible food and the organization of Ana.

8/19/2012 • Natalie B

Phil Stefani catered my wedding at Crystal Gardens on Navy Pier. Everyone raved about the food. They were very accomodating because I am vegetarian and have vegan friends. Everyone loved the Tomato Bisque Shooter with the Grilled Cheese Lollopop passed appatizer as well as the Seared Beef Tenderloin passed appatizer. The Dinners were amazing and left our guests wanting more. We had the Seared Fillet of Salmon, the Braised Short Ribs, and the Roasted Poblano Pepper stuffed with Ratatouille. I couldn't have asked for a better experience!

7/25/2012 • Heather A

Good food!!! Great service. Plates were too small. Michelle was fantastic!!! Caterers should have brought more silverware. They kept running and washing some to make sure we had enough. Personell were fantastic. Presentation was good.

7/17/2012 • Debra T

Fabulous service coupled with fabulous food = AMAZING Wedding Reception! We couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome and the compliments from our guests continue to roll in. Our venue was the Ballroom at 12 East Erie and was the perfect spot for our reception of 100 guests.

11/01/2011 • Emily B

We worked with Anna at Phil Stefani who was incredibly helpful and accommodating throughout the whole process. They offered a unique & delicious seven course bite sized passed menu that suited our venue and standing reception perfectly. All of our guests were so pleasantly surprised by the variety and elegance of each course!

9/19/2011 • hillary s

We are vegetarian and had an all vegetarian menu. This made many of our Midwestern family and friends nervous! But, even the biggest "meat and potato" fans had to agree how amazing our food was. There were clean plates everywhere!

9/15/2010 • Holly L

Worth the price!

8/09/2010 • Donna D

Everyone RAVED about our Wedding at Crystal Gardens. It really was beautiful! Our only complaint was the cold grilled cheese lollipop hor d'oeuvres, and the long, long wait between the salad and main course.