Personal Touch Dining - Full Service Catering

dishes based on our personal taste & we were allowed to supplement the full bar with additional beer, wine & champagne. This was important to us since we’re big champagne drinkers! They also allowed wine service through dinner at a reasonable price. Lauren & Annalisa were very easy to work with, prompt with communication, and accommodating to our special requests & menu changes. They worked with us, back & forth, to develop the perfect menu, including our late night snacks! While we made some changes after the tasting, the food the day of was amazing. We ate our leftovers a couple days later & they were equally great! They were also very conscious to accommodate allergies and special diets. Our appetizers included the tomato bisque with grilled cheese (it was a little spicy on our wedding day, but was still one of our favorites), bacon wrapped dates (can’t go wrong), and the andouille sausage and shrimp skewers with chipotle mayo. The chipotle mayo was custom because we are picky mustard eaters & PTD had no problem with accommodating us. At our tasting we tried the short rib sliders, which were delicious, but we decided on short rib for our main & sliders for a late night snack… We had the salad in a cucumber ring for our starter – pretty straight forward. For our mains, we did short rib with parmesan polenta, and salmon with garlic risotto – both came with zucchini and carrots. We were thrilled with both the presentation and the taste. Everything was cooked perfectly including the tenderness of the veggies. We surprised our guests with a popcorn machine, and American sliders and parmesan fries for late night snacks. We suggest taking advantage of this service because our guests thought it was awesome! I wish I would have been more hungry! We did various desserts and our favorite was the brownies, which we took with us on our honeymoon! In all, we would totally recommend working with Personal Touch. We were very happy with the level of service, final price, and ease of working with their team. Our wedding day went so smoothly and the meal was perfectly executed. They were also very on top of filling our drinks at dinner!

at they are doing when it comes to catering an event! You can feel at ease knowing they have things under control. I had the pleasure of working mainly with Annalisa for the past year. I cannot say enough good things about her! She truly loves what she does and it shows. She was so helpful throughout the entire year and always responded quickly to my emails. She was very organized and I was shocked at our final meeting that she had been keeping track of every detail (decided or undecided) I had mentioned to her via email. Day of the wedding, the entire staff looked and acted extremely professional. The buffet & bar all looked so well put together and everything ran smoothly. My husband and I especially appreciated the lead staff member (sorry I can't remember her name!) introducing herself to us and delivering appetizers and dinner to our table. The entire day was perfect! THANK YOU PERSONAL TOUCH DINING!:)

ager for the event checked in with me throughout the night which I appreciated. At the end of the night she boxed up the leftovers and set aside a little tray of food for my husband and I to eat late night at our hotel. Prior to the event, I did a tasting and was able to customize some of the menu items. The chef spoke with us after the tasting, answered all our questions, and was able to accommodate our requests. I highly recommend Personal Touch. I feel they were easy to work with and provided quality service and food for a very fair and affordable price.

dance floor and lighting. Beginning with the tasting, they provide a warm and intiving environment with complete privacy to discuss the difficult decisions, like which one of their amazing salads to go with. The menu is quite extensive, so during the tasting process Lauren also asked us probing questions to make the dishes personal and unique to us. We were even sent home with left overs after it was over, so our family could help us decide on an entree. As our wedding approached they were very organized and transparent with pricing, which meant a lot to us, so we were not surprised by additional fees or taxes. They worked well with our coordinator and have experience working with almost every venue in San Diego county, making set up and take down a breeze. On our wedding day we were impressed by everything. How friendly and attentive the staff was toward our guests and us. The quality of the rentals. And of course, the food. Their commitment to quality and service, and attention to detail really helped dress up our brewery venue, making the space as decadent as any ballroom. During our big day they made moving rentals from ceremony to reception seamless. Appetizers and our buffet style dinner were served promptly. Everyone's food was warm and the short ribs were so good guests were going back for thirds. Once it was all over they pack up the remaining food and we ate catered meals for lunch and dinner the rest of the week. When we first found Personal Touch we were looking for a good caterer within our budget, but it became clear throughout working with them that we found the best in San Diego. They were a huge part of why our wedding was such a success and cannot give them enough praise for all that they did. Thank you!!!! Tl,dr Go with Personal Touch!

