I’ll hopefully remember to come back and add some professional photos later once my photographer sends them my way (and posted😘) but seriously, CBD knocked it out of the park. We had this amazing, intimate wedding that I specifically wanted a menu that was safe for my dietary issues but memorable for my guests and wow did they deliver. I had the pleasure of working primarily with Rachel who was so lovely, down to earth, and easy to get along with. You said the vision and she pictured it with you. Her and Chelsea developed a seamless plan to ensure all my guests were well fed, happy, and enjoying themselves. Not only that but on wedding day their team was right there making sure my husband and I could enjoy this amazing food too. I had so many friends and family members (a lot of us either being in or veterans of food service) came up to us complimenting the amazing food. I am so so happy with how everything turned out. Thank you again Rachel! You were absolutely amazing! I hope I have an excuse to use y’all again, 10/10!!!!
Gianna Feige
We had the pleasure of working with this incredible team for our inaugural event in Sturgis, South Dakota, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the experience. Amara and Alycen were such a joy to plan and coordinate with—they made the entire process fun, easy, and stress-free. They brought creative, innovative service ideas that wowed our clients and elevated the whole event.
The rental items we selected were all of exceptional quality and exceeded our design expectations. Every piece fit perfectly into our vision, and the florals were simply stunning. They truly embraced our design concept and went above and beyond with thoughtful, small details that brought everything to life in the most beautiful way.
On event day, they arrived on time, unloaded quickly and efficiently, and even jumped in to assist me and my team—truly going above and beyond. The entire day-of crew—from drivers to chef, service staff, and bartenders—were an absolute pleasure to work with. Their professionalism, energy, and seamless execution made the night unforgettable.
And the food… absolutely phenomenal! As someone with years of catering experience in the events industry, I can confidently say it was some of the best I’ve ever had from a caterer. Our guests raved, and we’re already looking forward to working with them for years to come. So glad we found this gem of a team!
Ellie Munoz
We hired Catering by Design for our private residence wedding last month and I could not say enough great things about their management, staff, food etc. They provided the highest level of service and were kind, efficient, and overall just such a pleasure to work with throughout the entire planning process. Special shoutout to Rachel Inman - a true rockstar at what she does. She guided us through the entire process of how to bring our vision for a black tie backyard wedding to life through passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks, to the specific dishes good for family style, late night food and beyond. She helped make our wedding so special and everyone commented on how impressed they were by her team, the food, the service etc.
Andi D'Agostino
We had a wonderful experience with Catering by Design for our July wedding. Amara was extremely helpful and responsive during the evaluation process - she even helped us think about details that really do make a difference in the final dining experience that we hadn't thought of originally. Then Rachel helped bring it to life - she even went above and beyond to coordinate for some severely celiac guests. Our guests loved the unique appetizers and entrees - CBD executed the unique and fresh menu we were hoping for! I'd absolutely recommend.
Vintage Boulevard
Catering by Design provided the catering for our wedding at the Botanic Gardens. Caleigh and her team did an excellent job! We received compliments on the food from everyone who attended. They were very attentive to all our needs, both on the day of and during the planning. We would recommend them without hesitation.
Brendan Butler
My wife and I used Catering by Design for our wedding last week, and we have nothing but positive feedback to provide. From the food to the event staff to the office staff--everything was phenomenal! Our friends and family can't stop talking about how great of a time they had at the wedding, and a big part of that was the quality of food and service provided by Catering by Design. We highly recommend them to others looking to hold a wedding or other events!
Jennifer Arfsten
Catering by Design offers a top-notch professional experience. We loved the chance to work closely with them and pick from their many interesting and tasty appetizers.
We got married in March of 2025 and had many allergies in our large wedding, including a celiac as a groomsman. They took this consideration very seriously, and were able to assure us that the food would be prepared separately. There were also so many delicious gluten free options that it made it easy to pick several that we liked!
Many of our guests commented on how delicious the food was, and how much they loved our dessert (flambéed donut holes and ice cream!) The staff was efficient, friendly, and sent us home with a cooler of leftovers and personalized iced cookies with our initials and wedding date.
