Tamara's Catering Reviews

Tamara's Catering

Santa Barbara, CA

4.9 out of 5 rating, 65 reviews

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4.9 out of 5 rating

4.9

Excellent

65 reviews

Recommended by 98% of couples

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Quality of service
4.8 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.9 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.8 out of 5 rating
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Nicholas Sent on 10/29/2025

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Tamara’s Catering

We hired Tamara’s Catering for our wedding and everyone enjoyed everything from the start to the end. Delicious appetizers and sides and mains
Tori Sent on 05/16/2022

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Amazing food, and amazing service

From day one Tamaras food was delicious and kicked butt compared to other tastings we did! She was always extremely quick to respond and willing to work with us and our lower budget for our wedding. Day of Tamara was even better! A box was forgotten to bring to the venue: the forks, knives and plastic ware for the bar was MIA… no one would’ve known because Tamara 100% solved this problem! We did family style tacos and no one felt like they were waiting too long (it’s hard to see in the photos but highly recommend family style), we couldn’t have asked for a better food experience… also best sangria ever! My aunt even told me that and she’s pretty picky with her sangria :) you won’t regret hiring Tamaras Catering! She’s not only your catering but is excited for your special day and wants to make it perfect! Also our venue required a security deposit and we got all of it back, I’m sure because of her and her teams hard work!

Updated to add some photos from the photographer as well as say people are still telling me how good our food (and sangria) was 50 days later!
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Kristin Sent on 10/19/2021

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Excellent experience

From beginning to end our experience with Tamara’s Catering was excellent. Tamara is accommodating, personable and creates an amazing experience. Food was delicious and service was wonderful! Can not recommend Tamara’s Catering enough!

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Gina Sent on 08/24/2021

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Outstanding

Tamara was a true professional who resided in Hawaii for 10 years and was able to capture the essence of a Hawaiian menu for my Hawaiian themed wedding. Her menu incorporated vegan options as well as classic Hawaiian dinner options. Her desserts were also fabulous…all fresh and her decor presentation was beautiful. Her entire staff was helpful, jovial and very accommodating. Their smiles were very much appreciated. Everyone on this team knew their mission and carried it out without requiring any direction. Their experience was evident and Tamara’s timely responsiveness to my million text messages eased the stress of it all! Tamara included a bar tender, 3 delicious served up appetizers, 3 fantastic desserts, a carving station and 2 delicious pre-cocktail drinks in with her dinner costs making this service a complete full service. I highly recommend Tamara’s catering for any event and I will not hesitate to utilize them again in the future.
Zen R. Sent on 06/24/2021

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Great service with delicious food!

We recently had Tamara cater our wedding and her team was amazing. We went with a buffet arrangement consisting of chicken and steak options and the food was top-notch. Our guests were raving about the meal with the highlight being the incredible tri-tip that was grilled to perfection. Tamara was a pleasure to work with and she was also very willing to accommodate dietary requests, including vegan and gluten free options. The service was wonderful and the bartender did a great job with the drinks as well. Thank you Tamara and the team!
Hattie Sent on 01/17/2020

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Fast, reliable, delicious!

Tamara saved the day for our event! We were stuck with only 24 hours before a farewell party and our original caterer fell through, we reached out to her mostly expecting her to not be able to deliver, and oh how she delivered! She not only met up with one of our party planners to drop off the meat and cheese platter we ordered, but she also gave us tools and extras to replenish the already lovely platter. All with 24 hours notice. I would use her again in a minute! Lovely service, delicious food, and top notch communication! Thank you so much for saving the day!
Meghan Sent on 08/19/2019

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Great Service

They were able to accommodate our last minute catering requests and went above and beyond to make enjoyable. She was easy to work with, clear communication, and fast responses. We got our vision and ran with it making it enjoyable for all the guests
Kohanya Sent on 06/10/2019

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A fantastic experience with true professionals

Tamara Catering was absolutely perfect. At short notice, she and her team were able to accommodate our needs. The food was fantastic and her crew was incredibly professional. They went beyond food service and helped with all the cleanup. Plus, her prices were very reasonable. I will absolutely hire Tamara for all our future events.
Carole Sent on 06/05/2019

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Our Grand Opening Event

The food was delicious. The presentation was beautiful and staff very professional.
I would use them again
Paul Sent on 04/02/2019

