Essence of the Thymes

The Essence crew was wonderful. The food was fantastic and great quality especially for the price. Our wedding guests were impressed with their professional buffet and bar service and they all complimented the food! The staff was very flixible and quick to respond to any of our questions or changes. They graciously accomodated a few special dietary restrictions for some of our guests. We are extremely happy with our choice and give them our highest recommendation for your next event.
Thank you Essence of the Thymes!
Mr. and Mrs. Lawson

Essence of the times was an integral part of our wedding day. They were a preferred caterer at our venue, Port Gamble. In addition, a good friend highly recommended them. Hope, Gina and Jessica were fantastic to work with from start to finish. Communication was excellent and they helped us make decisions on things we didn’t even know existed. E-​mails were returned promptly and they were always available by phone. On our wedding day, the food was beautifully presented and our guests (including a professional chef) kept raving about how delicious it was. During the wedding Jessica checked in with me to make sure I was happy and to let me know that she had put aside some appetizers and drinks for us as we’d been taking photos during cocktail hour. There was no tip jar for the bartender which I really appreciated, I didn’t want my guests to feel like they had to spend money on top of their ferry rides and gift. Professional, efficient, excellent communication and all around nice people summarizes Essence of the Thymes.

We used Essence of the Thymes catering for both our rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. We are a serious foodie couple and we wanted our wedding meals to be perfect. Essence of the Thymes delivered on that goal. We attended tasting events for a few other fancy caterers in Seattle, and Essence of the Thymes had by far the best food (and lowest prices).
We worked with Hope to craft an Italian themed meal for the rehearsal dinner including Caesar salad, chicken parmesan, three-​cheese ravioli, and the BEST homemade cheesecake you have ever tasted. For the wedding reception, Essence of the Thymes served a selection of tray-​passed appetizers, three dinner entrée options with matching sides and salad, and a late-​night snack. The appetizers were delicious; we recommend the bacon wrapped dates and feta stuffed tomatoes. The petite filet and fresh salmon entrees are unrivaled. I’ve never seen a steak cooked to perfection like that, and the lemon caper topping on the salmon was just right. The margarita flatbread pizza at the end of the night was a big hit for our guests. So many of our family and friends complimented us on the food: generous portions, beautiful plating, and not too heavy on the sauce or dressing.
The Essence of the Thymes staff accommodated any dietary restrictions (gluten free, dairy free, nut allergy) of our guests with ease. Also, they made sure we had a plate of appetizers and a couple of signature cocktails waiting for us when we signed our marriage certificate. The bartending staff also did a great job — we never saw a line for drinks. Finally, a HUGE thank you to Hope for answering countless emails, phone calls, questions, and contract revisions. From the very beginning when we visited Port Orchard for the tasting session, we knew we were in good hands.

Essence of the Thymes catered my daughter’s wedding. Hope was great to work with. She helped us come up with a custom menu that fit the wishes of the bride and groom. We had a winter wedding and the guests were greeted at the door with a cream of tomato soup shooter with a bite size grilled cheese sandwich. Everyone raved about all the food, but the gorgonzola mashed potatoes were the favorite.

The food is great but the communication is lacking. We used these guys for our recent wedding after a long search for caterers on the Kitsap Peninsula. Unfortunately, the fact that they have so many good reviews just reflects the lack of options we have out here. They were by far the best food for the price, but I never left their office with a warm, happy feeling. I never felt valued as a customer and when I asked questions, their attitudes made me feel more like a nuisance. Honestly, I kept looking for other options up until the day we signed the contract. They left out essential rules and regulations that directly impacted our planning and event. At the last minute, we booked an extra hour to have them clean up only to find out that they needed that entire hour to clean, meaning we’d have to kick our guests out from our venue an hour early (gee, that would have been nice to know when the option was presented to us months before). The menu options they have online are not the only combinations, you can mix and match whatever you want, but it’ll cost you. If you want to pay anything close to what the online options present, don’t even think about changing them.

You couldn’t ask for a more professional catering company. They catered my daughter’s wedding in Sequim, in January. Every time we met with them they were extremely helpful and friendly. During the reception one of the bartenders took a break and my husband asked for him to return. He came right back and they apologized. The food was wonderful and we had more than enough. They also catered for a family event the Thursday before the wedding for all of the out of town guests. The food was great. I would recommend them for any event, you can’t find a better group of professional to work with!

