Laura Ochalski
I called Emily’s cafe and catering only a month out when the number of people who were RSVP-ing for my daughter’s engagement party began to quickly surpass what I had expected. I spoke with Lauren, the catering manager, and thankfully (probably because it was February in the dead of winter), they had the day available which immediately put my mind at ease. Working with Lauren was incredibly easy. She not only chose the completely Gluten Free menu for me (including passed hors d’oeuvres, buffet dinner and dessert), she also arranged for a heated tent to be connected to my house for additional space, all the rentals needed (tables, chairs, linens, flatware, china, glassware, etc) as well as made arrangements with ShopRite liquors to deliver the bar beverages on the morning of. I literally didn’t have to do anything other than make small flower bouquets for the tables and decorate. For reference, the party was for approximately 65 people in my home.
On the day of the party, Emily’s crew of 5 (3 servers including Lauren, chef and bartender) arrived right on time. It would be an understatement to say they worked together like a “well oiled machine”. Chef Robert quickly got acquainted with my kitchen and went right to work with food prep, Justin set up the bar in the tent, and Lauren, Jill and Jack began setting up what they needed for the buffet and dessert tables. They began walking around with the hors d’oeuvres as soon as the first guests arrived and about an hour later, just before dinner was to be served, Lauren gave me the nod that it would be a good time for the “toast”.
The food was outstanding! It’s hard to say which passed hors d’oeuvre was the favorite as they were all delicious - 4 types of skewers (Flank Steak, baby lamb chop, marinated chicken and sweet chili shrimp) as well as endives with dates and goat cheese. The buffet dinner was just as good and no one left hungry as they had a choice of chicken marsala, rosemary salmon, roasted veggies, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, risotto cakes and candied pecan salad. I appreciated that Lauren and chef Robert reached out to me 2 days before the party to confirm that the entire menu was GF, including the mini red velvet cupcakes for dessert.
I would highly recommend Emily’s without hesitation to anyone looking for a caterer. They have a large menu of food choices to select from (including GF), are professional with lots of connections, patient, friendly, easy to work with and the food is exceptional. After the night was over, they cleaned up so well that one could barely tell there had been a party. I even found the left over food packed nicely in my refrigerator which my family appreciated and enjoyed the next day.
Thank you to the staff of Emily’s who catered my event. You helped make my daughter’s and her fiancé’s engagement party perfect! I couldn’t have been happier at the end of the night and I am still getting compliments from people who attended the party!
Accommodating Gluten-Free