Purple Olive

I could say way too many good things about Purple Olive, & this review would go on & on forever. First though, Peter was so friendly & so easy to talk to. Second, the food. The food was phenomenal! When we found out our wedding package came with this restaurant the first thing we did was go try it out & we were blown away. We went back again for our food tasting, & again were blown away. It was such a hard choice to pick what we wanted served, because everything was so delicious. On the wedding day, there wasn’t a plate there that had food left on it. We got so many compliments that night, but it wasn’t our doing, it was Peter’s! Thank you so much Peter for being such an amazing Chef!

Purple olive was an easy choice for us and when we found out they had our date open after multiple postponements we were ecstatic. I knew every aspect regarding the food and service would be handled perfectly and that put me at ease. I've worked with their team at different wedding venues and they are top notch. Efficient, friendly, just good people. We had passed appetizers during cocktail hour, salads and bread , and a buffet style dinner. They even had a tray of appetizers for myself and my groom while we had 10 minutes to ourselves before the reception started which was so helpful as it's such a long and busy day and we were starving! The food was amazing and there was plenty of it for our guest count. Everything was cleared in a timely manner but was never rushed. Our menu was phenomenal and they even made sure we had boxes to take back to our hotel room after the wedding. Purple Olive is the perfect company for your catering needs and everything is always so delicious. Thank you team for helping make our day extra special and filling our loved ones stomachs up (and us, too).

Not a single complaint can be made about the food, everyone kept telling us how absolutely delicious everything was! We were able to customize our menu and went with more of a Southern twist. 10/10 recommend

Purple Olive is simply the very best! My daughter just got married and Peter and his crew were simply the most professional, easy going and helpful people to work with among all the vendors involved in putting this event together. Most importantly, the food he prepared was absolutely amazing! From the entree's we offered which included beef tenderloin, a mahi -mahi fish or stuffed eggplant, no one was disappointed! The incredible unique appetizers that preceded dinner were elegantly presented, served butler style and all guests were extremely satisfied with the several choices offered. Peter was on site to see personally that everything was flowing smoothly, and to make certain everything was being presented with perfection. The wedding was a total success and I cannot express how happy we are to have made the decision of choosing the Purple Olive. We were told by a recommendation that Peter was the very best the area had to offer and I know now, that statement was a hundred percent accurate. We had to cancel the event 6 months earlier due to Covid only three days prior to it's originally scheduled date, a total devastation to my daughter, but Peter was incredibly understanding and worked with us to put the wedding back together. He was so compassionate and assured us that it would come together again at a later date and be just as successful, he was completely right, it all turned out to be fantastic! Do yourself a favor and don't waste time, come right to the Purple Olive and treat yourself and your guests to the very best! You will not be disappointed I guarantee, and your taste buds will love you too. Be sure to check out Peter's restaurant too, a great way to explore his talent and enjoy a fantastic meal, the Purple Olive on A1A in St Augustine.

Peter and his team at Purple Olive were amazing. Purple Olive was the first tasting we did and we loved everything he made that we booked him for our wedding that night. I have a dairy allergy and Peter was able to accommodate the menu for me and everything was delicious. All our passed appetizers during our cocktail hour were delicious and everyone raved about the food. Highly recommend!

Peter (owner of Purple Olive) and his staff are amazing! We had catering from Purple Olive at our wedding & Peter made our tasting so much fun! The food at the wedding was delicious. We received so many compliments about it 'being the best wedding food they've ever had.' Our buffet was so so good! Can't recommend Peter and his staff enough! Everyone was so friendly and efficient! 10/10!!

Absolutely incredible! They made an entirely plant-based meal for our wedding guests and it was fantastic, even the hard-core carnivores were raving about the food! I'd give them ten stars if I could!

Peter at Purple Olive was very easy to work with. From our tasting at the restaurant to our wedding night, we felt very confident in the service and food quality that he provided. He has several different inspired menus to pick from. He was flexible and provided great suggestions as we were choosing our menus. We decided to go with buffet and had plated appetizers being passed during cocktail hour. The food was all amazing but the appetizers were to die for!! Luckily when my husband and I got back to our table, Peter's team had left us a plate of our own appetizers so that we were able to enjoy them as well. The waiting staff and bartenders were professional and friendly! Thank you so much for being a part of our day and the amazing food Peter and team!

