Caribbean Caterers Reviews
Reviews
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![Ashley]()
Ashley Sent on 02/14/2021Looking for amazing food and service? Look no further than Caribbean Caterers!
It was important for my wife and I to have a wedding ceremony and reception that reflected both of us, and Caribbean Caterers (CC) played a pivotal role in helping us achieve what we set out to do. From the first call we had with Gillian at CC in October 2019 through the last call announced at our reception in October 2020 (and beyond!), Gillian and CC were an absolute pleasure to work with. Gillian and the CC team were so professional and friendly throughout the entire process.
When we first talked to Gillian about our vision, she provided insight and suggestions we had not considered or thought were 'on the table'. My family is from Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda and my wife's family is from Colombia, and CC were able to incorporate dishes and cocktails from both countries flawlessly. While the food and service were amazing, having a catering company that can also handle linens, table/chair rentals, and place settings was icing on the (wedding) cake!
After COVID-19 hit, our plans fluctuated as we drew near to the wedding date. CC were flexible and patient as we sorted out venue and guest count changes. Thanks in part to CC, we didn’t have to worry about anything but limin’ on our wedding day! -
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![mrsaj2b]()
Paulette Sent on 10/16/2019Amazing Service and Fabulous Food!!
Just a quick note to thank Caribbean Caterers for my event on October 12th. Gilliand and her team were awesome during the planning phase and made my night a success. The food was amazing and my guests loved it! The catering team was impeccable in all aspects. I was very happy with everything and I am very happy I chose Caribbean Caterers!
Thank you! -
![Jon]()
Jon Sent on 04/17/2019Best food and professional service!
You can tell Caribbean Caters puts so much effort into their dishes and service! They are of the highest quality and would highly recommend. Everyone on staff is accommodating and friendly! 10/10 would recommend to any wedding or event. -
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![Eileen]()
Eileen Sent on 03/23/2019Delicious food, incredible service!
Candace and Gillian are the best! So service oriented, and really helped us figure out our vision and turn that into a reality for our wedding. The food was delicious and they really went above and beyond with beautiful table decor and all-around helpful attitudes throughout the entire planning process. The venue allowed us to provide our own alcohol and Caribbean Caterers brought friendly bar staff to serve it which really helped us keep a reasonable food and alcohol budget for 115 guests. -
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Michelle Sent on 10/02/2017I wish I had enough words to talk about how amazing my experience was working with Ms. Gillian and Caribbean Caterers. From the very first time I met them, I was completely sold and choosing this business was the best thing my husband and I did for our wedding! When we met Ms. Gillian she was doing a wedding close to where we lived and invited us to check out the decor. We were inmediately impressed and booked before even tasting the food! My husband and I have since talked about how crazy we were for doing that, but when you know, you just know. During the tasting, we were so impressed with the food that we changed our initial menu to make sure it matched our experience. EVERYONE raved about the food! EVERYONE loved the linens and decor! Working with Ms. Gillian was like working with an aunt. She was loving, honest, clear and organized - but always made us laugh! I honestly can't say enough about Caribbean Caterers. I'm sad my year with them has ended and hoping they offfer cooking classes so I can learn to make those delicious dishes soon! Folks will be talking about the food at your wedding for years- it's just that great!
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![Soon to be Keels]()
Alicia Sent on 10/07/2012I will never forget the one question I was asked by Gillian during my consultation. "What is the one thing I want my guest to walk away from receptions saying?" I told her I wanted them to say the food was fabulous. Well I got that and more. I am still getting emails and text messages on how great the food was. I had the best wedding ever. Caribbean Caterers has a customer for life. Thanks again Gillian for keeping it stress free and professional. Love you guys....... -
![Elle]()
Elle Sent on 10/06/2012We did not want your typical run-of-the-mill wedding food and we couldn't have selected a better vendor than Caribbean Caterers (CC) to deliver on that vision! CC paid meticulous attention to detail, offered a beautiful display and a gracious and flexible staff. The food was scrumptious and they were a complete joy all the way around to work with. -
![Officially His Mrs P.]()
Naadu Sent on 10/12/2010In a word.......FABULOUS!!!!! Gillian is the absolute best!!! She really worked with me & my budget...I know at times she must've been ready to kill me BUT she was nothing less than respectful & professional. Everything they said they would do, they did it & went above and beyond!!
The set up was absolutely breathtaking!!! David Tutura who??? I couldn't have asked for anything more. They took my vision & brought it to life. It was so beautiful, I almost didn't want anyone to enter the reception hall!
The food was spectacular; it was cooked perfectly! Everyone enjoyed the dinner and the champagne toast presentation.
Gillian had a couple of surprises for me, which I truly speechless & appreciative!!!
