Hearty Boys Caterers

We had an amazing experience working with Hearty Boys for our wedding in September 2015 at Lacuna Artist Lofts! The entire process from start to finish was easy, they were great with communication (even when we switched from working with Margaret to Steve mid-​way through planning– the transition was handled very well), and the food was SO GOOD. We had 140 guests, and our friends and family are still raving about the food at the wedding and recounting their favorite dishes.
Here are a few of my favorite parts of working with Hearty Boys:
— Their menu had a ton of variety, and we were able to put together two buffet table options that fit our vibe (urban BBQ & local farm-​to-​table entrees) plus passed desserts (mini mason jar pies — and you didn’t even need to leave the dance floor!)
— They were familiar with our venue and therefore knew how to make the most of the space
— They worked with a variety of food preference/​allergies for our event (we asked for dishes that included vegetarian, gluten-​free and shellfish-​free options)
— They were flexible with our ideas, but also gave realistic and helpful advice based on their experience
— The catering staff was really great and a lot of fun! My wife and I had a personal server that night who followed us around to make sure our plates were always full and our drinks were never empty. I was so grateful to have those gentle reminders to actually eat the food at our wedding, because we had been daydreaming about those dishes all year!
— They were always professional, but Steve never hesitated to make a joke and remind us that weddings are supposed to be a good time!
Thanks again, Steve, Margaret & Hearty Boys!

I had the BEST experience with Hearty Boys, Steve & Dan are awesome! They catered my wedding 12÷12÷15 at Ovation for 200 guests. The food tasted just as promised, the same as it did at our tasting in September. The staff was very friendly and very helpful. My wedding party had a such a great time, they raved about the food, service and experience.
Moreover, working with Hearty Boys was a breeze. I never had to repeat a request, inquiries were answered promptly, and Steve clearly explained the details and flow of events to ensure a smooth delivery. Their menu had more appeal than most and if you try the food, you’ll know you don’t need to look any further, this place won’t disappoint.

Hearty Boys catered our November 7^th wedding. Here is why they were amazing:
1) The food was unique and delicious
2) The appetizers were incredible. It’s been over a week and people are still talking about them.
3) They helped us to develop «His and Hers» signature cocktails, which they passed around to our guests during our cocktail hour.
4) The bar was incredible. Like over the top classy and amazing. The drinks were also very strong even though we paid «per person».
5) They set up little water stations all around our lounge area so that our guests could stay hydrated.
6) Steve thought of every little detail possible to make the night amazing.
7) They assigned a catering staff to make sure that my husband and I were never without drinks or food.
8) They were a delight to work with. So nice and fun!
Really, you cannot go wrong with The Hearty Boys. They are incredible and will make your event fabulous.

For all of our wedding vendors, we found that the best ones were personable, communicative, and detailed in the documentation of their services. Hearty Boys catering was the gold-​standard against which all other vendors were measured. A couple other catering outfits we spoke with provided us with a proposed menu. Hearty Boys proposal included not only our fairly specialized menu but also a breakdown of labor and equipment costs, right down to the flatware and glasses.
Among our guests were a few gluten-​free folks, some vegetarians and vegans, and two guests observing Ramadan. We wanted to make sure that these needs were addressed in every course, from passed appetizers during the cocktail hour, through our buffet-​style dinner, and into dessert. Hearty Boys was able to deliver, modifying some recipes and making sure elements like cheeses and salad croutons were available from separate dishes. They also made sure to prepare and reserve two plates for our observant guests to eat after sundown.
The staff Hearty Boys assembled for our event could not have been more professional and personable. Moreover, the staff took the time to let us know that they enjoyed being at our wedding, which we appreciated greatly.
Finally, our contact at Hearty Boys, Margaret, took a new job opportunity during the months leading up to our wedding. Margaret and Hearty made a seamless transition to a new contact person, Katie. Both Margaret and Katie did a great job listening to and addressing our concerns. Extra kudos to Katie for handling a last-​minute guest count change and flawlessly coordinating with our wedding planner and the venue manager.
Hearty Boys catering is the best, we could not be happier with their services.

