Messina's Catering and Events

our parents. From start to finish, they were an absolute pleasure to work with, and I really should mention the food again - so much variety & all of it delicious.

t perfect!

od was. I just cant say enough great things about Messina's . From the food to the professional staff everything was perfect!

re ever-flowing in our ideas after we hired Messina's and kept changing our plans via half thought out emails - "can we add an oyster bar?" "what about a carving station?" "do y'all do boiled shrimp" "do you know how to make Manhattans" "actually can you just handle the bar completely including all set up?" and each time, she responded personally, quickly, and with an updated quote. There was not an idea we had that she could not and did not implement. It became an all inclusive one stop shop for our wedding catering that was executed with personal curation at a price point that was beyond competitive. Our guests raved about the service, the drinks, and the food. And we didn't have to worry about a thing. Would hire them again in a heartbeat.

lped us create a menu; the second tasting, we got to taste the rest of the menu we picked and made our final choices. The contract was detailed and the manager was easy to work with to help me stay within my budget. They travel extremely well, bringing their own truck to cook, their own bars, tables, and serving ware. The food was OUTSTANDING. I still have people telling me today that they loved the food at our reception and that it was hands down the best food they have ever eaten at a wedding! I highly recommend using Messina's!

Chef Mark Daniels and Sales Manager Lydia Casler worked tirelessly from the time of our very first contact—I discovered them serendipitously thanks to our venue’s preferred vendor list—through the conclusion of our wedding day. From start to finish, Mark and Lydia provided the highest standard of service and ease of communication, not to mention the incredible food! Mark and Lydia made the process of planning our wedding effortless and straightforward. Both were easy to contact by phone or e-mail and they responded promptly, answering all our questions in detail. Mark helped us design a traditional New Orleans style menu for our buffet dinner that would please both our local Louisiana friends and our out-of-town families from Arizona and Massachusetts, who are largely unfamiliar with southern cuisine. Both my husband and I are teachers, so Mark guided us toward menu selections that would accommodate our budget while still providing an incredible meal. Many of our guests reported that Messina’s was the best wedding food they had ever eaten, some emphasizing that it was the best food they had ever had, period. In a foodie dream city like New Orleans, there is a great deal of competition for such praise! My husband and I are particularly grateful for how the Messina’s team went the extra mile on the wedding day to be flexible and accommodating. For the first few hours of our event, there was a torrential downpour, but that did not prevent Messina’s from adapting as needed. Mark personally delivered food to me (bride) and my husband twice during the evening to make sure that we could experience our wedding hors d'oeuvres and dinner menu despite our busy socialization with guests. Mark designed and prepared specialty meals for my mother (who has very specific and uncommon dietary needs due to a medical condition), a guest with severe food allergies, and our vegan guests. Mark and Lydia contacted these individuals directly to make sure the food met their needs; this level of individualized service is truly exceptional. Mark and Lydia and the entire Messina’s team could not have done a better job. Every aspect of our interaction with Messina’s—from initial menu design, to tasting, to contracting and payment, to execution of the big day—went seamlessly. Our families are big food fans, and we have heard only the highest praise regarding the quality and taste of the menu. Thank you, Messina’s, for making our day stress-free, unforgettable, and delicious! With deepest gratitude, Kelsey & Dan McDonald

s beyond words can describe and the staff was also very wonderful. We worked with Stacey and she was patient and amazing. She arranged tastings for us, gave us good suggestions and helped us create a personalized menu for our special weekend. We had a crawfish boil as our rehearsal dinner, and the crawfish was literally finger-licking good! We were worried that our out-of-town guests would shy away from the crawfish, but we were happily surprised to see everyone eating and peeling piles of crawfish. We had traditional Cajun food and the grilled oyster station at the reception, and til this day, we still hear our friends and family telling us how good the food was at our wedding! Also, the bartenders were making delicious mixed drinks, and they are generous with the alcohol too. If you want your wedding guests to have a good time at your wedding with good food and drinks, hire Messina's!

ed, their staff was on top of every single detail and their food was amazing. From the way they displayed everything to the way they interacted with our guests, I could not have been more pleased. I cannot recommend Messina's more highly. They will not disappoint

ndance and everyone has been raving about the food and the staff who serviced the event. The food was delicious and displayed beautifully and the service was impeccable. They were ultra professional and went above and beyond to make it perfect from the action station to the people taking care of the food service and the bar. I can’t say enough about how wonderful this team made the event. We have had the pleasure of working with Lydia on providing proposals for our wedding reception for several different venue options and she is THE MOST accommodating professional we’ve encountered. Believe it or not, planning a wedding on a budget is kinda stressful, but Lydia makes it better by responding to emails at all hours of the day and night and by offering budget friendly options and ideas. Not only does she know her stuff, but she’s delightful and approachable. It is apparent why they are voted “Best of” in so many categories. I just wish there were more stars to give! We hope to utilize their services for the wedding day too!!!

