We booked Chef by Design and The Neon House for our wedding rehearsal and wedding on 04.20.24. Both are owned and run by the husband-and-wife team, John and Marcy. While The Neon House was the perfect venue for us (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!), if it doesn't fit your wedding vision, Chef by Design can still provide the ultimate catering experience in any venue!!!! Not only do they have an extensive menu with so many delicious options; they are also open to customizing the perfect menu for every couple. After reviewing the menu, we knew that just one event would not be enough to fully experience everything that Chef by Design has to offer (hence booking them for rehearsal and wedding day). As basic and simple as these items seem; their house made bread and Caesar salad are a MUST! We had them at both events, I don't think any salad has every received so many complements and I will forever crave their bread! At the rehearsal we kept the menu fun with some of their grilled flatbread pizzas and custom milkshakes from their late-night section, yum! For the wedding in addition to the salad and bread, Marcy helped us customized a few hors d'oeuvres to make them perfect for our picky palates. We selected a few plated main course options that were again customized: Marcy helped us turn one of their pasta options into a vegetarian and dairy free option for our guests with dietary restrictions, though it wasn't specifically on their menu they were able to create my favorite dish, and my husband selected their Grilled New York Strip Steak. All of these were absolutely incredible, but we aren't done yet; we also had desserts, our wedding cake and drinks provided by Chef by Design. These were also phenomenal. Though it is controversial, my husband is an Ohio State fan and requested buckeyes that John begrudgingly agree to make for us ;) thank you! I wasn't picky about our wedding cake as we are not cake people and I mostly just wanted it for the cake cutting picture, but WOW was it good. Food is so important, and Chef by Design does it right! Looking back, the tasting and working with Chef by Design to customize our menu was my favorite part of wedding planning by far!I cannot say enough about the incredible team at Chef by Design. In addition to the food, the staff is absolutely amazing! Everyone is so kind and they made sure that my groom and I did not go hungry on our big day. Despite our busy timeline, there was always a server ready with a drink or tray of hors d'oeuvres for us to grab between photos, and a hot plate of food for us once we were finally ready to eat. From start to finish the entire team took such great care of us. And of course, we had so many complements on the food and service from our guests. Cannot recommend Chef by Design enough for not only excellent food but top tier service! Thank you all again!
Olivia Walker
My husband and I had our Wedding Reception at The Neon House on 12/1/23, and to this day we are still getting compliments about the food from our wedding. We absolutely loved our Cocktail Hour choices, and deciding to go with a duet plated option for dinner was probably one of the best decisions that we made that day. Our meals we're perfectly cooked, and we received TONS of compliments about each of the apps/entrees that we're served. We could not be happier with our decision to not only have our wedding at The Neon House, but the fact that they made it easy for us with their in house catering services with Chef by Design. Our day was absolutely perfect, and we cannot thank everyone for their hard work in making it all come together! Love - Nick & Olivia Walker
Tori Davis megia
The food was delicious everyone raved about all of it , the staff was amazing if your looking for a top notch cater look no farther so many choices to make your special event exactly what your looking for
Tony O.
Their food is fantastic and the service is fabulous. We had them cater our wedding and everything was perfect, not a single complaint. They did the cake too, five stars for that as well.
Nichole Beebe
We were married at The Neon House on Saturday 10/28/2023 and used Chef By Design since they are the on-site caterer for The Neon House. When planning we knew that having really great food at our wedding was important to us and we were so lucky to have Chef By Design dropped into our laps. Joanie and Marcy (the owner) were wonderful to work with and helped us set up a menu that mixed and matched custom items with some of their regular offerings. We wanted to incorporate some Filipino food and they were so game! They listened to what we wanted and offered amazing suggestions. At our tasting I took one bite of short rib and knew we had made the right decision. The appetizers, entreés, desserts, wedding cake, late-night snack, and even the bread had our guests raving. We received SO MANY compliments on the food and the presentation. The serving and bar staff were professional, friendly, and fun and created the perfect atmosphere throughout the night. If you're looking for a delicious menu and some truly awesome people to work with, I can't recommend Chef By Design more!
