About this vendor
We are a full service catering company based in Asheville, North Carolina. At Verbena, we specialize in fine dining food and fare without the fine dining price tags! With over 30 years of combined experience, our chefs love creating menus as special as the couples we work with; any cuisine with any budget - we will find a menu that works for, and with you. We are well versed in dietary restrictions and and ready to help make your special day, the day you’ve been dreaming of forever.
***Please note that we are not available to service the Charlotte, NC area!***
Details
Business Attributes
- LGBTQ+-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Cuisine
- American
- BBQ
- Cajun
- Chinese
- French
- Fusion
Dietary Options
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Kosher
- Nut Free
- Organic
- Sugar Free
Food & Catering
- Buffet
- Catering Clean Up
- Catering Delivery & Setup
- Chef Stations
- Family Style
- Menu Tastings
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
4.3
out of 5.029 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Chefs E and Emma are simply the best. They had an excitement for our wedding menu and cake that exceeded our expectations! As a queer couple, we felt extremely comfortable and affi...
rmed talking to these two about such an important (and at times intimidating) day. For weeks following our wedding we had people talking to us about how good the food and cake were. We couldn’t have been happier with the expert planning and execution of the catering, including the beautiful and perfectly over-the-top vintage-style cake we asked for <3
We did not have a good experience with Verbena Events for multiple reasons. First, they showed up over an hour late, leaving our coordinator to scramble around trying to contact th...
em. They did not provide a direct phone number, which was requested. The cake was supposed to be gold and it was pink. The macarons were also supposed to be gold and they were pink as well. Not only were the desserts the wrong color, they also tasted bad. Several of our guests mentioned how bad the food and desserts were. We requested some gluten free and vegan options, but they were not labeled when delivered and our coordinator was left to guess which was which. Our gluten sensitive and vegan guests were unable to enjoy the food. The grazing table was not visually pleasing and did not taste like it was high quality. It was so bad our coordinator offered to send one of her team members to the store to recreate the grazing table. Typically, I don’t leave bad reviews; however, we reached out to Verbena Events after our wedding and they have failed to respond for two weeks. We would not recommend their services at all. They were by far the worst vendor we hired for our special day. Save yourself from the disappointment and hire a different caterer.
Our experience with Verbena for our wedding catering and cake left us feeling disappointed and not super valued as clients. Poor communication is definitely a theme here. We reache...
d out after our event to express a few concerns with how things went at our wedding, and we have not received a response from Verbena after 2 weeks. Some of our concerns included our leftover wedding cake ended up destroyed and inedible & having an incorrect side dish served at our wedding. The experience left us feeling as if the team is a bit disorganized, which is not a great feeling for such a big day! However, the chicken and gnocchi dish we had was delicious!
Horrible experience with Verbena. There is a reason they don’t allow google reviews of their business. We paid Verbena a $3000 deposit before the devastating hurricane hit western ...
NC. Our event was unaffected, as it was to take place a year later. All of our other vendors reached out to us within two weeks of the hurricane, to update us on their services moving forward. We did not hear from Verbena for three months, not because they were unable to communicate, but simply because they felt no responsibility to. When we finally did hear from them, it was not to reassure us, but to demand that future payments be made to an individual, not a business, and to tell us they no longer accepted credit cards. They wanted payment via Venmo or Zelle. When I was not comfortable with this because it would leave us completely vulnerable if they abandoned the contract, I was told simply that my deposit was nonrefundable. The owners of this business are part-time Asheville residents who feel entitled to your business and not interested in earning it. I strongly recommend that you avoid them.
We hired Verbena for our wedding this past September. They were recommended to us by our venue who told us their food was “like art.” That description could not have been more perf...
ect! Their food was truly some of the best I have ever had.
We had quite a few allergies in our group and they were so accommodating and helpful. They were also super helpful designing our menu and helping plan out our dinner.
They also made our wedding cake. It was stunning and better yet DELICIOUS.
I would definitely recommend Verbena for anyone needing an event catered!
Verbena was recommended to us by our venue, JuneBug Retro Resort. We were a little hesitant to book before we were able to go to a tasting, but several people assured us that every...
thing they make is good—and they were right. After we booked, we went to a tasting, where we sampled everything from appetizers to desserts, and it was amazing. We were really impressed with their vegetarian options, which actually tasted good and not just like someone needed to make a vegetarian option. We were so impressed. We had several people comment that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding. If you’re nervous about booking because you haven’t had a chance to try their food, don’t be—everything is delicious. They also decorated our cake, and it turned out so beautiful and matched our flowers perfectly. Thanks, Verbena, we had so much fun!
