The Caterist

The Caterist was fabulous to work with from the first email through our wedding day itself. Erin was fantastic, the food was wonderful, and we would definitely use them again!

My husband and I chose The Caterist as the caterer for our wedding reception and we couldn't be more pleased. From the very beginning with our tasting, Erin from their team was incredibly responsive to our questions and concerns and so easy to work with. On the day of the wedding, the servers and bartenders were all friendly and helpful. Now the important part: the food was amazing. So many guests at our wedding came up to us raving about the food. Entrees were well seasoned and the portions were generous, and the desserts on our dessert table were also very tasty, with a lot of variety. Overall, would definitely recommend working with the Caterist for your wedding!

Our wedding menu was so special, thoughtful and customized in a way that felt so perfect for us! We were in such good hands with The Caterist. They elevated our wedding with ideal execution and didn’t miss a detail. Can’t recommend enough!

We recently worked with The Caterist at our wedding and we had a very good experience! Being a winter wedding we were looking for food options for a cozy, holiday experience. We were very impressed by their food selection and even more impressed by the quality of the food during our tasting. They had everything we needed as well for tableware with multiple styles to choose from. During our planning process, they were very knowledgeable, communicative, and prompt, even helping us with things we didn't know about. The day of, their service was impeccable and they received praise from just about everyone who attending. I would highly recommend The Caterist!

We had the opportunity to work with the Caterist for a destination wedding this year and it was such a wonderful experience! Working with Ana was a dream. She is knowledgable, kind, and has a close attention to detail. We also loved working with her team on the wedding day! They were quick, so helpful, and on it with our room flip, dinner service and more. All that to say plus, the food was delicious! I highly recommend reaching out to them if you are looking for a great catering team.

We are blown away by the service and level of dedication that the team at The Caterist gave to our wedding. The guests wouldn't stop talking about the food. It was beyond! They even accommodated our gluten sensitive guests by making the majority of the menu GF! I felt truly special when they had a server bringing us the passed apps and cocktails during our cocktail hour! Then that service continued throughout the night. We were not expecting that. Working with the Ana to make adjustments to our rental orders and floor plan was a breeze and made the process stress-free! Thank you again for making our day so special!

We hired the Caterist for our wedding in August 2022, and overall we were very happy with the experience. From the get-go we were impressed with the quality and selection of the food options they offered, especially since we had several allergies and dietary restrictions to account for among our guests. The experience of going to our food tasting was also lovely and personalized, and was a highlight not only for myself and my husband but also the family members that we were able to bring along. When the big day arrived, the team that staffed our wedding was superb: they were timely, supremely competent, highly communicative, and the food was delicious. We received so many compliments not only on the tastiness of the meal but the attentiveness of the staff throughout the event. We truly could not have wished for a better catering service on such an important day! Our only recommendation to future couples is to make better use of The Caterist’s online portal for finalizing food, linen, and equipment selections. It was an excellent resource for organizing the details of our catering service, so I would recommend working with your liaison early-on to make the most out of the portal and other planning tools that The Caterist provides.

The food was supreme and the options exceeded our expectations! Everything from the food choices and tastings, to the atmosphere we were going for. Not only that, it was very important to us that the planning and setup was as stress-free as possible. We truly felt that we had a partner to work with, helping us with that goal. Ana and Cristina made that possible. Our event was at The Lytle House, which the Caterist was already familiar with, so that helped as well.

The food and drinks that The Caterist delivered on our wedding day were amazing! Many of our guests said that it's the best wedding meal they have ever had. Throughout the planning process, everyone on the team was so attentive, detail oriented and patient with us. We could not have asked for a better caterer for our wedding. Highly recommend!

