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Savoir Faire Catering Reviews

Savoir Faire Catering

Savoir Faire Catering

Santa Barbara, CA
4.8 out of 5 rating, 18 Reviews
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Reviews

4.8 out of 5 rating
4.8 out of 5 rating
18 Reviews
96% recommend it
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Awards

18
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
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    Cinzia Sent on 12/02/2015
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    Karen and her team exceeded all expectations on our wedding day! Karen's amazing farm-to-table menus are a class way above most caterers! Our guests having been raving about the dinner and cocktail hour appetizers! We had many guests who are in the food industry and/or love to eat at all the local hot spots and they can't stop talking about the food at our wedding! I'd highly recommend Karen and Savoir Faire to any couple looking to wow their guests!!
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    Fabi Sent on 06/12/2015
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    Savoir Faire Catering exceeds ratings and expectations in all categories. Everything about our wedding was incredible, and working with Savoir Faire was the best decision we could have made. After our wedding each of our guest raved about the food. The high level of service, advice, and professionalism leading up to the big day could not have been better. The entire staff was attentive in each phase of planning and their execution on our wedding day was flawless. I would recommend their services to anyone!
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    Madeline Sent on 04/21/2015
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    So so so so excited when I talk about our wedding food! We had a large tented outdoor wedding in December of 300 (!!!) and had a full and amazing dinner, plus cocktails and appetizers beforehand. Karen is the true definition of a professional at her job — and she goes the extra mile to make it an art! During our tasting I felt like a queen, and there wasn't a single dish that didn't blow me and my fiance out of the water (and he's a rather picky eater!).

    We had people coming up to us ON THE DANCE FLOOR just to grab us and tell us how incredible the food was. "Best food I've ever had...and not just 'at a wedding!'"

    We made several large changes in the week leading up to our wedding as well that greatly affected the menu (like adding a second main course!)...and Karen handled it like a champ. Grilled Prime Beef Tri-Tip Steaks, roasted Salmon w/ lemon, herbs and basil butter, the most gorgeous persimmon salad w/ arugula... just to whet your appetite a bit. :)

    So thankful for this chef and her expertise and attention to detail! I felt so comfortable and at peace in her hands. Thank you, Karen and Savoir Faire Team!
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    Kate Sent on 04/07/2015
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    I was so impressed and happy with my entire experience with Savoir Faire. I did a lot of research into catering companies for my wedding. I'm a chef myself and felt strongly that I wanted great food for my wedding. From my first phone conversation with Karen, I felt like she knew what I was going for and had the spot-on ideas for menu and vibe. She is professional but also kind, personable and engaged. It did not feel like just a business transaction but instead a process of working together to get everything just right. Perhaps best of all she has a total can-do attitude and an ease with which she creates her beautiful food and events. When it came to the wedding itself she and her team did tons of work to set it up beautifully, from the pre-bar, passed apps, family style dinner and drinks afterwards. I could not have been happier with how it all turned out and completely have Karen to thank for it. Highly recommend Savoir Faire to anyone who wants the best with great value and quality.
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    Ivan I. Sent on 04/17/2014
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    Thank you so much for the wonderful food. Our families and friends thoroughly enjoyed the dinner served at our wedding and continue to praise all of it!
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    Lisa A. Sent on 04/17/2014
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    We cannot say enough good things about Savoir Faire, and neither can our guests. We are still getting such rave reviews from our guests regarding the quality of the food, and the professionalism and responsiveness of the staff. Karen was our caterer for our event, and was so accommodating and helpful. Even from our first phone call, where Melissa happily answered my questions and made us feel comfortable, contacting a caterer for the first time, we felt we were in good hands. When they say they are a full service operation, they mean it. From venue setup, to dealing with the rental company, to catering to our guests' every need, to accommodating special requests, to breakdown at the end of the evening, the Savoir Faire staff was absolutely incredible. We didn't have to lift a finger, and they also anticipated things we needed, even before we knew we needed it. The venue managers also remarked at how impressed they were, having worked with many different caterers. As we said from the beginning, we cannot say enough good things about Savoir Faire, and would highly recommend to anyone, and we would definitely use them again for any of our catered events.
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    Diane Sent on 08/25/2013
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    We were having a brunch for out of town family and friends for a wedding in Santa Barbara on 8/17/13. Since we were also from out of town, our request for Karen to cater quiche for us was last minute. That was not a problem. Karen listened to our situration, made some suggestions, baked unbelievable quiches for us and delivered them exactly on time. Our guests were thrilled with the quiche and we were thrilled with Karen!!
    Thank you for making our party so perfect!
    Diane and Tom McGinn
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    Chelsea Sent on 09/24/2013
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    Amazing food that was both beautiful and delicious!
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    True B. Sent on 04/15/2013
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    We thoroughly enjoy working with Savoir Faire. Not only is this catering team very professional and detail oriented, but their food is out of this world and their displays never disappoint. If you want to really impress your guests with an amazing, handcrafted menu, Savior Faire is the way to go!
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    Mary Sent on 05/09/2013
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    Karen Smith-Warner and her staff prepared an excellent, delicious, and memorable station style dinner for my daughter's late summer wedding in Santa Barbara. Savoir Faire uses fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. Karen was responsive to our requests and questions and made many wise and useful suggestions. We are still receiving compliments about the food. Karen generously shared her recipe for kale salad which has become a family favorite. Karen and her staff are top notch, highly professional, yet relaxed and easy to work with. I would like to be a guest at another event catered by Savoir Faire.
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    Justin Sent on 05/09/2013
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    Savoir Faire is the absolute best catering service on the Central Coast. During the planning stage prior to our wedding, we met with Karen and expressed the type of food we were looking for. She was able to provide many different options and samples for appetizers through the main course. Karen is an innovator and has been doing this for such a long time that she is essentially a wedding planner. She is a food artisan and is able to provide helpful suggestions not only for the food, but all aspects of your wedding or event to help make it that much better. The food was extremely fresh, local, innovative and tasted incredible. All of the staff was very professional and polite. All of the thought that Savoir Faire put into our wedding was simply amazing. We would definitely recommend Savoir Faire for any type of event you might be planning.
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    Erin Sent on 04/28/2013
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    My husband and I wanted the food to be the focal point of our Santa Barbara wedding. Our vision was to have all of our closest family and friends sharing a beautiful meal together at long family-style tables, enjoying the best of simple, local, seasonal cuisine. Choosing a caterer was the most important piece of the puzzle. We were thrilled to meet Karen from Savoir Faire and realized quickly that she not only understood our vision, but that she had the thoughtfulness, talent and passion to execute it better than we could have even imagined. She listened to our wish list and was able to craft a menu that showcased small, local producers and some amazing menu items that you couldn't have found anywhere else (like the Dos Pueblos Ranch abalone cakes -- a last-minute addition that blew everyone away!). She even helped us recreate a cocktail-hour version of the homemade pizza my husband made for me on our first date. Her creativity and care were evident throughout. Our guests still rave about the meal -- and most importantly the experience of the meal -- at our wedding. We even have copies of the menu and pictures of the food framed in our kitchen so we can always remember the day. Karen is simply the best!
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    Tanya Sent on 10/15/2009
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    AMAZING! Words do not capture the magic and the exquisite foods that Karen Smith-Warner and her team will create.