Abigail Cooper Sproat-Hoke
Thank you to this team for all the delicious food & staff that made this smooth during the whole wedding. From our tasting to the wedding, we were impressed and satisfied with the choices we went with. We decided to go with buffet style for the reception, having sliders and fries, which was a HIT. And our cocktail hour were a hit too, going with 3 options; Caprese skewers, steak Crisanti, and she crab soup shooters with a crabcake on top (which was our FAVORITE). And we were especially lucky that there was a plate saved for us of the cocktail hour. The servers, bartenders & everyone else included were super attentive and made sure everything went smoothly. We also ended up getting an alcohol license and supplied the drinks, and we know those bartenders were on top of it (we like to party!!). Thank all of you for catering to every request and for making great food!! I wish I had more pictures of the set up (if I do I’ll update this post!)!
Ashley Pugh
Unfortunately I have not had a chance to eat the food they serve, and after today I will purposely choose to not support this business. I witnessed one of their drivers, in the company vehicle, exhibit unnecessary road rage on 264, when the vehicle he was aggressive with didn’t even alter his travel. He didn’t need to apply brakes or change lanes, yet laid on his horn and flipped someone off for changing lanes in front of him. I have no tolerance for companies that find this acceptable.
Chelsey Kraus
Outstanding food and service - if you are looking for an amazing Hampton Roads wedding caterer, look no further! I'm a wedding photographer and photographed a wedding where Chef by Design catered and WOW, they are top notch! The happy couple had a chicken & waffles station, shrimp & grits, and even more that was absolute perfection. Their staff couldn't have been more hospitable & kind - I had to ask the attendants if there were certain allergens present and they went above and beyond to ensure I was safe to eat what was available, checking on what oils were used (I have a peanut allergy) and whether there was sausage in the shrimp & grits (just picky, not an allergy haha). Can't wait to document more weddings that they are serving at. :)
SHANNON EARL
We had the pleasure of having CBD cater our wedding at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Our guests were (and I really can't stress this enough) AMAZED by how good the food was. And the cake (flavor appropriately named "Couples Favorite") was out of this world. If you get the opportunity to work with Chef by Design, please don't hesitate. I wouldn't change a thing about our experience with them, from the service day-of, to the communication leading up to our wedding. Everything was 10/10. I hope I get the chance to work with them again in the future.Thank you CBD!
Ally George
Julia and Emily were both such a pleasure to work with, they were so responsive and went above and beyond to make my wedding vision a reality :))The food was amazing!! Warm, fresh, and flavorful! and the waitstaff was the best I've experienced at any other wedding!!Thank you Chef by Design!
I hired Chef By Design to cater an in home party this past January and they were excellent to work with. Kellyn was very easy to work with & very responsive to every request and menu change I made. The day of event she arrived with the chef & an assistant and set a beautiful table, paying close attention to all the details. The chef prepared all the hot appetizers in my kitchen & the food was amazing. My guests were raving about the variety and the excellent tasting food, very impressed, said I raised the bar for neighborhood parties! Would definitely choose them again to cater any event.
Katrina Brittingham
My company has used Chef by Design multiple times now and each time has been met with incredible professionalism and enthusiasm. I've had the privilege of coordinating with Kellyn over the last couple of years and she has worked tirelessly to ensure all of my random and odd requests were accommodated. CBD has made event planning easy and stress free, allowing for an evening that can simply be enjoyed. Additionally, their product has by far surpassed expectations or hopes. They have provided quality food, beverage, and service. Through menu changes, additional drink menus, and longer hours, CBD has worked with my to create wonderful events. I highly recommend utilizing their services (again and again and again).
Katie Blackman
Absolutely the best food and service! We're so happy that we booked Chef by Design for our Wedding Day. Our guests loved everything, and we are so thankful for all of their hard work.
Aaron Wyatt
I recently used Chef By Design to cater a company event at my home. Their service and quality was amazing. I cannot tell you how many compliments I received regarding their performance. I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a full service catering company.
