Inspired Catering and Events

I am a wedding planner with Storybook Weddings and Events, and we have had the pleasure of seeing Inspired Events (formerly Stefani Signature Events) in action several times… We recently worked with them on a wedding about a month ago at the Chicago Cultural Center. Tom is fantastic to work with, as he is so attentive to the details and does not leave anything out when it comes to the planning process, and his staff’s execution is on-​point. They are fast with service and are always very professional. Whenever Stefani’s is the event’s caterer, we never have to worry about staying on top of them to do a good job, they are always on top of their game and are a joy to work with. We highly recommend Tom and all of the Inspired team… oh, and their food is fantastic of course!!! And they are all kind, and lovely to work with, which always helps ;)

After reading through comments it is pretty apparent that Maribell, Karen and Stefani itself are elite! They were such a huge and integral part of our wedding that we did not even need a wedding coordinator, Maribell is truly a triple-​threat. Previous posts accusing her of being inattentive is flat out wrong! My wife and I both through many catered events in Indianapolis and never had a better point of contact than Maribell!
With that being said, we had a very intimate wedding, only 60 attendees, and I would say that at least 7 out of 10 people stated that this was the best wedding food they have ever had. These were Executives to actual owners of their own restaurants and at least 70% said there was no comparison. It is hard to get Duck consisted from plate to plate and it was, absolutely amazing!
Both Karen and Maribell were at our wedding to make sure everything went well and you have no idea how much we appreciated that. They did not have to both attend and they did which was just so professional. My mother especially appreciated to meet both of them, she heard so, so many great things that she wanted to personally thank them herself.
When speeches were given, my wife wanted to make sure that she made a special thank you to Stefani and especially Maribell, that is how much we care for them now. Let me repeat that, in the middle of thanking her guests, her parents and her new family she just joined, she stopped and said, «I want to personally thank Stefani Catering and Maribell, who has just been an angel heaven sent to us!» That is how much they mean to us now!
Without a doubt, we will always and I mean always use Karen Stefani and Maribell Villagomez in the future for any catering needs. Without a doubt!
Cheers to you Karen and Maribell!
Nosdarovia!
Robert & Elena Wilkinson

Without a doubt — the best decision we made in our wedding planning was working with Phil Stefani Catering — in particular — Michelle D. was an absolute hero during the entire planning process. Not only did she go above and beyond prior to the event, but also during the day of the event, she offered us advice and counsel that only a true professional could provide.
The execution of the event was even better than I could’ve imagined. The service was outstanding, drinks were great and the food was delicious and beautifully displayed. Michelle & her team were able to accommodate all of our requests (family style, whole roast pig, etc.) and made sure everything was spot on. She even made sure we received snacks from the cocktail reception during our photography time — very thoughtful. Without her, I don’t think we would have been able to pull of such a successful wedding and party.
We also had great experience with the Head Chef who was very open to fine-​tuning and adjusting the menu. He was very cool, able to make wonderful food and he gave us a sweet treat after our tasting.
Also very noteworthy was one of the head servers, Zachary J. Not only was he super nice during our tasting, but he did an outstanding job at the wedding reception. He was by far the best bartender and I saw people lining up specifically for him at the bar. Awesome job!
Highly recommend booking Stefani Catering. You truly will not regret this decision as Michelle D. and this organization are top notch.

Wow! I usually take recommendations fr hotel staff with a grain of salt but this time I was completely satisfied. You can tell this is a family owned restaurant bc the service was OUTSTANDING! I had the seafood linguini and it was incredible… not to mention, I’m stuffed. The short walk back to my hotel will do me good… LOL. I’m coming back to Chi-​town in August and if I have time I will make my way down the street and in here for dinner.