Hiring The Caterist was one of the best decisions we could have made for our wedding on 8/6, if not the best decision we made, period. Throughout the planning process, Ana was incredible to work with, very responsive, and went above and beyond to work with our vendors and think through all aspects of our event - not just the food! Cristina was our day-of contact and again, was outstanding to work with. The Caterist is awesome because they nail some of the things that many wedding caterers seem to miss: - Collaborating with our existing vendor team - for example, we had a difficult time nailing down some answers from our cake baker and Ana took care of confirming delivery - Delicious food that comes out HOT. As someone who has been to many weddings and has received a dinner that is lukewarm or cold, everything was cooked perfectly and warm to eat even for guests that were the last to be served. It seems really simple but we kept hearing over and over that people loved their dinner and it was delicious. - Outstanding beverage service - our guests really enjoyed their drinks, and nothing was watered down or tiny pours ;) - Fun hors d'oeuvres that our guests also loved! The day of our wedding was extremely hot and humid- one of the hottest of the year, AND our ceremony offsite ran way earlier on schedule than anticipated. The Caterist and their team quickly switched gears to accommodate a group of thirsty, sweaty guests that showed up to cocktail hour 15-20 minutes early. For that - thank you. Our dinner was fantastic as well - it's always a good sign when guests clear their plates entirely. We received so many compliments on the food, drink, and service - one guest even told us that the beef tenderloin was some of the best that they have ever had, and they weren't just telling us to say that. In short - thank you, Ana and Cristina for making our day magical and for being so wonderful to work with!

Let me set the stage for you, our wedding was a Restaurant Industry Wedding, and over half the guests (including myself) in attendance were either in the Restaurant or Events business, and Erin & The Caterist absolutely crushed it. We had originally planned on catering our own wedding, but I was luckily talked out of producing, so I could enjoy the day. However, we had a really high bar for who l ask to Cater our wedding. We went to about 4 tastings with other Catering companies until a friend recommended the Caterist, and from the very beginning, you could tell they were on a different level. From our initial tasting, which for the most part they crushed, Erin and Chef actually l and took notes about the menu we had in mind (which was pretty custom, think chef-y Viking feast), and built a menu that fit our vision. Now when I say the crushed it "for the most part", there was a dish that we all agreed didn't come out the way they were used to, no big deal, not every short rib will be perfect. however instead of settling for "ok", Chef drove out another version of the dish to our house the next weekend, and it was perfect. From beginning to end Erin and her Team were professional, thoughtful, and frankly executed our wedding better than we thought possible. It's been a couple of months now, and we are still getting rave reviews. Bottom line, stop looking elsewhere email The Caterist, ask for Erin, and be prepared to be wowed.

When looking for catering for our backyard wedding, we wanted something fun and delicious yet approachable for a varied crowd. We reached out to The Caterist, and were blown away from the first interaction with Cristina. She was so kind, and Ana was absolutely incredible to work with. She answered our many questions, suggested various options, held a wonderful tasting for two of our dear friends (we don't live in state) and designed a beautiful table setting for the day. And, of course, the food was delicious. Our guests raved about the menu and gelato bar!

The Caterist was the perfect choice for our wedding. They truly rolled out the red carpet for us from the tasting all the way to our actual wedding. Our guests raved about the food and one guest even said "that was the best prime rib I have ever had"! Huge shout out to Erin for helping me create my vision!

From the moment we did our tasting with Ana, we knew we had the right caterer. They did an incredible job every step of the way with their communication, helping us make sure we didn't miss anything, and made us feel comfortable that everything was under control. We knew the food was amazing and all our guests told us the same. The staff the day of was incredible as well. Ana and Paige did an amazing job and we'd highly recommend them to anyone considering their services.

The Caterist was amazing to work with for our wedding. We booked them in early 2019 after a tasting that made our decision a no-brainer. My husband and I are both pretty particular about food and everything we had was delicious. Erin was such a pleasure to work with even during our pandemic reschedule - she was so responsive, flexible and kind and just an all around professional. When we moved our wedding from fall 2020 to summer 2021, she proactively reached out to make small adjustments to our menu to coincide with what was in season. In the month leading up the wedding and during the walk through, her expertise and knowledge really shone. The day of the wedding we were thrilled with the food (we are both vegetarians and our meal was PHENOMENAL even thought the vast majority of our guests had meat) - everyone complimented the quality not only of the food but also the service. The waitstaff was attentive and friendly and we felt so lucky to work with them! They also sent us home with a snack pack for the following morning which was so thoughtful. We would recommend them to anyone looking for high quality food, fair pricing and exceptional service.

They are truely the best. We choose the Caterist for our wedding and I could not have been more thrilled by the experience. Weeks after the fact, people are still raving about the food. Every bite was delicious! Not only that but their wait staff was very friendly and were extremely diligent the entire night. The real reason to go with the Caterist however is the planning. I mostly worked with Erin and she was consistently on top of her game. She remembered every detail from our food to our tablescape to the schedule for the day. I had a very specific look for our wedding and Erin not only listened to what I wanted but also contributed ideas to make it even better! And she was so quick to respond to emails!! We almost always received an email immediately or first thing on the next business day (they are also very transparent about when their office hours are so you do not think they are not responding.) They we're also very receptive to our ideas. They always found a way to say yes to our vision. We are so lucky to have found them. It was an amazing experience from start to finish. You have no reason to not go with them.