I don't think anyone could've pulled it off better...I'm sooo glad I stuck to my guns & booked this caterer! -
![Shatu]()
Edna Sent on 01/04/2010What can I say, the team worked "magic" even with the 2' of snow and entire city closed down. Selecting you was a true connection that can only be explained as destined. From being one of the preferred caterer's a the reception venue and the welcome, presentation, and staff consultations for putting together the wedding, we could not have picked anyone else. It was a match made in heaven. Your staff was professional, furnishings provided, setup of the event was picture perfect. Programs and menu's were printed with listing Caribbean Caterer even before the contract was signed or tasting scheduled. Our 11yr old son gave a thumbs up on the menu before we could even desert service and so the deal was sealed. Working with my other vendors was seamless considering the whopping 6wks putting this affair together. Once I shared my vision of the day with the consultant it seemed as if she was expecting me and had choices ready at our first meeting, and the rest fell into place as we counted down the days. In the end even the blizzard of the decade did not stop Caribbean Caterer's coming through as the city lay in complete surrender to the mounting snow and gave us a "Beautiful wedding day memory" that has evoke ripple sentiments of beauty, love and sheer happiness of those in attendance from photographs as they span the globe from merry wishers. Thank you to the Dec. 19 Caribbean Caterer Team that made our day "one of a kind"....Bravo and I am sure to gush about you for your part in our special day for a long time to come! Thank you! -
![Michelle]()
Michelle Sent on 03/12/2019I enjoyed their food for my holiday party.
I partnered with this vendor for a bridal show in January and I was very pleased with their level of professionalism. Candace and Gillian were a pleasure to work with. Also, in December 2018, I placed a takeout order with Caribbean Caterers in Rockville, Md for my sister's Christmas party. I really enjoyed the food. Most especially their curry goat. I will highly recommend their services. -
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![Mr.]()
Mr. S. Sent on 07/06/2021Disappointing
Severely disappointing experience. Gillian was totally unorganized and unprofessional.
Gillian fell short of our expectations, and the photos and reviews online are misleading.
She was supposed to help draft a floorplan but only came up with a doodle. I actually drafted a floorplan and sent it to her, a job she was supposed to do, and she didn't pay any attention to it.
On the day of our event, Gillian set out seven tables instead of the six we needed. We provided our own chargers, due to her marked up prices between proposals, and she tried to say we didn't have the amount we did - because of the extra table. She actually was abrasive and confrontational about it to my wife, accusing us of holding things up - saying she just had people standing around... All because of her lack of attention to detail and disregard for the plans we attempted to put in place. It was clear Gillian was unorganized, but her demeanor was truly unpleasant and unprofessional.
She caused my wife unnecessary stress, due to her lack of organization and people skills. My wife had tried to help re-explain things to Gillian, but Gillian was rude and dismissive.
She was confrontational to my wife before our event, and even interrupted my wife while she was talking to our guests during our event - to ask when the food should go out. Ironically, we provided her a timeline and she didn't follow through with that either. As a 'professional,' you'd expect better.
The bar also ran out of alcohol. Fortunately her staff contacted her, after I realized the situation and confronted them, and she went out to get more alcohol. But they ran out of several other things at the bar and the drinks weren't uniform.
The appetizer plates were also underwhelming and did not meet our expectations. We weren't offered a tasting or an example of how the food would look, and we were left underwhelmed on the day of our event. The photos online are misleading.
Speaking of photos, Gillian also had a mask less photographer with her - who she didn't introduce to us - nor did she ask permission for him to be on site. This is classless and disrespectful.
Her crew only had to set out table cloths, napkins and silverware - and they didn't even have that done before our guests arrived, due to her lack of organization and blatant disregard for the floorplan and schematics we provided her.
She had a sour attitude and made it clear we were not a priority. When we arrived early to the venue, the venue owner and Gillian had been talking inside as we walked in. The venue owner greeted us, but Gillian just walked off. She was very rude throughout our event and had a poor demeanor. She seemed to be seeking out how to do the bare minimum, as we rescheduled due to COVID-19.
She also couldn't provide an itemized bill, and I noticed five discrepancies between recent proposals from her - which illustrates how the prices seem to be 'made up.'
She also put a tip cup on the bar, when the bartender was making $80/hr, without asking our permission, which exemplifies her classlessness.
The main course was decent, but nothing spectacular. It truly wasn't worth the money, and we were left severely dissatisfied and disappointed.
I am glad this was for an anniversary party and not our actual wedding, because it was a nightmare dealing with Gillian. Her staff were much more professional and friendly, but I caution against doing any business with Gillian or Caribbean Caterers.
