Skip to main content
Weddings

About

CULINARY BLISS. MAJESTIC LOCATIONS. UNFORGETTABLE EVENTS.

Those are the pillars on which THANK GOODNESS IT’S SOFIA CATERING was founded in 1989. Since then, the brother/sister team of Sofia Riley and George Marinos have taken TGIS Catering from a 1,000 square foot kitchen in Long Beach to the forefront of event planning and catering in Southern California. At TGIS, we believe every event is an opportunity to savor outstanding cuisine, experience innovative designs and leave your guests anticipating.

It All Starts With Food.

TGIS is Constantly Working to Find Fresh, New Takes on Existing Favorites and Testing Combinations of Foods Never Before Seen. We Hand Craft Our Own Menus to Represent the Diverse Melting Pot that is Southern California. All of Our Food is Prepared by Hand Daily and Overseen by Our Internationally Trained Chefs. Our Seasonal Menus Not Only Reflect Current Trends, but Also Capture the Magic of Tried and True Classics.

One Bite And You Will Recite, “Thank Goodness It’s Sofia”

  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

Vendors you may like

See other vendors that are popular with couples right now

Frequently asked questions

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

$80

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

$60

What is the average catering price per person for stations?

$70

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

$24

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

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

What is the starting price per person for bar service?

$24

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Bartender(s)
House Beer
House Wine

What event services do you provide?

Delivery
Set Up
Clean Up

What catering services do you provide?

Breakfast / Brunch
Buffet
Cake Cutting
Cocktail Reception
Custom Menu
Hors d'oeuvres
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tastings

What types of cuisine do you cater?

African
American
Asian
BBQ
Caribbean
French
German
Greek
Indian
Italian
Latin American
Local
Mediterranean
Mexican
Middle Eastern
Seafood
Southern
Spanish

What dietary needs can you accommodate?

Gluten Free
Lactose Free
Halal
Kosher
Nut Free
Organic
Vegan
Vegetarian

What bar services do you provide?

Bartender(s)
Open Bar
Champagne Toast
Signature Drink

Which of the following items can you provide?

Chairs
Tables

Which of the following items can you provide?

Barware
China
Flatware
Linens

Reviews of TGIS Catering

Emily
Emily Sent on 11/18/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Excellent catering!

We loved working with TGIS and the food at our wedding was excellent. They were flexible, accommodating, responsive, and catered incredible tasting food family-style for our 215-person wedding. Highly recommend.
Stacy
Stacy Sent on 08/01/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The BEST Caterer!!

TGiS recently did our daughter's wedding reception at Giracci Vineyards and they were AMAZING! Guests were raving about the food and still are a week later. TGiS went above and beyond to make our daughter's reception truly spectacular and special. George and Staci helped every step of the way. They even coordinated with the rental company Signature on our behalf which helped alleviate much stress. We were wowed at the tasting with all the offerings which made it so hard to choose. Every single item was A+! Some standouts on the apps were the Thai noodle served in mini take out containers with the happy couples initials on it, tuna tacos, and some sort of buffalo chicken in home made mini waffles --WOW! For dinner we had braised short ribs (oh my gosh, melt in your month delicious), truly to die for spicy pasta, 2 types of salad, veggies and lemon potato wedges that held their flavor the entire way through (not just the outside). In lieu of a large wedding cake, TGiS suggested & served a butter crumb cake with home made caramel and ice cream -- OH MY GOD the guests were besides themselves! Their staff that evening were so professional and kind as well. The bartenders were all personable and great at making drinks. We had 2 signature drinks, one of which was a Cadillac Margarita. Literally people were saying it was the best they ever had. No surprise since TGiS hand made the mix themselves from high quality ingredients. I can't rave enough about TGiS. Hosting a wedding is stressful enough but I will say that from the moment I arrived at the venue, I was able to relax because I knew we were in good hands with George and his TGiS staff and I was able to enjoy myself. TGiS truly made this one of the most memorable events for our family.

B
Brittany Sent on 05/30/2018
5 out of 5 rating
I was very apprehensive about using a caterer I didn't know, but TGIS more than surpassed my expectations. When we did our personalized tasting, everything was so good we had a hard time choosing, and my fiance has worked in high end food service for most of his life, so he's pretty picky. I had a specific request for an appetizer, and I was worried that they would be offended that I wanted to change it or make it seem like it was really annoying, but they were very helpful. All my guests complimented the food and even complimented the bartenders!
J
Judy Sent on 05/09/2015
5 out of 5 rating
We absolutely loved Jeremy Smith and his entire crew!! They came from Long Beach to Palm Springs with their fabulous
food and everything they needed - on time, pleasant, hard-working!! They even remembered to bring our daughter's
wedding cake! Our daughter and her new husband were so impressed with all the vendors we used for their wedding at
an estate in Palm Springs that they want everyone to know!! I can't imagine anyone choosing any other vendor for a wedding
reception or any other event!! We had 131 guests from ten different states and even Norway - and they all raved about the
food and the bartenders, so we are really "happy campers" now!!
K
Kizzy Sent on 07/28/2014
5 out of 5 rating
The food super good the services outstanding. . The best place for your money and time.. you will receive everything at one stop.. Me and my Wife love it.
T
Tiffany Sent on 09/15/2013
5 out of 5 rating
OMG! I have never heard people rave about the food at a wedding so much, but our guests could not stop talking about the amazing food that TGIS served.