Thanks to Amara, Rachel, and whole CBD team!
Misty Garrison
CBD provided an exceptional menu and experience for our Legacy Gala. From our initial call, numerous changes, to clean up at the end of the night they thought of everything. They were an excellent resource throughout the planning process right down to the night of. The event was flawless, and we could not have had better partners! I will definitely use them again.
Misty Garrison
CBD provided an exceptional menu and experience for our Legacy Gala. From our initial call, numerous changes, to clean up at the end of the night they thought of everything and were an excellent resource throughout the planning process. The event was flawless, and we could not have had better partners! I will definitely use them again.
Tiffany Long
Amara and Caleigh were amazing to work with! They made the entire process less stressful for my husband and I. They responded within less than 24 hours! Sometimes within minutes! The food was amazing and we’ve gotten so many positive feedback from our guests! I love how they provided so many options during our tasting! I was so indecisive but Amara listened to all our needs and made it easier for us to decide after we got to taste the one’s were were torn between. I would definitely hire them again for any catering needs 🩵
I had the pleasure of working with CBD for a client event this week and they did a fantastic job! The food was delicious, the passed app and display services were high quality and the staff both on-site and in the weeks leading up to the event were a delight to work with. Thank you, Ching and Rachel for all of your help!
Kadija Werkenthin
The best part about Catering By Design is the group of people you get to work with. We worked with them to cater our wedding, and rehearsal dinner and from day 1 it was clear that they cared as much about this even being a success with tons of yummy food as we did. Our initial call with Amara was not what I was expecting because she doesn't ask questions like "whats your favorite food, what do you want at the wedding" she asks questions about YOU and your vision for the wedding and your relationship and what memories you have tied to food. She took the time to get to know my husband and I on a personal level so that she could understand why food was important to us or what we wanted to see. She crafted the most perfect custom menu for both our rehearsal dinner and our reception that I never could even have fathomed. We had a wall of soup for our winter wedding, I mean who thinks of that?!? We had Chicken Nuggets in the shape of Texas, a pre-ceremony Hot Chocolate bar, and ANY guest with even the slightest dietary restriction was taken care of. The tasting was so much fun and SO MUCH FOOD. It was stellar, top notch, all the rave reviews.
As we got closer to our date we got to know more of the team, and started to work more closely with Caleigh our even coordinator. She was so patient and detail oriented. I didn't have to worry about anything. It was so great.
On the actual days of our events Liz ensured that as the Bride and Groom both nights we took the time to sit and eat and actually enjoy the food. She prepped plates of the appetizers and plates from the Buffet for both my husband and I. I appreciated so much the attention to us and ensuring we had food in our system. You hear so frequently that as the bride and room you don't get to eat, with Catering By Design that simply is not the case.
This team, and this company takes care of you and your family as if you were there family and it resonates. You can taste the care they put in to every dish, and I cannot thank them enough for how much of a joy they were to work with.
Amanda Quinnan
I loved working with CBD for my companies holiday party - they were on top of it through the entire event from planning phase to execution and end. The food was amazing - the buffet we picked was above and beyond and everyone complimented how delicious the food was. The staff was friendly, helpful and professional. Myself and our company for sure recommends this catering company for your future events!
Iver Marjerison
As a wedding planner, officiant, and guest I've been to hundreds of weddings over the years... Needless to say, I've eaten a lot of dry wedding beef.
When it came to plan my own, my fiancé and I decided the food was important to us. We booked Catering by Design (one of the top rated and most expensive caterers in the state) and opted for the braised short rib (a dish we believed to be foolproof).
Prior to the day, the service was pretty good. They did over charge my credit card $15,000, and were pretty spacey to get it corrected - I had to pester them for a week, and spent the whole time certain I had been scammed (I've seen it many times in the wedding industry, right before a business goes under, they start over charging and not communicating). They did eventually correct this though.
The on-site staff day of was great, the appetizers and dessert were great. But the main dish (short rib) was rough.
It wasn't until we were making our rounds after dinner that we noticed most of the beef hadn't been eaten. We came to realize the juice/sauce was forgotten. They served chunks of braised short rib bone dry. Most of it ended up in the garbage.
