The French Picnic

If we could rate more than 5 stars, we would! Edward and French Picnic blew us away along every step of the process. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to have a tasting with French Picnic ahead of our wedding. We put our trust in the menu, Edward & French Picnic as well as our wedding coordinator who suggested him. Let me tell you: Edward's food was the best wedding food we've ever had (and that's not just because it was our wedding!). We continue to get raving reviews from our family and friends even months later. Every couple getting married in the Portland, ME region should work with French Picnic!

Edward and the rest of the French Picnic team were a perfect match for our wedding. They had everything we wanted for our vegetarian wedding. Every detail exceeded our expectations. The food was simply outstanding. Every interaction we had with Edward was warm and felt like family. Having an accommodating vendor like French Picnic reduced the stress of wedding planning and made it really enjoyable at every step. I would highly recommend French Picnic to anyone planning a future event!

There are not enough words to describe how amazing Edward and The French Picnic team are at their culinary talents!!! We knew Edward because he actually first catered my brother’s wedding back in 2018. It was then that we knew when it was finally our big day, we would hope and pray that he would say yes to catering our wedding in Massachusetts too! By that fact alone, you can just imagine how incredible the food tasted to know that we didn’t even consider another vendor to feed our guests! However, while the food is undoubtedly delicious, fresh, and filling – it was Edward himself that really sold us from the very beginning. My Dad is highly allergic to fish and chicken, which you can imagine is difficult to manage alone never mind when catering to a wedding. His allergies require food to be prepared separately without chicken, fish, or their byproducts cross contaminating other foods. Edward took on the challenge without hesitation and acted with confidence knowing that he could easily work with our needs and requests safely. He not only directly answered our questions at any moment but cooked an entire steak separately for my Dad on a separate grill where the other guests’ meals were not prepared. Besides Edward’s amazing personality and talent, his staff was equally pleasant, friendly, and helped make our day seamless. The food was presented beautifully as promised and there was plenty to go around to our guests. My husband and I sat at a separate sweetheart table where we received the royal treatment with plenty of delicious food and accompaniments to enjoy and fuel up for the rest of the evening. Thank you, Edward, for being such a pleasure and we truly could not recommend your team enough!!!

We were astonished at the quality and amount of food that French Picnic delivered. We live in San Francisco, and did not have a chance to taste the food before our wedding, and I'm actually glad we did not because we were SO surprised and impressed on our wedding day it made it even better. Every guest came up to us after and said this was by far the best food they have had at a wedding and they wished there was a restaurant that they could go to again for this food. Edward and his team were wonderful to work with and we hope to attend another wedding with French Picnic so we can eat their food again soon :)

Edward and his team are an absolute pleasure to work with and the food is out of this world. Guests are still talking about the food and service. You cannot find a better choice for your wedding!

French Picnic is an absolute gem! First – the food. It is so incredibly delicious and made with so much care and attention. Our guests still comment on how wonderful every single item on the menu was. Edward and his team are so knowledgeable on what food brings to a special occasion. They make sure that what they are providing reflects who you are as a couple, and they create something really unique. They make you feel like you aren’t just feeding your guests, but you are throwing the biggest party of your life and the food and service will reflect how extraordinary that is.

Edward was amazing through the whole process! The tasting was so personal, all the appetizers were incredible and guests are still raving about the dinner. If you choose them, you MUST get the tuna poke as an app, so so good! Thanks Edward!

Edward and his team were absolutely FANTASTIC throughout the planning process and the day of our wedding. We had everyone coming up to us saying how the food was the best they've ever had at a wedding and we couldn't agree more. His entire team was attentive and so kind. We are still dreaming of the pesto green beans!