asting for ketchup, hot sauce and salt/pepper to be at the omelet station which she said would not be a problem. Those things were not there on the day of the wedding and my coordinator had to send her staff to the store to purchase them. I went to get an omelet and I heard one of the omelet "chefs" say to a guest that he didn't know how to make an omelet so he would be making her a scramble. Another guest mentioned that the same "chef" told him that if he didn't like the way he made it, he could make it himself. This is completely unacceptable. We also had ordered two omelet stations and there was only one set up. A lot of the food was cold, and a Personal Touch staff told a guest that they were "understaffed". Really? Cause we paid for full staff!! Servers were slow to buss tables and the DJ had to buss our sweetheart table. Overall, it felt like because this was a brunch event Personal Touch sent their worst staff and just didn't care. Keep in mind this cost us almost $13,000.....completely unacceptable and we are disgusted by the lack of customer service this company in general.

certainties, and even welcomed our unique cultural request -- lechon, lumpia, fried rice (cauliflower fried rice at that!). Of course, they nailed it! The little bit of leftovers that we had were handed to us after the party, and boy were they munched on, late night status. Bravo PTD...bravo!

vers went out of their way to get us drinks, keep a tray of appetizers for us, etc. Bartenders were professional and quick. We have nothing but the highest praise for Personal Touch...catering by nature is very expensive, but we got everything we needed through PTD and at relatively reasonable prices. Would definitely recommend them to anyone considering booking.

really flexible when I needed to make changes and were quick to answer questions. I initially liked them because they seemed to be more affordable than most in the area but soon realized they also had a more expansive menu and great service to top it off. My foodie family was really impressed with the food which is saying something. Weddings are really stressful to plan but Personal Touch made at least the catering truly easy to do. I HIGHLY recommend.

me my guests would not lie about their food if it wasn't good. Aside from the food being delicious I was very impressed with their service both during the planning period and the actual event. Prior to the wedding the team was so on top of everything - they replied quickly, they covered every little detail, and most importantly they were super friendly and I just loved working with them. They deserved 5 stars before the event, but now that I know everything they had to deal with on the day of the event I wish there was an option to award them 50 stars. Cocktail hour started at 4pm and my florist didn't arrive until 3:45. She dropped off all the buckets of flowers, nothing was put together, she didn't help setup, and she told the Personal Touch Dining staff to deal with it. This was 15 minutes before guests were supposed to arrive. The staff immediately synced with my coordinator and got to work with putting all the flowers and centerpieces out. Considering they only 15 minutes to get everything setup, and this wasn't even their job to do, they didn't get everything out but I honestly didn't even notice. Everything looked beautiful and I'm grateful for what they did. I was blown away by Personal Touch Dining and you will not regret hiring them. They are an amazing team and they really go above and beyond to ensure your event is flawless and you're able to sit back and just enjoy.

t (cocktail table), which was fortunately not a big deal at all. Their team was professional and hospitable to our guests for both the wedding, and our small Sunday brunch the following day with our families. We recommend Personal Touch Dining for your big day!

we needed from the vendor. Lauren and Personal Touch were a huge part in truly making our day amazing. Thank you!

there the entire day of the wedding. The food was AMAZING. I still get compliments on the appetizers, the meal, and we got some small desserts from them. (we got chocolate chip cookies, and those were gone in a flash).