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Friendly staff Quality Cuisine

I had an amazing experience with Tamara. Very professional. Her team is amazing. All my guests loved the food coming out from her kitchen.
Jessica Sent on 01/04/2019

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Highly Recommend

We used Tamara to cater our rehearsal dinner at Deep Sea Tasting Room. She was incredibly easy to work with and offered tons of awesome ideas to help make the menu special. We decided to go with a Boston themed dinner, since my finance is from there. She pulled off an incredibly meal of clam chowder, lobster rolls, truffle Mac n cheese, and more. She was open to exploring new recipes and preparations based on my requests and everything came out AMAZING! We received so many compliments. She also was able to provide all the rentals we needed to for the table, decor, etc. If you’re looking for a caterer to be a “one stop shop”, Tamara is the BEST! I can’t thank her enough for making our event easy to plan, well executed, and most of all, delicious!
Christian Sent on 10/29/2018

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SB College of Law Awards Banquet

Tamara has catered our annual awards banquet for the last two years. She always brings the highest quality food and is prepared with staff to serve our guests. The students look forward to the awards banquet because we get such great food!
Scott Sent on 10/17/2018

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If I could rate a 5+ I would!

Tamara and her crew really went above and beyond for our wedding reception. The food was enjoyed by all, the staff very friendly and absolutely ready for anything. Tamara literally saved us thousands of dollars on our wedding with cost saving ideas, knowing the best places for needed rentals and such. Thanks Tamara!
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Leticia Sent on 06/18/2018

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Love the food Tamara was so great In getting back to me regarding my questions. The food was awesome. We had tri-tip chicken potato salad roasted veggies and salad everything was more than we expected everyone loved. Plus we have appetizers phyllo cups these were all so awesome I would recommend her in a heartbeat. I mean would love to use her again. Thank you Tamara for blessing us on this special day.
Amy Sent on 05/03/2018

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Tamara caters all concert openings for the Santa Barbara Symphony and she does an amazign job!!
Her staff is top-notch and her food is delicious.
Illa Sent on 11/15/2017

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Once again, Tamara and her team blew us away with their impeccable service, delicious food, and flexible, personable approach. We can’t wait to work with them again.
Marley Sent on 11/15/2017

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Tamara has now catered two events for our organization and we are super happy with her! Guests seemed to enjoy the food, and staff was very attentive throughout the event. We really felt supported and that all of our specific needs and requests were heard and acted upon.
Melissa Sent on 11/15/2017

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Tamara was so helpful when it came to helping us plan for our wedding. She had great ideas and was very good about working within our budget.

Our guests loved the food! She even put aside an assortment of appetizers for us to make sure we would have a chance to try them since we were busy taking photos during the cocktail hour. I thought this was a nice touch.
Jill Sent on 11/05/2017

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Tamara was amazing! We had our wedding at a ranch in Buellton and she helped make the day special. She helped me with rentals beforehand and was always available for questions. She took pride in her work and the food was amazing. We wanted classy BBQ and that's what we got. The presentation of the food was beautifully done. Our guests talked about how great the food was and that rarely happens with wedding food. We purchased beer and wine but she did all the bar prep and the servers were great. We highely recommend her!
A. Sent on 09/19/2017

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Tamara and her servers were all fantastic! They gave us exactly what we wanted and all of our friends loved the food and had many compliments. We wanted a small group of friends to get together to say good-bye to Santa Barbara and it was perfect all the way around. They left the kitchen in better condition than they started with and my friend was very complimentary of this detail. I would use her again and hope to do so in the future for another get together when visiting Santa Barbara. It's nice to not have to worry about the details and just enjoy our friends for an afternoon.
Chelsea Sent on 06/02/2017

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Tamara and her team were amazing to work with for our Annual Student Awards Reception, which hosted around 300 guests. She was responsive to our staff during the planning process, and worked with us to create a menu that perfectly fit our theme, needs, and budget. During the event, she and her staff were friendly and professional at all times, enhancing the experience for all who attended. We will definitely want to work with them again!
Erika Sent on 06/02/2017

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Our nonprofit organization searched for different vendors and finally found Tamara, who was so easy to work with since day one. She was very flexible on what we wanted and worked with us on great pricing. Tamara and her team were so great before and during the reception. Everyone enjoyed the appetizers, and once the event was over she made plates for our volunteers, staff and band members. We were just so happy to have chosen Tamara to make this event successful. I would recommend her for all events, she was so easy to work with, flexible, very responsive, professional and great pricing! Thank you Tamara!!
Allison Sent on 01/03/2017

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Tamara has catered for our holiday parties in Santa Barbara for the last few years. She is splendid to work with, very professional, punctual and responsive. The food is delicious and our clients always rave about the wonderful food options.