Hearty Boys catered our 6÷20÷15 wedding at A New Leaf and all I can say is — book them for your event!!!
Ok I guess I can say a bit more. Here’s why…
— Both the drinks and food are exceptional, creative and memorable. Our guests are still bringing up how delicious everything was!
— They are a seasoned group and know exactly what they’re doing. You can relax knowing they’ll think of every detail.
–They go beyond their catering duties and make great recommendations for the event flow and then seamlessly execute everything as planned. In fact, I did not hire a wedding planner for the day of the event (on Steve’s recommendation) and at no point did I regret that decision.
— They will exceed your expectations even if they’re set very high. Steve assigned a catering staff to shadow myself and my husband which meant our glasses were never empty and we actually were able to sit down and enjoy loads of the delicious food. None of this «I didn’t even get to eat on my wedding day» nonsense. Pshhh. This was an unexpected but completely valuable service!
Finally, Steve is just a really cool guy with fantastic taste. Go with Hearty Boys and they’ll make you look good!

I’m very excited to write this review as my husband and I are still dreaming about our food from our June 19^th wedding at Bridgeport Art Center. You absolutely MUST try hearty boys for a tasting, once you do this, you will choose them as part of your special day! The tasting is what really peaked our interest and made us feel most at home with Hearty Boys. Steve M. greeted us with champagne and an absolutely beautiful tasting menu that still sticks in my mind as some of the best food, certainly wedding food, my husband and i had ever had. Once choosing hearty boys for our catering, everything fell into place. Steve M. is one of the most professional, yet fun, easy going and organized people I have ever met. He certainly gave me faith, that with him involved, our wedding would go off without a hitch. During our cocktail hour Hor D’oeuvres were passed, but of course Steve M. ensured that my husband and I had a plate of 2 of each immediately after our ceremony, to ensure we got to try everything we had selected!
Our cocktail hour menu included:
Chili Garlic Pork Belly Skewers (amazing)
Barbacoa Empanadita (amazing)
Red Curry Chicken Wontons (my favorite!)
Chicken and Waffle (amazing)
Porcini Arancini (amazing)
Our guests raved about the hor d’oeuvres and my husband and I certainly appreciated having food immediately after the ceremony, eating is key!!!
Once cocktail hour started, to my surprise, Steve M. greeted us in person:) I knew he would be there during the afternoon, but didn’t expect to see him there through dinner service. He was so great to compliment me, the bride, and explain how dinner service would work! made us feel that everything was going according to plan!
Dinner service was amazing as expected, our guests had a choice of:
Braised Short Rib
Braised Chicken Thigh
Toasted Farro (the veg option)
My husband and i were lucky enough to be served all three options and devoured as much as we could! Our guests have told us that their food was some of the best food they’ve had, especially at weddings.
For dessert, Steve M arranged for us to have mini mason jar pies, they were so cute and so fun for all of our guests to have their own individual dessert.
I can’t say enough good things about Hearty Boys staff, the wait staff, and Steve M, for coordinating an absolutely wonderful food experience for my husband, myself and all of our friends and family:) I would highly highly recommend choosing hearty boys for your special day, i know ours would not have been as good without hearty boys!!!

We used Hearty Boys for our April 18, 2015 wedding and we LOVED working with them! Their staff is professional and the food is amazing! We chose the slow braised short rib, lavendar fried chicken and the toasted farro for our wedding reception. People were RAVING about the slow braised short rib. It was cooked to perfection and the meat just melted right on the fork — no knife necessary!
Margaret was our point person for our wedding catering needs and she was phenomenal to work with. My mother-​in-​law baked our wedding cupcakes and Hearty Boys generously agreed to store all of our cupcakes a couple days before our wedding and frost all of our cupcakes on the day of the wedding at no extra charge! They were so amazing to work with. Margaret is an angel and so unbelievably accommodating.
We loved having Hearty Boys cater our wedding! Unbelievable work guys! Thank you!