Cannot begin to explain how amazing Peter and his staff are! First, the food was absolutely delicious. So many people that saw us after the wedding told us that their food was so good, especially the filet. My dad is such a picky eater and he was even telling me how much he enjoyed his meal (not only that, Peter made my dad a special salad for the wedding too because he is so picky). His staff was so friendly and even interacted with our guests when appropriate. I got sooooo many compliments! We had a huge drop in numbers from our original wedding as well as I changed it from buffet to plated about 2 months before our wedding because of COVID and Peter gave me no issues about the changes and also worked with me through them. About 2 weeks before the wedding I decided to eliminate our cocktail hour due to COVID (our ceremony was off site) and do a plated appetizer while people were seated at their tables. Peter was totally on board and made it happen! I think it turned out amazing even though he said he hadn't really done it that way before. So if you want freaking delicious food and a laid back vendor that rolls with the punches (when you're already stressed to the max with all the wedding planning/COVID stuff to begin with), Peter and his staff are it!

eter and his team were incredible! Peter was very flexible and understanding when our guest count dropped by more than half due to COVID. All of the food was sooo delicious - so many guests were raving about it, you never hear that about wedding food. My personal favorite was the seafood pasta in a chardonnay cream sauce but so many people wouldn't stop talking about the prime rib. During cocktail hour, they brought a big plate of appies for the groom and I to enjoy off by ourselves which was so great. Can't wait for our next St Auggie visit so we can go eat at the restaurant and relive our wedding food!

Food was delicious! Plenty of appetizers during cocktail hour, and food was served hot. We have gotten numerous compliments on how awesome the food was. Peter runs a great company and was willing to work with us to personalize the menu to fit exactly what we wanted for our wedding day. No complaints!

Peter and his team at Purple Olive were Amazing. From our first tasting, Peter was down to earth and ready to make our Wedding Menu anything we wanted. He also is the Chef there on your wedding day which was key to us. Our guests still rave about the food at our wedding. It was all AMAZING. The steak was cooked perfectly and everyone LOVED it. I highly recommend getting Purple Olive to cater your wedding.

Fabulous! Delicious! Foodie approved!! The Purple Olive made our reception dinner a meal that was worth celebrating! The butler passed appetizers were amazing. Blackened ahi tuna on a cucumber with sweet chili mustard were a huge hit. As were the empanada; all six the perfect start to our wedding. Peter and the staff were so wonderful to work with and so accommodating with last minute numbers due to Covid. The bottom line, you want the food to be a high point and Purple Olive delivered in spades. Loved our food!

We found out about Purple Olive by word of mouth and could not be happier we hired Peter and his team. Peter was extremely accommodating in all and every aspect. We met with him first to go over a menu (We chose buffet style) including a surprise philly cheese steak to go for our guests at the end of the night. During our tasting, everything was absolutely amazing and he came to explain his thoughts on the ingredients. Then at the actual wedding the food was amazing and guests were raving about how it tasted amazing. I still have people telling me that the food was some of the best they have tasted in a long time. If you have the chance to book Purple Olive, please do. He books pretty quickly because he is so good!

My husband and I are foodies, so choosing the right caterer was at the top of our list. Peter and his team knocked it out of the park! 4 weeks later and my guests are STILL raving about the food, especially the hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour. We're so glad we chose Purple Olive!

Peter and his team are the best! The staff members were professional, but personable and friendly! Months later and our wedding guests are still raving about the chicken marsala. We couldn't have picked a better caterer to work with!

All I can say is WOW!! Peter and his team are just AMAZING. From the tastings, to the food, to the staff and the day-of product, everything was beyond perfect. Our tasting was incredible. We got full-sized portions of the meals we wanted to try out and it was delicious and the presentation was spot on. What you see is what you get day of. The food at the tasting was delicious and though we told all our guests about how amazing it was, we were a little nervous how that effort would translate for a much larger crowd. Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. The food was actually better than we remembered and our guests have not stopped making over how delicious their meals were. The appetizers were delicious and Peter makes sure there is plenty to go around so there is definitely no room for anyone to get hungry. Peter is amazing, cares so much about his product and the food is simply to die for. He even picked up our cake for us from our cake baker which was so nice and something he did not have to do. If you want your wedding to be perfect and you want food that your guests (and you) will talk about for years to come, go with Peter. There is seriously no other competition in the area!!!