The Wedding I attended, Saturday, May 30, 2015, is only deserving of a 10 Star Rating for Phil Stefani Signature Events. The ten guests at our table witnessed the most lavish and elaborate presentation of dinner that was ever seen at a Wedding! The food was simply outstanding! And this includes everything down to the late night snacks of Chicago Hot Dogs, Cheeseburgers & Fries… which left myself and the other guests asking… who did all of this?
Karen Stefani. The architect of this one of a kind Wedding. And, to add to all of this, the Bride and Groom told us that Karen had suggested the «Martini Bar» be an ice carving with the Chicago Skyline… which, of course, included the name of the Bride and Groom, and the colors of the Wedding. When guests had a martini, the custom mixed drink flowed through the ice chamber into the martini glass! Now, how cool is that!
I was taken by the stunning tables, linens and floral… the Bride simply told me that she worked with Karen on this. Amazing.
And, for a Wedding to flow as smoothly as it did, every detail attended to, everything moving along smoothly and timely… I wondered who the Wedding Planner was… I was told Gina Stefani… What amazing work she does… Most of us had never been to a Wedding this beautiful yet alone a Wedding that was organized and moving through each hour without a hitch. A Wedding where you actually saw the Bride and Groom enjoying their day, their guests and each other… and not stressing over a thing!
This was the first Stefani Wedding I ever attended… this was, without question, the finest Wedding I ever attended. So, give me 5 more Stars as Phil Stefani Signature Events is 10 Stars in Weddings !

The day-​of servers/​cooks/​bartenders and food are amazing. That’s worth 5 stars.
However, the whole process leading up to my event was a complete nightmare because of Maribel. She was completely inattentive, unprofessional, rude, and even the day of the event – making excuses to not have to do work.
Firstly, I wanted to work with Stefani and had to repeatedly reach out to them in order to get the ball rolling. I was basically ignored via email until I called a few times to express my true desire to work with «the best caterer in town.»
Maribel was so difficult to get in touch with. She would often tell me that she wouldn’t be able to respond to my emails because she wanted to head home early from work. ???
At a venue meeting for my event, Maribel showed up 10 minutes late, acted as if our meeting was an inconvenience to her and even had the audacity to state: «Uhh, I’m missing lunch to be here. They always feed us at 12 at work!» Wow, professional.
Not to mention, every single contract she presented was full of inaccuracies; notably, financial inaccuracies that gave the catering company far more money than was appropriately calculable. I pointed this out numerous times, but she insisted she was correct. It wasn’t until I had my partner speak with her and re-​iterate the incorrect aspects that she claimed she got it. This simple task took days. We did far more in terms of correcting and writing paperwork than she did. We basically did her job for her.
Perhaps the most appalling professionalism I witnessed was when I inquired as to whom the day-​of waitstaff should have their check made-​out to. Maribel then insisted I use cash instead because «they take less taxes out!»
The day of the event Maribel basically sat around making excuses about why she couldn’t fix things or get things done. Interesting… my unpaid friend, completely unfamiliar with the venue, staff, or layout, jumped into action correcting things, and making things happen – without requiring a paycheck for her services.
When Maribel wasn’t making multitudes of excuses– she WAS inserting herself right smack in the center of bride/​father, groom/​mother walking down the aisle pictures– even though she had promised prior that none of her staff would be in the background area during the ceremony. SHE WAS.
The whole process of working with Maribel was a nightmare. She consistently made excuses for her errors (that she believed were correct until we had to beg her to simply LOOK at the paperwork), she was unprofessional and lazy.
While I would recommend Stefani catering in terms of quality of food and day-​of servers and waitstaff, I would not wish my experience having to work with Maribel on anyone. It left such a bad memory and intense feeling of upset– which no one wants on their special day/​special event.

I am writing this review as a Mother of the Bride with a daughter in New York planning a wedding in Chicago. As you can imagine, this added some stress to the whole process. I have to say that Stefani’s helped to ease this stress tremendously. Karen and Maribell were wonderful! Every question was answered promptly. My daughter came into town at the last minute one weekend and Maribell met at the venue on such short notice
The food was out of this world… I had more than one of our guests tell me that this was the first wedding they attended where they ate every bite on their plate!
We had an outdoor rooftop for the ceremony, and of course it rained all day. Karen, Maribell and Teo were so calm and we made it through the ceremony and cocktails before the rain started again. They made the whole process as stress free as planning a wedding can be!
I would wholeheartedly recommend Stefani’s Signature Events to anyone planning a wedding.
Start to finish… it was a great experience.
Thank You Karen, Maribell and Teo!!!