Highly recommended!
Jennifer Sent on 12/15/2016

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I am the event planner at Carr Winery and have worked with Tamara for the past 4 years and have always enjoyed working with her and her team. Their food is amazing and they have affordable prices! I highly recommend hiring Tamara's Catering for your next event!
Kim Sent on 11/29/2016

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We attended a wedding on August 27. We were so impressed with the catering services. The food was very good. The service was excellent. Really enjoyed everything.
Pete Sent on 11/29/2016

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We used Tamaras Catering for our Santa Barbara wedding this past October.
Tamara and her team were absolutely fantastic to work with. The level of service provided was 5 star. Everyone on her team was so thoughtful, and went above and beyond to make sure that all of our guests (aprox 50ppl) were happy.
The food was AMAZING, right on time and in a beautiful presentation.
We can't speak highly enough of Tamara. Do yourself and all of your friends a favor and use Tamara and her team for your next event.
Jackie Sent on 11/20/2016

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Our local business has used this catering company several times to prepare business lunches for our employees.....Everything that was cooked and served at our meals was delicious......She has always been super helpful with her suggestions, willingness to help with serving options, and overall care in this special treat we offer....We will always consider her catering business whenever we plan parties or other employee fun times.....
Carol Sent on 11/13/2016

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Tamara did my wedding and went out of her way to get things my family wanted to eat. A good provolone cheese may just be a cheese but my Grandmother got her favorite since Tamara went out of her way to find it. Food was great, service was great and we had a great wedding. I have since also used her services for charity events and everyone loves her food and service..
Thina Sent on 08/07/2016

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We booked Tamara's Catering for our wedding July 26th in Ojai and it was an incredible day and night! All of our guests loved the food! Tamara went above and beyond to make my day special. She went above and beyond to help me set up the day! Timelines, last minute errands (she helped me pick up some gluten-free desserts which I had forgotten to!!) Great communication and very organised. The waiters were incredible, and the bartender! Definitely will use Tamara and her team again in the future. Highly recommend!!! Thanks again! Thina and Tyson
Jennifer Sent on 05/31/2016

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I can't say enough how much I loved working with Tamara! She was so accommodating and extremely thorough! She made sure everything was exactly what I wanted, and would email me to make sure every detail went according to plan.

The food was amazing! I'm a vegan and she made sure to provide food that I was able to enjoy as well as a delicious non vegan buffet for my guests. She was very well priced and her and her team made sure everything went smoothly during the reception. I would use her again for a party in a heartbeat!
Deidre Sent on 04/18/2016

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When my husband and I began planning our wedding, I contacted nearly every catering company in Santa Barbara. After narrowing it down to about 4 caterers from just quotes and ease of contacting the company; we set up taste tests. Tamara's food was incredible; seriously, most wedding food is just decent, Tamara's cooking is exceptional. My family of extremely hard-to-please eaters, had nothing but positive reviews for everything. A friend even told me that this was the best wedding food she's ever eaten. We had tri-tip on our menu, and we asked for chimichurri sauce in addition to horseradish sauce, and even though Tamara had never made Chimichurri before, she researched recipes and made an incredible sauce for us. Moreover, when we went for our tasting, my husband and I really felt like we hit it off with Tamara. She's super friendly, willing to make whatever changes you prefer for your event, and owns nearly everything cooking wise, which helps cut down on rental costs. If you are looking for delicious food and at a reasonable price, I HIGHLY recommend Tamara. Thank you Tamara, for ensuring an amazing meal for us on our wedding day!
Renee' Sent on 12/12/2015

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Tamara was so easy to work with. Out of all the caterers I contacted, she was the quickest to respond, so kind and professional. Her food was wonderful. Everything went smoothly. Her staff was very friendly and professional. We would recommend her to anyone who wants great food and no worries on there special day.
User2463528 Sent on 12/11/2015

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Tamara did the catering for the rehearsal dinner of our son’s wedding. How I wish we would have also had her cater the reception! My daughter-in-law had already selected a reception caterer before we found Tamara. And the experience with Tamara was phenomenally better and far more affordable than the wedding caterer.