If I were to use one word to describe Gillian, it would be 'shiesty.' If I were to use one word to describe Caribbean Caterers, it would be 'underwhelming.' -
![Kiana]()
Kiana Sent on 11/19/2023Overcooked and Undercooked Wedding Food
My husband and I got married October 8th 2023. We are childhood sweethearts. The most important aspect of our wedding that we emphasized heavily was food. We were willing and able to pay the extra bucks as long as the food was right for our special day. We even went to other caterers and other tastings by which we weren't pleased with, until we came across Caribbean Caterers. The tasting with Caribbean Caterers was magnificent by which is what drew us in to immediately selecting them for our big day. They had a personal photographer/videographer, so they were able to share video footage of us tasting the food as a keepsake. Our venue actually only wanted their select few of caterers in their venue due to problems in the past. We went over and beyond and were able to talk the venue into allowing Caribbean Caterers. However, everything took a turn for the worse when the food at our wedding tasted nothing like the food from the tasting. The food lacked seasoning, taste, and flavor. It was bland. Our dinner menu was braised beef short rib, stuffed chicken, and salmon. The sides were sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese pie, and greens. The greens tasted like Glory greens from the can plopped on a plate. The sweet potatoes tasted like they were boiled and just smashed on a plate with no taste or flavor. The mac and cheese was dried out. There was a mixture of overcooked meats and undercooked meats for the reception and cocktail hour foods. The cocktail hour foods were crab cakes, fried chicken skewers, vegetable spring rolls, and shrimp and grits. My father actually tried three different fried chicken skewer sticks and all were undercooked. Not edible at all. The fried chicken skewers were soggy. The worst thing about it is that my husband and I hadn't ate all day and were finally able to sit down and eat at our reception and the food tasted so horrible we didn't touch the plate at all the rest of the night. Gillian, who is the CEO who was present at the wedding, the only excuse was that the bride and groom typically never get time to eat. We for sure had enough time to eat at our sweetheart table, but our food was so tasteless we couldn't bare eating any of it. We had multiple zoom calls that Caribbean Caterers recorded. Where they contradicted themselves and made up excuses to why they are not to be held liable for anything that went wrong. First, Gillian blamed the venue because of the multiple delays that evening which caused them to not be able to produce the food to the best of quality. She stated that the food had to be reheated multiple times and therefore that's the reason it did not taste how it should. My response back to that was it doesn't matter how many times you reheat or even leave food cold, if you seasoned the food properly the food will still remain with a taste and be manageable to enjoy regardless. You would still taste the seasoning, but to not taste no seasoning on our wedding food at all is outrageous. Gillian kept telling me that I should ask other chefs and that she wants me to put a meal in the oven for 2 hours and that's what she had to deal with that night, but it is due to things out of her control. I am not asking other chefs they did not do my wedding that day. You all did. That has nothing to do with the food being tasteless. How I season my food and how they choose to season the food are two different things. My food would still taste good and have flavor because I seasoned it properly rather than if it was kept in the oven for 2 hours or not. In addition, I heard Gillian say on the first zoom call that she had to take chicken back that wasn't thoroughly cooked. Then all of a sudden the second meeting she says I never said that and it may have been overcooked but not undercooked. I said to them well if I am not hearing correctly, I would like to listen to both recordings of the zoom meetings, so I can make sure I heard what I heard and nothing is being made up. Gillian kept talking around my question and not trying to give the zoom recordings for me to listen to. Then she says we can schedule a time for you to listen to the recordings and tries to say they can't send the recordings. I told them that it is possible to send me the zoom call recordings and I would like the recordings from the meetings we had, which was only two meetings. Caribbean Caterers responded via email and saying "We are unable to provide you with the recordings." I asked them what is the reason for not being able to provide the recordings and they have not responded since then. To further continue on with the issues from that day, they had run out of salmon for guests that ordered salomon. Yes! My wedding was plated and not a buffet. Their excuse was that it was not clear on the table settings on who was supposed to get what, therefore their team did the best they could as well as my wedding planner and her team did the best they could. My thing is that they had a wrap up call with my wedding planner and I where they stated they understood the placement of which meal is supposed to go where and the seating. So, even if it was forgotten to put a picture of salmon on the menu or wherever to indicate what meal was supposed to go there, you all should have known salmon was supposed to go there from confirmation early on and being provided that information early on. You all knew how many salmon, beef, and chicken was supposed to be provided. When a guest said they didn't want or ask for beef and salmon instead Caribbean Caterers gave the guests what they asked for and that's not what you should have been doing for a plated dinner. The salmon guests could bare with eating it, but not the chicken and beef guests, therefore no wonder they ran out of salmon. Everyone was asking for that instead and they were just giving it out. The beef was tough and unseasoned and it was not like what we had at the tasting. Gillian admitted that there were a lot of things that went wrong behind the scenes of our wedding that day, and the meal we chose from Caribbean Caterers is their typical normal meals they cook, so she can't see that anything went wrong. She did not want to take accountability for nothing Caribbean Caterers did wrong. Just point the finger at everyone else and every other vendor. She just kept talking about applauding her team for them going above and beyond. I even asked Gillian if she tasted the food by which she stated that she did and when my wedding planner called her out and said well you didn't taste the food at the wedding in the state it was in that evening. She had nothing to say toward that. There are things that happen at every wedding out of the ordinary. However, you being a full service catering company with years of experience own up to your mishaps as you all were not perfect and take accountability. The options we chose were their usual meals they cook, which is why we are very disappointed in a huge amount of money wasted and how our big day turned out to be a wreck food wise. Our wedding expense was very costly ($159 per person). We had 152 guests and it's even worse with the fact that we got a terrible experience out of this. Another annoying aspect was that during the zoom calls Gillian was even rolling her eyes up in her head on the call while I was discussing each of my issues with her because she didn't care about anything I was saying. No solution has been provided and the only other option would be to take legal action.
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