Essence of the Thymes did an amazing job catering our Oct 31^st wedding in Sequim.
They listened to our theme ideas and took it to the next level. We couldn’t have asked for a more positive professional and fun group to work with.
We were impressed with the quick response to our requests and follow through with menu ideas and then the tasting and contract.
The food was fantastic and weeks later we’re still getting comments and compliments about the food and display.
You are a class act — We appreciate your attention to detail and ability to provide a flexible menu that enhanced our event.
We hope to work with you guys again and wish you all the best !!!

My son’s wedding was catered by Essence of the Thymes and we couldn’t have been happier. The food was INCREDIBLE! Everyone commented on the fabulous food and was thrilled with the selection available. The flavorings, spices and preparation were truly beyond our expectations! A big thank you to the chef!
Hope is a true gem! She and her team set up a perfect buffet line and were very, very nice to all our guests. They even stepped in to help with the table setup (which wasn’t their job) when time ran short and things weren’t completed due to another vendor. The E of the T team couldn’t have been more helpful or accommodating and their efforts were greatly appreciated.
We would definitely recommend Essence of the Thymes for any catering needs as their food is fantastic. However the thing that makes them special is their ability to step in and help when you need them. If I could give them six stars, I would!
Thanks, Hope (and the team). You helped make our wedding wonderful!

I’d like to start off by saying that the whole team at Essence of the Thymes was amazing at returning emails. I know that catering is supposed to be about the food, but as a bride planning wedding, I think timely emailing is 90% of the game. They are super professional and helpful.
And…their food was amazing. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the buffet line was beautiful. I highly recommend them for any event!

I try really hard NOT to give out 5-​star reviews, but Hope and her team from Essence of the Thymes did an absolutely fantastic job catering a large party at my home. I had previously attended a reception and noted what an excellent job they did with both service and the quality of the food, so I asked for a business card. Hope put together a fabulous menu for our party for a very reasonable price. They came in, took over the kitchen, did all the set up and service, provided absolutely to-​die-​for good food, and cleaned everything up SPOTLESS before they left. Oh, and they did it all with a warm smile and the utmost professionalism.
I HIGHLY recommend Essence of the Thymes!

Not the greatest went to an event they catered at the Port Orchard Yacht Club it was not very good the salmon had some kind of awful jelly sauce on it. The service was also lacking.

We used Essence of the Thymes for our recent wedding lunch, and they did an amazing job. The food was great, they were very organized, and they went above and beyond during the reception. One of the servers even helped me with the bustle on my dress when I was having trouble. They provided much more service than I expected, and it was greatly appreciated! Hopefully we’ll have an occasion to hire them again.

I’m so excited to have met this group of people. So far they have been very energetic & willing to make my perfect day happen any way that they can.
Were very impresses with the quality of our food for our upcoming wedding entrees.
Ray, Hope & Gina

Essence of the Thymes catered our wedding in July and they did an AMAZING job. The man who set up our buffet really did so with care and he was very kind to all of our guests. The presentation was so classy and the food tasted even better than it looked. We had people taking plates home because they loved it so much. I would highly recommend this business if you’re looking for professionals who are concerned with making your special event as hassle-​free as possible.

The food was very good and they did specialize the menu around the wedding (Hawaiian themed). I will give them that much.
HOWEVER the delivery crew was disorganized and caused a lot of hassle for my event and my following weekend. When they came and picked up the dishes they left their salad platter, wire rack, extra salad container, serving tongs, and dressing server. I was not present at the time of their pickup (I was busy at my own reception) and did not know until they were gone. I called and left the delivery guy a message but they ended up not getting ahold of me until Monday after calling and emailing them. They say there was a mixup because he had an extra dish in the back of the van (although how did he not account for everything else I do not know). I ended up having to take stuff home with me to Everett and return it to them the following weekend. They did not offer to meet me part way, they did not offer to pitch in for the cost to me for having to help out with THEIR mistakes. Which with gas and a jeep is almost $ 50. I was planning on coming out there for mother’s day but they insisted they needed the dish before then for events that day. So I had to make a special trip out there for them, and barely got a forced thanks from them. If I was the owner I would not stand for such customer service. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND I WILL NOT USE THEM AGAIN.
Maybe if you take better watch over their delivery crew you will have a better experience then I did. I have never used Unilocal before, and they made me so upset that I felt compelled to come here and share this experience. GOOD LUCK!

They catered our wedding in September 2010. The food was much better than expected, the service was perfect, and the price was very reasonable. They did much of the work to set up and take down the decoration and tables, etc. at the wedding, and it could not have gone smoother. In short, Hope and crew were largely responsible for making our big day a worry-​free experience. Highly recommended.