en as our wedding date was a few weeks out. We needed to finalize details and were told she was suddenly not receiving our emails- which was odd because we'd been corresponding via email for months before she went silent on us. I wasn't expecting next day responses, just within a week or so but most of the time I didn't hear back at all. She also said I was the only person this was happening with. I was an easy bride so it's not because there were any difficulties between us. I just wish the communication could have been better. Also- the assistant wedding coordinator bumped my shoulder from behind during our cocktail hour to inform me that we were about to start dinner and spilled my wine all down the front of my dress. Thank God I was drinking white wine so it wasn't a total disaster but that was an unexpected scare and wish she would have approached me face to face so that could have been avoided. Accidents happen and it ended up being ok, and like I said- we loved our wedding, but hopefully next time she will change up her approach.

our wedding night and they even packed up our leftover food in boxes for us to take home. We also used them for bartenders and they were great as well. Overall they are amazing. The only thing that didn't go as planned was that the champagne was not poured for the toasts but it wasn't a really big deal. Personal touch has delicious food and an incredible staff! I highly reccomend them :)

y of wedding coordinator. The whole wedding process went by without a hitch because of their hard work. Highly recommend their service.

s Main: Tri tip (the best) Chicken caprese Sides: Trio of pastas (great option for vegetarians. they set out both marinara and cream sauce. my dad claims it's the best marinara sauce he's had in his entire life) Garlic and chive whipped Yukon gold potatoes We opted for the buffet style. Everything was delicious, warm, and people loved going back for seconds. If there were any issues, I never knew about it because everything went smoothly. Strongly recommend them for your future event catering needs!

th us to find a time that would work since work schedules and being from out of town made finding a time difficult. Annalisa and Lauren were both very prompt and helpful when it came to email responses and providing updated invoices. The entire process was extremely organized and very thorough! We had some last minute planning changes due to rain and Personal Touch went above and beyond to ensure that everything looked gorgeous despite the changes. The wait staff was amazing! They were even offering me snacks as I passed by them before the ceremony :) Most importantly, the food was AMAZING!! We did 5 hors d' Oeuvres (crab cakes, chicken and waffle bites, shrimp and andouille sausage skewers, mac and cheese bites, and mini sliders) which were all fabulous. The wait staff ensured that my husband and I had a full tray of hors d' Oeuvres at our sweetheart table and everyone was extremely professional and friendly. For dinner we opted for the chic buffet with the field greens salad, tri-tip carving station, monterey chicken, and whipped potatoes. Everyone was raving about the food!! As we were visiting tables we even had guests asking for the name of our caterer so that they could recommend to others in the area. At the end of the night it was pouring rain but Personal Touch not only packed up the leftovers, but also helped pack up other items and loaded them all into my parents' car. We truly could not have been happier with our service and would highly recommend Personal Touch to anyone planning a wedding or event in the San Diego area!!

lt very much like a private dinner. They had a lot for us to choose from both for food options and rentals and they provided great insight. The food was incredible, both at the tasting and the wedding itself. We even went with the ice cream sundae bar which our guests loved! The staff at our wedding were outstanding, they were very welcoming and attentive to us and our guests all night long. Personal Touch Dining was wonderful to work with throughout the whole planning process. They were very prompt in their responses and were very well organized. It was so nice to know that on our wedding day everything was taken care of and we had nothing to worry about.

ere friendly, attentive, fair in pricing and even helped to coordinate all our rentals for seating and tables for both our ceremony and reception. PTD team is top notch and we had many compliments on how great the service and food was at our wedding. THANK YOU ALL (Annalise, Lauren and staff)! We are forever fans and will spread the word as much as we can! <3 S + A

special requests. I can't say enough good things about Annalisa, Lauren, and the rest of the team. You will not regret using Personal Touch for your big event!

ole process. Nikka was also there to coordinate day of and was amazing! The packages they offer are super affordable and such a great value, it takes so much of the wedding stress off by being able to have them cover rentals/catering/coordinating/decorating. The food is also SO good and we had guests raving about it (we did a Mexican buffet). The bar package is also a killer deal and the bartenders we had at our wedding were great. We are so happy that Personal Touch Dining manages Leo Carrillo ranch, and we are incredibly happy to have had them make our wedding so awesome!

