Culinary Excellence is an exceptional wedding catering company based out of Oakland, California. Owner and head chef, Christian H., and his dedicated team of culinary artists have been providing couples and their loved ones with exquisite catering for 30 years. This full-service company takes great pride in providing couples with a number of helpful additional services, including floral designs, lighting and decor, event design, and coordination. Cuisine Culinary Excellence provides offers couples a wide range of delectable dishes, including hors d’oeuvres, plated, buffet, and family-style entrees, and a variety of tantalizing desserts. This catering company has mastered a versatile menu of international dishes stemming from Indian, French, Caribbean, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Cajun, and Spanish culinary traditions. This team also accommodates a number of dietary needs, including:
Gluten-free
Lactose-free
Nut-free
Pork-free
Halal
Organic
Vegan/vegetarian
Services Offered Culinary Excellence provides couples with a variety of helpful services in order to further assist them on their special day. This company provides delivery, setup, and cleanup services, as well as a friendly team of servers and bartenders to serve your guests. Some of their additional services include the following:
Culinary Excellence and their team were one of the best aspects of our wedding day at the Brazilian Room at Tilden Park in Berkeley. The team was incredibly professional, kind, courteous, and obviously invested in making this a special day for us, our friends, and our family. On the day of, the team was friendly and took great care to make sure the venue looked beautiful. We never had to ask for service or wait for basic needs. They went above and beyond to ensure that our guests had what they needed. Jess, our Day-Of Coordinator, was absolutely phenomenal. Seriously. I have been a wedding/event planner and coordinator for years, and I can say honestly that she is the best of the best. She has a high attention to detail, a kind and fun demeanor, an immense amount of knowledge about the industry, the venue, and her team. I always felt incredibly supported and cared about. She was quick to respond via email when she could, and it is so clear that she invests time, energy, and effort into every event that she oversees. She is a true professional, and I could never share enough to feel like I've adequately explained what a treasure she is. If I could offer one piece of advice to brides, add the day-of coordination package on for your event. You won't regret it - worth every penny and more. Lastly, the FOOD. The team absolutely knocked it out of the park. The food was delicious at the tasting, and even more delicious at the wedding itself. It was presented beautifully, had great flavor, and the family style dinner service was executed perfectly. One of the most special parts of our wedding was that the chef at CE was able to recreate a treasured family recipe for a groom's cake, and it tasted exactly like his grandmother's would have. It was a perfect surprise and so unique.
We can't thank Culinary Excellence and Jess enough for what they contributed for our wedding day. I could continue on and on about their fantastic service, professionalism, and care. They are the best of the best, and we would recommend them time and time again!
Sent on 06/06/2019
Culinary Excellence's reply:
Desi,
Your sweet kind words mean so much to me and the team! You were so amazing to work with, and I know all of my staff truly loved working for you. The thank you note you gave us ahead of time, really made their day!
We are so thrilled for you and Andrew, and hope we get to see you both soon.
Love you two!
Jess and the CE team
Jenelle S.
· Married on 05/22/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Great food and service
We were so glad that we chose to work with Culinary Excellence for our wedding in May 2021. The food was amazing and all of our guests commented on how delicious the appetizers and food were. We also had them supply some of our furniture and beautiful drapes for the wedding. Samantha was so great to work with. She was our primary contact point and our day of coordinator. She really helped us stay on task during the wedding and helped as we planned. We had booked them pre COVID and there were lots of changes along the way, but they were very flexible during all the up and downs and reassuring as we went. The serving staff and bartenders were really friendly and did a great job. I would highly recommend them for your wedding!
Sent on 06/06/2021
Michaelyn R.
· Married on 02/06/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
HIGHLY recommend!
We cannot recommend Culinary Excellence more! I intentionally left "Catering" off that last sentence because they are so much more than just a catering company. For starters, they include linens for NO additional cost. They have anything else you could possibly need for rental at a very reasonable cost. And most importantly the food was delicious - we received many compliments from our guests. We worked with Jessica Murphy, Senior Event Coordinator - she is AMAZING! Jessica is professional, responsive, efficient and wonderful to work with. She worked with us to keep our needs within budget, made the most beautiful floral bouquets and provided day-of coordination help which kept things moving to keep within our venue timeline. I don't know how we would have gotten through the stress of a COVID wedding without her.
At Culinary Excellence, what does the full wedding catering service cost include?
At Culinary Excellence, the cost of the full wedding catering service includes:
Delivery
Set Up
Clean Up
Cake Cutting
Cocktail Reception
Server(s)
Tastings
China
Linens
Flatware
Glassware
At Culinary Excellence, what does the bar service starting price include?
The bar service starting price at Culinary Excellence includes:
Bartender(s)
Champagne Toast
What event services does Culinary Excellence offer for weddings?
Culinary Excellence offers the following event services for weddings:
Delivery
Set Up
Clean Up
What catering services does Culinary Excellence provide for weddings?
Culinary Excellence offers the following catering services for weddings:
Breakfast / Brunch
Buffet
Cake
Cake Cutting
Cocktail Reception
Custom Menu
Dessert
Family Style
French Service
Hors d'oeuvres
Lunch
Outside Cake
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tapas
Tastings
What types of cuisine can you find at Culinary Excellence?
At Culinary Excellence, you can find the following types of cuisine:
American
Asian
BBQ
British
Caribbean
Chinese
French
German
Greek
Indian
Italian
Japanese
Latin American
Local
Mediterranean
Mexican
Middle Eastern
Russian
Sandwiches
Seafood
Southern
Southwestern
Spanish
Thai
What dietary needs can be accomodated at Culinary Excellence?
At Culinary Excellence, the following dietary needs can be accomodated:
Gluten Free
Lactose Free
No Pork
Halal
Nut Free
Organic
Vegan
Vegetarian
What type of bar services does Culinary Excellence provide for wedding events?
Culinary Excellence provides the following bar and beverage services for wedding events:
Liquor License
Bartender(s)
Limited Bar
Open Bar
Specialty Beer
Champagne Toast
Signature Drink
Outside Alcohol
What type of food and beverage items does Culinary Excellence provide for wedding services?
To cater to all tastes, Culinary Excellence offers the following food and beverage items:
Barware
China
Chocolate Fountain
Flatware
Glassware
Linens
What percentage of users recommend Culinary Excellence and which are the most valued aspects of their wedding services?
Culinary Excellence is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5.0 in quality of service, 5.0 in professionalism, 4.9 in average response time, 4.9 in flexibility and 4.9 in value.