They apologized and offered like a 3% refund to make up for it.
I understand mistakes happen. But a blunder like this, at a price point like this, felt very strange.
- - -
*Update: after leaving a 3 star review the CEO emailed me a long winded apology, claiming to want to discuss the situation further, and do anything in her power to "make this right".
(In hindsight, it was just a rhetorical boilerplate-style "we're sorry" meant to convince me the situation was being taken "very seriously").
I fell for it though, and took the time to once again explain my feelings on the situation.
She promptly responded with a back pedal, first dismissing the severity of the $15k overcharge with: "I'm sorry if our communication during this brief period felt insufficient", and then saying she thought the 3% refund was a fair remedy for the blundered entrees.
Anyway... I originally assumed these were isolated incidents for them, but with the CEO giving a patronizing apology, and then doubling down, I guess this is just business as usual.
Janani Krishnan
We had the absolute most incredible experience working with Chelsea and Rachel at CBD! From the first moment of designing our menu to executing on our dream for our Indian buffet dinner, cocktail hour, and late night snacks with our favorite childhood foods, the CBD team exceeded our wildest dreams every step of the planning process. Our favorite parts of working with CBD and why we think they’re a step above other caterers: 1. Their attention to detail - Chelsea & Rachel helped us customize everything from the table scape set up to the # of ounces of our favorite entree dish we wanted to have available on the buffet. 2. Their collaborative approach to event design - leading up to our tasting, Rachel & Chelsea helped us ideas on exactly what we wanted our menu to include. During the tasting, they took specific feedback like making our curries more creamy and adding more cashews to some. A few months before our wedding, we decided to add an extra dish. All of this was no problem for the CBD team and they handled our specific preference requests with ease. 3. Their “yes, and” approach - we had a specific vision for how we wanted to represent Indian food at our Colorado fusion wedding. Chelsea and Rachel were amazing thought partners towards making this dream a reality, and more!
Chelsea, Rachel, and the CBD team are a joy to work with and were one of our most reliable and most impressive wedding vendors! We always knew we were in good hands and were never worried that there would be an emergency that they couldn’t handle. Hope to attend more CBD events in the future!
I’ll hopefully remember to come back and add some professional photos later once my photographer sends them my way (and posted😘) but seriously, CBD knocked it out of the park. We had this amazing, intimate wedding that I specifically wanted a menu that was safe for my dietary issues but memorable for my guests and wow did they deliver. I had the pleasure of working primarily with Rachel who was so lovely, down to earth, and easy to get along with. You said the vision and she pictured it with you. Her and Chelsea developed a seamless plan to ensure all my guests were well fed, happy, and enjoying themselves. Not only that but on wedding day their team was right there making sure my husband and I could enjoy this amazing food too. I had so many friends and family members (a lot of us either being in or veterans of food service) came up to us complimenting the amazing food. I am so so happy with how everything turned out. Thank you again Rachel! You were absolutely amazing! I hope I have an excuse to use y’all again, 10/10!!!!
We had the pleasure of working with this incredible team for our inaugural event in Sturgis, South Dakota, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the experience. Amara and Alycen were such a joy to plan and coordinate with—they made the entire process fun, easy, and stress-free. They brought creative, innovative service ideas that wowed our clients and elevated the whole event.
The rental items we selected were all of exceptional quality and exceeded our design expectations. Every piece fit perfectly into our vision, and the florals were simply stunning. They truly embraced our design concept and went above and beyond with thoughtful, small details that brought everything to life in the most beautiful way.
On event day, they arrived on time, unloaded quickly and efficiently, and even jumped in to assist me and my team—truly going above and beyond. The entire day-of crew—from drivers to chef, service staff, and bartenders—were an absolute pleasure to work with. Their professionalism, energy, and seamless execution made the night unforgettable.
And the food… absolutely phenomenal! As someone with years of catering experience in the events industry, I can confidently say it was some of the best I’ve ever had from a caterer. Our guests raved, and we’re already looking forward to working with them for years to come. So glad we found this gem of a team!