For us, having amazing food at our wedding was a high priority and French Picnic went above and beyond. Edward was a dream to work with and built a menu that was perfect for us. Everything was fresh and delicious, and our guests are still talking about how amazing the meal was, including our many vegetarian and gluten-free guests who were so appreciative about the selections available to them. The staff was amazing and even set aside a board of the appetizers for us so we could attempt to try everything that was served. The only thing I am sad about is we did not get to eat as much as we wanted, because we were pulled away for photos, cake cutting, etc. and food was taken away when we returned to our table. But our guests were happy and well-fed so that is all that matters!

My wife had a grand vision of a beautiful family style meal at our wedding whereby everyone would be able to interact as they ate. We found French Picnic with a quick google search and didn’t even bother looking at other options. Once we spoke on the phone to Edward and how he spoke so eloquently about food, we were beyond excited. To say he exceeded our expectations is an understatement. Beyond just all of his staff and how friendly they were, the table settings were beautifully done, the food was perfect and everything my wife and I hoped it would be. We would recommend French Picnic ten times over if we could!

To put it very simply, Edward and his team made the best wedding meal we and any of our guests have ever had. We are a week passed our wedding and still receiving rave reviews about how excellent the food was! Due to COVID, we began working with Edward a full two years before we were able to host our event. Throughout the entire process, including the postponement, he and his team were incredibly supportive and responsive to our every need. At our private tasting, he showed us a range of options that he could prepare for a group of our size (180) and allowed us to select exactly what we wanted for the day, rather than stick to a pre-set menu. This flexibility allowed us to feel like even the food was tailored to our wants. At the wedding, his team was perfectly professional and attentive. As bride and groom, we felt particularly well cared for that night. His crew set a beautiful table and filled it with a family style meal over three courses that we would have felt privileged to be served at a fine dining restaurant. Every item was gorgeously prepared and delivered, the ingredients were fresh and almost entirely local, and the service was impeccable. They followed our schedule precisely and no one left hungry or wanting. Thank you Edward and the entire French Picnic team for curating such a special meal for us and helping us navigate this year with terrific care and consideration. We will be recommending French Picnic to everyone we know so that we can, hopefully, have their delicious food again soon!

Edward and his team at French Picnic are simply the best. I don’t know what was better - his incredible dedication and positivity - or his food! Edward went above and beyond for our wedding and our guests... I can’t even count the number of people who told us that the food was absolutely amazing. Fresh produce, heirloom tomatoes that tasted like they were picked that day, bavette steak... there were options for our vegetarian, gluten free & meat eating friends. Could not recommend this lovely caterer more!!

Edward and his team were the best. The food was unbelievable and every member on the team was an absolute pro. Service was perfectly paced and every staff member was super friendly and helpful, with so much eye for detail. It's hard to even describe. It added so much to an already wonderful vibe. Edward clearly cares about his food and his team and it shows. We received nothing but compliments and could not have been happier (or better fed). I would wholeheartedly recommend Edward and his team.

Edward and his team are outstanding from start to finish - the food is fantastic, from delicious passed hors d'oeuvres to a real feast come dinner time. But they really shine in their friendliness and professionalism. We had a DIY wedding on our lawn and they made it feel like Michelin service. The choreography and quality is really outstanding.

I have been and to so many weddings I have lost count, additionally, I work in events and have hired hundreds of caterers over the years - WOW!!!! Edward and his team are hands down the best I have ever worked with. From their warm and embracing business culture, to the quality of the food - wow! Wow! Wow! My guests were blown away and so were my husband and I. Edward, if you are reading this - BRAVO my friend. Cannot say enough great things about The French Picnic food and business. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend. Kristin & Roger June 15, 2019

Edward is an amazing organizer and chef. He was willing to work in a difficult space and made delicious options for meat eaters, gluten free folks, vegans and vegetarians. He took the time to know us and we enjoyed meeting and knowing him. We are so thankful that he and his team helped make our wedding day truly special. And again - the food was amazing! We loved everything and received many compliments. Thank you, French Picnic.

