Kuma's Catering

Lisa and her team are, hands down, the best group of people I have ever met and would hire them 100% again and again. Lisa ensured she understood what our vision was by asking thorough and detailed questions. She went above and beyond contacting our venue and all necessary vendors to make sure everything ran smoothly. If there was ever an issue, she solved it without worrying us. And the day of our wedding, several of our guests informed us how amazing her and her teams’ service, professionalism, and how invested she is… not to mention how delicious all the food was, requiring seconds and thirds!!! There aren’t enough words to explain how phenomenal Lisa and her team are and how if it weren’t for Lisa, we wouldn’t have had the wedding of our dreams come true.

Lisa and her team at Kuma's were AMAZING to work with for our wedding at Greenhouse Loft on March 22, 2024. From start to finish, Lisa went above and beyond to make sure our planning process was as stress free as possible and that the wedding went smoothly. She gave advice on creating the menu, helped coordinate ordering additional linens/rentals, and simply checked in when she knew I was experiencing peak stress levels. We hired them for both catering and bar services, and everything was wonderful! They made great signature cocktails and kept the bar moving and drinks flowing all night long. And the food was INCREDIBLE! It tasted just as fresh, warm, and delicious as when we went in for our tastings to create our menu. Our guests gave such raving reviews about how much the LOVED they food, that we have family asking to go to Kuma's next time they visit the city. Even though we ordered desserts from a separate vendor, Lisa helped with setting them up and creating a beautiful dessert display after dinner - this was a huge plus and took one more thing off our own shoulders to plan. Ultimately, Lisa was absolutely wonderful to work with, and we 100% recommend using Kuma's Catering for your next event!

Lisa & Kuma’s were a great choice for our wedding! We wanted casual comfort food for the winter, and before saying anything specific Lisa sent a draft BEO with foods that completely matched our vision- sliders, Mac & cheese, etc. We had such a positive experience with her throughout the process - friendly, responsive, flexible, and enthusiastic! Day-of, everything went so smoothly, and multiple guests came up to us with positive things to say about the food & service.

Don't hesitate when it comes to choosing Kuma's catering for your big day! Lisa is spectacular to work with, and makes the entire catering process stress free! We waited up until a month or so before the wedding to find our caterer, so there was a bit of a time crunch, but we felt so much more at ease when we got in touch with Lisa. Everything from the tasting menu up until the big day, we never felt anything but excitement to have Kuma's catering our event. All of our guests said it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding! We had an intimate backyard wedding with about 50 guests, and it suited the vibe perfectly. There are options for everyone, and it fit within our budget! Book Kuma's catering for your big day!

Kuma's catering for our wedding was an absolute game-changer, and I couldn't be more thrilled to share my glowing 5-star review! This experience was beyond amazing, thanks to the incredible Lisa and the whole Kuma's team. First things first, Lisa is an absolute gem. Seriously, she's the best person in the world! Her knowledge of the catering industry is next level, and it truly shines through in her work. From day one, she was like our wedding fairy godmother, going above and beyond to make our day perfect. Her top priority was ensuring that our day was exactly as we envisioned it. She's not just about business; she's all heart. Lisa's recommendations were spot on, and she guided us every step of the way. And let's talk about the food – it's Kuma's, so of course, it was phenomenal. From the initial taste testing (which was a blast) to the final event, the food was nothing short of epic. If you're looking for top-notch service, incredible food, and a genuinely caring team to cater your special day, Kuma's is the way to go. This was, without a doubt, the best wedding catering experience ever!

How do I even start to review Kumas… everything about this team will exceed your expectations. When we started looking for food, we quickly realized it was going to be a much harder task than we ever could have imagined… wedding food kind of sucks. After probably 10+ bad tastings we were defeated and anxious about how we were going to feed our friends and family, they expect a lot as we’re pretty big foodies. We were recommended to Lisa and it was game over. We had a tasting with Lisa, and she made us feel like we had finally found *the one*… funny how many times you have to find *the one* during this process. The food at the tasting was incredible but what was really impressive was that the quality at the wedding was even better. every single appetizer (still sad pictures trumped the chicken and waffle aps, still dreaming about these), entree and even the desserts she helps coordinate (another woman small Chicago business!) everything was amazing. They even recreated a BOTM that my husband had 5 years ago that he had been telling me about our whole relationship, he seriously was obsessed. So even if you’re on the fence and want something special, just reach out, I have no doubt that Lisa and her team will make it happen. The real stars of the show is her & her team… would I be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, yes- 5 people for a 145 person wedding…. How? I still have no idea, because I swear, it felt like there was 15 of them there. They are a well oiled machine and my guests LOVED them. I got a text message that said “kuma's slayed, they did more than any other staff member lol” and I couldn’t agree more. Lisa and her small but mighty team not only handled the food and my bar, but they jumped to do anything that anyone needed help with… I could cry thinking about how this team went above and beyond for me- Lisa even started calling DJ friends when we thought our DJ wasn’t going to show up… how is she even real?! Lisa and Team- I cannot even form words to express how much we loved and adored your team. Thank you x103847292 from the bottom of our heart. Our guests loved the food, and desserts… probably a little too much- I’ve gotten no less than 2 comments about this a day… WE LOVE YOU GUYS.