My *new* husband and I had wanted one thing at our wedding: to celebrate the fact that we met in India, and have traveled all over the world at our wedding. We searched for a venue that would accommodate our alcohol preference (being able to bring in our own alcohol), and found the Betty Reckas Center. TGIS exclusively caters for this venue, and OMG... TGIS is the most amazing caterer ever. We had their stations options with some of the most amazing food I have ever eaten. We pulled off our Indian food station as well as all of the other stations. It was just great.

Also, our contact at TGIS (Jeremy) did an incredible job, and the staff on the day-of were phenomenal. I can't recommend them more highly.
J
Jodie Sent on 08/27/2012
5 out of 5 rating
Amazing food! Will definitely use them again for upcoming special occasions!
M
Marisol Sent on 09/08/2011
5 out of 5 rating
We worked with TGIS at the Betty Reckas Cultural Center, so I'm going to repeat some of what I wrote in that review.

We enjoyed working with our event manager, Jeremy. We let him know what we wanted and he did his best for us. He was also very available via email to respond to questions. He helped us with things like linen and chair rentals, candy/snack buffet stations, etc.

The catering was delicious! We highly recommend the wedge salad. My husband doesn't particularly care for salads and usually lets me take the lead in decisionmaking about the wedding, but he was pretty adamant about making sure we had that salad. The filet mignon and provencial chicken options were good as well. My husband's grandmother said it was the best steak she'd ever had. They're also open to your thoughts on food and different styles, flavors, etc.

The TGIS staff the day of the event was amazing as well. Not only were they great with our guests, but they were great with my husband and me as well, making sure we got to taste our h'or deouvres, had drinks, ate as much as we wanted, etc. I wasn't expecting that level of service, but I was glad we got it!
Emery
Emery Sent on 08/21/2010
5 out of 5 rating
TGIS is the BEST! Monica was our coordinator, and we cannot express what an amazing help she was. She answered all emails and calls in a timely manner, and always eager to help in any way possible. She worked within our budget, and did not try and sell us on extras. Monica was wonderful with her suggestions and went above and beyond! She is very detailed oriented, and even decorated the food stations in our wedding colors with the upscale decor at no extra charge. It is obvious that Monica truly loves what she does. She put together the perfect buffet that included vegetarian dishes as well as top notch deli meat sandwiches. Our photographer even felt the need to capture the food as it was so beautiful. Our guests are still raving over how good the food was! The staff was more than pleasant, and always smiling and having a good time. We also used TGIS for our rentals (chairs, tables, linens, umbrellas). We would not have been able to pull off our beautiful garden wedding without Monica and the amazing services that TGIS offers. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!
K
Kristina Sent on 07/06/2010
4.8 out of 5 rating
Food was great! Pricing was great! Company provided extra touches that made the reception come together.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

24

Professional Network & Endorsements

Preferred Vendors
XOXO Weddings
5.0 out of 5 rating , 337 reviews
· Wedding Planners

Map

Addresses map

TGIS Catering frequently asked questions

At TGIS Catering, the cost of the full wedding catering service includes:
  • Delivery
  • Set Up
  • Clean Up
  • Cake
  • Cake Cutting
  • Dessert
  • Cocktail Reception
  • Server(s)
  • Tastings
  • Chairs
  • Tables
  • China
  • Linens
  • Flatware
  • Glassware
The bar service starting price at TGIS Catering includes:
  • Bartender(s)
  • House Beer
  • House Wine
TGIS Catering offers the following event services for weddings:
  • Delivery
  • Set Up
  • Clean Up
TGIS Catering offers the following catering services for weddings:
  • Breakfast / Brunch
  • Buffet
  • Cake Cutting
  • Cocktail Reception
  • Custom Menu
  • Hors d'oeuvres
  • Plated
  • Server(s)
  • Stations
  • Tastings
At TGIS Catering, you can find the following types of cuisine:
  • African
  • American
  • Asian
  • BBQ
  • Caribbean
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Indian
  • Italian
  • Latin American
  • Local
  • Mediterranean
  • Mexican
  • Middle Eastern
  • Seafood
  • Southern
  • Spanish
At TGIS Catering, the following dietary needs can be accomodated:
  • Gluten Free
  • Lactose Free
  • Halal
  • Kosher
  • Nut Free
  • Organic
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
TGIS Catering provides the following bar and beverage services for wedding events:
  • Bartender(s)
  • Open Bar
  • Champagne Toast
  • Signature Drink
To cater to all tastes, TGIS Catering offers the following food and beverage items:
  • Barware
  • China
  • Flatware
  • Linens
TGIS Catering is recommended by 86% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.3 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.5 in flexibility, 4.4 in quality of service, 4.4 in value, 4.3 in professionalism and 4 in average response time.
Next Wedding Caterers: Contemporary Catering

Other vendors in Los Angeles for your wedding

Wedding Vendors