I knew minutes into our first conversation that I had found an unbelievably perfect match in Tal. Tal has equal parts professionalism and passion for both food and providing a memorable experience for all those involved.
My guests are still raving and many have said that it stood out as the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding. Tal worked with me to ensure the menu and event would flow smoothly and on the day of I knew she would take care of everything and anything. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to so easily relax and enjoy the day.

I put off writing this review because I wanted to make sure I had enough time to give Tal of Ba-Li Cravings all the credit and praise she deserves. She was, hands down, the best decision we made when it came to planning our wedding - apart from our location and the decision to get married, of course! Buckle up for this one.

As a 2023 bride, I knew finding vendors post-COVID was going to be competitive and expensive. My husband and I knew we wanted to get married in his hometown in upstate NY, and searched everywhere for local caterers - preferably a small business that could accommodate a variety of dietary needs. When we finally found Tal and Ba-Li Cravings, we loved her right away. Her whole focus is on variety, color, flavor, and just gorgeous-looking food. We love Mediterranean cuisine, and she was the first caterer we interviewed who was openly excited to accommodate our vegetarian diets. (There is no way I was settling for just eating lettuce on my wedding day. I like to eat well.) In addition, her expertise and professionalism shone through in our first call together, and we knew she was the one we wanted.

To be fully honest, budget was a concern. We knew we wanted quality food, and between inflation and the cost of food increasing, we had some challenges along the way keeping to our tight budget. (We also lived out of state, so planning long-distance was also a challenge as we had to fly in for our menu tasting.) By the wedding week, we were able to make it all come together financially and have absolutely no regrets about investing in Ba-Li Cravings. On the contrary, Tal was an absolute superhero and went above and beyond.

Things Tal did that we especially loved:
1) Checked in on us throughout the day, starting before the ceremony to see how we were doing and ask if we needed water or any snacks. This continued until the end of the night, and it made me feel valued and well-cared for.
2) Made sure we ate well! She had her staff serve us food at our sweetheart table, even though it was a buffet style meal, and they ensured our glasses were never empty. She also set aside plates of appetizers and desserts just for the two of us that we enjoyed the next morning. (This was one of my favorite parts of our wedding weekend.)
3) Oversaw all the clean-up. I did not expect this to fall under her job, but she was on top of everything and made sure things ran smoothly, even when our day-of coordinator disappeared and was (at times) nowhere to be found.

In summary: The pricing was more than fair for the quality and quantity of food we received, along with the professionalism and all the extra add-ons included in the cost per person. We and our guests were truly blown away. Tal is a warm person, an excellent chef, and my biggest regret in hiring her is that we don’t live close enough to hire her for all our future events!

We loved working with Tal. The food was delicious and there were plenty of options for different food restrictions for all our guests, and was doable with our budget. Also loved the variety offered. Tal was also super helpful with planning food and beyond. Everyone loved the Turkish coffee. Lastly, she learned how to make a Korean dessert for us specially. We recommend Ba-Li!