Donovan’s Dish

We are so glad we chose Donovan’s Dish for our wedding. Bottom line: SEVERAL people told us it was the best wedding food they’d ever had. That should be enough! But there’s more…
We had some guests with special dietary needs, and Melissa was on top of it, they even made a special dish for those guests and brought it to them! And, they brought me and my husband our plates first, so we could actually eat our meal with our friends (stereotypes about not eating at your wedding be damned! We ate, and it was delicious).
The staff were all lovely and nice, and worked really fast to flip everything over during cocktails so that everything was perfectly on time.
5 Stars!
Tiffany and Steve

I contacted Donovan’s Dish regarding a quote. The coordinator, responded almost 3 weeks later with a quote. Which happened to after she sent me a quote that was not approved by her manager. Then when I emailed her stating that I selected another caterer, she responded asking me who I decided to go with? I responded by tell her who and that this was a red flag for me. Simply because it made me wondered if this same behavior would occur on my special day. She responded by telling me that was definitely not the case. I really enjoyed Donovan’s food that I had at an event but I was disappointed at how I was tried as a potential customer.

Donovan’s Dish was absolutely, without a doubt, the best vendor we worked with during our year long engagement and wedding day! I consulted with two other major Durham, North Carolina caterers and no one came close to possessing the friendliness, responsiveness, down to earth-​ness (yes, I made up a word), and creativity that Donovan’s Dish demonstrated every step of the way!
Christian is absolutely amazing at what she does! The service she provided from our initial conversation to the very end was beyond five stars. Wedding planning is stressful enough and I felt like daily communication with Christian left me feeling stress free and confident that our reception would be amazing!
I could call or email Christian about any reception details and she responded so fast and always gave her honest opinion.
We had a tight budget for our 110 person wedding and I refused to have a buffet. Christian worked extremely hard to prepare a menu and setup that suit our tastes. When I gave up, she kept working and she definitely surpassed all expectations with the final menu – including price!
The food – out of this world! We had shrimp and grits – better than any we’ve ever had; prime rib – so moist and tender and flavorful; sweet potatoes that our guests couldn’t get enough of! And, you know the food is fresh and unforgettable when weeks later, guests are still saying «even the salad was better than any salad we’ve ever had!» No one would ever believe how awesome the price per person was for the quality and amount of food provided!
On our wedding day, Christian took care of my husband and I, ensuring that we were served our dinner and dessert and that all of our guests were satisfied. The presentation of the food was incredible! I never thought rolls could look so yummy but they did (and they were).
The reception went so smoothly, everyone thought I had a wedding planner – I just told them no, I had Donovan’s Dish! They even packed up leftovers for us!
I can’t imagine anyone planning a wedding without Christian! She is professional and fun and creative and thoughtful and she works HARD to please! Having someone who knows their stuff and is easy to communicate with is critical for such an important event. I literally miss her!
We highly recommend Donovan’s Dish for all catering needs! There really cannot be a better caterer in North Carolina – it seems impossible.
We do not have a single complaint or a single negative comment because Donovan’s Dish is just that flawless!
Jill, TJ, and Christian – you’re amazing!!! We will find another way to party with you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

We hired Donovan’s Dish for my wedding & we were blown away! I had a very specific idea in mind for what my flowers would look like for my wedding & had of course saved tons of picture ideas to share.
I met with Kyle & Jill & went over every little detail. They took the time to look at every single photo my crazy self had saved & even recommended their professional advice to bring it all together & stay in budget.
The day of my wedding I was more than upset to be moved into a chapel rather than my dream outdoor wedding that we’d planned, but due to rain it was necessary. It was a very last minute decision, so Kyle had to improvise to make my outdoor décor work inside.
As those chapel doors opened & I saw what DD had done with it on such short notice I was starting to feel much more at ease. The beautiful, lavish urns full of fragrant, full, white flowers framing the decorative tall mirror altar was so unique & special to me. But when I walked into the reception space I was truly blown away!
Kyle & Jill took my ideas & made my dreams come to life & then some! Kyle had worked in all of my requests with flowers, props such as candelabras & candle holders, & coordinated all of the moving around with bouquets throughout the evening. The flowers were no doubt the first thing you noticed & the one thing no one will forget! He even custom made a blingy bouquet faux diamond wrap, & just when I thought there was nothing more he could possibly do, he made a beautiful flower clip for my hair — his talents are endless!
Thanks to Kyle & Jill at Donovan’s Dish, my wedding was unforgettable & timeless. Thank you both so much for making this brides dream wedding come true!

From my first e-​mail and phone call to Donovan’s Dish to the end of a PERFECT Wedding Rehearsal Dinner event, I could not have been more impressed.
First, the people are amazing – they treated us like family. TJ, the chef, proposed a terrific menu based on just a few initial comments about what we had in mind. He invited the prospective bride and groom for a tasting and happily made a couple of adjustments at their request (such as having only meatless appetizers as some guests are vegetarians). The meal was amazing not only in terms of being absolutely delicious, but also being impeccably presented.
The event planners Jill and Christian were meticulous in detail, starting with listening attentively to what we had in mind, offering suggestions, and flawlessly executing the dinner for 65 guests at the Durham Arts Council in North Carolina. They went out of their way to make things easy for us, as we had to plan the event mostly over the phone and by e-​mail because we live out of state.
Finally, the evening of the dinner, the staff was outstanding. Everyone made it look easy (I am sure that designing, preparing, serving, and cleaning up after a large dinner event is NOT easy). Most importantly, the staff from Donovan’s Dish were not only extremely professional and focused on every detail, but also looked like they were having fun! Each one smiled continuously, and was gracious with every guest.
This was a wonderful and memorable event and I am most grateful to Donovan’s Dish for making it happen.