Tamara and her team provided the most fantastic experience: delicious food our guests raved about, outstanding service (especially her outgoing, bartender, whose fabulous margaritas everyone flocked to), and the extremely efficient set up and clean up. In addition, Tamara spent extra time in person at our home and on the phone with me sharing excellent ideas and advice for having the event at our home. Her team set up a beautiful, magical setting on our back deck and extended yard. It was like a fairy godmother had arrived at my home!

Now for the really amazing part: Tamara’s quote was extremely reasonable! I had the wedding caterer bid on the rehearsal dinner, too, and that quote was over 3 times more expensive than Tamara’s! And it was only the beginning quote. Tamara’s quote from day one stayed the same. And she helps keep the cost down in every way, even providing all serving pieces she owns at no charge. She is extremely fair, honest, and helpful, with great ideas and fabulous food. And she delivers a marvelous party! I highly recommend her and will continue to use her for any big party I have!
Imelda Sent on 09/08/2015

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I have used Tamara's Catering several times throughout the years for corporate events as well as private events with a range of guests from small intimate dinners to company events. Her staff has always been professional and courteous. Each time she has exceeded my expectations and provided impeccable food and service. With each event regardless of the size, I am always confident with Tamara’s efficient team. I highly recommend her services and look forward to booking her for my upcoming wedding!
Athena Sent on 10/21/2014

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Tammy was incredible to work with from start to finish - from the planning, to the tasting, decor etc.. She and her staff delivered above and beyond. They were professional, prompt, attentive and extremely tidy. The food was absolutely amazing and our guests are still raving about it! Everything ran perfectly on time. Tammy and her staff worked with us to make our daughter's wedding day special. We can't say enough great things!
Lemi Sent on 08/13/2014

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Tamara's Catering catered a July 4th wedding. Her food was delicious and filling. Our guests kept telling us how good the cuisine tasted. Her staff was very professional and provided impeccable, top notch service. The evening went so smoothly; a reflection on the excellent job done by Tamara and her staff.
Marissa Sent on 06/15/2014

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Tammy's food was wonderful, as was the service. All of our guests, as well as ourselves, raved about how well prepared everything was throughout the night. To start off the cocktail hour, mini grilled cheese and pulled pork sandwiches were served and quickly consumed. These were a huge hit and we couldn't get enough! Once dinner began at the reception, not enough could be said to describe the steak and chicken. They were tender and delicious, and both were prepared so well that most of our guests asked for a bit of both. The meal was fantastic to say the least, and we highly recommend Tammy to anyone that is looking for wedding catering!!!

-Brian & Marissa Eddy, 6/14/14
Moira Sent on 06/06/2014

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We cannot say enough great things at Tamara and Tamara's Catering! Tamara was great with following up with me and coordinated all of our furniture and food service rentals, which was one less thing for me to worry about. Our guests LOVED the Mexican/Taco buffet she created for dinner and the chips/salsa bar and passed chile relleno cups were a huge hit during the cocktail hour. PERFECT at the SB Historical Museum. Overall the food was amazing! Her staff was friendly and helpful. We opted to do ice-cream sandwiches instead of cake for our dessert and everyone was super flexible with our unique choice and offered all our guests every flavor! The bartender was awesome, and no one had to wait long to get a refreshment. Possibly best of all, the staff had everything we needed to take home well-organized at the end of the night and loaded up my parent's car for them.