budget she was quick to offer even more services like extra tables! Her entire team was pleasure to work and very professional. Mark was AMAZING! They were so efficient and everything was piping hot perfection! They also jumped in to help with anything that I needed even helping me finalize some set up. HIRE THEM!!!

he future!

phenomenal price. We were very hands on with the decorating process and all of our needs were accommodated before and the day of. The space would be gorgeous for any type of event Don’t hesitate to give them a call to book yours!!

ings with the staff to make sure everything was perfect and Stacey was very understanding and always did everything she could to make my special day very special- with succeess! On top of the wonderful service its affordable, I reccomend Messinas to everyone for any event and I will be back !

alked us through the menu while we gobbled up the amazing options. My fiancé and I walked away knowing they were the ones for us. Over the months of planning I worked with Lydia, and I emailed and talked on the phone on probably what would be considered a pretty irregular basis it was so frequent. She was always quick to answer my questions and guide me through the most stressful part of our wedding planning, food and booze! She was also so helpful as I started to realize I needed little extra things here and there (a bartender, a flip between ceremony and reception, napkins, cake cutting set up, etc). They were amazing to work with on the planning process. Cut to the wedding day, when I arrived at the venue they setting up. I was so happy to see that the person I had been working with, Lydia, was there! She had the foresight to check out the tables that were being used during the reception and realized they were going to be too complicated to try to assemble during the cocktail hour and started putting them together in the carriage way. I’m so glad she checked on them at that time and was able to come up with a plan to make sure they got out quickly! After the ceremony, lydia and the gang were quick to get me a drink to calm my jitters before we started taking pictures. The “small bites” were served during cocktail hour and man were they good. Me and one of my bridesmaids repeatedly left conversations to go sneak another. For the remainder of the night Lydia would check in with me to ask me if I needed a drink, see if I was ready to do the next thing, and make sure we were happy. After the wedding boxes of food were made for us to take home including some cake, and our topper. A few days later we received a sweet email from Lydia wishing us the best. On top of having stellar food, the service they provided, particularly Lydia, for us was out of this world. I would use Messina’s ten times over. Thank you guys SO much!💕

in the need for last minute changes in plans. Every time I spoke to Lydia on the day before the wedding, she was calm, supportive, and had a solution to any weather-related issue that had come up. Despite having to move the wedding up several hours, everything went off beautifully. The food was EXCELLENT, I'm still getting comments from guests about how much they enjoyed it!! Lydia and her team were attentive, helpful, and worked hard to make sure our day was everything we wanted. I absolutely recommend Messina's for any NOLA area catering needs!

ed, smart, experienced, fun, funny, and solution-oriented. They clearly and quickly communicate. On May 20, 2017, my wife and I got married in New Orleans. Neither of us are from NOLA. Pretty much we had 200 people come to the wedding from everywhere but New Orleans. We knew if people were going to spend a bunch of money to travel we needed to hit all three parts of the reception criteria out of the park: 1) food, 2) booze, and 3) music. Messina's carried the food and provided (along with Wayward Owl Brewery) an amazing environment for a fun and memorable reception. We knew we were going to choose Messina's from day 1. We flew into NOLA to do tastings with 6 caterers in a weekend. 4 of them were on one day. Stacey and Chef Mark met us and designed a menu based upon our prior communications. It was excellent. We had 2 close friends with us during our test run. We did not (on purpose) disclose one of them was gluten intolerant. Stacey and her team immediately accommodated and provided a delicious meal. The food, service, and ability to deal with the unpredictable won our business. We went back a month or so later with my (now) wife's mother. Stacey and Mark offered to provide another tasting. It made it a special trip for my wife and her mother. More important, they took our comments and discussion from the first tasting and created custom (off-menu) items for our second tasting and reception. As we were planning the wedding remotely, Stacey provided our boots on the ground. She arranged for tents, chairs, tables, staffing, and amazing food! She really served as an uncompensated wedding coordinator. For planning purposes, they met us at the site of the reception three times before the wedding. On the day of the wedding, the food was amazing and the bartenders briskly provided attentive/enthusiastic service. We even had fresh grilled oysters, bananas foster bread pudding made with croissants, and a beignets station. The charcuterie table was a work of culinary art. Chef Mark is a genius. He heard me mention I like chorizo; so, he made an appetizer with chorizo. My wife loves a particular ginger beer for Moscow mules - it was there. We felt like Messina's was having as much fun creating as we did consuming. Throughout the process, as with any wedding, Stacey's team helped us deal with unanticipated obstacles. Messina's greets challenges with solutions. For example, shortly before the wedding, due to some regulatory concerns, we learned we were required to have our liquor and wine off premises. Stacey and her team created a tented outdoor cocktail lounge. It was a hit! In sum, they customize your experience for you. Your reception is not trapped inside the four corners of a menu, contract, or some policy. They want your special day to be YOUR special day. People still rave about the food. I hear from people who did not attend, but who have heard about our wedding from other people. I get it; everyone will tell you your wedding is great. However, when people talk to people other than you about your wedding, you know you hit a home run. Messina's exceeded our high expectations. They were like the helpful and fun Aunt -- they are like family. We cannot thank them enough.