(we really loved the appetizers) and we really enjoyed working with Iman, the Mt. Woodson coordinator. We wanted a particular late night snack (carne asada fries) and they were very accommodating in providing that. We also loved how they packaged the food up for us to go! We also really liked that we were able to save some money and bring in our own alcohol. Our wedding night was perfect- Mt. Woodson provided the most amazing backdrop and the professionalism of the Personal Touch Dining team shined

ts enjoyed the meal. Great value for great service and great food!

t over that they packed it up and they created to-go boxes for our guests. Again the food was AMAZING!!

ed about the food and they really took care of my husband and I the night of, we didn't have a chance to eat appetizers, yet the brought us a full tray during dinner. They brought us food before anyone else and made sure our glasses were always full. They even sent us to the hotel with slices of wedding cake. I also really appreciated that they coordinated our linen and dance floor rentals and added in a bartender. Finally, we got a complimentary root beer float station. Love personal touch!

a change they got us a new proposal VERY quickly. They even gave us a few recommendations that had nothing to do with their jobs, they just care! We initially e-mailed them because Erin at Leo Carrillo (also with Personal Touch) was equally amazing even though that wasn't the right venue for us. BOOK THESE GIRLS!! <3

etables as our side dish, and mini fish tacos, black bean and quinoa sliders and baked brie as our hors d' oeuvres. Our tasting was also amazing and conducted very professionally. We were offered wine and beverages of our choice, served large portions of everything, and even given chocolate chip cookies to take home.

than pleased as to how the venue came out (decoration wise) and how amazing they were with working with us. I could not have asked for better coordinators. Thank you Tracy and Erin for making our day perfect!

her). The entire wedding process was so easy because we knew we were in excellent hands. We were providing our own alcohol and a lot of our own decor for the wedding, and we were able to bring it all to their offices the day before the wedding. All of the decor was set up more beautifully than I could have imagined. Tracy thought of everything, from saving us a couple appetizers to enjoy, making sure we ate at the reception, to packing us extra dinner and dessert to take to the hotel with us (it was super necessary, too!). The professionalism and quality service makes Personal Touch a great company and I would definitely recommend them!

Persoal Touch had a sign out front with our names when we arrived for taste test. They had gorgeous printed menus, obvious attention to detail and the food was delicious. It was difficult to choose only a few! The serivce was great and they were accommodating. The set up on the wedding day was beautiful and went with out decor beautifully. The food was delicious. We got many compliments on the sliders! The pricing isn't the cheapest but fair compared to other catering companies in the area. Besides we ended up getting what we paid for and then some. Price included cupcakes and bartender as well. We were very happy with this comany. I highly recommend them to others!!

on how to make my day perfect! I loved working with her and would recommend her services to anyone and everyone!

sident and catering director, Tracy Zemke. Eight days before the wedding, we found out that my husband's father, who had recently been put on hospice care, had 2-3 days left to live after suffering from Parkinson's Disease for over a decade. We immediately flew from San Diego to Oregon to say our goodbyes. In flight, we received our final bill from Personal Touch that needed to be paid in full within three days. We immediately mailed a personal check priority mail to be delivered promptly on the due date. I emailed our contact to let her know the check was on the way. We received notification back from Personal Touch that per the contract we signed in September, it needed to be a cashier's check. We emailed them back explaining our situation, that we were in a small town in Southern Oregon, we could not get a cashier's check from our bank by the due date. They would not budge. We called our bank and they said they could call Personal Touch and guarantee funds were there. We called Personal Touch and begged them to talk to our bank and please take our check. We repeatedly asked to speak with Tracy to see if she could work with us given the circumstances. She was at the office and refused to speak with us. Our wedding coordinator had no problems reaching Tracy, however. She explained our situation, and after yet another battle, where our coordinator had to give her personal guarantee that the check would clear, Tracy agreed to take our check. Literally, during this battle with Personal Touch, my husband's father died. Every other vendor we worked with was kind and compassionate during this awful time (and accepted our personal checks). Tracy Zemke would rather win a meaningless battle than work with a customer at the worst moment of their life.

