We used Catered by Design for our recent wedding reception at the Evanston Woman's Club, and they were great! They (specifically Erin) were communicative and easy to work with and graciously answered all of our (many) questions. The food was delicious, and we found them to be at a reasonable price point compared to many other caterers. The tasting experience was great as well
Stephanie Zuccato
Catered by Design served up great food and drinks at an affordable price! They went above and beyond for our bar menu, serving up 3 signature cocktails (with two variants) and a mocktail alongside our open bar. The appetizers, desserts and main course were all delicious! We did specify in the planning that we wanted a nut free wedding, and learned after the fact that one of the desserts had nuts. Fortunately, none of our guests with allergies experienced a reaction. That said, Erin is super personable and a joy to work with, and I'd still recommend them for any couples seeking wedding catering
Casey Purcell
Catered by Design was the absolute best choice we made for our wedding day. It was the #1 recommended catering caterer by our venue, and we were able to request and work with Erin, who knows our venue well. Erin was a dream to work with throughout the whole planning process. She is organized, timely, and creative. She has an amazing attention to detail and had us think of things we never would have thought of without her. Erin made the planning process stress-free for us with all that she handled on her end. We also had a great experience at our tasting at the Morton Grove office last fall (with lots of leftovers to bring home!). Our guests raved about the food, and the night went off without a hitch. The set-up was perfect, and the day-of staff was friendly and executed everything perfectly. We are so glad we chose Catered by Design!
Jessica Long
This was our wedding caterer.
The tasting was well curated and really helped us get a sense of the food options and tastes.
We didn’t get to experience the passed appetizers, but the omelette station was good. Some suggestions: 1. It was hot for our wedding. So, much of the food prep was brought inside. But it would’ve been nice to separate the prepared brunch from the food that had to be prepared so that people could get their other food faster. 2. If possible, it would’ve been good to have two chefs / stations for omelette preparation to get people through a bit faster.
The drinks were good. They made our recipes for the rum punch and whiskey sours. We were able to squeeze all our own lemons.
Also, the folks who wanted the vegan meals really like them.
The bread for the dessert was a little drier than when tasted, but wonder sometimes how quality is lost when making in higher quantity.
In the end, it was good food, but perhaps a little more expensive than the food experience ended up being.
Lin Sabones
Rachel J. at Catered by Design was outstanding! We had our wedding in August in downtown Chicago, and worked with Rachel throughout the whole process. She was so attentive, supportive, and timely in all communications with us. The food was delicious and guests raved about everything from the apps to the meals. Thank you for helping to make our wedding day run so smoothly!
Emily C
We just worked with Catered by Design for our August wedding and we had a wonderful experience! The food was AMAZING from start to finish. The service throughout our cocktail hour, dinner, and bar service were also fabulous. Thank you SO much to Rachel and her team- we had an amazing wedding night because of you all!
Lisa Smith
We used this team to cater a Celebration of Life party for my late parents. From the initial site visit, through planning and finally execution the entire experience was seamless. The communication was clear and responsive. The food was fantastic. The crew was professional and beyond competent. I said to my siblings the next day, this party was so well catered I forgot I was the host and was as relaxed as one of the guests! Thank you all so much for your hard work!
Meg Dhamer
I attended a Memorial Reception at Gorton Center, Lake Forest yesterday catered by Matt & Company/Catered by Design. While many casual, picnic fare menus are unremarkable, everything by Catered by Design was super fresh and had great flavors. I noticed guests going back for 2nd's and 3rd's and no one left hungry! Chicken Salad & Roast Beef were my favorite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
suzi loznjakovic
Catered by Design was undoubtedly the best catering company we could have chosen for our wedding. From the initial tasting, to the follow-up tasting, to the vendor walkthrough, and finally the big day itself — everything was absolutely perfect.
Our guests are still raving about the food to this day, and we’ve had several soon-to-be brides ask us for their contact information because of how memorable the meal was. The menu was creative, delicious, and beautifully presented — a true highlight of our day.
The team went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. They checked in on both Brian and me multiple times during the night to make sure we had everything we needed, which we truly appreciated during such a busy and emotional day. And the room flip — wow. It was so fast, flawless, and beautifully executed. When we walked into the room for the reveal, I was brought to tears. The tables were set up exactly as we had envisioned, down to the chargers, menus, and every detail of our decor.