or sooner. It was very important to include both of our cultures which involved New Orleans cuisine and Ethiopian food. Messina’s provided the New Orleans food, and we provided the Ethiopian food. We didn’t have to worry about finding separate chafing dishes etc. for the food we provided Messina’s took care of it all. After months of planning, we wanted to make sure we had an opportunity to taste the food, so Stacey recommended a sweetheart dinner immediately after the ceremony. That was the smartest decision because it allowed us to be alone for a little bit and also enjoy the fantastic food. I would recommend Messina’s and would work with them again.

hout any hitches and made it a night we all will never forget. The setting is quite lovely and spacious. One of the dishes we had that I highly recommend is the Cuban Style pulled pork, it was amazing!

latives were able to use the lift chair to get upstairs. Jeff and Brad went out of their way to make sure all went smooth that night! Lydia was awesome taking care of organizing and making sure all was ready for that night! We were very pleased! Thank You! Michael and Wanda Kelly

She was very responsive to my emails and worked tirelessly to create the best menu that fit within our budget. We arranged a "walk through" a few days before the event. Not only was Lydia present, but Mr. Messina and another staff member came as well! I highly recommend Messina's!

tour changed the game for us. We had the pleasure of meeting Stacey Messina and her crew at Messina’s catering. The food options we tasted were not just good, the were true restaurant quality. As we went through we explained to Stacey and her chef that we really wanted to create an authentic NOLA event for our out of town guests that they would never forget. The more we talked about crazy ideas, the more excited Stacey became! It seemed like there wasn’t anything we could throw at her that couldn’t be done. Needless to say, we secured them immediately. Leading up to our big day, the last thing I worried about was the catering. Communication was effortless. We had so many special requests, from a serve yourself top, top shelf bar of personally selected bourbons and scotches, to the MOB changing her mind weekly about her specialty cocktail-every request was granted in the sweetest way. Due to unexpected rain the day of our event, Stacey and her crew of amazing magicians transformed our outside event into a blend of indoor food stations and indoor and under tent seating. They went above and beyond, passing small portions of plated items throughout the crowd all night long. Our surprise guest of the evening was a whole grilled alligator with all sorts of alligator sausages and grilled meat. I don’t know what was better, it or the chargrilled oysters?? Everyone was in awe! The drinks flowed, the food never stopped and we all had the time of our lives. There wasn’t a single item we would have changed on the menu. It was all that good! At the end of the night, Stacey packed up a big box of goodies to take back to our hotel with us. We now joke that when we go back to New Orleans, we want Messina’s to cook for us again! At the very least, we must take Stacey out for a thank you cocktail next time we visit! Don’t waste your time looking at others. Call Messina’s first!

sina's went the extra step to ensure our party was less stressful for me and a night to remember for my Dad. I highly recommend their services for anything and everything, whether it is a big event such as a Wedding or a smaller intimate gathering. Their food and professionalism is sure to impress your guests.

space being large enough. It was more than adequate and accommodated our guests perfectly. The food was delicious. The staff was ideal--Lydia, Bradley, and Brandon all were exceptional in their individual roles! I would highly recommend Messina's to anyone working with a small budget but looking for big value! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!!!!

uests (coming from Canada) and my husbands side (from New Orleans) . I was successful! Not only did my guests rave about the food but the New Orleanians were walking up to me all night telling me it was the best gumbo they have ever tasted! I wish I could post pictures to show how beautiful the food presentation was too! Stacey and her son Andrew were amazing to work with! Highly recommend!