We could not be more pleased with our decision to have Purple Olive cater our wedding. The food was incredible. From the array of appetizers during Cocktail Hour, to the buffet where second and third trips were a must, Peter and his entire crew left everyone buzzing. If you want to leave your guests with food that they will be talking about for years to come, then choose Purple Olive. You'll be glad you did!

We met with Pete initially in October 2018 and instantly fell in love with the cuisine & Pete’s zest for his craft. We booked him immediately for our 8/31/19 wedding! Throughout the planning process I had several questions, and Pete was always quick to respond. Hurricane Dorian threatened to derail our nuptials, but after I had a conversation with Pete I decided to ride the wave. Our wedding happened as planned! Pete and his team were nothing short of amazing! The guest are still talking about how good the food was, and the top notch service they received from the Purple Olive staff! If you’re looking for a delicious variety of cuisines, Pete & his staff are the #1 option! Thank you Pete & staff for helping to make our day amazing!

The Purple Olive not only delivered on the most delicious food but the service was supreme. When we walked into the reception the appetizers were already ready and circulating. When the main meal came out it was hot and delicious.

Purple olive was incredible! So many of our guests said it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had. Peter was also very responsive to emails. Would definitely recommend!!

Peter and his crew are not just your average wedding caterer. Of course, you have to start with the food. It was amazing! I was apprehensive to go with a buffet, but Peter ensured quality would not suffer. Everyone has been raving about the food even a month after the wedding. The service was quick and with a smile. I can’t imagine a way they could have improved. There were two instances where Peter and his team went above and beyond the call of duty. It began to sprinkle about 30 minutes before my outside ceremony. To help the rush of guests with nowhere to sit, they opened the bar an hour before originally planned. Then, when the rain subsided, they had every crew member wiping off seats. This would have taken a lot longer without their help, and they offered it with no request. They saw what needed to be done for the event to succeed, and I am so thankful.

Purple Olive recently catered my wedding. The food was absolutely fantastic! Many of our guests complimented them on how great the food was and how friendly the staff was. Purple Olive was easy to work with and took care of everything. They even coordinated with ABC Liquor to make sure the beverages arrived and were chilled before the reception started! Thank you for being a part of our big day and making everything flawless!

Peter and his team were amazing to work with. They made planning our wedding from afar the easiest thing. We had a full plated sit down reception dinner, a cocktail hour and late night snacks. I expressed to Peter everything we wanted and he delivered! The food was amazing!

Best service and quality of food for our wedding reception. We loved working with the chef to select our dinner and would highly recommend!

Peter was great to work with. We started with a tasting about 6 months out from our wedding and the food was amazing!! We wanted to include it all but he suggested a duet plate which eliminated a lot of confusion on our wedding night and greatly simplified our RSVP process. The guests enjoyed their meals and the service was flawless. Thanks Purple Olive!

Delicious! We LOVED our meals and appetizers from Purple Olive (Blackened Mahi, Tofu, Beef, and Stuffed Chicken entrees)! We received so many compliments on the meals from our guests. We even had one guest, who is a bride to be, tell us that her fiance was insisting on changing their appetizers for their upcoming wedding since our were so delicious! Pete was great to work with and even squeezed us in for a tasting right before he was going out of town for the holidays! I highly recommend Purple Olive!