This place has great food/​breakfast. Very small and very crowded !!! Awsome food… Beers good to! Great little place.

I did not end up using this company because they were a bit out my price range, but their menu looks delicious and they are responsive, kind and helpful. Excellent service.

We used the Hearty Boys for our wedding on November 1^st, 2014. We had three tastings with caterers before we chose HB and they gave us the most impressive tasting menu. We had the tasting in the upstairs room of their restaurant Spritzburger, which was beautifully decorated and Steve had breakfast cocktails (champagne and mimosas) ready for us as well as coffee. They were really accommodating to my schedule, I am a doctor and I could only do a tasting between 9 – 11 AM which they set up without complaint. We chose the following appetizers:
— Chicago pigs in a blanket: perfect little bite sized Chicago style hot dog, perfect to showcase some Chicago cuisine!
— Barbacoa empanada which surprised us all as our favorite of all the apps
— lavendar fried chicken and waffle with gravy was on a pretty toothpick and was the perfect bite size, and tasted delicious
— savory blue cheese thumbprint cookies with fig spread
— proscuitto crostini with brussel sprout
All of the appetizers were perfectly bite sized, which I think is important at a cocktail hour where people are standing and don’t want to spill all over themselves!
Steve also did a signature cocktail for us, which was a «stone fence» — they were just on the news making the cocktail so that was fun! It was a delicious mixture of bourbon, ginger syrup, apple cider and lemon juice which was perfect for fall — and got me a little tipsy without tasting overly boozy at all!
The first course was a roasted vegetable and ricotta tart with a side of greens with light dressing, which was delicious. Steve told us in the beginning that it reminded him of a vintage style recipe and they have been making it for a long time. They even gave us the recipe for the ricotta tart, which I made into a cute little recipe card for all the guests which I thought was a nice touch.
For dinner I wanted to do something out of the box, not the typical beef meal and HB was so great about coming up with something perfect. They have a veal osso buco on the menu, which for 200 people would have been too expensive for us. We tried a pounded veal osso buco style but we all decided that it wasn’t the same. Dan suggested that we try pork shank, which we served osso buco style and it was DELICIOUS! I have gotten so many compliments from people saying that we had the best wedding food they had ever tasted, especially about the pork. We also served a tomato poached white fish, both of the entrees came with delicious cheesy grits and beautifully colored roasted root vegetables. The vegetarian dish surprised us as it was so yummy (we are obviously a meat loving family) which was this beautiful toasted farro with roasted vegetables with a parmesan cream. We even told them (very last minute) that we had a vegan attending the wedding, who usually doesn’t expect to eat (how sad!) and they accommodated her needs.
The service was amazing as well. My husband and I had a private server that made sure I always had a drink in my hand and food in my stomach. I obviously was running around too much to notice the service elsewhere, but everyone told us later that the service was impeccable. Steve was there in the beginning making sure everything ran smoothly and looked perfect.
So I know this was a long winded review, but I loved them so much and thought that everyone should know! In summary, the food was delicious and served hot, the servers were professional and wonderful, Steve and Dan were always accommodating and professional. From the beginning, and what lead me to choose the Hearty Boys to begin with, was the genuine feeling I got from Steve that he cared about making my wedding a wonderful event and he delivered on that every step of the way!
Thanks Hearty Boys!

We used Hearty Boys for our August 23^rd wedding. From the beginning Kitty was so warm and easy to work with. From the initial meeting to the tasting to all the several hundred questions in between she understood the route we wanted to go and stayed right around our budget. Everyone raved about the food, the excellent service, and the dessert bar.
The expressway flooded and it took people 3 hours to get from our church to the venue and the staff was so supportive and helpful with continuing the cocktail hour until our of our guests arrived. Kitty payed special attention yo everyone with food allergies which made our lives so much less stressful knowing everyone could enjoy a hearty portion of food (see what I did there?) speaking of, the meals were huge and no one was left hungry!
The bartenders and serving staff were all so attentive and polite! Above and beyond there!
I would recommend Hearty Boys to anyone planning a big event. We are so thankful for her direction and collaboration with our other vendors. And I would recommend Kitty in a heart beat!
We are so thankful to have found such a wonderful caterer and friend!

