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About

Preferred Sonoma Caterers is a full service catering company provid everything from taylored menus, experienced service staff, to rentals. We are also happy to provide event planning advice and suggest service providers we have had good experiences with.

Preferred Sonoma Caterers was founded by Chef Amber Balshaw. Amber apprenticed in Innsbruck, Austria, attended the Culinary Institute of America (our country's foremost culinary academy) where She graduated first in her class. While still in school she had the honor to cook for then Vice-President George Bush, and on another occasion with Julia Childs in the demonstration kitchen.

At the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club, which is known for its attraction of the Hollywood elite, she had the pleasure to bake for a multitude of stars, three former U.S. presidents and many other dignitaries.

Founding PSC in 1992 the business has seen great success and some notable events. Among some of our more unusual events have been a 3 day long Millennium party for 300 guests. Provided catering on location for John Travolta. Catered for Emeril Lagasse during his San Francisco special.

  • Woman-owned
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Frequently asked questions

What is the average catering price per person for plated service?

$130

What is the average catering price per person for buffet service?

$110

What is the average catering price per person for stations?

$115

What is the average catering price per person for hors d'oeuvres?

$44

Which of the following are included in the cost of your full service wedding catering?

Delivery
Set Up
Clean Up
Cake Cutting
Dessert
Server(s)
Tastings
Chairs
Tables
China
Linens
Flatware
Glassware

What catering services do you provide?

Buffet
Cocktail Reception
Custom Menu
Hors d'oeuvres
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tastings

What types of cuisine do you cater?

American
Asian
BBQ
French
German
Italian
Local
Mediterranean
Mexican
Seafood
Southern
Spanish

What dietary needs can you accommodate?

Gluten Free
Lactose Free
Organic
Vegan
Vegetarian

What bar services do you provide?

Bartender(s)
Open Bar
Signature Drink

Which of the following items can you provide?

Chairs
Tables

Which of the following items can you provide?

Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

Reviews of Preferred Sonoma Caterers

R
Raissa Sent on 06/19/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Dream Team

Preferred Sonoma Caterers exceeded all of our expectations! After choosing our venue, catering was our top priority because we truly care about having great food. We’re so glad we went with PSC. We booked them over a year in advance, and from the very beginning, they were incredibly easy to work with.

Chef and owner Amber was present at both our tasting and on the wedding day—her attention and care made a huge difference, and she’s an absolute gem. We also worked with Yesenia for the initial planning, and she handled all our emails and calls with such professionalism. When AnnieLaurie took over in the final month, the transition was seamless.

We opted for family-style dining, which created a warm, inviting atmosphere and let our guests enjoy as much as they wanted. The food presentation was beautiful and everything tasted wonderful. One of the highlights was taking full advantage of the pizza oven at our venue—PSC served up a variety of delicious pizzas during cocktail hour, which our guests loved.

PSC was a dream to work with—extremely accommodating, responsive, and dedicated to making our day special. We couldn’t have asked for a better catering experience!
K
Kristen Sent on 05/19/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Would recommend!

Preferred Sonoma catered our wedding and we loved how everything turned out! They were on time, easy to work with, and the food was delicious. Many guests commented that they loved the food - especially the lemon pasta. We would recommend!
R
Ross Sent on 06/23/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Perfection!

The beef short ribs and the salmon were all-star hits at our wedding!! PSC was extremely professional, the staff were great, and the food was top-notch. Highly recommend!
Emily
Emily Sent on 04/27/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Attentive Service & Amazing Food

Everyone from Preferred Sonoma Caterers was simply amazing. Our guests raved about the food as well as the spectacular service. I could not have ever asked for anything more. Glasses were always full, people had an amazing meal and did not feel rushed. Many said it was the best meal they had ever had at a wedding!!!!!
Your staff was attentive, professional and so friendly. We loved working with everyone from the planning to the execution. The lead checked in with us regularly to ensure there was not anything we needed. And, they had two meals boxed up for us ready to go at the end of the night! It was just what we needed after such a fun filled day! Could not ask for a better caterer.
Sarah
Sarah Sent on 12/24/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Phenomenal

PSC is thee BEST. I planned my wedding in Sonoma from afar, and it was truly only possible because of how wonderful the PSC was throughout the entire experience. I cannot over emphasize what an absolute pleasure the PSC team was to work with, especially AnnieLaurie and Tori Keck. They always made me feel heard and so taken care of. Not only was the service excellent, but our food was outstanding. I was blown away by it at our tasting, and just as thrilled with our meal on the big day. Plus, PSC handled all of our rentals and made our vision come to life - I could write pages about how wonderful they are, you're really doing yourself a favor by hiring them!
Sarah
Sarah Sent on 05/01/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Best food I have ever had at a wedding!

