Chef By Request Reviews

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.

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.

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!

Cp · Married on 07/27/2018

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

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!!

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!

adrian · Married on 10/06/2017

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

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!!

Lauren · Married on 05/28/2016

My art museum wedding was beautiful and I had Katie constantly checking in with me to make sure my husband and I were happy. They were more than accommodating with our financial situation. Very professional! So happy with how it all turned out.

Shannon · Married on 10/16/2015

Chef by Request was the caterer for our wedding and they were a hit. All around, everything you could want in a caterer. The food (appetizers, salad, plated main course, late night snack) was delicious, served warm and fresh (made on site) by a great team of friendly servers and staff. We worked with Katie Merkle, who was so awesome. She listened to our needs, provided feedback and helped us build a menu that was personalized, seasonal and pleased all of our guests. Chef by request was so accomodating and welcoming--we couldn't have asked for a better vendor to handle this important part of our wedding day. If you are planning an event in the Chicago area, you owe it to yourself to give them a call!

Taryn · Married on 09/19/2015

Absolutely impressed with the quality of the food, helpfulness of the staff, and ease to work with. We had a backyard reception and they did a great job...Although it was in our backyard, it wasn't super casual based on the food/decor. We had a buffet-style with chicken, pasta, and a meat as an entree, veggies, potatoes, etc. People were extremely impressed with the quality of the food and service. (We also hired them as bartenders.) Pricing is fair for what they provide, and much less expensive than other caterers in the area. THANK YOU! :)

Mark · Married on 08/15/2015

We decided to use their Brazilian Menu, and the executed the entire event with professionalism, quality, and more important amazing food (beyond our expectations). Many guests said this was the best food they have had in any other weddings.

User4402409 · 2+ years ago

Katie Merkle and the rest of the staff at Chef By Request did an exceptional job making our vision come to life. We had a breakfast-for-dinner superhero-themed wedding, and Katie and the staff were 100% on board from our first meeting. Never once were we made to feel like we were doing something wrong or inappropriate by having a nontraditional event; in fact, Katie was eager to send ideas about themed drinks and even had the bartender show up dressed as Batman! All of the wait staff and both bartenders were professional and on point all evening. We did run out of bacon before the end of the evening, but I found out later that some of my guests sneaked in for seconds before some people had had firsts!

Overall, my husband and I had an overwhelmingly positive experience working with Katie and her staff from entree selection to budgeting to service delivery, and we would recommend CBR to anyone. Just make sure to order extra bacon. :-)