The food was amazing -- my guests are STILL talking about it. Peter and his team are professional and most importantly he cooks the food ON SITE in a portable chefs kitchen. I was worried that a buffet may mean food is cold or over cooked BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE -- during the cocktail hour my guests indicated that the passed food was circulated perfectly -- they were able to try all the food and the servers were very professional. For the dinner it was a buffet but his servers bring bread baskets to the table and serve the salad at the table -- this added a beautiful formality to the event without a sit down dinner - this also allows Peter and his team to release tables to the buffet -- no DJ cattle calling tables to the buffet -- the servers personally released tables and there was NEVER a line at the buffet because while people were at the buffet the other guests were eating their salads. They also cut and pass out the cake which is a nice touch -- he provided a coffee station which went beautifully with the donut wall and grooms cake table. Peter has catering down to a science and he provides a very formal approach to a buffet. He also provides pre-packaged vendor meals that get distributed to the vendors so they are not walking through the buffet with any guests. He prepared two HUGE plates of the appetizers for my husband and me so that while we were tucked away before our announcement into the reception we were able to eat A LOT of food. Once the dinner service started my husband and I never sat down at our table so Peter made sure to pack to go meals for my husband and me as well as cake and donuts. This was amazing because when we got back to the hotel at the end of the night we were able to finally enjoy all the food! Peter is competitively priced and provides a level of service other vendors we met with could NOT compete with. I would have him cater any events in the future. He also has a restaurant in St. Augustine which is where you would do your tasting and his restaurant has delicious food as well!

Peter and his team did a fantastic job catering our wedding. He was easy to work with and incredibly flexible. He even nailed our late night snack request of a Chicago Style Italian Beef sandwich! The guests have all raved about the food. Thank you so much. It was perfect.

This is the first wedding where guests raved about the quality and the overwhelming amount of food at the reception. Peter had more than enough servers and everything was delicious! We couldn't have been more pleased with everything and the pricing was fantastic!

Purple Olive in St. Augustine, FL, is the only caterer you need for your special day! We were blown away at our tasting day and never looked back! Unbelievable value and pricing for the food and presentation we received! Purple Olive also provided our China, flatware, & glassware rentals. The staff is so gracious and accommodating not only to us but to our other wedding vendors. Our event planner, Karen Erwin of St. Augustine Weddings & Events, has a fabulous relationship with Purple Olive who all work so well together. They made it so easy! The owners accommodated every request we asked and made this the most unbelievable fairytale experience! Our wedding guests are still talking about how amazing our food was... I simply cannot imagine using anyone else!

You know you're in good hands when you tell other vendors your cater is Purple Olive and their immediate response is "Love Purple Olive! Peter is amazing." I planned my wedding from out of state and I definitely wanted to secure a good cater. The Purple Olive is very highly reviewed and I knew if I waited, Peter may be booked for my wedding date. So, I booked Purple Olive without doing any tasting of the food. Best decision ever! My husband and I got a chance to do a tasting a month before the wedding and was able to tweak our menu. Peter was so great with the changes! He even suggested a few things to make our wedding menu even better! Bottom line, Peter is a pleasure to work with and the food is amazing!!

Peter was such a pleasure to work with. His food was delicious and our guests raved about it all evening. We had a seated plate for approx. 150 guests and not one person was disappointed. We decided to not give cake as dessert so Peter gave us 5 choices of dessert cups 170 ordered only 9 left over SO needless to say no waste. They were outstanding!!! Please consider Peter and his staff for your next event he was outstanding!!!

After an extensive search for affordable and delicious food in the St. Augustine area, no one could match the food quality and price point of Purple Olive. We had a seated dinner of 250 guests and our main concerns were food quality and service; Purple Olive delivered exceptional results. They were accommodating to guests with food allergies and even offered a vegan option. The Purple Olive service was timely for food delivery and everyone was served at nearly the same time and the food was HOT. For a guest count of 250 adults plus children, this was a feat. Based on our wedding day, we give Purple Olive the highest form of praise and flattery.