We are beyond grateful for the care, professionalism, and excellence Catered by Design brought to our wedding. Highly, highly recommend!
Allie Kukla
Working with Catered by Design and specifically Rachel was amazing for our wedding last month! Rachel was so flexible with us and made the planning so easy and seamless. The wedding flowed so perfectly, from the drinks to the food and everything in between - we could not be more thankful. Would 100% recommend for your wedding!
I ordered 10 dozen tea sandwiches, a fruit platter and crudite for my niece’s baby shower yesterday. The food was Excellent! The guests all commented how good it was and asked where I got everything. In addition to the food, the presentation was beautiful and packed so well for me to transport. This was my first time ordering from Catered by Design; I will definitely use them again for my catering needs.
Steven An
We used Catered by Design for our wedding and could not be more pleased with their services. We brought in food from multiple restaurants and had to adjust plans and layouts at our venue due to weather at the last minute and they were accommodating and communicative throughout. I could not imagine our wedding going as well as it went without them. I would recommend them highly for any large event requiring expert coordination, communication, and collaboration!
Jake Simeral
All the dishes we tasted here were incredible. The attention to detail was top-notch, putting you at ease that Catered by Design would take special care curating the food for your special event. I want to specifically call out Matt Gray for his preparedness and friendly nature.
Katie
We have nothing but positive things to say about working with Catered by Design for our wedding! Erin was wonderful throughout the whole planning process, and the whole team helped create the perfect catering experience for us. We already knew going in they were amazing, but our guests have been sharing rave reviews on how our wedding food is the best they’ve ever had! We also used their bartending services, with each drink made perfectly. Highly recommend Catered By Design for any of your catering needs!!
Nick Adams
We cannot say enough positive things about Catered by Design. From the moment we sat down for our tasting we knew we were in great hands with Erin. She worked with us to not only create a menu that reflected our taste & style, but helped bring our tablescape vision to life. She handled our many emails with such professionalism, and it was clear she was genuinely invested in making our day special.
The food was not only delicious but beautifully presented, and our guests are still raving about it! Beyond the food, the service was exceptional. Our event captain, Laura, was friendly, attentive, and ensured that everything ran smoothly day of.
We highly recommend Catered by Design to anyone looking for high-quality, delicious food and a seamless catering experience. They helped make our wedding day even more memorable, and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice!
We used Catered by Design for our recent wedding reception at the Evanston Woman's Club, and they were great! They (specifically Erin) were communicative and easy to work with and graciously answered all of our (many) questions. The food was delicious, and we found them to be at a reasonable price point compared to many other caterers. The tasting experience was great as well
Catered by Design served up great food and drinks at an affordable price! They went above and beyond for our bar menu, serving up 3 signature cocktails (with two variants) and a mocktail alongside our open bar. The appetizers, desserts and main course were all delicious! We did specify in the planning that we wanted a nut free wedding, and learned after the fact that one of the desserts had nuts. Fortunately, none of our guests with allergies experienced a reaction. That said, Erin is super personable and a joy to work with, and I'd still recommend them for any couples seeking wedding catering
Catered by Design was the absolute best choice we made for our wedding day. It was the #1 recommended catering caterer by our venue, and we were able to request and work with Erin, who knows our venue well. Erin was a dream to work with throughout the whole planning process. She is organized, timely, and creative. She has an amazing attention to detail and had us think of things we never would have thought of without her. Erin made the planning process stress-free for us with all that she handled on her end. We also had a great experience at our tasting at the Morton Grove office last fall (with lots of leftovers to bring home!). Our guests raved about the food, and the night went off without a hitch. The set-up was perfect, and the day-of staff was friendly and executed everything perfectly. We are so glad we chose Catered by Design!
This was our wedding caterer.
The tasting was well curated and really helped us get a sense of the food options and tastes.
We didn’t get to experience the passed appetizers, but the omelette station was good. Some suggestions:
1. It was hot for our wedding. So, much of the food prep was brought inside. But it would’ve been nice to separate the prepared brunch from the food that had to be prepared so that people could get their other food faster.
2. If possible, it would’ve been good to have two chefs / stations for omelette preparation to get people through a bit faster.
The drinks were good. They made our recipes for the rum punch and whiskey sours. We were able to squeeze all our own lemons.
Also, the folks who wanted the vegan meals really like them.
The bread for the dessert was a little drier than when tasted, but wonder sometimes how quality is lost when making in higher quantity.