This review is long overdue! If you are looking for amazing food and service for your wedding, cocktail party, corporate event, or honestly, ANY event catering and service you need, you can’t go wrong with Lisa and her team at Kuma’s. One of the top three important items we wanted to concentrate on for our wedding was the catering (food and service). We have been big fans of Kuma’s for a long time which led me to look at them for our catering needs. We looked at a few places which we thought would work for our vibe, but after meeting with Lisa, we knew we had to have Kuma’s catering. Starting with the tasting, refining the menu before the day, as well as the actual day, Lisa was extremely responsive and communicative and really worked with us and our budget to make sure our day was memorable and special. Their sliders are exceptionally delicious (make sure to get the chicken Iron Maiden), and despite them being known for their burgers, Kuma’s has the capability to accommodate all sorts of dietary restrictions including vegans, vegetarians, those with gluten free and dairy allergies, and even the pickiest of kids! We had nine kids attending our wedding and I was concerned they would not enjoy the sliders as much as the adults. Lisa offered to provide a tray of chicken tenders with sauces for the kiddos to accommodate them to go along with the mac and cheese we had put on the menu. Moreover, everything is prepared fresh and never frozen, which is remarkable in today’s market. The basil vinaigrette used for the house salad was made fresh the day of and if I could, I’d buy a bottle every week. Furthermore, there are special items you can only get with catering, and we highly suggest ordering the buffalo chicken bites, jalapeno popper bites, and especially the artichoke dip. They were out of this world amazing. Everyone left extremely satisfied and we still get compliments on how amazingly delicious the food was, not to mention the exceptional level of service. Lisa was extremely attentive and beyond helpful with set up and clearing and made sure we didn’t have anything to worry about at the end of the night. Nick, our bartender, was super helpful with last-minute tasks before guests arrived, and made sure everyone had a drink and were taken well care of. As I said before, we were big fans of Kuma’s prior to our wedding and this experience just cemented our love for them even more. We will definitely use them for our catering needs in the future. If you are looking for something unique and special that will have everyone remembering your event in the best possible way, we highly recommend you book Kuma’s!

My son & his wife wanted something different for their recent wedding than catering the usual boring wedding food, so they chose Kuma’s, & they did not disappoint!!! We loved their food, their set up & the quality of the food was top notch. Everyone loved it!!! Lisa worked really hard giving my son & his wife exactly what they wanted & really helped do more than we expected the day of the wedding. We are so happy Kuma’s catered our son’s wedding!!

I selected a wedding venue with a "preferred" catering list but could also choose outside of that list. I was looking for BBQ food at first due to the venue being at a contemporary barn, the preferred list BBQ food tastings were very underwhelming and the staff were unorganized. While trying to figure out a catering service outside of the venue's preferred list I came across Kuma's Corner catering and sent an inquiry for a food tasting. I saw that Kuma's Corner had pulled pork sliders which is something I wanted to include on my menu along with the typical Kuma's Corner food options. Lisa, the catering manager, is fantastic. The moment my now husband and I met her we KNEW we had to have Kuma's Corner at our wedding. The food was amazing and everything included in the catering package worked with our budget. Lisa went above and beyond to make sure our wedding day went smoothly, she even made menu's for our guest tables! Lisa was very responsive to emails/ phone calls and answered all of my questions. The day of my wedding, Lisa and her team did an amazing job! All of my wedding guests have been raving about how great the food was at our wedding and the staff at Kuma's Corner! If you are ever looking for catering.... CHOOSE KUMAS CORNER.

Kuma’s catered cocktail hour for our wedding. The food (macaroni and cheese and pulled pork sliders) was a hit with the guests! I think we got more compliments on the cocktail hour food than the dinner!

From the second we decided to go with Kuma's, there was not a single second we regretted it. From the initial tasting to the planning meetings to the actual wedding day, everything was flawless and the food was delicious! Lisa and her team worked incredibly hard to make sure our day was a success and we are eternally grateful!

So happy we chose Kumas!! The baked Mac & cheese, sliders, and sides were an absolutely hit! My guests went out of their way to compliment the food. Lisa & her team went above and beyond to deliver top quality and a best in class experience for my guests.

Lisa and her crew were such a pleasure to work with. As the Venue Manager of a wedding venue, I work with many vendors from all over and Lisa was by far one of my favorites. All of the Kuma's staff was professional, hardworking and super friendly. They followed all of our venue policies with no issue and worked well with our staff to ensure a successful event. I would absolutely recommend them to cater any event and I hope to work with them again soon!

Kuma's is the best! Working with Lisa was such a pleasure. She's incredibly resourceful and knows exactly how to get to the heart of everything you need so that you don't have to worry about a thing or break the bank. And the food was just absolutely delicious. We saw nothing but clean plates by the end of our 140-person reception and are still getting so many compliments on it all. We really wanted our wedding to feel fun and welcoming, and Lisa and her team provided exactly that vibe. Hiring Kuma's was one of the best decisions we could've made and we can't thank them or recommend them enough! You won't find such high-quality offerings and value for money anywhere else.

We loved having Kuma's Corner cater our wedding!!! Kuma's caterer Lisa is a keeper, she's hilarious, organized, always keeps in contact (way better than I was doing, I'd be lost without her) and the food was amazing. The price was fantastic (under $400!!), we ordered sliders for 25 people, pans of macaroni and cheese (they even set up a mac n cheese bar), pulled pork, chips, and Kuma's provided their house made mayo and ketchup plus mustard and all the serving utensils!!! Best decision ever!!

Lisa was amazing! Working with her made everything a breeze for our small reception. We didn't have to worry about a thing with regard to our food. Leading up to the event, Lisa was super helpful with recommendations for the menu and quantities we needed. We were able to make sure our veg/vegan/gluten-free guests had tasty options as well! Lisa arrived on time, set up the food quickly, and everything was warm and fresh. She even provided to-go boxes for leftovers. I cannot stress how happy we were with our decision to have Kuma's cater our reception!