to our catering and rentals throughout the entire process. The food was beyond our wildest expectations and guests could not stop raving about it (even after the wedding had ended)! We even had a vegan guest and she was thrilled with the vegan creation. The serving/bartending staff at the event were all professional and courteous. Most impressively, every single table had multiple check-backs (to ensure guests were satisfied and didn't need any modifications to their meals). We had a wedding for 75 people and met their food/beverage & labor minimums with no problem. While Personal Touch may not be the cheapest caterer in San Diego, their VALUE (excellent service, attention to detail, and delicious food) simply cannot be beat.

wedding. As soon as I saw the photos of Mt. Woodson Castle, I instantly fell in love with it and just knew I had to get married there. My initial inquiry was quickly responded to by Iman and I was able to make an appointment to view the venue in no time at all. During the planning Iman was available 24/7 to help with any questions I had, give suggestions, and make appointments. For the food tasting we went to Personal Touch Dining and got to try many delicious choices. There were so many good options that it was hard to narrow it down and it is always better to have too much of a good thing than too little. For the rehearsal and day of the wedding Iman was always around for anything you needed. The wedding went off without a hitch and all of our guest could not believe the venue we were able to find. The castle has so much uniqness that your wedding feels different that any you have ever been to. Not only is the castle itself absolutely amazing but the grounds surrounding make for awesome photo ops! I woke up the next morning and asked my new husband if we could do it again that day because it was so perfect. I owe so much to Iman and am grateful I found the castle!

even though we paid per person (a hustle). They said since we wanted to serve Italian & BBQ, our guests would have to choose one type of food OR we would run out of food before all of our guests made it through the buffet line. I explained that we hired them, because at our sales meeting, Lauren told us we could have both types of food in a buffet style, and our guests would eat whatever they wanted. I told their sales team assistant, Iman, that I did not want anyone to tell our guests that they would have to choose or that they could not have something they wanted. I told them I was very upset, because we made it clear when we signed the contract months ago that we wanted the food set up buffet style, so our guests could choose whatever they wanted. So after all that, since I felt I had no choice (4 days before our wedding), I agreed to purchase an additional $660 worth of food, which paid for 80 additional entrees. We had leftovers. Iman said she understood and would communicate that to our event manager, but at our wedding, the catering staff told our guests that they had to choose one or the other. So unhappy. The event manager is supposedly in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly, & that person is supposed to introduce themselves to you on the day of the wedding and make sure that everything is going your way. She never introduced herself. Iman, the sales team associate was there. I waved to her, but she just waved & walked off in the other direction. We had a dessert table with 14 cakes and 11 pies, & I requested they have all 8 servers cut the cakes, but they only had one person, so there was a long line. They also lost our toasting glasses & beverage tub. The food was good, but don't hire them.

to my endless questions promptly. AT the wedding: The food tasted amazing! Even my boss, who is the pickiest eater, LOVED the food and got several servings. They even had meals for the children and also accomodated my vegan in-laws. Iman, who was the wedding coordinator did a fabulous job keeping us on track and ON TIME! As a hispanic person, and fitting into the usual "always late" stereotype, my family was amazed at that simple fact. It was so ordered and structured, it truly made our wedding a great experience. She decorated the entrance with our designated stuff and also set up the tables beautifully. She was a joy and a pleasure to work with.Always well composed and professional, even with the florist gave her a hard time! AFTER the Wedding: The promptly returned any and all deposits via mail. We didn't have to call and ask, they were honest and quick! OVERALL, they are a great and highly recommended catering company. Great customer service! Worth EVERY penny! :)

day of the event was really great, as was the food! Everyone was thrilled with how everything turned out. And we had amazing left overs for days after the wedding!