In the end, it was good food, but perhaps a little more expensive than the food experience ended up being.
Rachel J. at Catered by Design was outstanding! We had our wedding in August in downtown Chicago, and worked with Rachel throughout the whole process. She was so attentive, supportive, and timely in all communications with us. The food was delicious and guests raved about everything from the apps to the meals. Thank you for helping to make our wedding day run so smoothly!
We just worked with Catered by Design for our August wedding and we had a wonderful experience! The food was AMAZING from start to finish. The service throughout our cocktail hour, dinner, and bar service were also fabulous. Thank you SO much to Rachel and her team- we had an amazing wedding night because of you all!
We used this team to cater a Celebration of Life party for my late parents. From the initial site visit, through planning and finally execution the entire experience was seamless. The communication was clear and responsive. The food was fantastic. The crew was professional and beyond competent. I said to my siblings the next day, this party was so well catered I forgot I was the host and was as relaxed as one of the guests! Thank you all so much for your hard work!
I attended a Memorial Reception at Gorton Center, Lake Forest yesterday catered by Matt & Company/Catered by Design. While many casual, picnic fare menus are unremarkable, everything by Catered by Design was super fresh and had great flavors. I noticed guests going back for 2nd's and 3rd's and no one left hungry! Chicken Salad & Roast Beef were my favorite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Catered by Design was undoubtedly the best catering company we could have chosen for our wedding. From the initial tasting, to the follow-up tasting, to the vendor walkthrough, and finally the big day itself — everything was absolutely perfect.
Our guests are still raving about the food to this day, and we’ve had several soon-to-be brides ask us for their contact information because of how memorable the meal was. The menu was creative, delicious, and beautifully presented — a true highlight of our day.
The team went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. They checked in on both Brian and me multiple times during the night to make sure we had everything we needed, which we truly appreciated during such a busy and emotional day. And the room flip — wow. It was so fast, flawless, and beautifully executed. When we walked into the room for the reveal, I was brought to tears. The tables were set up exactly as we had envisioned, down to the chargers, menus, and every detail of our decor.
We are beyond grateful for the care, professionalism, and excellence Catered by Design brought to our wedding. Highly, highly recommend!
Working with Catered by Design and specifically Rachel was amazing for our wedding last month! Rachel was so flexible with us and made the planning so easy and seamless. The wedding flowed so perfectly, from the drinks to the food and everything in between - we could not be more thankful. Would 100% recommend for your wedding!
Restaurantji Recommends
I ordered 10 dozen tea sandwiches, a fruit platter and crudite for my niece’s baby shower yesterday. The food was Excellent! The guests all commented how good it was and asked where I got everything. In addition to the food, the presentation was beautiful and packed so well for me to transport. This was my first time ordering from Catered by Design; I will definitely use them again for my catering needs.
We used Catered by Design for our wedding and could not be more pleased with their services. We brought in food from multiple restaurants and had to adjust plans and layouts at our venue due to weather at the last minute and they were accommodating and communicative throughout. I could not imagine our wedding going as well as it went without them. I would recommend them highly for any large event requiring expert coordination, communication, and collaboration!
All the dishes we tasted here were incredible. The attention to detail was top-notch, putting you at ease that Catered by Design would take special care curating the food for your special event. I want to specifically call out Matt Gray for his preparedness and friendly nature.
We have nothing but positive things to say about working with Catered by Design for our wedding! Erin was wonderful throughout the whole planning process, and the whole team helped create the perfect catering experience for us. We already knew going in they were amazing, but our guests have been sharing rave reviews on how our wedding food is the best they’ve ever had! We also used their bartending services, with each drink made perfectly. Highly recommend Catered By Design for any of your catering needs!!
We cannot say enough positive things about Catered by Design. From the moment we sat down for our tasting we knew we were in great hands with Erin. She worked with us to not only create a menu that reflected our taste & style, but helped bring our tablescape vision to life. She handled our many emails with such professionalism, and it was clear she was genuinely invested in making our day special.
The food was not only delicious but beautifully presented, and our guests are still raving about it! Beyond the food, the service was exceptional. Our event captain, Laura, was friendly, attentive, and ensured that everything ran smoothly day of.
We highly recommend Catered by Design to anyone looking for high-quality, delicious food and a seamless catering experience. They helped make our wedding day even more memorable, and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice!
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