Phil Stefani was the caterer for our wedding a few weeks ago. We were bummed when early on, we were told our contact Anna was no longer with the company. Luckily, our new contact Maribell as well as other staff were terrific. Both Anna and Maribel were both a joy to work with, flexible and courteous. The food is also spectacular, and the service the day of my wedding was outstanding.
In the end, MARIBELL is to thank for a fantastic reception! The food was on point, and everyone was raving about the service. Our venue looked great, and Maribell went out of her way to be sure my new husband and I were happy throughout the entire reception.
However, I don’t feel the same about Karen Stefani, who thinks putting food on the table is the highest level of customer service allowed.
Karen was not my primary contact, though she often stepped in to tell me what I could and couldn’t do when it came to coordinating our wedding at the Ballroom at 12 E Erie. There was a lot of miscommunication — me being told one thing, then finding out later that I ‘misunderstood’.
I realize when there is a staff transition, things may fall through the cracks. However, things that were agreed upon verbally with Anna (and Maribell) were quickly changed and shut down by Karen, who in my opinion, felt the need to micromanage her staff. Let the sales managers handle their own accounts, please.
For example, we were able to buy our own liquor and I was told because of the liquor license, the caterer had to bring the liquor to the reception venue. When I showed up to drop it off a week before our wedding, Karen gave us a hard time and told us they could not store it and that I had to drop it off the day of the wedding (as if the bride and groom have time for that.)
She also said they wouldn’t be able to set up my decorations at the venue though I was told previously the staff could do it during set-​up, so I had to ask a friend to go to the reception to ensure it was set up appropriately. Once she arrived, they told my friend they weren’t supplying water and she went to 7 – 11 to buy bottled water for our guests! They reimbursed her, thankfully.
My advice is to get EVERYTHING you agree on in writing, and to be sure you read over the contract before you sign! Though Karen ended up agreeing to what I was previously promised, she caused unnecessary stress for me the week of my wedding. Such a shame to give them 3 stars, since without Karen, they would have received 5.

I cannot say enough good things about Stefani’s and their staff! From day one they were incredible! We worked closely with Karen, Maribell and Teo. They all played such a vital role in making our big day perfect. Anyone who is going through the process of planning a wedding knows it can get STRESSFUL, not if you go with Phil Stefani Signature Events. From the moment we signed the contract my stress level disappeared. They are so on top of everything, and they know their stuff. We had a big wedding with 250 guest and a bunch of food restrictions. We needed Kosher, vegetarian, gluten free options and my husband is a meatatarian; I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find a good balance. Stefani’s handled everything seamlessly, everyone got exactly what they wanted and needed, and people are still telling me how much they loved our wedding and the food. We used them for dessert and late night food as well, and it was also amazing. I am pretty sure I ate 40 mini cannoli’s; they were so good!
Maribell is the sweetest person alive, and she made me feel so comfortable on our day and leading up to it. There was never a time when I emailed or called her and she didn’t respond right away. She took care of everything and stuck to our vision.
Teo ran the show and set-​up, and it was flawless. I did a lot of my own decorations and set-​up, and Teo and his crew helped make everything perfect.
If you are looking for an amazing experience with staff who know what it takes to make your day perfect, look no further.

My fiancé and I began our search for the perfect catering. Phil Stefani has offered us more than enough options and has been super accommodating with all of our demands. Their menu is full of so many tasty dishes. Maribell had been nothing but helpful. We can’t wait till our wedding and we’re certain we made the right choice!

Phil Stefani’s made my wedding PERFECT. Our coordinator, Michelle Dallas, was absolutely AMAZING! From our first call, to her expert management during our wedding, everything was extraordinary. I shopped around quite a bit before selecting Stefani’s and the quality and service that I got for the price simply blew me away. Also, many of my guests raved about the service of the wait staff and the quality of the food. I could not be happier with our experience with Stefani’s and HIGHLY recommend them.

We just had our wedding last weekend with Phil Stefani and I will say they did a great job. It was definitely a rough start with them when we first engaged with them but it did progressively continue to get better as it got closer to our wedding date. We especially loved our catering manager on the day off, Teo. He was so great and checked on my husband and I to make sure things were Ok and we were happy. I would recommend using Stefani for your event, but if you like more personalized attention and hand holding through the planning process they may not be the best choice for you since they are a larger catering company and book many events every night.