I could not more highly recommend Edward and his staff from French Picnic. Our wedding was unbelievably meaningful and perfect, and that was because Ed created the most beautiful meal, served hot to 200 guests who are still raving about how delicious it all was. From our first phone call, we knew we had found someone special. Ed is so warm and professional, and set us all at ease during what can be a stressful, though exciting time. He worked closely with our family, accommodated our dietary needs, visited our venue several times to prepare, and sourced local and fresh ingredients to create the most memorable meal. Tender steak! Slow roasted tomatoes! Lemony asparagus! Juicy chicken! Polenta and shrimp! I still dream about that lovely dinner. On the big day, it all seemed so effortless. Our wedding was decadent beyond our dreams, but still very much well within a reasonable budget. Ed worked with us to create something amazing. We had plenty of foodies in attendance that night who are still raving that it was the best wedding food they've ever had, and I have to agree. Do yourselves a favor and give French Picnic a call!

French Picnic was by far my favorite vendor at our wedding. Edward and his team cook amazing food! We did a tasting with Edward when first hiring him, and my father, who fancies himself a good cook, could not stop raving about how great the food was. We couldn't wait for the actual wedding. Our guests have not stopped raving about how amazing the meal was, and how much food there was! We've even had people ask if Edward has a restaurant so they can eat his food on their own. Not only was the food delicious and abundant, but the price was extremely competitive. I am so incredibly happy we hired Edward, and would recommend him to anyone planning a wedding.

Holy moly. We can not say enough how amazing Edward and French Picnic were. The food was divine, the staff incredible and kind, Edward is such a genuinely kind and wonderful person to work with, and we heard nothing but good things from all of our guests. What more could you want? His staff made sure that my husband and I had the chance to eat some of the incredible appetizers by bringing them out specifically for us and always made sure that we had enough to eat. That's right! We actually got to eat on our wedding day! :) Everyone worked so hard and helped to set up all of the tables so that they looked absolutely stunning. Edward was such a great person to have on our team and I just know that he is going to be so successful in the future. Book him now! You won't regret it and your guests won't be able to stop talking about the INCREDIBLE food.

Far and away the BEST decision we made for our wedding was hiring Edward/French Picnic Catering. From the get go Edward was so relaxed, laid back, and yet quick to answer all of my questions and address my concerns. My than fiance and I had a tasting with him in Portland and COULD NOT BELIEVE this was the food that was going to be served at our wedding. It was delicious, unique, and yet inherently food that all people are drawn to and enjoy. How he combines all of that together in his dishes I will never know but it is not a talent every chef possess. This was proven to me even further when guests were basically waiting at the door during cocktail hour for Edward's servers to come in with the 4 appetizers he prepared. My guests were raving! For dinner I knew I wanted to avoid a buffet but was very nervous from the get go about having a meal served family style as Edward suggested. I was concerned guests would be confused, that dinner would take forever, or of the 3 COURSES (That's right 3 full meals) guests wouldn't like enough of the food to eat it all. Edward assured me with his experience and that the meal would take place like a perfect synchronized dance. I have never been so happy to be proven wrong. The day of the wedding everything flowed so beautifully. The servers came out and delivered the main dish and sides at each table with efficiency and poise. They cleared when needed and answered all of my guests questions. We ended up serving a chicken dish, fish dish, and steak dish and EVERYTHING was enjoyed and eaten. Again, this just speaks to Edward and his ability to serve delicious and likable food for a wide audience. My husband and I were making our rounds talking with everyone and people could not stop saying it was the best meal they had at a wedding ever! So many people asked me about Edward and his company it was my husbands idea to introduce him and have both Edward and his staff take a bow! If you are looking for a memorable meal look no further!

Edward at The French Picnic was most definitely one of our favorite vendors! The food was absolutely amazing, the quality top-notch, and the price was reasonable to boot! Edward did an awesome job listening to our requests and it was obvious that he aimed to please!! Wishing he had a restaurant so that we could have the amazing meal again!! Book French Picnic ASAP !!