Reviews

I actually feel emotional when I think about Marcy and Chef by Design when I think back on our beautiful wedding day on September 27th.. I don’t throw around “perfect” very often. The catering was PERFECT. I grew up in VB but have lived in NYC the last 9 years, where I was a manager at the exceptional raw/vegan restaurant, Pure Food and Wine. So, good food is IMPORTANT to me: quality of ingredients, flavors, presentation… I wanted NYC standards. And CBD delivered above and beyond. My mom and I pretty much fell in love with Marcy at our tasting. She is just a doll–so sweet and warm and excited about what she does and realizing her bride’s vision.. As is Joanie and the rest of her team. The amazing Chef John (Marcy’s husband) is SO talented! They have a CRAZY EXTENSIVE menu, ranging from perfectly done and delicious “standards” to super creative, original dishes. I had a ton to choose from, and STILL Chef John created an *INCREDIBLE* vegan entree for us!!!!!! It was magazine worthy in taste and presentation. Everything was! Their staff at the reception were more than polite to our guests–they were happy, warm, and accommodating to all of our dear family and friends, which was SO important to me. They all had smiles on their pretty faces and looked so polished in their sleek black attire. They also made sure my husband and I actually got to eat!! We didn’t want a cake so we chose a few different desserts (again, from like a thousand options!) and they were all AMAZING! And, the team packed up three huge bags of food and desserts that were awaiting us in our hotel room! They also did our bar, which was stellar, and set up ALL the rentals for the linens, tableware, chairs, etc. Also perfection. The compliments from friends and family are still flooding in. If you want not only truly amazing food and presentation, but also lovely people who are a delight to work with, hire Chef by Design. You will be so happy you did. And so will all of your guests

Chef By Design catered my wedding reception July 12, 2014 and did an AMAZING job! I cannot say enough good things about Marcy and Joanie and their entire staff. Right up to my wedding, they were very responsive, open to my ideas, full of even more ideas, and just great to work with. My husband and I wanted specific themes at 3 different stations to represent our different food tastes, so the variety made it complicated. But you would never know that because Chef By Design made it look easy. The food was AWESOME, and my family and friends are still talking about it a month later. At our tasting we got to talk to the chef in person and ask questions, make changes, etc. We requested a few minor changes, and they nailed it at our wedding. Besides the food quality, their staff was so attentive and went above and beyond at our reception. My husband can’t eat spinach, so even though our guests were having a spinach salad, Chef By Design served my husband a special salad with different greens. Also, as soon as we sat down for our meal, our guests started approaching us to talk and congratulate us. Marcy was so observant and offered to make an announcement so that our guests would give us a chance to eat first. She had just had shoulder surgery and was still in a sling but still attended our wedding. We were so impressed, and I highly recommend Chef By Design as a caterer. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Mark and I want you to know how absolutely pleased we were with your company handling our daughter’s wedding on May 1oth, 2014 at our family home. As you remember, we were concerned with the size of the event and the quality of the food and you were our third interview. Thankfully, we made the correct choice! Marcy, you manage and organize your staff with perfection. They were efficient, properly dressed and very polite. Chef John, from your appetizers to your desserts, everything was delicious and served perfectly. I’m not sure which I enjoyed more, the shrimp and grits; mini crab cakes; filet; or the banana foster tartlets – to name a few! You made working from a tent seem easy and the clean up was impressive. Maggie, the lab, was disappointed the next morning!
And lastly, as perfect as we had it, we would have to be challenged with that freak storm one hour before the event. Your team pitched in and helped amazingly to have the event still go off without the guests realizing the near disaster.
We cannot thank you enough for all your help, hard work and excellent service.
We would be glad to recommend your company to any further clients.
Thank you again,
Sincerely, Mark and Jody Bundy

My husband and I are from NY, and hired a coordinator for our elaborate wedding. She referred us to a caterer in Hampton Roads, and after meeting and tasting with that caterer, we were so disappointed, thinking if this was the best in the area, we would have to get married in NY. We have a very upscale palate and are in the food business, so the level of creativity for our menu had to be top notch. We heard about Chef by Design by our lighting company, and were told we HAD to meet with them. From the moment we met with Joanie, Marcy, and Chef John, we immediately knew that they would be our caterer. At our first 3 hour meeting (!), they brought out food to us, not knowing our palate’s but absolutely blew us away with the level of excellence in each course. We then created our 5 course plated menu from scratch, had follow up Skype meetings to tweak the menu, flew back for the tasting, and couldn’t have been more pleased with everything. The level of service and timing we expected for this 5 course reception, with wine and beer pairings with each course, would make even the most distinguished and experienced caterer nervous, but Chef by Design staff was nothing short of perfect in their service and presentation. We cannot say enough about this company, and truly how amazing their food, personalized service and attention to detail was. There is NO OTHER caterer that could have done what they did. We cannot thank them enough for making our day one we will never, ever forget! xoxo

It was such a pleasure to have worked with Chef by Design Catering Co. for our wedding. We worked closely with Joanie and Marcy and cannot say enough good things about them! We were planning our wedding while living in another state and they really worked with our limited schedules to get things done. They also took a lot of work off of our shoulders by handling many of the event rentals such as the tent, dance floor, tables, chairs, napkins, silverware, glassware, bars, etc. They stuck to our vision and executed it perfectly. We really enjoyed the food tasting a few months before our big day, but hearing how amazing the food was from our guests was even better! Chef by Design Catering Co., Marcy, and Joanie turned our dream wedding day into a reality!!

Chef By Design has a reputation for being one of the best catering companies in the area and I found out first-hand how they truly go out of their way to ensure your event is a memorable experience. I contracted with Chef By Design to cater my wedding but quickly found out that they do so much more for their clients. Our tasting appointment was very personalized and relaxed. The staff made sure they were checking in with us to see what we liked and didn’t like but also gave me and my fiance some space to discuss our menu during the tasting. At Chef By Design they were happy to change up some of their standard dishes to fit our needs and tastes, but we didn’t have too change much because their food is amazing. Other catering companies we consulted with left us feeling underwhelmed with impersonal, rushed consultations and just did not provide overall the level of service we were looking for. Chef By Design representatives even attended my site walk-through. I could tell they were as excited about the event as I was and appreciated that they took the time on a weekend to come and provide suggestions and solutions as we worked through event logistics.
On the day of our wedding I can’t tell you how fantastic it was to not worry about anything related to our bar, food or service. Not only were the servers and bartenders that work for Chef By Design professional and polite, but the company also handles “back of the house”/ behind the scenes services most brides don’t realize are crucial to a well executed event. During our buffet dinner guests were never left waiting for a dish and we never ran out of food. I still get compliments over a year later from guests on how much they loved the food at our wedding.
If you are looking for a high level of service with quality food and impeccable execution for your wedding or next event, definitely check out Chef By Design. They will work with you at all stages of the planning process to ensure your day goes off without a hitch!

By far the best catering experience we’ve ever had!!! We will never use another caterer. Marcy, the co-owner, was wonderful to work with and helped us plan the perfect reception for our daughter. Both my daughter and son-in-law (and all of the guests!) loved the food; it was displayed beautifully and was delicious!! And there were so many great options to choose from, including vegan and vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. Our guests are still raving about the crab cakes and the mashed potato bar! We love this caterer!