The Caterist did a fantastic job and Erin was a pleasure to work with throughout the process. The team really took our vision and was able to execute the meal we had hoped for all within our numerous constraints. We're so happy we went with The Caterist for our special day.

Erin is truly THE BEST!!!!! The lead up to the day was simple because Erin knows exactly how to run a smooth meal! She is creative and was willing to take every dietary need thrown at her and every creative whim we came up with- she worked with our venue seemlessly and the food was AMAZING. like literally every guest LOVED the menu. what a dream to work with.

We primarily worked with Erin and she was so helpful from our first interaction. Our wedding was at Room 1520 in Chicago. Our tasting was a great experience and allowed us to get a complete review of options. The food was fantastic and exactly what we hoped for. Due to COVID we had to postpone, but Erin was flexible throughout this process. She was able to accommodate all of our requests and keep our group feeling safe. The food and service were all that we could have hoped for!

Our coordinator was Ana, and throughout the entire process from the tasting through our wedding day was conducted seamlessly with so much enthusiasm. She brought our vision to life completely and dealt with all of the challenges (relatives that never RSVP'd and showed up and all wanted to sit together) in stride. I was able to completely focus on my guests knowing that she was handling the food (which we received many compliments on throughout the evening) and any issue that might have risen. They were extremely professional and made sure all of "our" little touches were packed up at the end of the night. It was a wonderful day and so happy that we decided to chose The Caterist and would highly recommend them to any future couples.

Our coordinator was Erin, and I just want to give her a shoutout to thank her for her responsiveness and professionalism during this long process! You rocked! Also, our wedding day was a total success. It took me a long time to find the right caterer to cater our wedding reception, and I’m so thankful that we found The Caterist! I didn’t expect the food to taste exactly like our tasting since they are making mass amounts of food for the event; however they exceeded expectations! I may even be able to say that it was possibly better when served at our reception! They take all your notes and suggestions seriously and without fail everything was seasoned as noted and all the details of our table setting was perfect. I can’t even understand how well everything was organized and executed in such a manner. The servers were excellent and professional as well! I can’t thank them enough for putting so much thought and effort into our special day.

Ana, the team at the Caterist, and best of all - their food - made our wedding everything we wanted and more. Everything - from the tasting to the pre-wedding communication to the walk-throughs to perfectly executing everything the night of the wedding, and the unique and outstanding menu - was fantastic! We had 215 guests at our wedding and their team could not have made our guests feel more comfortable and taken care of. Without a doubt, we made the right choice by entrusting Ana and her team to make this day so special (and to make sure our guests had a meal that will be their new gold standard for wedding food)!

The food at my wedding was amazing!!! Guests continue to talk about how much they loved the food (incredible flavor, fresh ingredients, and perfect warm temperature when served), which was so important to me. Working with Ana was an absolute pleasure. I could ask her anything and everything (and believe me, I did), even the smallest of details, and she addressed all of my questions and provided options to fit my budget and preference. From start to finish, I made many changes to the menu/proposal as I changed my mind several times during the wedding planning process, but Ana was always willing to make the updates. In the beginning when requesting a quote from The Caterist, I gave them a broad type of cuisine that I wanted (Mediterranean, and all gluten-free) and discussed my vision. The proposal came back as a beautifully put together presentation with elevated menu items described in such a delicious way, highlighting fancy and unique flavors/ingredients. I was so impressed and couldn't wait to select the items to try at the tasting! The tasting (which was much more reasonably priced than other caterers) was a fabulous experience - the table was set up with several different place settings and glassware, they had a signature cocktail specially created for us (which we ended up serving at the wedding, it was good!), and we were able to try a ton of options, we left so full! They had a nice gift (notepad book) waiting for us and even packed up the leftovers for us to take home. I'm so happy with the food and level of service and attention to detail that The Caterist provided. The wedding felt so seamless thanks to their team. The Caterist was instrumental in making my wedding incredible, and I'm so happy that they were able to accommodate dietary restrictions without sacrificing exceptional flavor.

