Chef By Request Reviews

Teresa Cook · Married on 08/11/2019

EXCELLENT in every way!

I send a big THANK YOU to Chef by Request, and to Amanda Ingle in particular, for making our wedding reception a huge success! We had a smaller wedding (around 62), and some of the catering companies don't like to work with small groups or even charge extra money if the group is under 100 people. But Chef by Request was happy to cater our wedding reception. From the first phone call, to the tasting, to the planning, and to the actual event, Amanda made everything easy and fun! She was always accessible and promptly returned my phone calls. Amanda is very professional, in a relaxed way. I especially appreciated her expertise and her willingness to make suggestions when we didn't know what to do. She was patient in answering all of our questions and was never pushy. Everything went like clockwork and was PERFECT on the day of the wedding! We especially appreciated how the Chef by Request team was very attentive to me (the bride) and to the groom on the day of our wedding. During the cocktail hour, they made a point to find us when we were having photos taken, and they brought us a plate of appetizers so that we wouldn't miss out on them. They even surprised us with a special plate of desserts on our sweetheart table! The food was OUTSTANDING!!! We got many compliments from our guests, who said that the food tasted like it came from a gourmet restaurant. All of the food was cooked on-site. It wasn't pre-cooked and then just warmed up. So it tasted like it just came out of the oven because it did! When we first started planning our wedding, I checked out quite a number of caterers, and Chef by Request outshined them all in professional, friendly service coupled with delicious food at very reasonable prices. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Chef by Request, and I will happily use them again in the future!

Sent on 08/12/2019

Kmmcginn@comcast.net · Married on 08/03/2019

Wonderful Experience & Wonderful Party

We used Chef By Request for an engagement party we were hosting. Amanda made the planning painless, and Colleen, Amanda & Jeff made the event run smoothly. The food was excellent, the staff professional, and people raved about the event. So happy we went with CBD.

Sent on 07/01/2019

Andrew Atwell · Married on 07/06/2019

Competent, professional and delicious

I cannot say enough about the quality and professionalism of Chef by Request, and of Amanda in particular. The person in charge of our venue was a bit chaotic and stressful, and Amanda was an island of calm and competency during our most anxious moments, even coming back early from a family trip to make sure everything went smoothly at our wedding. The food was delicious, the staff prompt and capable and competent, and just an overall delight to work with - they made our wedding low-stress and delicious. From the tasting up until our wedding day they made our wedding planning lives easier and coordinated seamlessly with our other vendors to make for a perfect wedding day. Highly recommend!

Sent on 07/24/2019

Hilaryd · Married on 01/19/2019

Choose CBR for your event!!!

Chef By Request did an absolute wonderful job catering for our wedding reception. Amanda was a delight to work with. She went above and beyond by answering all my questions even outside of normal business hours! Everything went so smoothly on our big day thanks to CBR. I arrived early to our venue to be there in case CBR had questions during the set-up process. When I arrived, everything was set up EXACTLY as I envisioned. CBR are truly experts in what they do. I highly recommend the Sweet Home Chicago themed menu. The food was amazing and our guests loved it! Thank you again to CBR. I would highly recommend them for your event catering.

Sent on 01/23/2019

Kelly Bradley · Married on 12/31/2018

Delicious, Stress-Free

My fiance and I worked with Amanda and she couldn't have been more helpful or kind throughout the whole process. She listened to all of our needs right from the beginning. We were SO pleased with all the food that was served at our wedding and all of our guests only had great things to say about the food (especially the mac n cheese!!). I can't thank Amanda and the Chef by Request staff enough for making the entire process a breeze. I would recommend Chef by Request to anyone looking for an amazing caterer.

Sent on 01/02/2019

Allie · Married on 10/20/2018

Chef by Request went above and beyond. Not only were the food and service exceptional but when it started to rain at our outdoor event the were right there there helping get all the decor and personal belongings out of the down poor.

Sent on 01/02/2014

Jacob · Married on 09/22/2018

Working with Chef by Request for our wedding was an absolute pleasure. Amanda was amazing in getting back to us quickly on everything and making things as easy for us as she possibly could. The food was absolutely amazing! So many of our guests have let us know that they loved all the food from hors d'oeuvres, to the soup and salad(seriously may be my favorite soup of all time-the mushroom!), to the entrees everything was perfectly executed and tasted the same at our wedding as it did at the tasting, if not better. They are also super affordable and really worked around us. The waiters and cooking staff were all super friendly and helpful day of as well.

Sent on 09/27/2018

Allison · Married on 08/11/2018

Chef by Request and Amanda were sincerely great. She was prompt in her responses, took care of all our requests, and made the night so smooth. She went out of her way to please guests, and Jackie also went out of her way to make sure the head table had what they needed. We had the taco and pasta stations, and our guests are still raving about how they've never had such a great experience or "food they liked so much," at a wedding. Thank you all so much!

