The Caterist

Where do I begin … well, with the beginning. We called Ana a little more than 2 weeks before our very spontaneous backyard family wedding. That’s right, 2 weeks! She found a way to squeeze us in — then delivered terrific service at every turn. Never frazzled, always friendly and very practical.
The food prepared by Chef Chris was simply excellent and both he and Ana were attuned to our tastes as well as to our budget. We and our 32 guests were delighted with the food, with the table settings, and with the top-​notch service.
Ana, Chris, and the entire team were simply outstanding!

Cristina and the Caterist were so wonderful to work with! Seriously, cannot sing their praises enough. The tasting at their kitchen in Evanston was great and you could tell they would be easy to work with and pay attention to details. Leading up to the wedding day was painless, Cristina would be in contact about everything, including any changes to the menu. Then on the day of the wedding… so awesome! Cristina and her staff had everything up and running, things could not have worked out any better. So many people said it was the «best wedding food I’ve ever had». Their staff was professional and did a great job flipping the room, serving food, tending bar, etc. It really ran impeccably. They handled clean up after the wedding and the night was totally a big success thanks to them (and the people at our venue). Would highly recommend the Caterist for any big function!

I’ll have to update this after our wedding, but I have to put five stars out there already. I’ve been telling everyone I know how happy I am with The Caterist, I want to tell the world too!
Starting with the initial process of trying to find a caterer was overwhelming, but Erin was a standout amongst the rest. While some caterers I had to chase down and some were downright rude to me (after I requested a quote from one caterer he wrote this long winded response and then asked if I still wanted my quote — wait what?) Erin kept following up. I shared with her the pricing we’d received from someone else who didn’t have servers but we were hoping to have everything taken care of at one company. Erin did her best to match what we had price wise and food wise, and we actually feel like we walked away with a much better deal. And that was only the beginning!
We knew the less vendors we had to be in charge of the less stressful our day will be (our venue we have to provide everything) so we were interested in using The Caterist’s recommended bartending group. Another caterer we had considered gave a discount for using their bartender, so I thought doesn’t hurt to ask. Erin was on it, getting a couple quotes from their bartender they recommended. While waiting for a second quote from them, she found another bartender that was cheaper. Before I could reply she found another that not only was even cheaper, but that would create us a signature drink. How cool is that? I can’t say enough great things about Erin going above and beyond hunting down the best deal for us. I can’t wait until their big group tasting next month to hone in on our menu.
Oh and that reminds me, one more thing Erin did when we told her our theme was throw an idea she had for decorations out there. Once again going above and beyond. Can’t wait to see the final product in October.

I’ve used The Caterist for years! They are THE BEST! Easy to work with, incredible presentation, as well as absolutely delicious! You can always be sure that you’re getting the best when you use them.

Cristina was so easy and great to work with! She helped us come up with a fun menu and suggested the perfect amount of food for our son’s 1^st birthday party at our home. The food was delivered promptly everything was super warm and ready to eat. Our guests raved about the food and we couldn’t have been happier.

The Caterist was an amazing find for our wedding. The ceremony took place outside and moved indoors for the reception. Ana consulted with us on the menu and the rentals, as well as where and when champagne, hors d’oeuvres, buffet, and cake would best be served, and provided us with an elegant tasting. Throughout our special day, Ana kept us on schedule, guiding us along. Many of our guests commented on how delicious the food was and how impressed they were with Ana and her staff. I can’t say enough about how pleased we all were. Next time we need a caterer, it will be The Caterist!

I have a million amazing things I want to say about The Caterist and everyone there — They are absolutely THE BEST! We hired them for our August 2015 wedding with 170 guests, and we couldn’t have made a better choice.
We did unconventional small passed plates instead of a traditional sit-​down dinner, and they nailed it. Erin was really great in the planning process and helping us complete our vision of how we wanted the night to go. She was great with following up on questions, sending us information on how everything would look and feel, and was very organized with everything.
Cristina was our catering fairy — SHE. IS. AMAZING. She was in charge of running the show on our wedding day, making sure everything was set up exactly how we wanted it. Her staff was amazing and helpful, and she checked in every so often to make sure we were doing okay.
They were truly amazing and helped to make our wedding day unforgettable. We would (and will!) highly recommend The Caterist for any event.
Thanks Erin and Cristina!!! We love you!

My husband and I got married last weekend and I couldn’t be more pleased with the work of Cristina and her team. Cristina helped us through our planning process in the year leading up to the wedding. She had great ideas about how to make the day flow more smoothly. She also has a very calming demeanor and a «can-do“attitude which was helpful when I was feeling stressed about logistics. On the day of the wedding, she and her team took care of everything and I was able to relax and enjoy the day. The food and service were both great! Some guests have asked me who our caterer was because they were impressed too! Overall, The Caterist was a great choice!