We used The Caterist for our wedding this summer and they exceeding our expectations in just about every way. We worked with Ana who was so welcoming from the beginning with our initial tasting, offering recommendations for signature drinks, all the way to the day of our wedding where she was more of like a day of wedding coordinator instead of a catering coordinator. From truly locking down our day of schedule down to every detail and helping set up the venue the day of with decorations, she was fantastic, professional and a lot of fun. Aside from the stellar service, the food was AMAZING. We had guests coming up to us all throughout the night and even the next day telling us how much they loved the food. They take their food seriously and you can taste the difference in quality. Highly recommend the Caterist if you are looking for a great local, small business where they truly appreciate great quality ingredients and service.

There are no words to describe how amazing everyone was when servicing our wedding. Ana did a FANTASTIC job. We were slightly indecisive and chaotic and she helped us through all of it with grace and kindness. I am so glad that we chose The Caterist as our caterer and everyone was raving about how delicious all of the food was, from passed hors d'ouvres to dinner to dessert. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a caterer for an event to a wedding, they do not disappoint! Thank you again for all that you did to make our special day unforgettable!

The Caterist is absolutely amazing. The food is phenomenal- there's no doubt about that. BUT on top of that Erin and her crew are the best. They are basically catering/wedding planner/day of coordinator all rolled into one. I knew they were the right choice the minute I walked into our tasting. They set up a room for us with personalized menus, a full complimentary bar, a cute little personalized sign, different displays to check out, linens to choose from, etc. We tried each item I had pre-chosen then discussed. I think we only ended up switching one item. Our reception was heavy hors d'eourves and stations rather than a sit down meal and I was so nervous that guests wouldn't leave full. They eased my concerns at the tasting...we left extremely stuffed. Guests had plenty to eat and it was all delicious. They raved about everything. Erin attended the pre-wedding meeting at the venue and even mapped out the space for us with tables and the full set up. Her and her crew fully flipped the space from ceremony to reception during the cocktail hour and then helped pack up all of the decor for us once the wedding was over. Honestly, I can't recommend them enough. If you are debating between caterers, go with The Caterist. They are the whole package and helped make our day sooooo very special.

Erin at the Caterist is the best. She was such a delight to work with. She was so responsive to our inquiries—albeit early inquiries; I'm a planner so I was eager to get estimates and book good vendors many months in an advance. Erin was communicative and willing to answer any/all questions. Our families absolutely raved about their apps, dinners and drinks. We had mini fried chicken and waffles + caprese skewers for apps; and salmon, beef tenderloin and bacon/thyme stuffed chicken for dinner. The Caterist is worth every penny.

The Caterist is on the recommended caterer list for the venue we selected for our September wedding. From the first tasting, we realized the food would not only be creatively served and displayed but absolutely delicious. Ana stuck with us as we added to or changed the menu and the rental items. (A few times!) My husband is Jewish and so were many of our guests, which required creativity with menu items and how things needed to be served which the Chef accommodated without a problem. Our guests loved everything from the passed hor d’oeuvres to the chef stations with complimenting salads. Our vision of a free flowing reception was realized. The final touches of the sweets and coffee table to the late night snack; our guests will be talking about our wedding, specifically the amazing food, service and venue, for quite some time!

We did a tasting with The Caterist in December and our wedding was the following July. We had already put a down-payment with another caterer, which we were not happy with so we were on the search for a new one. The Caterist worked with us on what we wanted which aligned with our budget. Not over budget, but within budget, as a lot of caterers try to sell you on more and up-charge for everything. At the tasting, we were absolutely blown away! The food is more than amazing and the set up and care they take to make the tasting special is above nothing else. They set it up to show you what you would see and experience at your wedding. My fiance at the time, was not going to go, as he was tired of doing wedding stuff. He was blown away with the food and said he would have missed out. Ana and Cristina are very accommodating, professional, patient and organized. They know what they are doing 100%. Our day had some hitches with our wedding coordinator, but Ana and Cristina had a back up plan and were on top of everything. I cannot speak highly enough about The Caterist. We have received so many compliments about the food, decor and waitstaff since our wedding. We aimed for amazing food, a great bar and a unique venue and we got it all. The food, decor, service, professionalism was all top notch. I would definitely use them again for another life event. A big Thank you to The Caterist. They are truly amazing.