Peter catered our wedding at Treasury on the Plaza and the food was amazing! I first reached out to Peter with my own menu ideas and he took them and perfected them into something creative and delicious! Hors d'oeuvres were hand passed and the selections were so unique - everyone complimented the assortment. Peter even saved us two trays for us to munch on after we finished pictures, before our reception entrance. For dinner, he combined table-side salads with a buffet and station-style service. We are from Tampa so we made the drive up for the tasting - we were so impressed with all of the flavor and even the presentation for just a tasting! The guests felt the same way when the big day came - nothing but praise for the delicious food. We did not hear one bad thing about the food... Most people said it was the best they'd ever eaten. My only complaint is that our original menu had shrimp pasta, but Peter suggested we make the change to mahi mahi during our tasting. We tried the mahi mahi and fell in love, so we agreed to the change. However, when the day came, shrimp pasta was at the buffet instead of the mahi mahi. Thankfully, the shrimp pasta was super delicious because we hadn't tried it during the tasting, nor were we aware the change was made until dinner was served. A few of the people who we had talked with about the tasting were disappointed in the missing mahi option, but were still pleased overall with the food. I just wish Peter would have reached out to notify us of the change, however, it's possible he forgot to note the change in our file and referred to the original - probably a simple mistake. Overall, great food and Peter was a joy to work with.

Purple Olive was hands down the best caterer we could have booked for our wedding. They are the absolute best. Peter is incredibly responsive and easy to work with , and his team of servers impressed all of our guests with their kind and thoughtful service. The food was delicious - from the passed hors d'oeuvres to the two course dinner to the assorted mini-desserts and late night taco station. Our guests raved about the freshness and quality of everything they tasted, and many tried every item on the menu! We also found out later that Peter had accidentally cut himself, left the wedding to get stitches, and then returned to oversee the remainder of our event. That is incredible dedication and professionalism that goes above and beyond. Thank you Purple Olive!

I wish I could give Purple Olive more stars. We hired Peter to cater our Treasury on the Plaza wedding, they were phenomenal!! Our guests absolutely loved the food and they served close to 100 plated dinners in about an hour. We were able to finish dinner quickly and start the party as planned. I highly recommend them for your wedding, the food is delicious and their service is top notch!

We decided to do a Cuban style menu and everyone loved it! My husband and I were running around talking to everyone and the staff was delightful! They made sure we had a plate when we returned to the table and had more than enough food to go!

Everyone loved the food! Peter was super accomidating and added special dishes that held meaning to us as a couple. There was plenty of food and everyone raved about the prime rib.

Peter Kinney and the Purple Olive staff catered my wedding at River House in St. Augustine. I have never seen a catered event go so smoothly. The food was wonderful and people are still raving about Purple Olive. I highly recommend them for your wedding or next event!

Guests raved about the food and the friendly staff, and the service was above and beyond. Our menu consisted of a carving station with beef loin, stuffed chicken and eggplant parm with mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, salad and several great appetizers (Tomato Basil Tarts, Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce, Parmesan Chicken Bites with Lemon Herb Butter). We couldn't have been happier with Peter and his staff. He even helped guests in. Peter was really easy to work with in the weeks leading up and he went the extra mile to make everything seamless. I would recommend Purple Olive to anyone.

I could not have been happier with Purple Olive. For quality, professionalism and price - they are AWESOME. The food was fantastic - all the guests were raving about it. Also Peter the owner is SO wonderful!! He's so nice and helpful, and really knows what he's doing in terms of food taste, presentation and quality of service. Guests were raving about the food and how great and nice the staff was. We had tons of food options for a great price. Also to note, I have Celiac disease and so does my sister (MOH) and he made everything GF and it was fabulous!! Definitely recommend!!

If you want your guests to ENJOY the meal you serve, be blown away be the service and presentation...and actually remember how good it was and have them asking/still talking about it weeks later... don't even bother looking elsewhere. Purple Olive is the ONLY option! And the best part... you don't have to completely destroy your bank account either! We had the pleasure of finding Peter on theKnot and Wedding Wire and after meeting with and seeing menu options from a few local caterers, we knew Peter/ Purple Olive was the perfect one for us. After hearing about all our visions and our menu wishes (my husband wanted shrimp/grits for an appetizer and fried chicken for dinner -- don't ask!) Peter turned what I thought would surely be a hillbilly hoedown into a fabulous, chic southern affair! I (and all the guests who went back for SECONDS) were blown away at the spread Peter brought. We had a menu a million miles long and I have never tasted anything so delicious. He also managed our bar service, and let us drop off all the booze ahead of time. Everything went smoothly and even sent us back with cold beers for the afterparty! (He loaned us one of his big coolers which we returned the next day). Another key feature that I really loved about Purple Olive is that they take care of their team and incorporate that into the menu price, so you don't have to freak out about adding in another 20%. We tipped of course anyways! They deserve 30% probably! TRULY an AMAZING team that will make your perfect wedding dreams come true. We love you Purple Olive!