We absolutely loved working with Preferred Sonoma Caterers. From start to finish it was an amazing experience. Amber and her team are top notch. We had a private tasting with menu selections of our choice at their Petaluma office and kitchen. We met with them to select rentals and plates and napkins, and they accompanied us to a site visit. We went back and forth a few times perfecting a menu that was tasty and also vegetarian/gluten free friendly. We ended up with an elevated mexican-flavors inspired menu that was fantastic! Everyone was incredibly professional and kind. I would recommend Preferred Sonoma to anyone.
D
Daryn Sent on 01/03/2022
5 out of 5 rating

We love PSC!!

The entire team at PSC is absolutely incredible. We initially booked them to cater our wedding in June of 2020 after doing a tasting with owner and head chef Amber (she and her staff make THE most amazing food), but when we ended up having to cancel that wedding due to COVID, they were so gracious and collaborative. This spoke volumes of their integrity and character as a business especially given it was a very difficult time for the industry, so when we eventually decided to reschedule our wedding we knew we had to find a date where we could work with PSC.

We could not be happier we did. PSC catered our wedding in December and did SUCH a wonderful job. Karen, our event lead and primary contact, was such a joy to work with on everything from menu planning and consultations, to offering ideas and inspo on flow/timelines during walk throughs, to of course seamless execution day of. She took our original vision for a summer wedding and helped adjust them to suit a winter wedding at a completely new venue, and the evening turned out better than I could have ever imagined. The food was amazing and guests raved about it. I would highly recommend PSC to anyone and already can't wait to work with them on a future event. Thank you Karen, Amber and team for everything!
Lara
Lara Sent on 11/01/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Highly recommend PSC to any bride!!

Words cannot describe how wonderful Karen and the team at Preferred Sonoma Caterers were to work with on our wedding in October. We were impressed from the first tasting and had tried three other caterers, however none compared to PS . Unfortunately, due to covid, we had to push back our wedding a year. Karen and the team put us at ease and communication was flawless. They worked with us through different menu changes as well as changes to timeline! Karen knew our wedding site from top to bottom, and helped us in every little detail. The food was delicious and our guests gave raving reviews of all the food from the appetizers, entrees and desserts! Thank you so so much to you lovely ladies and especially you, Karen! We love you all!
Maria
Masha Sent on 09/14/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Best decision ever

We recently got married at Viansa and had Sonoma preferred caterers as our caterer!
From the moment I spoke with Karen, I knew we were in excellent hands! Karen invited us to do a tasting after going through the menu with us, and we were blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and it was the easiest decision we had to make. Karen was so sweet, communicative and accommodating through the entire process and always put as at ease, whenever we were feeling stressed! She helped us with catering, bartending and rentals and made the whole process easy and streamlined, while being mindful of our budget. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect thanks to Sonoma preferred caterers..Our guests loved the speciality drinks, the service and food!
Diana
Diana Sent on 09/08/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Highly recommended!

Preferred catered our wedding over Labor Day weekend. They were great! Not only was the food delicious, but they were able to accommodate (and suggest improvements on) all of our menu preferences. Very responsive and organized throughout the lead-up to the wedding, and consummate professionals during the event itself. They genuinely care about making sure the couple is enjoying their special day.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

41
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

1 Endorsement
Pure Energy Productions Pure Energy Productions Wedding DJs

We love working with Amber and her incredible team! They are always so helpful and amazing to work with. They make sure all the guests are attended to and always make sure our DJs eat too!

Map

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Preferred Sonoma Caterers frequently asked questions

At Preferred Sonoma Caterers, the cost of the full wedding catering service includes:
  • Delivery
  • Set Up
  • Clean Up
  • Cake Cutting
  • Dessert
  • Server(s)
  • Tastings
  • Chairs
  • Tables
  • China
  • Linens
  • Flatware
  • Glassware
Preferred Sonoma Caterers offers the following catering services for weddings:
  • Buffet
  • Cocktail Reception
  • Custom Menu
  • Hors d'oeuvres
  • Plated
  • Server(s)
  • Stations
  • Tastings
At Preferred Sonoma Caterers, you can find the following types of cuisine:
  • American
  • Asian
  • BBQ
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Local
  • Mediterranean
  • Mexican
  • Seafood
  • Southern
  • Spanish
At Preferred Sonoma Caterers, the following dietary needs can be accomodated:
  • Gluten Free
  • Lactose Free
  • Organic
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
Preferred Sonoma Caterers provides the following bar and beverage services for wedding events:
  • Bartender(s)
  • Open Bar
  • Signature Drink
To cater to all tastes, Preferred Sonoma Caterers offers the following food and beverage items:
  • Barware
  • China
  • Flatware
  • Glassware
  • Linens
Preferred Sonoma Caterers is recommended by 99% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5 in quality of service, 4.9 in average response time, 4.9 in flexibility, 4.9 in professionalism and 4.9 in value.
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