We had an amazing experience working with The Caterist. From our very first interactions until last call on our wedding night, Ana and The Caterist team were supportive, professional and very accommodating. We live in California, so planning an out of state wedding was not easy, but Ana took the lead and gave us great advice on food choices, catering styles and even timeline decisions to keep our guests happy and well taken care of throughout the night. We did not have a wedding planner, so Ana was incredibly helpful in the planning process. She gave us tons of advice on ordering quantities, rentals choices and even floor plan. We were able to relax on our wedding day, because we felt confident that they would do a wonderful job making our vision come true. The food was delicious and the catering staff and bartender took excellent care of us, our friends and our family.

I truly cannot recommend Ana and the Caterist team enough. Ana was such a pleasure to work with, and communicate with, from setting up a tasting, to the day of the wedding. Ana was extremely prompt with all communication and is so friendly and pleasant to be around! I have received so many compliments on the food at our wedding, and could not have been happier with set up, professionalism, and service of her staff. I would absolutely recommend Ana and her team to my closest family and friends!

Truly grateful to have worked with the Caterist - and Erin! Her organization, communication, and ability to handle a bride like me was amazing. Our tasting prior to our wedding to decide on our menu was the most thoughtful. Erin displayed napkin colors to go with ideas I had given her, place settings to work with, and a personalized menu option based off what my Husband and I like to cook together. (SWOON) The fact that our wedding day was seamless, beautiful, and beyond delicious is a testament to what The Caterist, Erin, and team can do! We’ve received all the compliments on our original - and DELICIOUS - menu. Such an amazing experience, would recommend all day every day. Thank you for truly making our day the best ever.

This is a very easy review to write -- I truly cannot recommend Ana, Christina and the whole Caterist crew highly enough. First, the food was great: it is now a full month after our wedding and we are stilling receiving wonderful complements about the food. Second, Ana and Christina were a welcome calming presence throughout the whole planning process. Planning a wedding is hard and stress inducing, but if you hire the Caterist I guarantee they will make the process more calm and pleasant. Again, can't rate them highly enough.

If I could give The Caterist 10 out of 5 stars, I would. We hired The Caterist to cater our wedding at Ovation Chicago in September 2017. We booked with The Caterist the previous spring (May 2016), and I cannot put to words how strongly I feel that this was one of the best decisions my husband and I made during this process (number 1= marrying each other). From the beginning, all of The Caterist staff were helpful without being pushy, provided guidance while acknowledging our individual dietary and financial needs, and were genuinely pleasant to work with. Ana was the Event Producer who reached out to me after I made an inquiry to The Caterist. I could write a short story about all of the reasons why we love Ana and why she is the best vendor representative we worked with. The first time we spoke on the phone, I could immediately sense her caring nature and her genuine excitement for us and our event. At the same time, she is absolutely professional, organized, and an excellent communicator. After our first tasting with The Caterist, she immediately felt like family. We did have a tasting at another events company, and while the food was likewise delicious, my husband and I decided that ultimately we would book with The Caterist because we wanted Ana on our team. Over the next year and a half, Ana and I would exchange emails when big timeline events came up and we would speak on the phone when I was struggling to make decisions. We did not have a wedding coordinator, but we had Ana, and nobody could have done a better job handling our event and making it US. Now, lets talk the goods: the food! At least eight different couples told me on the night of the wedding that The Caterist food was THE best food they had ever tasted at a wedding. I am a pescatarian (I eat seafood but no other meat) and my husband is not; the Caterist boasts a very diverse menu from station appetizers, passed appetizers, sides, mains, desserts, you name it. And, they can literally make anything you want, better than you could imagine. Chef Chris is just delightful to be around, and during the tastings, he is present throughout to hear your feedback and compound on his recipes. Our menu included passed appetizers (one meat, one seafood, the rest vegetarian-friendly) during cocktail hour, Pesto + Spinach Lasagna with Tomato Jam, Wild Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast, Baby Arugula Salad, and sides of sautéed haricot verts with tarragon butter and truffle potato puree (read: truffle mashed potatoes, unbelievable). This menu was an absolute hit, people were at the buffet for seconds without hesitation. Even we made sure we ate during dinner (everyone told us we wouldn't have time to eat, but we MADE time). Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we had gelato cookie sandwiches (shortbread+key lime, chocolate chip+Mexican hot chocolate, churro+malted vanilla). Yes, all of these flavors are real and they are all as amazing as they sound. If you are even remotely considering hiring The Caterist for your wedding or event, contact them immediately to see if your date is available. I give them my whole-hearted, sincerest endorsement, and will continue to sing their praises. What makes them even more special is that they book one event per day, which means they are giving you and your event their full attention. Imagine sharing your favorite home-cooked meal with your family and friends on the best day of your life; that is The Caterist experience.