Wish I could give a better review... Obvious catering a newer venture from restaurant and perhaps size of event was a factor? We had gone to the restaurant prior to booking and were very pleased with the choice!! Pricing was very competitive and options provided were great. My wedding experience was not without issues, and I would say my complaint is more with the accessibility and professionalism than anything else. Challenging to get a hold of at times, and was not always responsive to messages during planning stages. Also, clearly did not have experience handling issues. Had hoped for more responsiveness to concerns voiced after event, but just not handled appropriately in my opinion. No empathy, no respect or apology, no appropriate resolution for that matter. I hope others have better experience, as I see true potential in the food!

My groom and I had never eaten at the Purple Olive prior to booking our big day, but had heard nothing but fabulous reviews! Peter helped us plan the PERFECT menu and we really LOVED how he takes his catering clients on with such a personal interest. He wanted everything to be perfect, and it was. His staff was super professional and we heard guests raving ALL night about the food! Delicious!

We hired Peter with Purple Olive as our caterer for our wedding and we were happy we did. The food was fantastic, and everybody raved about it. About a week before, we met up with Peter and went over all of the options for food, and he threw out that with our size wedding he could serve the food family-style instead of buffet…and it turned out amazing! It saved time of people having to wait in line, and everyone thought that it was way classier than buffet. He also included with the price of catering (which was a great price btw) all flatware and dinnerware, and 4 glass dispensers for drinks! I cannot say enough good things about Peter and the quality of food that he prepares. It was truly so good, which is why I am giving Peter 5 stars! We did have a big problem however with the service we hired through Peter. We paid $25 a person per hour to service our wedding, from set-up to breakdown and food service. I wrote out a detailed manual with pictures and drawings (took quite a lot of time to make) so that centerpieces, sign-in tables, etc were set up how we imagined them and it would take stress of of us the day of the wedding. All items were dropped off the night before in 1 room with manuals. It was a disaster to say the least. I received tons of calls throughout the day with questions that were all listed straight on the manual. Things we bought and/or made were not even used or set up at all. I had to have my mom/sister/friends rush over there to help supervise where things should go and fix what they did, which took them away from being with me beforehand as planned. Considering how much was right there in front of them and the price we were paying them to handle it themselves without stress, I was extremely disappointed. Luckily, it all worked out with the help of my family and friends, and no guests knew any better. However, in hindsight I would have used that money to hire a wedding planner and paid for service through them. Catering-wise A+++

Simply put we loved the food! My husband loved the idea of a Caribbean/seafood menu and Peter made it happen! It was affordable and elegant.

Unbelievable staff. Peter Kinney the owner is talented, efficient and accommodating. The staff helped set up our decorations. We had a cocktail hour that included chicken empanadas, Seared tuna with a hot mustard glaze, assorted cheeses and olives and fruit. For dinner we had Seafood Paella, Roast Pork with a datil peach chutney, and more. it was the best food I have ever had at a wedding.

I can not say enough wonderful things about Peter and his staff from Purple Olive. Everyone including ourselves raved about the food! We had a cocktail hour with passed and stationed appetizers and then a dinner buffet. It was all so yummy! Aside from the food, Peter was so wonderful to work with. Anything that we wanted he said yes to. The staff at the reception were all so friendly and helpful, but also professional and hard working. They did so much set up and clean up for us and anything we asked of them during the reception! I can't wait to have another party, just to have an excuse to use this awesome catering team!

The food was great, the owner was very nice and polite, and price was decent. However the restaurant is only open from 5 - 10pm and closed on sundays and mondays, which makes it really hard to contact them. It was stressful getting a quote and there were mistakes in my charge which was not refunded, but I was asked to come eat at the restaurant to make up for the excess charge, which unfortunately I couldn't do because they were only open at the times when I had other plans, and two days before I left town they were closed so that's money overspent and not regained. Overall the food was really good.