Tamara's Catering is a GREAT option for Santa Barbara events! You can't find this level of service and quality of food provided at her great prices anywhere else in town - trust me, I did my research!
Lissa Sent on 03/31/2014

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Tamara was great to work with!
I am vegetarian and very picky and she went above and beyond to cater to us for our wedding day, and ended up making a delicious array of Mediterranean food options for us.
She is flexible and willing to work with different budgets.
Stacey Sent on 01/03/2014

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I highly recommend Tamara's Catering if you want the yummiest food at the absolute hands-down best price. Tamara was lovely to work with and very accommodating to all our requests. She showed such dedication and responsiveness to make sure that everything went perfectly. Our guests loved the food and we couldn't have been happier with her service.
Randee Sent on 11/16/2013

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Tamara Catered a 250 person Event for the Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley at our Annual QuickDraw Event in August of 2013. She was well prepared for the event and was prompt and efficient. Her food was well presented and people had nothing but positive comments on the variety of appetizers served. Everything was tasty and the service was professional and friendly.
Kristen Sent on 10/13/2013

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Tamara was so great to work with - her warmth and caring nature made us immediately realize that she really cared about making our wedding all we wanted it to be. We both come from families that know and appreciate really good food so getting everything right was really important to us, and boy did she deliver! The food was beautifully presented, hot and delicious, and every guest raved - and are still raving - about how great everything was. From the appetizers to the salads, the pastas, the sides, the entrees and everything else was delicious. The whole process from our first meeting and tasting in her home, through staying til the end of the reception and delivering leftovers to our bridal suite to make sure we had some tasty snacks during that special night - went way beyond our expectations. Her and her staff were wonderful. They were on top of every detail all night long to make sure everything went perfectly. We can't recommend her enough and wish we could give her 6 stars.
Therese Sent on 09/09/2013

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Tamara was the caterer for my daughter's wedding. She is a very sweet person and extremely easy to talk to. We planned a destination wedding in Santa Barbara and Tamara was a huge part of my daughter's wonderful wedding reception. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding. She thought of everything. She worked with the other vendors for the wedding which really helped us a lot. I highly recommend her! She was wonderful to work with.
Pam Sent on 07/03/2013

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Tamara and her staff were helpful, friendly, professional and responsive to all requests. We had appetizers, dinner and late night snack for 100 people. All the food was fantastic and we received many positive comments from our guests on both the quantity and quality of the food.
Amy Sent on 06/05/2013

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Tamara is absolutely amazing! She developed the perfect menu for our wedding from appetizers, main course, and late night bites. All of it was delicious, and we got tons of compliments. We appreciated all her hard work and her great staff!
Allegra Sent on 06/02/2013

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I wrote a review before but not sure where it went, but I have no problem with re-writing one, because Tamara is the most awesome person EVER!!! She made our wedding possible. She worked with us on our budget, did not scoff at our request for a vegetarian menu, had no problem with traveling to our venue, and coordinated so many other services for us (she helped us with hiring the rentals, hooked us up with lighting and flooring vendor, even someone to help us with a generator!). Not to mention her food is delicious. Our guests ate everything and raved about the food. There was no complaining about the lack of meat for the meat lovers either (my brother-in-law didn't even notice the lack of meat, and he is basically a carnivore!) We also hired her for our brunch the next day and it was delish!

Tamara is a wonderful resource because she is from the area we got married in so she was familiar with who is best. And us being from LA really utilized her knowledge. Not to mention how much she calmed me down whenever I started to worry. She is down-to-earth, straight-forward, and professional. And reasonable! She was our saving grace. We adore her. There is no other caterer you should hire. Thank you so much, Tamara!
Shelley Sent on 01/21/2013

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Tamera's Catering was a goldmine! My Husband and I planned a destination wedding in Santa Barbara. From the first conversation I had with Tamera I "clicked" with her. She was exactly the type of caterer I was desiring. She was professional and fun to work with. She went the extra mile by searching out wines that complimented our dinner and champagne that was pleasing to all palates. The meal she prepared was incredible, and filled with such flavor....our guests are still raving about it. Tamera provided such amazing service to our small intimate reception at the Montecito Inn. Her whole staff was so pleasant and Tamera added special touches like placing a beautiful purple pansy (our accent color) on each individual plate and even gave my best friend and I a bottle of Champagne as a gift to us when I popped by her kitchen to meet her and put a face to the voice. We couldn't have been more pleased with our reception dinner, it was better than we had imagined it to be. Tamera's Catering literally made our wedding evening perfect! ~Timothy and Shelley, Married on 7.17.12
Kari Sent on 07/25/2012

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Tamara and her staff were extremely helpful! I was the maid of honor & on a budget for my friends bridal shower. Tamara really went out of her way to help me with ideas and even went as far as recommending delicious truffles as a favor. I could not have been more happy with the way everything turned out & her food was amazing! I Will definitely reccomend her to all of my friends!
Sandy Sent on 04/17/2012

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Tamara has been wonderful to work with. She listens to what you would like, what you need, and respects your budget. I love her ability to be creative and her willingness to think out of the box to work with you. Her dishes are beautiful and delicious; always the freshest ingredients. We look forward to her catering for us for future events. Thank you Tamara!
Vanessa Sent on 04/04/2012

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The catering for any wedding is so key, it is the one thing that everyone remembers! With Tamara in charge and her amazing staff, amazing staff, my wedding was pretty much flawless!