Sent on 08/20/2018

Cp · Married on 07/27/2018

Wonderful food! Great menu selection! Worked with us to meet our needs! Amanda is great!

Sent on 07/30/2018

Van · Married on 07/07/2018

Amanda and staff were extremely accommodating and professional. They helped us create a beautiful event that we will remember forever! I had many guests come up to me throughout the night saying that it was some of the best food they had had at a wedding. Seriously, don’t pass up the pork belly appetizer!

We planned our wedding from out of town, so it was particularly stressful to not know how things would turn out. We are so thankful to have worked with Amanda and CBR. They were a pleasure to work with: the food was great, the staff were friendly and diligent, everyone understood weddings, and it all came at a transparent and reasonable price.

Thank you CBR!

Sent on 07/09/2018

Kathy · Married on 07/01/2018

Start to finish Amanda and her staff at Chef by Request were friendly, professional and responsive. The wedding day 7/1/18 was PERFECT. Service was excellent and all our guests have commented on the delicious food.

Sent on 07/11/2018

Chrysa · Married on 06/16/2018

We were happy to have Chef By Request as the caterer for our wedding day! The food was delicious and our guests gave so many compliments on both the food and the service! Amanda made sure that everything was perfect for our reception. She is wonderful to work with! I highly recommend Chef By Request.

Sent on 08/04/2018

Amy · Married on 06/02/2018

Wow, Chef by Request is great!! On top of the food being really great, which is what you want at your wedding, they were incredibly easy to work with - very responsive, communicative, collaborative, and helpful! They helped us narrow down what we wanted and what would work for a large crowd, and made it all happen! Our menu was partially customized and worked out great. From our tasting, through all the remote communication, to the actual wedding, everything was wonderful. We worked primarily with Amanda, and really cannot sing her praises more. She quelled any worries we had, she updated invoices quickly, she gave us wiggle room paying our final bill when we didn't know we needed a cashier's check, and day-of she made everything go so smoothly. She even fluffed my dress before I walked down the aisle.

Day-of, all the Chef by Request staff were super top-notch. Several servers came by during our cocktail hour picture-taking to make sure we were getting our appetizers! They brought us drinks! The bartenders acted excited when they got to serve me (the bride) for the first time and asked how I was feeling! When dinner was running just a little behind, they were super communicative and made sure we got a little snack before the buffet opened! We can only imagine all the things they did behind the scenes that we don't even know about. Hiring Chef by Request for our wedding was a super great decision, and we recommend them!

Sent on 06/18/2018

Theresa · Married on 01/27/2018

LOVED Chef by Request, and especially our contact person, Amanda. She was so helpful and accommodating. We did the "Sweet Home Chicago" menu, which we were so excited about because we didn't want traditional wedding food. Chef by Request handled our cupcakes that the baker just dropped off, and set them up on the cupcake stands. I think they also helped place our centerpieces. They were really half caterer, half day of coordinator, and I don't know what I would have done without them.

Sent on 02/10/2018

Ann · Married on 12/27/2017

OMG! It is difficult to describe the service we received without overdoing the superlatives We had a vintage wedding in a historic mansion - The Barrington White House Mansion- and we hired the dance band, Soda, to play because that was the band playing on the night we met. We wanted our family and friends to have a fabulous dining and dancing experience without the "stuffiness" of wedding. As a result, 2 bars, 4 bartenders and we wanted a buffet dinner so that we could minimize the time between dinner and dancing and transitioning the dance floor. Ever other vendor we talked to discouraged us and urged us toward plated dinners. Not Chef by Request! And their Farm to Table menu we ultimately selected was so delicious. Every bite of the choices at the tasting made it more and more difficult to choose. But the Chef at Chef by Request guided us through what would be best for our guests. For appetizers we chose Forest Wild Mushroom Soup with sherry cream sauce, a Baby Arugula Salad with beets, goat cheese and candied walnuts, and Grilled Spring Asparagus with lemon thyme sauce, crumbled blue cheese and oven-dried tomatoes. For entrees, we chose the Char-grilled Flank Steak with smoked tomato butter and shallots and the Amish Thyme Roasted Chicken with grilled fennel in a natural stock reduction. To add color to the buffet, we offered the Sugar Roasted Organic Carrots and went with the Yukon Gold Smashed Potatoes Their pricing on their website made it easy to calculate the costs and the descriptions of all the foods will make you drool. Every bite was delicious from beginning to end. Our planner Amanda was extremely helpful, our bartenders and servers discreet and courteous. Could not be more pleased.

Sent on 02/09/2018

A · Married on 11/11/2017

The food that Chef By Request prepared for our wedding was phenomenal, everyone couldn't stop raving about how delicious it was. We would highly recommend using them as a caterer for your special event!