Kathy Vaughan
Julia and her crew were wonderful providing wonderful food and excellent service for my daughter's Sandbridge wedding. Everyone was so flexible, we didn't see the space until the day before. The food was fabulous!! All out guest raved about it.
We booked Chef by Design and The Neon House for our wedding rehearsal and wedding on 04.20.24. Both are owned and run by the husband-and-wife team, John and Marcy. While The Neon House was the perfect venue for us (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!), if it doesn't fit your wedding vision, Chef by Design can still provide the ultimate catering experience in any venue!!!! Not only do they have an extensive menu with so many delicious options; they are also open to customizing the perfect menu for every couple. After reviewing the menu, we knew that just one event would not be enough to fully experience everything that Chef by Design has to offer (hence booking them for rehearsal and wedding day). As basic and simple as these items seem; their house made bread and Caesar salad are a MUST! We had them at both events, I don't think any salad has every received so many complements and I will forever crave their bread! At the rehearsal we kept the menu fun with some of their grilled flatbread pizzas and custom milkshakes from their late-night section, yum! For the wedding in addition to the salad and bread, Marcy helped us customized a few hors d'oeuvres to make them perfect for our picky palates. We selected a few plated main course options that were again customized: Marcy helped us turn one of their pasta options into a vegetarian and dairy free option for our guests with dietary restrictions, though it wasn't specifically on their menu they were able to create my favorite dish, and my husband selected their Grilled New York Strip Steak. All of these were absolutely incredible, but we aren't done yet; we also had desserts, our wedding cake and drinks provided by Chef by Design. These were also phenomenal. Though it is controversial, my husband is an Ohio State fan and requested buckeyes that John begrudgingly agree to make for us ;) thank you! I wasn't picky about our wedding cake as we are not cake people and I mostly just wanted it for the cake cutting picture, but WOW was it good. Food is so important, and Chef by Design does it right! Looking back, the tasting and working with Chef by Design to customize our menu was my favorite part of wedding planning by far!I cannot say enough about the incredible team at Chef by Design. In addition to the food, the staff is absolutely amazing! Everyone is so kind and they made sure that my groom and I did not go hungry on our big day. Despite our busy timeline, there was always a server ready with a drink or tray of hors d'oeuvres for us to grab between photos, and a hot plate of food for us once we were finally ready to eat. From start to finish the entire team took such great care of us. And of course, we had so many complements on the food and service from our guests. Cannot recommend Chef by Design enough for not only excellent food but top tier service! Thank you all again!
My husband and I had our Wedding Reception at The Neon House on 12/1/23, and to this day we are still getting compliments about the food from our wedding. We absolutely loved our Cocktail Hour choices, and deciding to go with a duet plated option for dinner was probably one of the best decisions that we made that day. Our meals we're perfectly cooked, and we received TONS of compliments about each of the apps/entrees that we're served. We could not be happier with our decision to not only have our wedding at The Neon House, but the fact that they made it easy for us with their in house catering services with Chef by Design. Our day was absolutely perfect, and we cannot thank everyone for their hard work in making it all come together! Love - Nick & Olivia Walker
The food was delicious everyone raved about all of it , the staff was amazing if your looking for a top notch cater look no farther so many choices to make your special event exactly what your looking for
Their food is fantastic and the service is fabulous. We had them cater our wedding and everything was perfect, not a single complaint. They did the cake too, five stars for that as well.
We were married at The Neon House on Saturday 10/28/2023 and used Chef By Design since they are the on-site caterer for The Neon House. When planning we knew that having really great food at our wedding was important to us and we were so lucky to have Chef By Design dropped into our laps. Joanie and Marcy (the owner) were wonderful to work with and helped us set up a menu that mixed and matched custom items with some of their regular offerings. We wanted to incorporate some Filipino food and they were so game! They listened to what we wanted and offered amazing suggestions. At our tasting I took one bite of short rib and knew we had made the right decision. The appetizers, entreés, desserts, wedding cake, late-night snack, and even the bread had our guests raving. We received SO MANY compliments on the food and the presentation. The serving and bar staff were professional, friendly, and fun and created the perfect atmosphere throughout the night. If you're looking for a delicious menu and some truly awesome people to work with, I can't recommend Chef By Design more!