Every detail was done perfect, the staff was so nice and professional. For any budget, they make it happen! Thank you Tamara and many thanks for an amazing staff.

PS: I did check out all other options in SB, don't waste your time, just go with Tamara and it will be a perfect wedding!

Best, Vanessa and Joerg
Sally Sent on 04/04/2012

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Tamara, thank you again for another excellent job catering our recent service for my father. It is always such a pleasure to hire you for our catering needs. Your service is excellent, professional and above and beyond what is requested. And the food, I cannot even describe how awesome, delicious and beautifullly presented the food always is!!! Everyone at the recent service was overwhelmed at how good the food and service was. Thanks Again! And please do not hesitate to use me as a reference.
Brittinee Sent on 03/30/2012

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Tamara's Catering was a pleasure to have on our wedding day. My husband and I were college students at the time and were unsure if we could afford catering, but Tamara was a joy and never felt like she was out to make a buck on us. Let me just say that the food was AMAZING! I didn't even get to have seconds because all my guests beat me to it. When we talk about that day we always say how great the food was and the service. The staff were the most friendliest and helpful people I have ever met. I highly recommend Tamara's catering!!!! P.S try the roasted tri-tip with a garlic pepper rub. My husband does not eat beef, but he loved it!!!
Jill Sent on 07/18/2018

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Tamara and her crew were so amazing. We wanted a family style meal for our wedding reception and all other caterers were going to charge us an insane amount just because of that. Tamara was so willing to work with us and make sure we got everything we wanted. We did family style tacos, a chips and salsa bar, and passed ceviche. She provided a bartender and also managed the rentals (tables, chairs, glassware, etc.). Because of her and her team, my husband and I had nothing to worry about at the wedding and were so pleased with the result. The food tasted amazing!
We can't thank Tamara enough!
Lisa Sent on 06/26/2017

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Tamara prepared our rehearsal dinner for my son and his fiancé. They came in at the last minute and prepared an amazing, delicious meal. They were both professional and talented.
We are very thankful that we found them.
It was an amazing meal
Tami Sent on 10/01/2015

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Tamara's catering was excellent for us. Our wedding was a sit down dinner for 200 people at a beautiful hill top park. Tamara was able to meet with us at the park, help plan with the rental company and assist with every detail.
Kim Sent on 07/27/2015

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My husband and I were planning our 40th anniversary, vow renewal ceremony and it would not have happened if Tamara had not been involved. Since my husband is very sick I could not do all the running around, errands, price checking etc that needed to be done. Tamara picked up all that slack for me, including getting the bar stocked, making the table centerpieces, and getting the wedding cake ordered. She met with me as often as I felt was needed, met with the venue people on at least 2 or 3 occasions, and did whatever was asked of her, even tho some of the requests had nothing to do with catering. She handled everything beautifully, the evening went off without a hitch, and she left nothing to chance. I can't thank her enough!!
Maggie Sent on 11/15/2012

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Tamara was excellent as a caterer and worked with us to find the most quality and affordable price for our wedding.
Gale Sent on 07/30/2012

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Besides the food being delicious, Tamara is always responsible and on time. I never have to worry about anything. She takes care of all rentals, linens, etc.
Gregory Sent on 12/13/2019

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They come through in the clutch!