Sent on 02/24/2018

Becca · Married on 10/14/2017

I used Chef By Request for my catering needs ... which were MANY. I chose a venue that only supplied tables, chairs, and alcohol so I entrusted CBR to provide not just the delicious food, but everything from the flatware and bread baskets, to linens, water goblets, barware, ice tubs, and all of the little things you would never remember in the midst of planning your big day! My go-to through the planning process and tasting was Amanda, who went above and beyond to make sure every detail was taken care of. The whole crew was extremely friendly, listened to your requests, and nothing was out of the question. If there was a will, there was a way! Everyone raved about the food, and the late night snacks were a hit as well. Every server had a smile on their face, and truly met/exceeded every need and request I asked for. I would HIGHLY recommend this company, and Amanda, as there were no hidden fees, no miscommunication, and no detail left out. Thank you for helping make our day absolutely wonderful, we truly couldn't have done it without your team!!

Sent on 10/30/2017

Regina · Married on 10/13/2017

We were so lucky to find Chef by Request to cater out wedding. As soon as I looked on CBR’s website, I knew they were special. The food looked amazing on the website! Their website was very detailed, listing all of their catering packages with pricing. Some other websites were not clear about cost or what is included, but I felt good going into our tasting having an idea of what our total was going to be and what we were going to get. Communication was excellent throughout our entire time working with CBR. I worked with Amanda from the start, and even right from our first conversation, I felt great about working with them. She listened to our vision and helped to take it to the next level. The food for our tasting was unbelievable – the hardest part of the whole process was narrowing down our choices! We also had to order tables, linens, and even the oven from CBR as our venue was not equipped with any of that. Amanda made the process so easy for me, and answered all of my questions in a timely fashion. We had very specific requests for the tableware (black plates and gold flatware) and Amanda got us exactly what we were looking for. She was an amazing help with setting up the floorplan for the tables too – our venue had a very different layout then most weddings and she set up everything in a way that flowed perfectly and didn’t make our guests feel crowded. One room that had been used for dinner also had to be converted to the dance floor and her team made the switch seamlessly and quickly. Our guests gave rave reviews about the food. Everyone I spoke to about it said it was the best food they had had at a wedding! Amanda stayed the whole time as well to make sure everything went smoothly. I was so impressed with the attention to detail Amanda and her team gave not only the day of, but throughout the entire planning process. I can’t begin to recommend CBR enough. They truly made my wedding day so special and stress free!

Sent on 12/23/2017

adrian · Married on 10/06/2017

Awesome catering team. Very professional, responsive, affordable, and most importantly the food was delicious. Our guests loved it!

Sent on 10/11/2017

Jameelah · Married on 09/09/2017

AMAZING is all really there is to say about this catering company. From dealing with Katie(who's the most amazing lady) to going to the tastings, to eating every last dish to the end.....There's not one bad thing to say about them. Professional, Kind, Flexible, Adheres to Budget, and Truly Cares!!!! I'd have them prepare every meal for me if I could!

Sent on 03/07/2017

Sara · Married on 09/01/2017

They were amazing from the food, the service to doing all the extras they really weren't required to do. I would totally recommend them.

Sent on 09/13/2017

Nevair · Married on 06/18/2017

When looking for a catering company for my wedding, I was immediately sold-out when reading the reviews and menus that Chef By Request had to offer. The Farm to Table menu was so unique and delicious! Amanda was amazing in accommodating what I needed and always responded in a timely manner. It's always a great thing when guests repeatedly tell you how wonderful their meal was at your wedding! Thanks Chef By Request for being so wonderful to work with and for going above and beyond for my guests and the bridal party...I highly recommend you!

Sent on 06/21/2017

Lynn · Married on 12/03/2016

Chef by Request and Katie Merkle are amazing!! This was by far the best choice we made for the wedding. It was such a great experience working with Katie to pick out the menu and find the right floor plan. We had a flip with the ceremony and dinner which went flawlessly. The food was fabulous and catered to a lot of gluten free requests. We served everything family style and everyone loved that, and people could have seconds if they wanted! The staff was incredible, I thought the service was better than at high end hotels. I have had soooo many compliments about the food since the wedding. I am still getting emails asking for the caterers name! Our DJ said of the hundreds of weddings he has been at this is the best food ever!

Sent on 12/16/2016

Elisabeth · Married on 06/03/2016

Do you want your guests walking up to you the entire night of the wedding and for weeks after telling you how good your wedding food was? Awesome, me too! Chef by Request made that happen. Katie was so much fun and awesome to work with! She really helped build a completely custom and perfect menu. We had a chicken and steak dish off of their "Farm to Table" menu and a two different appetizers. Everything was SO good, I wish I could have it again!! Chef by Requests staff the night of was very attentive and polite too. I highly recommend CBR for your event!!

Sent on 06/26/2016