g and start getting ideas for the menu. It was actually a little tough to choose because everything we tried was really good. Service during the reception itself was perfect, and the delivery to the location was right on time. And of course, most importantly, everybody really enjoyed the food! Highly recommended.

s much as we did; however, we certainly do not regret it!

were particularly impressed (and grateful) that they had a private dining room set up for us before we had to enter the reception. We requested a small plate a food, but they had an entire spread with drinks and all! I highly recommend them!

beyond. Every idea I brought to them they worked with me to make it happen, for a fair price. Highly recommend.

e crowd favorites from our reception. The price also included the wedding cake from Gambino's and a DJ that was fantastic and an open bar. The price and quality can't be beat. They had staff assigned to the bride and groom for whatever we needed. They are a class act!

o the big day, the staff at Messina's put a lot of thought and care into their work. They were also very flexible about working within our budget.

ed mushrooms, seafood station, and pasta station. Each station brought its own flare and taste to the menu! The Messina's Catering staff made us feel like royalty! Our guest complimented us on choosing Messina's as our caterer. The food and service was enjoyed by all during the reception! Thank you Messina's for helping to make our day so special!

s go out is extraordinary. The staff is so helpful and truly captures your daughter vision, they spend the time to get to know you. Being a family business they understand how important this special time means to you. I was glad to work with everyone at Messina's! They made my experience effortless and most of all my guest and the BRIDE AND GROOM had the time of their lives!!! Thanks Messina's!!!

nt above and beyond. I had multiple tastings with Kristin and went back and forth with the menu quite a few times and she was so sweet and helpful with me. I had a "destination wedding" for more than half of my guests so I wanted to have a true New Orleans experience for my guests when it came to the food. Messina's hit the nail on the head! From the Gumbo, to the Shrimp n grits bar, to the seared tuna carving station, it was outstanding!! They were on top of their game and made sure everything was full at all times and kept the room clear of dirty dishes! I highly recommend Messina's catering! Such a pleasant to work with!

ly trusted her. I stumbled upon Messina’s through a recommendation by my sister-in-law, and I am so happy that I listened to her. When I first planned my wedding, I wanted Arabic food since my family is Lebanese. Messina’s put together a tasting menu full of Lebanese and Greek food that was varied, delicious, and elegant. But as an indecisive woman, I decided to change my mind after the first tasting to have New Orleans/Cajun food to cater to my guests. And let me just say, Kristin and the chef, Travis, did not hesitate to accommodate me. They put together a second tasting, again – the food was impeccable. They offer a wide selection of dishes from almost any cuisine. If you ask, I guarantee they will find a way to make it happen for you! I wish I could copy and paste the email correspondence between Kristin and me. I would change my mind about menus, ask about costs, inquire about my vegetarian guests – and all of my concerns were handled by her in a timely manner and with such an understanding attitude. I even asked if her company could cut and serve my wedding cake that was not provided through them; without hesitation, Kristin was happy to help. Brides, they completely understand that food and drinks are one of the most important aspects to weddings. And please listen to me when I say that they handled everything. You are to be stress-free on your wedding day. For brides that are concerned about budget, Kristin will help you! You will not have to sacrifice wonderful service and presentation nor a tasty menu selection; this company will help you find the right balance for your budget. Leading up to the wedding, Kristin and her staff visited the venue with me. Since I am not in the catering business, I wanted them to figure out the best set up. And they did. The food stations and bars were placed in the perfect places. They really think about the food (if its hot vs. cold) and where those items should be. Kristin will also ask about your timing preferences. (Do you want your guests to eat when they arrive? When would you like to cut and serve the cake?) She is organized and ensures that what you want is not only heard, but it gets done! The day of my wedding – I did not have one single complaint or worry. When I arrived at the reception venue, my guests were already eating and drinking. The wait staff was timely and efficient. And the menu was OUTSTANDING. People always brag that the food was delicious at their wedding – but I cannot even count the amount of guests that came up to me and complimented their dishes (lamb chops, pork roast, cucumber bites, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, even their salad dressing was awarded many compliments!) In fact, MONTHS after my wedding, I still get compliments on their food. Not only did my husband and I get our own “honeymoon” package of food, but we were asked several times throughout the night if we needed anything. Several plates of food and drinks were handed to me by Messina’s staff that night. I wish I could sit down with every bride and communicate to them in person how wonderful this company is. Messina’s went above and beyond for my wedding day. You will be treated like family with Messina’s; they work to make their clients happy.