We hired Catering by Design for our private residence wedding last month and I could not say enough great things about their management, staff, food etc. They provided the highest level of service and were kind, efficient, and overall just such a pleasure to work with throughout the entire planning process. Special shoutout to Rachel Inman - a true rockstar at what she does. She guided us through the entire process of how to bring our vision for a black tie backyard wedding to life through passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks, to the specific dishes good for family style, late night food and beyond. She helped make our wedding so special and everyone commented on how impressed they were by her team, the food, the service etc.
We had a wonderful experience with Catering by Design for our July wedding. Amara was extremely helpful and responsive during the evaluation process - she even helped us think about details that really do make a difference in the final dining experience that we hadn't thought of originally. Then Rachel helped bring it to life - she even went above and beyond to coordinate for some severely celiac guests. Our guests loved the unique appetizers and entrees - CBD executed the unique and fresh menu we were hoping for! I'd absolutely recommend.
Catering by Design provided the catering for our wedding at the Botanic Gardens. Caleigh and her team did an excellent job! We received compliments on the food from everyone who attended. They were very attentive to all our needs, both on the day of and during the planning. We would recommend them without hesitation.
My wife and I used Catering by Design for our wedding last week, and we have nothing but positive feedback to provide. From the food to the event staff to the office staff--everything was phenomenal! Our friends and family can't stop talking about how great of a time they had at the wedding, and a big part of that was the quality of food and service provided by Catering by Design. We highly recommend them to others looking to hold a wedding or other events!
Catering by Design offers a top-notch professional experience. We loved the chance to work closely with them and pick from their many interesting and tasty appetizers.
We got married in March of 2025 and had many allergies in our large wedding, including a celiac as a groomsman. They took this consideration very seriously, and were able to assure us that the food would be prepared separately. There were also so many delicious gluten free options that it made it easy to pick several that we liked!
Many of our guests commented on how delicious the food was, and how much they loved our dessert (flambéed donut holes and ice cream!) The staff was efficient, friendly, and sent us home with a cooler of leftovers and personalized iced cookies with our initials and wedding date.
Thanks to Amara, Rachel, and whole CBD team!
CBD provided an exceptional menu and experience for our Legacy Gala. From our initial call, numerous changes, to clean up at the end of the night they thought of everything. They were an excellent resource throughout the planning process right down to the night of. The event was flawless, and we could not have had better partners! I will definitely use them again.
CBD provided an exceptional menu and experience for our Legacy Gala. From our initial call, numerous changes, to clean up at the end of the night they thought of everything and were an excellent resource throughout the planning process. The event was flawless, and we could not have had better partners! I will definitely use them again.
Amara and Caleigh were amazing to work with! They made the entire process less stressful for my husband and I. They responded within less than 24 hours! Sometimes within minutes! The food was amazing and we’ve gotten so many positive feedback from our guests! I love how they provided so many options during our tasting! I was so indecisive but Amara listened to all our needs and made it easier for us to decide after we got to taste the one’s were were torn between. I would definitely hire them again for any catering needs 🩵
Restaurantji Recommends
I had the pleasure of working with CBD for a client event this week and they did a fantastic job! The food was delicious, the passed app and display services were high quality and the staff both on-site and in the weeks leading up to the event were a delight to work with. Thank you, Ching and Rachel for all of your help!
The best part about Catering By Design is the group of people you get to work with. We worked with them to cater our wedding, and rehearsal dinner and from day 1 it was clear that they cared as much about this even being a success with tons of yummy food as we did. Our initial call with Amara was not what I was expecting because she doesn't ask questions like "whats your favorite food, what do you want at the wedding" she asks questions about YOU and your vision for the wedding and your relationship and what memories you have tied to food. She took the time to get to know my husband and I on a personal level so that she could understand why food was important to us or what we wanted to see. She crafted the most perfect custom menu for both our rehearsal dinner and our reception that I never could even have fathomed. We had a wall of soup for our winter wedding, I mean who thinks of that?!? We had Chicken Nuggets in the shape of Texas, a pre-ceremony Hot Chocolate bar, and ANY guest with even the slightest dietary restriction was taken care of. The tasting was so much fun and SO MUCH FOOD. It was stellar, top notch, all the rave reviews.