Working with Anna was great… however the outcome not so much. We chose Stefani to cater our nighttime boat cruise (we were only give 4 options) and thought Stefani was the easiest to work with/​most understanding. We were not looking for a lot of food and wanted to take the cheapest route possible however still get a good deal for the money we were spending.
Overall, we paid $ 1,100 dollars for 4 bowls of chips, a cheese plate, and 2 small bowls of dip. This is not an exaggeration. Not sure if they knew we were a group in our min-20’s and thought they could take advantage. But when i expressed my disappointment and requested some sort of compensation they declined.

Where do I start with the compliments! We used Stefani for my daughters wedding at the Bridgeport Art Center. My first contact was with Karen Stefani. She immediately understood what I wanted for my daughters wedding and came up, with a great meal plan that pleased both my daughter and myself. I worked with Andrea during the rest of the year of planning and she provided ideas for linens and other vendors that made the wedding very special. They always answered emails and calls with out any problem. The tasting was a fantastic experience and the wedding was stress free. The staff was so attentive and wonderful and the food was incredible. My guests raved and raved about it being some of the best food they ever had at a wedding. Stefani’s head chef is a genius and the captain Tao went above and beyond, taking all the personals items that got left behind after the wedding.
I highly recommend using Stefani for your next event. You won’t be sorry!

EVENTS
It seems like everywhere I go Phil is catering the event. I’ve actually attended several events in his upstairs party room at the restaurant and at various venues in downtown Chicago.
First I must mention the staff. The servers and bartenders are all really nice. They keep the food on the table looking good. They also make sure to get around the room so everyone can try the hot Apps. Bartenders are always friendly and make great drinks. I hate when event bartenders put in a splash of spirit. That doesn’t make a corporate meeting any fun but a real pour and now were talking. In fact, some of these events need the loose juice to get people to open up.
One of the food items I always see are sandwiches. Yeah these are easy to eat for lunch events. I have tried them all. I am impressed with the quality and taste for the sandwich being catered. The roast beef is always a little on the rare side which is more tasty. I am even impressed with there Italian sub sandwiches. It is hard to compete with all of the amazing Italian Sub places in Chicago.
They also have the typical platters of cheese, fruit and veggies. These are always good staples at an event. The veggie tray covers the non meat eaters and the meat eaters can feel healthy by grabbing some raw carrots. Everyone is happy and the veggie tray always seems untouched.
The staff also offered to wrap up the food after an event instead of throwing it away. They even carried it to my friends car for her. That was so nice of them but she had cube cheese for months. Everyone loves cheese.
So depending on where you hold your event you may be forced to have Phil supply the food but that may not be a bad think. Phil knows how to keep a customer happy. So if u find yourself at that choice, then chose Phil because he rocks.

I’m going to sound like a copycat but…
We had the good fortune to choose Stefani for our wedding on 8÷18÷13 at Garfield Park Conservatory (great venue, BTW). Everything was exactly as we’d planned. The food, drink and service were all topnotch.
But the best attribute of Stefani’s is their staff, especially Anna Pindara. This woman couldn’t have been any friendlier or more helpful. She really is as fantastic as so many other Unilocalers have said. If you want to be in the best possible hands (and not have to worry about anything) on your wedding day, get thee to Anna. The rest of the staff was very pleasant and efficient too, but Anna is in a whole different category.

My husband and I decided to go with Phil Stefani’s for our wedding back in May and we are so glad we did! Phil Stefani’s has lots of 5 star ratings for a reason. The food is delicious and the staff is top notch.
Anna was our catering manager and she did an excellent job, from start to finish. All of our other vendors liked working with her as well.
Kudos to Phil Stefani’s — chefs and staff. Everyone did an excellent job!