Thank you to this team for all the delicious food & staff that made this smooth during the whole wedding. From our tasting to the wedding, we were impressed and satisfied with the choices we went with. We decided to go with buffet style for the reception, having sliders and fries, which was a HIT. And our cocktail hour were a hit too, going with 3 options; Caprese skewers, steak Crisanti, and she crab soup shooters with a crabcake on top (which was our FAVORITE). And we were especially lucky that there was a plate saved for us of the cocktail hour. The servers, bartenders & everyone else included were super attentive and made sure everything went smoothly. We also ended up getting an alcohol license and supplied the drinks, and we know those bartenders were on top of it (we like to party!!). Thank all of you for catering to every request and for making great food!! I wish I had more pictures of the set up (if I do I’ll update this post!)!
Unfortunately I have not had a chance to eat the food they serve, and after today I will purposely choose to not support this business. I witnessed one of their drivers, in the company vehicle, exhibit unnecessary road rage on 264, when the vehicle he was aggressive with didn’t even alter his travel. He didn’t need to apply brakes or change lanes, yet laid on his horn and flipped someone off for changing lanes in front of him. I have no tolerance for companies that find this acceptable.
Outstanding food and service - if you are looking for an amazing Hampton Roads wedding caterer, look no further! I'm a wedding photographer and photographed a wedding where Chef by Design catered and WOW, they are top notch! The happy couple had a chicken & waffles station, shrimp & grits, and even more that was absolute perfection. Their staff couldn't have been more hospitable & kind - I had to ask the attendants if there were certain allergens present and they went above and beyond to ensure I was safe to eat what was available, checking on what oils were used (I have a peanut allergy) and whether there was sausage in the shrimp & grits (just picky, not an allergy haha). Can't wait to document more weddings that they are serving at. :)
We had the pleasure of having CBD cater our wedding at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Our guests were (and I really can't stress this enough) AMAZED by how good the food was. And the cake (flavor appropriately named "Couples Favorite") was out of this world. If you get the opportunity to work with Chef by Design, please don't hesitate. I wouldn't change a thing about our experience with them, from the service day-of, to the communication leading up to our wedding. Everything was 10/10. I hope I get the chance to work with them again in the future.Thank you CBD!
Julia and Emily were both such a pleasure to work with, they were so responsive and went above and beyond to make my wedding vision a reality :))The food was amazing!! Warm, fresh, and flavorful! and the waitstaff was the best I've experienced at any other wedding!!Thank you Chef by Design!
Restaurantji Recommends
I hired Chef By Design to cater an in home party this past January and they were excellent to work with. Kellyn was very easy to work with & very responsive to every request and menu change I made. The day of event she arrived with the chef & an assistant and set a beautiful table, paying close attention to all the details. The chef prepared all the hot appetizers in my kitchen & the food was amazing. My guests were raving about the variety and the excellent tasting food, very impressed, said I raised the bar for neighborhood parties! Would definitely choose them again to cater any event.
My company has used Chef by Design multiple times now and each time has been met with incredible professionalism and enthusiasm. I've had the privilege of coordinating with Kellyn over the last couple of years and she has worked tirelessly to ensure all of my random and odd requests were accommodated. CBD has made event planning easy and stress free, allowing for an evening that can simply be enjoyed. Additionally, their product has by far surpassed expectations or hopes. They have provided quality food, beverage, and service. Through menu changes, additional drink menus, and longer hours, CBD has worked with my to create wonderful events. I highly recommend utilizing their services (again and again and again).
Absolutely the best food and service! We're so happy that we booked Chef by Design for our Wedding Day. Our guests loved everything, and we are so thankful for all of their hard work.
I recently used Chef By Design to cater a company event at my home. Their service and quality was amazing. I cannot tell you how many compliments I received regarding their performance. I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a full service catering company.
Julia and her crew were wonderful providing wonderful food and excellent service for my daughter's Sandbridge wedding. Everyone was so flexible, we didn't see the space until the day before. The food was fabulous!! All out guest raved about it.