Tamara is awesome. We didn't have a wedding day coordinator, and Tamara ended up taking charge at our reception. She made decisions and knew how to make our food, food presentation, and setup look so nice! We are so thankful for her knowledge and expertise. She thought of everything!
Shane Sent on 06/26/2017

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We had a late cancelation from another caterer. Tamara was able to help us save the event in 4 days. Tamara was mega professional and delivered delicious food cooked on site. She also was flexible while adjusting the menu to a quote that was more in line with our tight budget
Livia Sent on 08/09/2016

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We used Tamara's Catering service for our wedding in Santa Barbara on 6.24.16. Tamara was the first catering service to get back to me when I began my initial selection process. She spoke with me over the phone and let me know what dinner options were available within our budget as well as passed appetizers. What I loved about Tamara's catering from the beginning is that she coordinated all the necessary linens and place settings through the rental company so I didn't have to. Her services also included (for a fee of course) bar setup and a bartender, Craig, her brother and right hand man who was SO helpful, arriving early the day of to help set up and oversee the preparation of the reception space in general. Craig worked for and with us at our reception from around 2pm until midnight until everything was taken down and out the door. He is a rockstar!
Overall, the appetizers were great and dinner (lemon chicken, roasted veggies, a summer salad, and pasta salad) was good as well especially for the price. For around $30 per person (not including appetizers) we were able to feed a reception of 115 people without breaking the bank.
Tamara was very flexible and always easy to reach. A few days before the wedding, due to traveling from Orange County and staying in hotels, we needed a space to store our small cake for a day or two and she gladly made room in her fridge and transported it to the reception space for us on the day of. Her servers were great and our guests were very well taken care of throughout the evening.
Thank you Tamara and Craig for your service on our special day! You won't be disappointed with Tamara's Catering :)
Casey Sent on 01/07/2015

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Thank you, Tamara, the food was just awesome. Every dish perfectly paired with our rustic wedding in Templeton, Ca. Tamara used local veggies and meats, everything tasted fresh and was excellently prepared. The food and service that day went so well with the overall setting, we were delighted to hear how much people loved what they ate! ***Free Tip if you're planning to get married: have someone save you and your partner each a plate and eat it later - we did!!! because you might find yourselves so happy and excited (like us!) that you just might forget to eat!!*** Haha, I mean it, but in all seriousness, nothing was better than later that night, after the ceremony and all the dancing, after everyone complimented the day, the setting, the food, the ceremony, after we'd gone to our 'honeymoon suite', we woke up ravenously hungry and had Tamara's food saved for us!! Awesome, delicious, thanks again Tamara! Casey and Jen
Susan Sent on 09/22/2018

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Tamara was really nice to work with because her food is delicious and she’s very creative and organized in her presentation of the food. It looks delicious, smells delicious, and tastes delicious. Our menu consisted of brunch food (eggs benedict station, French toast station, vegetable frittata, salmon carving station, ham carving station, fresh salads, delicious fruit, and pastries). She was very excited to be doing a brunch menu because she said she likes to try new recipes and new menu arrangements. She was very understanding and patient with us when we accidentally sent her a payment late. She was also responsive and eager to work with us because she reached out to us. She’s a very creative chef and has been in the business a long time- it shows in how committed she is to her work and she is proud to serve a tasty and pretty much perfect product. Her staff is professional and excellent, also!
Manny Sent on 11/21/2016

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Tamara provided great suggestions on a rustic dinner theme for my dinner party. I didn't want the traditional appetizers and she took the time to make sure I was happy. Staff was excellent in providing 5 star service to my family and friends. Her kitchen staff were very attentive to my needs and respected every inch of my personal space in my kitchen. We also wanted bar service and the bartender was awesome. Food was excellent and I will strongly recommend to my friends.
User1374743 Sent on 10/09/2013

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First off - the food is very good. My husband and I booked Tamara's Catering because our tasting with her was the best out of the (many) we sampled, and everyone who mentioned the food at our wedding said it was delicious. This should really be a one star review, but I'm giving an extra star because the food was tasty.

However, the overall experience of working with this company was very poor. Tamara is very disorganized, so the process of confirming the order and making sure the proper items were in place for our wedding was very difficult. Even after "confirming" things, she would forget and have to call or email to go over them again. This would have been fine if it were once or twice, but I just counted 18 emails (that are on top of the standard quote/confirmation emails).

All of those conversations wouldn't have been so bad, but she also made a large mistake at the wedding, and did not seem to be entirely focused on our event during the day of. She made an effort to remedy the situation the next day, which we appreciated, but we were still very disappointed.

Overall, I would recommend going with a more professional organization for a wedding or large event.

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