    If you are seeking fresh, seasonal cuisine with vibrant flavors and beautiful presentation, then you have found the right match with Karen. Karen handled a complex wedding reception for us with fresh meals flying out of a tiny reception hall kitchen. Every guest RAVED about the food, with a few guests sharing that they asked for seconds. When has that happened with wedding food? The request for seconds wasn't because we starved our guests. There was a healthy selection of appetizers that truly opened the appetite for the main course.

    And the next day, we had a casual BBQ with Karen's foods again being the star attraction. My family & our guests would give her 100 stars if the vendor rating system allowed it. Thank you, Karen. Great work!



    http://www.savoirfairesb.com/
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    Jill Sent on 05/13/2013
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    Karen with Savoir Faire was able to offer my clients the customized and individual client experience that they were looking to find out of a caterer. They never felt rushed or presseured, and truly enjoyed their experience with her. They had very detailed and specific ethnic menus they were looking for, and Karen did a fabulous job of creating an even better menu than they could have hoped for.
  • Molly
    Molly Sent on 04/09/2013
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    We had the privilege of having Karen and her team at Savoir Faire cater our wedding in August. We were married at a winery where you had to have a kitchen built on location, which we thought would be a crazy process, but Karen made it seamless. Also, we wanted the food served family style and we weren't sure how that would go since we had never been to a wedding where the food was served that way, and again Karen and her staff made it seem like that was the way they always served food. Now, onto the food...............the food was AMAZING! Everyone raved about the food and our group of friends and family are the type of people that you would consider foodies and people still talk about the food almost a year later. Karen's staff also made my husband and I feel like we were a king and queen, whatever we wanted at any minute they were there to attend to us. We only wish Karen and her staff could cook for us every night. No questions asked we would hire Savior Faire again.
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    Diane Sent on 05/08/2013
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    Working with Savior Faire is ALWAYs 5-star plus!
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    Laura Sent on 12/13/2016
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    When selected a caterer in Santa Barbara it was important to us to work with a boutique company that specialized in farm to table/seasonal produce. Savoir Faire fit the bill and my budget! It was a hard decision to make because there were larger caterers that were less expensive and smaller caterers that had very innovative menus. As a professional event planner, I am very particular and they definitely accommodated my requests. All of our guests walked away from the wedding saying how AMAZING the food was, which is a rarity. In addition, she worked with us to help us cut overall wedding costs by sharing our rentals with the bride who was doing her wedding the night before. Since the rentals came in much higher than we anticipated and we had to pull in a tent due to rain, this was a huge budget and lifesaver and I was blown away by her flexibility. Karen is brilliant as a caterer with food and service. Her staff was extremely professional. I would mention is that if you want something specific and are as detail oriented as I am, you have to keep on all of your vendors diligently. This was the case and I wanted more concise and clear communication from the Savoir Faire team. Many of the large caterers have customer service teams, which are constantly communicating and hand holding, don't expect this from Savoir Faire, Karen is very "to the point," just know that in the end it will turn out beautifully and delicious and her team makes you feel like everything is taken care of on the day of your event.
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    Julie Sent on 10/02/2014
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    We had a vineyard inspired wedding in Solvang and choose Savior Faire because the food is sourced locally and was amazing at our tasting. As we got closer to the wedding we were informed that we'd need to rent several pieces of servingware, chafing dishes and even an oven. Begrudgingly we did as we wanted the menu we agreed to several months earlier. We just wished that Karen told us early on so we could account for it in our budget. The food was excellent and the staff was ok. Guests at the wedding said they saw the staff taking leftover food to their van and asked that they leave it at the residence. The part the upsets me the most is that now, 4 months later, the owner has not returned servingware from the rental company that she admitted has. I've asked several times for her to return it and now I have to pay for the cost of the items and the rental fees. She's now ignoring my calls and emails. Her fresh faire is amazing, just dont agree to rent any equipment and keep an eye on the leftovers!
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