All I can say is, Tom… WOW! We may not have been the easiest event, but Tom was flawless. We had FAR too much food at our wedding, but it was party because everything Tom had us try was so fantastic, we couldn’t say no! One of the best compliments was that my dad said over and over how he knew that the food at the tastings is always better than the mass produced food at the actual event. Not so when Stefani’s is involved. Not so when Tom is in charge. Even with stations, the food was hot… which is always the biggest complaint at weddings. A McCabe/​Carpenter wedding with Chinese food. yea, we went there… with an «Italian caterer» year… it was so good, weeks later its still being talked about! Their servers were discreet and yet there if needed or wanted. They anticipated everything. The food was five star quality. Can I just say… garlic mashed potatoes… Better than I have EVER had! And I have made them myself from scratch multiple times! We had so many yummy appetizers, a steakhouse/​stuffed chicken station and our Chinese station, we had an awesome assortment of mini desserts AND late night snacks. The only thing out of all of that that didnt get a ginormous thumbs up was the fried mac at the end of the night. Everything else was so yummy I wish I could have it all over and over again.
But what truly was amazing was Tom’s detail to our specificities (there were alot) and hit attention to every single minute request (multiple flavors of whipped butter on each table and cold pats of butter just for my dad). The price may be a bit more than other caterers, but if you dont want to have to worry all night through, if you want delicious food, if you want people to truly enjoy what you pay to serve them… hire them! Oh and the presentation… in a day and age when that is often judged more than the food itself… awesome!

Phil Stefani Signature Events catered my wedding this past weekend, and I can’t say enough great things about them!
First off, having a wedding at a different venue (ours was the Nature Museum) where you have to bring in a caterer can be a bit stressful. But we knew that we wanted the food to be excellent, hence we decided to go away from a hotel venue.
Our catering manager, Anna, was the BEST! If we could’ve constructed the perfect person to handle our catering, it would be Anna. She was always on top of everything we needed, and her personality was so calming. A big asset for a stressful time of wedding planning. We met a lot of caterers and Anna was the best by far.
Now the food. The hor’deurves were amazing. Yellowfin tuna on a risotto square, apple/​garlic/​brie on a toasted point, and curried lobster! The beet salad was excellent and refreshing, and the entrees were even more amazing. The braised beef was tender and cooked perfectly with the vegetable medley and mashed potatos in a wine reduction sauce. The halibut was cooked perfectly and was flaky as it was cut. Served with a baked yam and asparagus, it was delicious. After dinner, we had several people approach us and said it was the best wedding food they had ever eaten!
Service was flawless, and it was clear that the servers/​bartenders were experienced and professional. I will continue to use Phil Stefani’s Signature Events for future catering needs and highly recommend them for any weddings!

Don’t be scared off when thinking about working with a catering company. I can be the first one to admit I was very intimidated when we picked our wedding venue (Prairie Production). I had never planned a party where everything down to the fork was going to be brought into the venue. While this can be scary, if you pick the right catering company you should not be afraid!
At first look I did not think we would be able to afford Stefani’s, they are the big guys and we were having a smaller wedding. After visiting another company we thought what the heck lets call Stefani’s and see if we can afford it. To our surprise we could and not only that they welcomed us in for a tasting before we signed with them.
We met with Anna Pindara, who is a saint lets just start right there! I was a busy bride and email was my best way of communication and Anna was always there with an answer right away, there was no delay responses from her. She listened to exactly what we were looking for.
Having good Italian food was on the top of our list, as we are Italian so the sauce had to be good. Not only was it amazing, but they offered us a special Arrabbiata sauce for the two of us for our wedding dinner as we loved it so much. Since we knew the spicy sauce would not be for the masses it was nice that they gave us the option for just us. Since we are used to doing family style at home, we thought it would be most appropriate at our wedding and Anna made it happen.
Their staffed started cocktail hour off with passed Hors d’oeuvres, of bruschetta, feta w/​watermelon, and meatballs. I can tell you people are still raving on the meatballs! No one went hungry or thirsty during the cocktail hour. The staffed passed wine and the bartender was quick with the mixed drinks. I honestly don’t think I ever had to order a drink as one was handed to me without even asking, now that’s service!
Family style dinner was a great hit as we had some big pasta lovers, whose platters kept getting refilled, as well as the chicken limone. I’m still not sure what was on top of the salad but people are still commenting on it. My father (who’s off the boat from Sicily) and is one of the pickiest eater I know, was very impressed with the food.
We could not be happier with Phill Stefani”s, Anna and their staff. She was great to work with, and on the day of our wedding she was our go to girl. She really acted as a day of coordinator and really put us at ease that everything would be OK and it was more than OK it was Amazing! We look forward to having the opportunity to work with her once again!