Making sure we had good food was one of our most important priorities for the wedding. Our guests certainly had lofty expectations of the food we would be serving! Oliver and the Eat & Smile team helped us meet expectations - and exceed them! A lot of other caterers in town will have you pick items you want to try or serve off a set menu, but Oliver tailored the menu based on what we like and what's important to us. It is also worth noting that Oliver was, by far, the most honest caterer we spoke to - he knew our venue extremely well and set realistic expectations with us about the kind of service that worked best with our guest count. Plenty of other caterers would have happily done a sit-down dinner at rounds of 10 for our guests, but only Oliver said that we should try it another way. We ended up with a menu that was extremely personal to us and our story, fantastic service, and things that were really delicious. Thank you! P.S. Everyone keeps asking us for the five-spice oatmeal cookie recipe; can you share?

Oliver and his team were super easy to work with. They catered our wedding. We talked budget and he designed a menu based on our preferences. We were even working with him about swapping ingredients. He had plenty of good gluten free options as well. The tasting is really amazing too, they prepare the food as it will be served to you on the day so you are getting exactly the same thing. Super nice touch that I really appreciated. Could not recommend them more.

Oh wow, finding a food vendor for our banquet hall wedding was the hardest part of planning! We had tastings with two other vendors and had reached out to probably 10 others before we got to speak with Oliver at Eat & Smile. The first two tastings were a disaster, and we were feeling despondent! But from the first conversation with Oliver, we had hope! His whole approach to fresh, farm-to-table food is refreshing and delightful. He tries to keep his business as green and sustainable as possible while also keeping taste and experience at the forefront. And he's really awesome to work with. He knows this industry inside and out and is so helpful when helping you understand how much of everything you need and what not to spend your money on and stuff like that. And the food...the food is impeccable. So delicious. And he tries to make sure that it tells your story. He wants to know if you have a favorite snack or spent a year abroad and liked a certain treat from that country. He'll work it in some way. It's amazing. He makes your menu personal to you as a couple, not just some bland chicken and overcooked steak. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how great the food was and how different our choices were (we offered pollo guisado, which is Dominican stewed chicken, with black beans and rice, or shrimp and cheesy grits for the two main dishes). I can't recommend Eat & Smile enough!!

Oliver and his team were absolutely fantastic as our wedding caterers! From the very beginning, Oliver’s personal and friendly touch made the process so enjoyable. From our initial tasting to the final product, Oliver thoughtfully worked with us to craft a menu that perfectly fit our tastes and vision for the day.
One thing we really appreciated was how reasonable and straightforward the pricing was—there were no hidden add-ons or surprises, which made budgeting so much easier. Oliver’s clear communication and professionalism were also standout qualities. From the beginning, he laid out a timeline of when we would finalize the menu and guest count, which gave us so much peace of mind leading up to the wedding.
And, of course, the food was absolutely delicious! We received so many compliments from our guests about the menu, and the catering staff on the day were friendly, efficient, and a pleasure to have as part of the celebration.
If you’re looking for a caterer who combines incredible food with excellent service and a personal touch, Oliver is the perfect choice. We couldn’t have been happier and would recommend him without hesitation!

Highly recommend Oliver and his team at Eat and Smile Catering. We were lucky enough to work with the team for a multicultural wedding. Oliver was extremely helpful in helping us craft a menu, work with us on tweaking menu items here and there, and keeping us within budget. I had so many people come up to me at the wedding and say, 'wow the food is actually amazing and wedding food is never amazing!?' The food was wonderful, the service exceptional -- highly recommend!

We had a fantastic experience working with Oliver and Eat & Smile for our October 2024 wedding. The food was fantastic! We got so many compliments from our guests all night. We love food and working with Oliver to plan our menu was such a fun and collaborative experience. We loved our tasting at his house and he was willing to introduce a custom appetizer to represent my husband's hometown that was so delicious (my cousin proudly announced they ate 16!). He is also incredibly conscientious about dietary restrictions and proactively suggested a super smart substitution for our salad when he noticed we had a number of gluten-free guests. The team goes above and beyond- Oliver personally attended our venue walk-through and stepped in to help us resolve an issue with the alcohol vendor days after the wedding. We cannot recommend Eat & Smile highly enough!

Every time we see Eat & Smile on the list, we breathe a sigh of relief. Oliver and his team are absolutely incredible to work with on the vendor team. Oliver himself is easy to reach, always customer-centered and holds the staff and himself to a high standard of excellence. Every single team member and catering captain that I've interacted with has been attentive, friendly and professional. As a Wedding Coordinator with Capitol Romance, we love working with Eat & Smile and look forward to the next great meal with them!

Our venue had several pre-approved caterers, all of whom we met. While all of our conversations were good, Oliver came across as an honest, transparent chef-owner who was concerned about producing an amazing meal within our budget, rather than driving our budget through the roof. Oliver’s sparkling personality drew us to him and made planning with him a breeze despite the chaos of wedding planning.


We finalized our menu at a tasting 4 months before our wedding in Oliver’s home with an adorable dog. Our goal was to have a diverse menu that catered to all of our guests tastes and dietary restrictions. Oliver achieved that! Our hors d'oeuvres were butternut squash shooters, lamb meatballs with tzatziki, roasted cauliflower with saffron aioli, and crostini topped with ricotta, honey, and red pepper flakes. We had 3 main dishes – a beef short rib with risotto, pan-seared snapper with roasted potatoes and asparagus, and black-eyed pea cake with roasted potatoes and asparagus. For dessert, Oliver recommended a small, local baker – Sweets by E – who was amazing, too! We also purchased a semi-open bar with 2 signature cocktails – a blueberry mojito (vodka) and an apple smash (bourbon and apple cider) – beer, and wine. The bartenders allowed our guests to mix those liquors with available mixers to make simple cocktails.


Overall, Oliver and his staff were professional, personable, and detail-oriented. Apparently, there were several small issues (someone sat at the wrong table, a nursing bridesmaid needed some extra privacy and food, etc.) on our wedding day, but they acted promptly and addressed them before anyone noticed them. We highly, highly, highly recommend working with Eat and Smile Catering!

We hired Eat and Smile catering for our wedding, and they were incredible from start to finish. Oliver was amazing to work with and even during the height of COVID, was responsive, helpful, and flexible. Eat and Smile was able to deliver come through with both amazing food and critical behind the scenes aspects, which really helped our planning process. The food and service were both amazing and our guests were raving about how great the food was. I would highly recommend Eat and Smile to anyone in the DC area.

One of the best decisions we made regarding our wedding. From the very beginning and right through our wedding, Oliver and his team were helpful, informative, upfront, and a lifesaver through a chaotic covid wedding season. So happy we went with Eat and Smile for our catering. The food was incredible and our guests couldn't stop talking about how delicious everything was. Cannot recommend enough!