Entertaining Company is Chicago’s premier “idea caterer”, taking the art of gracious entertaining to a new level. Founder Wendy Pashman and her talented team pride themselves on their artistic presentation, seamless execution and unwavering attention to detail. “We have an insatiable desire for unique food, so we search tirelessly for new cuisines, flavors and color combinations to enhance our events – every event is a stage and every occasion is an opportunity to present an unforgettable experience,” says Pashman
My husband and I are so happy with our decision to book Entertaining Company for the food at our wedding. The level of service, quality, personalization, and flexibility/creativity was just so much higher with EC than with any of the other options we considered.
Our excellent experience was due in no small part to our wonderful coordinator, Michelle Sterling, who always conveyed the sense that we were not just one event among many: we were an important client worthy of custom and individual attention, even though we were working with a limited budget. Here, too, Michelle helped to stretch every dollar to create the most luxurious and delicious experience possible for us and our guests.
The tasting was incredibly charming and well planned. Michelle met us in a room that she had decorated according to some of the colors and themes we had anticipated. We felt like we were chatting with an old friend, as their highly professional staff brought out plate after plate. This, too, put Entertaining Company above the rest: we went home with boxes and boxes of leftovers! I come from a family that equates food with love, so this sent me a message big time! The portions were generous, the presentation was lovely, and Michelle was open to exploring tweaks and making suggestions based on her experience. When I mentioned during our initial conversation that I have some Polish heritage and was interested in potentially reflecting that in the menu, Michele went all out, sourcing pierogi for a late night snack, complete with little decorative Polish flag toothpicks, LOL, and researched Polish appetizers extensively. They offered to create brand new menu items for me, including a killer deviled egg topped with buttered bread crumbs, and a miniature cabbage roll that my guests are still talking about. The fact that Michelle and the team were willing to volunteer such personal touches really made me feel like our wedding was important to them and not just one more event among many.
Throughout the planning process, Michelle was an invaluable resource. She responded to emails quickly, reminded us of important dates and milestones, stepped in as necessary to help advise, even with other components of the event, was tremendously helpful at the final walk-through, and was a pro at keeping the entire project on track and on time. I’m a certified Project Manager, and Michelle’s organizational and service skills were everything I could’ve hoped for and more.
Flash forward to the wedding day: everything tasted wonderful, was hot and fresh, served on time, with no mistakes or issues that I know of. Maria was our VIP Waiter, and Tammy was our incredibly skilled and calm Function Director. Both were extremely present and available if we needed anything, but they were also perfectly happy to run the show themselves! When my husband and I stole a couple of moments between the ceremony and the cocktail hour to catch our breath, Maria snuck into our room and brought us champagne, punch, and two of every appetizer so that we could enjoy them before the craziness really set in. And something else that I will never forget is that as I danced and ran around the rest of the night, I noticed that there was always an EC team member standing near me with glasses of ice water on a tray! Every so often, they would approach me and hand me water or offer to hold things for me. This was not even a service I had thought to expect (!), but it was much needed and really sent the message that every staff member at an EC event will make the most of their time and energy to take care of you and your guests.
It is now many months after our February 2020 wedding, and we are still being told all the time that the food at our wedding was incredible, and in fact that it was the best wedding food our guests had ever had. We one hundred percent agree and would book them again in a heartbeat! Thank you to Michelle, Maria, Tammy, our tasting day servers, our chefs, and every other member of the Entertaining Company team who came together to make our day so lovely and memorable!
Sent on 11/12/2020
Katie
· Married on 08/03/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Above and beyond
From start to finish, working with the Entertaining Company was wonderful. We were picky to start (and price-conscious), and Moriah and Jane thoughtfully put together several proposals with changes big and small to help us get to our perfect catering plan. The tasting in their office was another clue at how thorough EC would be—they designed a tasting room to look like our venue with our table shape, chairs, and linens. We had a great meal and conversation and took leftovers home.
On our wedding day, Jane, Colleen, Natalie, and their crew were amazing. They set up the whole space, including things we and the florist had left. They moved flowers from ceremony to reception, organized the flow of the buffet, and offered table service for drinks during dinner from our BYOB bar. Throughout the night, my husband and I were carefully looked after—being offered food and drinks consistently no matter where we'd gotten off to. Toward the end of the night, we were completely wowed by EC when they served the late night snack we'd cut for budget. They added it back in for us as a surprise!
We could not be happier we chose EC for catering and hope you will too!
Sent on 08/11/2019
Kate O'Rourke
· Married on 08/25/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Best Caterer in Chicago!
If you’re thinking about using Entertaining Company - look no further, seriously. I used Entertaining Company for my wedding in August 2018 and they were absolutely outstanding. All of the staff working, from Banquets to Servers to Bartenders, is highly professional and well-trained. Presentation of all food was careful and consistent. Everything tasted amazing and we got tons of compliments from guests on the food! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Special shout-out to amazing Sales Manager Denise Robinette for incredible communication and delivery of our vision! Thank you!!