Verbena events desserts were DELICIOUS!!! I haven’t stopped craving their glazed donut since I had one at our reception!! Many of our guests claim to not have sweet tooths, yet our...
dessert table was cleared out by the end of the night, that’s how good their desserts were!! We had cupcakes, macarons, donuts, and cookies and they were all a huge hit!! They also did a beautiful job displaying all the desserts and labeled allergens with the help of our amazing wedding planner Sierra Hollar from Plain with Sprinkles! I would highly recommend hiring Verbena Events for your desserts at your wedding!! Our guests loved them and are still talking about how good each item was!! They also were so easy to communicate with and made the booking and dessert choosing experience a breeze!
Verbena did an amazing job catering for us. My husband Jeff and I are both vegan (and work in the animal protection space), and it was important to us to have a fully vegan menu at...
our wedding. They never made us feel guilty about it (which was ... not the case with everyone we talked to!), and focused instead on making delicious food that the non-vegans in our family thoroughly enjoyed!
For canapés, we had grilled peach bruschetta on focaccia crostini, Impossible sliders, and spinach artichoke tartlets. For our dinner buffet, we did vegetable lasagna and shepard's pie for the mains, plus cilantro and lime roasted corn, roasted balsamic green beans, and za'atar roasted potatoes for sides. And then ... 100 amazing mini pies (peach, key lime, apple and pecan)!
Everything tasted absolutely amazing (people raved, and it opened some eyes to the fact that "vegan" food doesn't need to be boring or scary or whatever ... who doesn't love pasta and pie?!) and it was such a pleasure to work with E and Emma. They were so kind and welcoming during our tasting, and communication was smooth throughout.
We also rented vintage plates, cloth napkins, water goblets, and silverware from them, and thought the dining room looked absolutely beautiful.
Cannot thank the whole team enough!
You made everything seamless. Although I never got to eat at the event, I won’t lie I ate about a half pound of rice before I went to bed. Every single person raved about the food...
. You did such a great job and I’m so happy it was such a success. I came from Arizona, no idea what I was getting into and it was worth it!
We used Verbena for our reception. We had a taco bar. The food was the BEST tacos I have ever had! Every single guest complimented delicious food! I would recommend them to ANYONE!...
! ♥️
Verbena did an AMAZING job with our wedding cake! It was better than we imagined! We did two different flavors and they were delicious! It was the best wedding cake I've ever had! ...
They were very responsive and absolutely great to work with! I highly recommend Verbena! They helped make our wedding a wonderful day!
Verbena was amazing! After our first tasting we were so torn on what to serve because everything we tried was delicious! After finally deciding on the items, the food at the ceremo...
ny was a HIT!!! We have received so much feedback from so many guests praising all the elements - hors d'oeuvres (chicken-waffles, meatball sliders, grazing table), the main course (brisket, grilled chicken, green beans, veggies, mac n cheese), and the deserts (too many to name!). Thanks again to Emma and Eistir - I highly recommend considering them for catering your wedding!
Verbena made planning a wedding, choosing cake, & selecting meal options so very easy and fun! They were a one-stop-shop for our cake, catering, and dish rental needs. They are s...
o friendly, helpful, & professional in every interaction, and you can tell that they love what they do. We have some cake snobs in our crew, and they LOVED the icing on our cake! 10/10 recommend for ANY catering/dessert needs!
We hired Verbena for desserts only and our guests were BLOWN AWAY!! We wanted cupcakes as well as miniature cheesecakes that were delicious. We also had a groom's cake and weddin...
g cake the cut. All of our guests raved about the deserts and we can't wait to eat more cake on our one year anniversary.
Like to say during these trying times. Verbena Cakes and Catering. Have been more than fair and responsive. I can't thank them enough for keeping us informed. Looking forward to ...
this long overdue wedding.
Super unimpressed with how Verbena has handled the Covid situation. Incredibly unprofessional to not answer me after multiple emails, phone calls, and a voicemail. Not to mention t...
hey took forever to respond to any email when we were planning anything before covid even happened. So unprofessional by not responding the clients when they are stressed about canceling their destination wedding due to an unforeseen event that no one could have handled. Not to mention keeping my money when she has provided ZERO services to me.. not a tasting or anything. Do NOT recommend verbena catering.
We had a lovely experience with Verbena! We were hooked during our initial tasting with a warm welcome from Eistir, delicious food, and a champagne toast. We later brought our pare...
nts for our final tasting and Eistir and Emma made it such a fun time. The day of our wedding, the food was even tastier and all of our guests had nothing but praises! Thank you for bringing our fall/winter wedding dinner vision to life!
I cannot say enough about these ladies! Being celiac was a big concern for me when it came to finding a caterer. I wanted to enjoy my meal and cake just like everyone else and not ...
only did they provide a full gluten free menu, but it was over the top delicious. They sought out the best gluten free products and in the end nothing tasted the typical “gluten free”. My guests could stop talking about the food and I’m still hearing about the cake! They were creative and professional and adapted to the unpredictability of the weather. Thank you!
The food and drinks were a big hit! The fruits, veggies, meats and cheeses were very fresh and light. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the lack of utensils. But th...
at truly did not take away from the deliciousness of it all!