The Caterist made our wedding the best day of our lives! I do not even know where to start…
Cristina and Chef Shawn are amazing. They took all of our ideas and ran with them. We did not want a traditional wedding menu and they were happy to work with us and our budget! We had four food stations, serving two dishes at each station. I am still getting emails and texts telling us how great our food was! Most people have told me they have not had such good wedding food in years.
Cristina and her staff really listen to everything you say and provide every detail you can ask for. I have experience in the industry, so I was a little particular at times. Cristina always welcomed my ideas and the most important, she actually made them happen.
My husband and I decided to rent a raw space, great feel and look, but tons of work on the couples part. I am pretty organized, but it is up to the staff the day of to execute everything the day of the wedding. As the wedding got closer I was nervous that it would not be what I envisioned. On my wedding day I walked into the venue and was shocked. The room look better than I imagined! Cristina handled all the details and never once asked for my help, opinion, etc.
My only regret, Cristina handed me two brunch boxes for my husband and I to enjoy the next day and I forgot them at the venue! We joke that we know it was probably so delicious! My husband also jokes that I am going to find reasons to host events with a caterer just to use The Caterist (he might be right)! I promise, you cant go wrong if you choose them for your event!

FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!
I spent some time researching for caterers in Chicago for our wedding because I was a DYI bride. These guys were fantastic! Our first great impression was their proposal. They put together a great menu, based exactly on what we were interested in. The chef listened, was very creative and very accommodating. The administrative coordinators, Christine and Kourtney, were fabulous and very proactive. They predicted all our needs and came up with solutions before we even asked them. Professional, on time, kind, food was GREAT (we got many compliments), went above and beyond their duty to help us out after the ceremony… I can not say enough good things about them!!! LOOK NO MORE. HIRE THEM!!!

We hired the Caterist for an open house for the company I work for in the West Loop. We had around 75 people in attendance, and let me just say everyone who attended could not stop raving about the food! All the servers were pleasant, and the presentation was exceptional. We could not have had a successful event with the Caterist! Cristina was so helpful and was in constant communication leading up to the event. They were able to work with the small budget we had, and Chef Shawn was outstanding!

So I am incredibly disappointed that I even have to write this– and I so contemplated not doing it but to this day I have yet to even get a quote or a real follow-​up.
I first saw Caterist at Indie Wed i.e. the best damn wedding «expo» extravaganza ever!!! anyhow i digressed. I saw The Caterist there and being a fan of supporting small local business start-​ups I left a voicemail. nothing. then I emailed in March and did get a response from Cristina. we attempted a video chat that ended up just being a convo with no visual– no biggie. I explained what I was looking for and things I would be open to. Cristina said she’d get me a quote by end of week and this is where the excuses begin… email sent stated she was out on a 4 day weekend and forgot to tell me and would get me my quote the following week– OK. the following week comes and goes. I give her another week and send a followup email. nothing. It’s 4 days shy of one month before I get a response– that shes trying hard to stay under my budget (an avg she told me based on appetizers for my party) and asked for another week, at this point we’re in later April.
Much stalking on my part! Several emails, and even left two voicemails and it isn’t until June, YES JUNE, the 9^th to be exact where I just ask for the food options so I can put something together MYSELF. and crickets! more crickets! another phone call and I get a response FINALLY! after my June 23^rd email asking if I can just work with someone else (STILL trying to support this small growing company).
The response = sorry i’ve been busy and that «it’s tricky finding substantial food station options that don’t require servers» and that she needs more time to make it happen. more time???
My response = I understand the «business» but we’ve been doing this since March … I’m up to working backwards, i.e. just send me the list, my hunny and I will select the food we want, this way you don’t have to worry about being too creative, or do double work and then you can tell us the price point for everything we want. This way I can take the biggest part off your shoulders. … Because at this point I have to even figure out whether I should look elsewhere. and frustrating enough frigg’n CRICKETS!!! NOTHING and when I say nothing I absolutely do mean NOTHING! SINCE JUNE 24TH when I told her I would do all of the work! Not a list, not a follow-​up call or follow-​up email NOTHING!
So even if she was blowing me off until the end of the wedding rush, since my wedding was scheduled for NYE, NYE is a pretty damn big deal and not an easy date to get a back-​up. Well we’re now September 27^th and I can say that the wedding rush is probably about over … and yes you guessed it STILL NO FOLLOW-​UP! guess I wasn’t important enough or a valuable customer to her/​them. which is really sad because I throw several parties throughout the year and had hoped to make this a potential vendor. good luck to the rest of you who do actually get a response but reading the few good reviews feels like a continual slap in the face as Cristina never even bothered or couldn’t be troubled enough to assist me.