We had many guests who requested special meals, and Personal Touch accomodated them without batting an eyelash. The quality of the food was outstanding and we received countless compliments on it. Our day went incredibly smoothly thanks to them. Way to go Personal Touch!

a coordinator, book them because they will be able to have your reception flow smoothly and they help setup an itinerary.

ests • At a fair rate We found all this and more at Mt Woodson Castle in Ramona where Tracy Zemke and Personal Touch Catering provided us the wedding of our dreams where everyone had a GREAT time. Food was fantastic, service excellent, ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner under the stars and dancing in the great room of this century old castle. Tracy took great care of us and treated us like she wanted our business and worked hard to get it. Once we signed the contract her service got even better. Tracy and Personal Touch went above and beyond for us, and our guests setting the stage for our dream wedding. If you meet with her ask about the bride and groom who ordered In-n-Out. We highly recommend Tracy Z, Personal Touch and Mt Woodson where they can make your wedding as magical as ours.

nd they were able to work within my budget and customize menu items. We even had a tasting which was so much fun! They are very friendly, extremely knowledgable, and always available for questions. Tracy knows everything and has great resources for other vendors as well. I really enjoyed working with them and I think the biggest compliment is that my guests were going back for seconds and raving that it was the best wedding food they had EVER. They actually described it as "not wedding food" which I think is a good compliment :) haha They have all types of food and packages that you can choose from. At Mt. Woodson Castle the corkage and cake cutting fee is included. You are able to use your own cake baker. One of our favorite parts is that we were even able to bring our own alcohol! I never heard them say the word "No" to anything; they were always ready to make us happy! Personal Touch Catering is a great choice!!!

ent.

bout what YOU want for YOUR day, not what they think you should do. I felt like Tracy wanted me to have the dream wedding I wished for as much as I did. I had issues with my venue and if it wasn't for her my wedding would not have been the same at all.

re, which appealed to me and my husband. We chose the Mexican buffet to have something different, and also to have a little fun, because the hubby and I met in Mexico. ;P We worked with Amanda through most of the planning process, and she was great! I am as very “type A” person, so I ask lots of questions and get hung up on lots of details. None of this phased Amanda one bit. She even met with me because I was convinced that their navy blue linens looked purple, and did not try to sell me on the more expensive linens, which looked navy to me. During the wedding, I thought the food was excellent, and plentiful! DH stated that his fajitas were a bit cold, but since I don’t eat meat, I just have to take him at his word. No one else mentioned any problem with this (to me, at least), and I got a lot of compliments on the enchiladas, so I don’t think this was a very big issue for many people. Either that, or they were following the golden rule, and chose to say something nice, if they were gonna say anything at all! The price above also includes the cost of a bartender for cocktail hour and the entire reception. Our venue allowed us to bring in our own alcohol, and Personal Touch provides both full bar service, as well as bartenders only. I thought that it was nice to have this option. Personal Touch also provided the rentals for the ceremony chairs. Their prices were comparable with renting on your own (because you know I had to get quotes and compare, ha ha!), and they handled the drop-off, set-up, and pick-up. I was really glad that they were able to take care of this for the wedding, so we had one less vendor to worry about! I also want to note that Personal Touch adds an 18% service fee on their bill, but declares that this is not a gratuity. I’m not sure what it is for then, because there are separate charges for food, staff, all other items, and then an 18% charge on the entire bill. Perhaps it is for the staff with whom we worked prior to the event?? Either way, it just seems like a tip, so I found this whole thing confusing, and still don’t quite understand it. Overall, I found Personal Touch to be very responsive and helpful in the planning process, and professional on the wedding day.

were smaller than what I was expecting and there was plenty of food to go around. We had 5+ trays of left overs that our guests could have enjoyed.

efinately use them again.