What can I say....The Caterist was the best part of our wedding! From the day I first reached out, they were nothing but helpful and a pleasure to work with. Ana was amazing at making sure all the little details were taken care of, every step of the way. Their food is delicious (everyone loved it!), the staff was great, and Ana made sure our wedding day went off without any hiccups! As a bride, there are so many details to think of or worry about, but Ana and her team made the whole process easy and enjoyable! I cannot say enough good things!

I am so happy that we picked The Caterist for our wedding this past July! I was living abroad at the time of planning the wedding, and I must say that Ana went above and beyond to help make our wedding just what I wanted! She helped me plan the tasting so that I could Skype in while my parents got to try the food (I wish I was actually there, but it was better than nothing) to scheduling times that I could Skype her and my mom together to go over final details. The food on the actual wedding day was fantastic and our guests talked very highly of it! Thank you so much for making our wedding day special!

Cristina is absolutely AMAZING! She stepped up on so many occasions when others dropped the ball (myself included) and handled it all. The food was so delicious, the space looked gorgeous-- she is a rockstar. Thank you!!!

ana and chris the chef and the rest of her staff was so so wonderful all through the process. we are older (50+) so we thought wrongfully so that we'd be immune to stress from the process. not so. anyway, ana and her group are so so caring and understanding and wise about how the process works and helped us manage the whole thing. it was a great weekend and we could not be more thrilled with how it all turned out! ana ana and her crew are the best

We used the Caterist for our wedding reception and we're SO glad we did. We had rave reviews of the food from our guests and the quality was so fresh! The Caterist provided passed hors d'ouevres during cocktail hour and plated dinners for our reception. They were responsible for turning our event space from the wedding ceremony into the reception and they completed that very smoothly. All the staff were very professional and made sure everyone received what they ordered. We had some guests with dietary restrictions and they were well looked after. We worked with Erin who was great at communicating especially closer to the wedding when the details were sorted out. She responded very quickly to our emails with questions. She is very flexible and has a lot of experience but the highlight of this company is the food and service. We still have people telling us how much they liked the food and that was one thing that was very important to me! Highly recommend this catering company for any event!

The Caterist is amazing!! We worked with Cristina and could not have been happier with our experience from beginning to end! From our first conversation, Cristina listened to our ideas and came up with a menu that exceeded all of our ideas of what our wedding food could be, and that was mindful of our budget. Leading up to our wedding day Cristina made the whole process easy and stress free. The day of our wedding the food was incredible and the The Caterist team knocked it out of the park with service. "That was the best wedding food I've ever had," said all of our guests! Call The Caterist today, I promise you will be so happy you did!!

The Caterist has delicious food (my husband, myself, and our guests were all huge fans), and the wait staff is incredible!! My personal favorite were the mini-tacos (vegetarian version), and one of the waiters made sure I always had some available to eat!! The s'mores bar is also absolutely amazing- a huge hit with our guests and so tasty as well!! Overall I just can't say enough good things about The Caterist.

If you need a wedding caterer in the Chicago land area, go with The Caterist. You will not be disappointed. I got married on 10.15.16 and Erin and her team went above and beyond. The appetizers and dinner were AMAZING!! The staff was kind and they all went above and beyond to make my wedding so special! My dad is all about the food at weddings and let me tell you that he is still talking about how good the apps and his chicken were at the wedding. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. We looked a few different catering companies and nothing stood out like The Caterist. Erin helped us stay within our budget for 239 guests. Other caterers we looked at didn't give us options like the Caterist did. The best choice we made was hiring you guys for our wedding!! So thank you Erin and your team!!! You truly made our wedding so special and memorable!!!

We got married on August 27th at the Floating World Gallery and used The Caterist. Ana and Cristina were great to work with and the food was delicious. They were so helpful with getting things all of our centerpieces and decor set up before the wedding. We would definitely recommend them.