I hired The Caterist after reading their great Unilocal reviews – they are 5 stars for a reason. From the quality and creative presentation of the food to their accommodating and helpful staff – we will definitely be using them again. Cristina was wonderful to work with and helped us create a wonderful event. Also, the smores were a HUGE hit. The other wonderful thing is the price – much better than most of the catering services in town and you’re getting very high quality food.
Thanks for making our event a great success!

We worked with The Caterist for our April 26, 2014 wedding and had an excellent experience. Everyone at our wedding raved about the food, citing it as «gourmet» and one of the best meals they’ve had in their lives (not to mention the best meal at a wedding). The groom’s cousin is a manager at one of Chicago (and the nation’s) top restaurants and he raved about how delicious the food was. My aunts all spoke of how impeccable the service was, saying in their New Jersey accents, «I never had a dirty dish in front of me for more than a couple seconds.» The Caterist worked to set up our venue to make it absolutely beautiful. Guests said it was so warm and inviting, classy and elegant. We agree! Cristina, who we worked with, was patient and accommodating as we threw in last-​minute requests (lavender lemonade, a hot dog bar as a «midnight snack», popcorn bar, etc.). She helped us stay within our budget and was very respectful of that. We had a very lovely tasting with Chef Shawn, during which I was very specific about what I wanted, and he worked creatively to capture my «spring» tastes requests. I wish we could do the day over and over again. I would hire The Caterist again in a heartbeat.

My husband and I just got married last weekend in Lakeview with 150 guests and we couldn’t wait to write this review. Erin and Cristina at The Caterist are an incredibly dynamic duo! We were so thrilled to have them as our caterers and would highly recommend them for any wedding in Chicago.
Overall, everyone at The Caterist was exceptionally easy to work with and always available for questions, confirmation, coordinating, etc. Both Cristina and Erin made me feel completely at ease throughout the whole process and assured me that everything would turn our perfectly (which it did :)).
The Caterist not only did our food, but they also managed all of our rentals and served as day-​of coordinators. All of my bridesmaids kept commenting on how incredible Cristina and team were.
For food, we opted for a buffet style meal with the tomato mozzarella salad, chicken roulade, butternut squash ravioli, roasted potatoes, and lemon broccoli. All of it was delicious! We got multiple compliments throughout the night from guests about how amazing the food was. We had done a tasting months ago (the tasting was beautifully orchestrated) but I had forgotten what most of the food tasted like. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised!
The day before our wedding, Cristina was at the venue, coordinating the set up (they used super fancy software to tell us how to best use the space for the number of guests we had). I had to leave to get ready for the rehearsal but she was texting me pictures and updates to make sure everything was in line with the vision I had.
The day of everything looked beautiful! And Cristina was there all evening to make sure things ran smoothly. She even dismissed the tables one by one to ensure the buffet line was never too crowded. The staff were also wonderful — very professional!
At the end of the night, I popped my head into the kitchen to let Cristina know we were doing our send off and make sure she didn’t need anything else from us. She then handed us breakfast boxes they had put together for us — Greek yogurt and granola and fruit — I couldn’t believe how sweet it was!
All in all, they made our day completely incredible and I would 100% use them again. We love the team at The Caterist!

You guys, this is a gem of a catering company! It begins and ends with the food for me, and hosting my mom’s 70^th birthday party I really wanted the food to be memorable. Cristina helped me plan a gorgeous event for my mother and our guests. She was so accommodating and knowledgable, and she made some great suggestions for food that was in line with what we wanted for our sophisticated but warm and homey event. Chef Shawn was incredible in his execution of our menu. Our guests could not stop talking about the gorgeous and delicious food! From the planning, to the day of, to the service, to the FOOD, to the «tear down» at the end of the night… I realized after the party that it actually isn’t JUST about the food, although without great food what’s the point, right? I realized, though, that it’s also about the relationship you have with your caterer. I really felt like Cristina and her staff just knew us, y’know? They listened, asked the right questions, and gave us something to talk about, in the best possible way. Seriously, whatever you’re planning, if it involves eating, these are your people! Head to toe fabulous.

We used The Caterist for our 75 guest wedding in Woodstock, IL this summer. Working with Cristina and the team was the best part of the entire wedding planning process. She was always willing to go the extra mile making sure all the details were taken care of– from coming up with the menu, to post wedding when we needed help tracking down our champagne glasses.
Most importantly, the food was as good as the day we tasted. We received compliments all night. Chef Sean was amazing — the chicken was juicy, the steak was perfectly cooked and our passed hors d’oeuvres looked and tasted delicious. So memorable!