Emma and Eister were an absolute joy to work with! They helped us choose which meals would best represent us and were so flexible with trial runs and dealt with my need to control ...
by showing us exactly how they would be plated and presented. All of our guests complimented on how delicious the food was. We were blown away by this team!
Emma and Eistir were amazing to work with for our wedding catering and cake. Emma was very responsive while we planned our tasting and final menu via email, and Eistir did an incr...
edible job of translating our vision for appetizers based on our favorite restaurant meals into a reality. Our BBQ buffet was delicious and a total hit! The cake was moist, beautifully decorated, and Emma provides a ton of different fillings and flavors to choose from to make it your own! We had a wonderful time working with Verbena for our wedding catering and cake and would absolutely recommend them for any catering in the Asheville area!
Emma and her team are amazing! Not only was their food absolutely delicious, but their professionalism was second to none! We hired them for cocktail hour, reception, bartending, a...
nd the cake, and Emma was very flexible with us. She went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect on the day of our wedding. We could not have been happier! We HIGHLY recommend Verbena Cakes and Catering!
Delicious cakes for our wedding arrived on time. Communication was fairly easy.
How amazing!!! Verbena catered our wedding and did a huge dessert bar. It was everything and more than I could have imagined! The cakes were beautiful and delicious and the food wa...
s amazing! Emma and Eistir were a dream to work with and we could not have made a better decision by choosing Verbena!
I aim to try to write this review as objectively as possibly. Emma made a cake for me for work, and did beautifully. Fast forward a few months, and we met with her to make our wedd...
ing cake. We chose a simple 4 tier naked cake with greenery and I paid in full a few weeks later (about 6 months prior to the wedding). I confirmed with Emma Saturday her arrival time, she said 4:30. They did not show up until 5:15, and had my sister and matron of honor very worried. They had been to my venue before, so directions were not the issue. The cake looked beautiful, but I noticed they FORGOT the decorations and stole extra flowers from my centerpieces. I suspect this because they were the exact Peruvian Lillie’s I had used to decorate the dessert table. ADDITIONALLY: the whole bottom layer was frozen when we cut into it at 8:30. My wedding coordinator was dismayed and told me that while bakers freeze cakes, they normally thaw them and they are fine. The next day, my matron of honor and myself called and I texted Emma to ask her why my cake wasn’t decorated and why it was frozen. NO RESPONSE. I expect for close to 1K for a cake, for it not to be frozen at the wedding. I hope this review is helpful to others and fully think Verbena can do better and has done better. A simple explanation would have sufficed, but there was zero communication back.
While my wife and I were planning our wedding we knew food was going to be something challenging. We wanted something pretty unique for our wedding but knew it had to be good! And ...
Verbena Catering did just that! We had a delicious brunch reception and the food was to die for! We had no worries the day of our wedding. We coordinated and communicated so well that we just walked in to our reception and there was the beautiful stations prepared with all of the food. It tasted great and the presentation was done very well. We did it buffet style and our guests were hungry! They did a good job making sure we never ran out of food and that we left with full stomachs. Emma was our point of contact and she was so great in making sure we had everything we needed for our special day.
Working with Verbena was a dream!
I communicated Eistir, executive chef, from the beginning. She helped to customize a menu that was just right for our small wedding reception in ...
Highlands, NC. The communication was timely and clear.
Living in Atlanta, I was worried about getting everything just right from a distance. All worry dissipated after the tasting. Everything presented to us was exceptional! We originally wanted individually plated entrees for each guest, but after the tasting, we decided that everyone should try all three amazing options. The day of the wedding was a bit chaotic with a pop-up thunderstorm, which delayed service. Eistir & her team were graciously flexible (I think they set out dinner three times waiting for us to wrap up photographs)! The family-style dinner was a huge hit & Emma made us a yummy and beautiful cake. We were so happy that we found Verbena for our wedding and glad to have new friends to visit the next time we're in Asheville. They made our special day extremely special and are extremely grateful for it!
These ladies are out of this world. From first contact, to first tastings, to the night of the wedding, they were nothing but friends helping me plan the wedding of my dreams. They...
were flexible, passionate, timely, and absolutely the sweetest. The service was wonderful, but the food was even better. They worked with me to help me create a menu perfect for my wedding. The guests are still raving about their creative canapés! These two ladies, and their team were the real rockstars behind all things edible the night of my wedding! They were incredible!
Where do I even begin? We hired Emma to make a cake for our wedding and could not be more thrilled with our choice. We were planning our wedding from afar and Emma arranged a tasti...
ng last minute to make sure we were happy with the cake options. Even at the tasting the presentation was beautiful and the cakes were to die for! Emma arranged our cake beautifully at the wedding and made sure our every request was met. Our wedding guests kept commenting about how much they enjoyed the cake. Thank you for helping to make our reception memorable! I cannot recommend this place highly enough!!!
Contact
Asheville, NC | Based in Asheville, NC; will travel for an extra charge.
Verbena Cakes and Catering