The Caterist was amazing. The crew that handled our wedding was absolutely spectacular; they did a magnificent job with the food, set-up, break-down, serving, and much more. Truly professional and would highly recommend!

Firstly, Erin makes the whole package worth it. She's calm, organized, and gets it done. They gave us two tastings, as we weren't totally sold at the first tasting. I've heard that the food is never as good as it is at the tasting, but, somehow, it was BETTER. We assumed we'd have mediocre food because we got the one of the most affordable caterers, but everyone raved about the food, and we had quite the judgmental crowd (seriously). The food was DELICIOUS. We gave them all of our flowers and candles and decor for the tables, and they set up the tables amazingly! It was beautiful, and take this from a lazy bride, Erin makes it easy.

Ana and The Caterist were absolutely the best! Our venue was one they had never worked at before and they went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. They offered to help the venue create a floor plan which was a huge help to all of us. They worked with us to create a menu that we loved and the presentation was phenomenal. The entire staff was friendly and accommodating the night of the wedding. I couldn't be happier with our catering choice. Thank you Ana!!

I have a million amazing things I want to say about The Caterist and everyone there - They are absolutely THE BEST! We hired them for our August 2015 wedding with 170 guests, and we couldn't have made a better choice. We did unconventional small passed plates instead of a traditional sit-down dinner, and they nailed it. Erin was really great in the planning process and helping us complete our vision of how we wanted the night to go. She was great with following up on questions, sending us information on how everything would look and feel, and was very organized with everything. Cristina was our catering fairy - SHE. IS. AMAZING. She was in charge of running the show on our wedding day, making sure everything was set up exactly how we wanted it. Her staff was amazing and helpful, and she checked in every so often to make sure we were doing okay. They were truly amazing and helped to make our wedding day unforgettable. We would (and will!) highly recommend The Caterist for any event.

We were married June 6, 2015, and hired The Caterist of Evanston to do a buffet dinner reception for about 70 family members and close friends at the Evanston Ecology Center. We're vegans, and vegan catering in Chicago was not only expensive, some of the menu items were kind of odd. I thought for months about catering the wedding myself, because I'm a good cook with good recipes, but when I looked into what it would actually entail, it quickly became clear I wouldn't be able to rent refrigerated space, that I didn't have enough helpers, and that if anything went wrong it could ruin our big day. I contacted the Caterist and told them my situation, and they began searching for recipes. Hiring a caterer was really intimidating for me, I've run into snooty chefs and was afraid they'd look down their noses at me, but Cristina Gustafson was wonderful, she handled my nervousness with grace and patience. She put together an amazing list of menu choices at a reasonable price. During our tasting (which was elegant and fun), it was hard to make the final choices because everything was so good, I literally couldn't stop eating the Tuscan Panzanella Salad. (The other salad option was a strawberry coconut salad that was amazing, it was really hard to choose.) We went with vegetarian main dishes, salad and sides, and vegan hors d'oeuvres and dessert and coffee/tea. (Wine, beer and soft drinks were supplied by Schaefer's.) The Pesto Spinach Lasagna was so good. The Parmesan Polenta Cakes were fantastic; some guests didn't know what polenta is. One of the hors d'oeuvres was disappointing, the Samosa Sope, and many hors d'oeuvres were left over, possibly because they were labeled as vegan, a word that I've noticed puts people off even though they eat vegan dishes all the time without thinking about it. But it's also possible that our mostly health-conscious guests were watching calories. The dessert, Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bites, tasted good but didn't stand up to the warm day, we weren't able to keep them chilled enough.

Cristina was a pleasure to work with. She was always professional and was easy to get in touch with whenever we needed to. She definitely knows her stuff and she made sure we had every detail covered, even meeting with us multiple times at the venue to go over everything to ensure she had it right. She went above and beyond for us and we completely appreciate that, from making us a timeline of the day and helping with seating arrangements to being in charge of contacting our other vendors in case they were late. She definitely made the day much easier on both my husband and me. Everything from the appetizers down to the dinner was delicious and fresh. She was able to stick wiithin our budget and people had more than enough to eat. They also made sure the presentation and service was perfect! They have such a variety of foods that its not just your ordinary wedding plates. She had even boxed us up a breakfast snack to have the following day which truly made us feel special. I would recommend the Caterist to any of my friends that will be marrying in the future, they did a wonderful job!