As we got closer to our date we got to know more of the team, and started to work more closely with Caleigh our even coordinator. She was so patient and detail oriented. I didn't have to worry about anything. It was so great.
On the actual days of our events Liz ensured that as the Bride and Groom both nights we took the time to sit and eat and actually enjoy the food. She prepped plates of the appetizers and plates from the Buffet for both my husband and I. I appreciated so much the attention to us and ensuring we had food in our system. You hear so frequently that as the bride and room you don't get to eat, with Catering By Design that simply is not the case.
This team, and this company takes care of you and your family as if you were there family and it resonates. You can taste the care they put in to every dish, and I cannot thank them enough for how much of a joy they were to work with.
I loved working with CBD for my companies holiday party - they were on top of it through the entire event from planning phase to execution and end. The food was amazing - the buffet we picked was above and beyond and everyone complimented how delicious the food was. The staff was friendly, helpful and professional. Myself and our company for sure recommends this catering company for your future events!
As a wedding planner, officiant, and guest I've been to hundreds of weddings over the years... Needless to say, I've eaten a lot of dry wedding beef.
When it came to plan my own, my fiancé and I decided the food was important to us. We booked Catering by Design (one of the top rated and most expensive caterers in the state) and opted for the braised short rib (a dish we believed to be foolproof).
Prior to the day, the service was pretty good. They did over charge my credit card $15,000, and were pretty spacey to get it corrected - I had to pester them for a week, and spent the whole time certain I had been scammed (I've seen it many times in the wedding industry, right before a business goes under, they start over charging and not communicating). They did eventually correct this though.
The on-site staff day of was great, the appetizers and dessert were great. But the main dish (short rib) was rough.
It wasn't until we were making our rounds after dinner that we noticed most of the beef hadn't been eaten. We came to realize the juice/sauce was forgotten. They served chunks of braised short rib bone dry. Most of it ended up in the garbage.
They apologized and offered like a 3% refund to make up for it.
I understand mistakes happen. But a blunder like this, at a price point like this, felt very strange.
- - -
*Update: after leaving a 3 star review the CEO emailed me a long winded apology, claiming to want to discuss the situation further, and do anything in her power to "make this right".
(In hindsight, it was just a rhetorical boilerplate-style "we're sorry" meant to convince me the situation was being taken "very seriously").
I fell for it though, and took the time to once again explain my feelings on the situation.
She promptly responded with a back pedal, first dismissing the severity of the $15k overcharge with: "I'm sorry if our communication during this brief period felt insufficient", and then saying she thought the 3% refund was a fair remedy for the blundered entrees.
Anyway... I originally assumed these were isolated incidents for them, but with the CEO giving a patronizing apology, and then doubling down, I guess this is just business as usual.
We had the absolute most incredible experience working with Chelsea and Rachel at CBD! From the first moment of designing our menu to executing on our dream for our Indian buffet dinner, cocktail hour, and late night snacks with our favorite childhood foods, the CBD team exceeded our wildest dreams every step of the planning process. Our favorite parts of working with CBD and why we think they’re a step above other caterers:
1. Their attention to detail - Chelsea & Rachel helped us customize everything from the table scape set up to the # of ounces of our favorite entree dish we wanted to have available on the buffet.
2. Their collaborative approach to event design - leading up to our tasting, Rachel & Chelsea helped us ideas on exactly what we wanted our menu to include. During the tasting, they took specific feedback like making our curries more creamy and adding more cashews to some. A few months before our wedding, we decided to add an extra dish. All of this was no problem for the CBD team and they handled our specific preference requests with ease.
3. Their “yes, and” approach - we had a specific vision for how we wanted to represent Indian food at our Colorado fusion wedding. Chelsea and Rachel were amazing thought partners towards making this dream a reality, and more!
Chelsea, Rachel, and the CBD team are a joy to work with and were one of our most reliable and most impressive wedding vendors! We always knew we were in good hands and were never worried that there would be an emergency that they couldn’t handle. Hope to attend more CBD events in the future!
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