Hearty Boys delivered a spectacular a wedding. Our venue had no official kitchen area, had a couple of BYOB bars, no table settings, and we were trying to arrange this all from Europe.
Kitty was a joy to work with. She was nice, responsive, and seemed to take ownership of the event (which is exactly what we wanted!) She help us coordinate deliveries, timing, table décor, and even some small touches around the venue.
The food was delicious. The logistics were smooth. The bartenders were pros. The food was top notch. The servers and attendees were gracious and ever present.
It was everything we could hope for. The execution at the pre-​ceremony cocktail hour and the dinner/​dessert/​coffee was flawless. Hearty Boys even managed to easily move the almost 200 party-​goers between floors.
The best part about it all though was the help before the wedding. They were so accommodating of our schedules and needs, so helpful with the little details, and brilliant at helping us plan the evening timing-​wise.
They earned our trust and we are so thankful that we chose Hearty Boys.
5 Stars. Absolutely worth the price!

Hearty Boys catered our December 2013 wedding at Loft on Lake. Easy review, here is what we ate:
—–
Bacon Wrapped Scallops (not on the menu but my husband REALLY wanted them)
Chicago Pigs in a Blanket (like a tiny chicago style hotdog with all the fixins!)
Seared Saku Tuna on a Wonton Crisp
Spiced Beef Skewers (made with spices we brought in from texas — our flavor spirit animal!)
Kimchi Spring Roll
Forest Mushroom Cannoli
Deconstructed Grilled Caesar with Anchovy Caesar Dressing (like, even the salad was remarkable!)
Buttermilk Lavender Fried Chicken Breast with horseradish chive mashed potatoes and collard greens with pickled red onions
Pumpkin Risotto with goat cheese, crispy kale chips and toasted pepitas
Mini Mason Jar Peach Ginger Pies
Mini Mason Jar Pumpkin Pies
Mini Mason Jar Lemon Meringue Pies
—-
Steve was a delight to work with. He worked within our budget, had great ideas, and whipped up some out of this world signature cocktails for us. He made sure that my mother-​in-​law had a special meal that worked with her many food allergies. He’d worked in the space before and was able to provide expertise on what would and would not work in our venue.
people raved about the food and cocktails all night long.
We were so proud to serve everything at our wedding! I would work with Hearty Boys a million times over.

I am definitely not the first one to complain about Kitty’s unprofessional and overly aggressive attitude on Unilocal,and I suspect I will not be the last. Do your research folks, because their delicious food simply isn’t worth the cost of dealing with her.
I initially had difficulty getting someone from HB to respond to my online inquiry and return my follow-​up phone call; however, I received a nice e-​mail from the owner, apologizing for the situation, and the manager of the event space gushed about HB, so I felt comfortable enough to hire them to cater my wedding on 12÷7÷13.
When I first spoke with Kitty, she seemed very nice. She helped us create a non-​traditional yet exciting menu, answered all of our questions, and had a lot of great ideas on how to make our event run smoothly. Our first tasting was great, the food pretty darn close to amazing, and she sent follow up e-​mails monthly to check-​in and see how things were going. In other words, she did everything a catering manager should do.
Fast forward to 2−½ weeks before the wedding. We had some concerns about the due date for our final payment and called her to discuss the situation. To be very clear: there was NEVER an issue with us being unable to make our final payment; rather, we wanted only to extend the due date because my then-​fiancé, J, is self-​employed, and we weren’t sure if his commission checks would get to us on time. I’d be receiving my work bonus on 12/​15, but we were sure he’d receive his checks sometime before then. His dad even offered to cover the balance if they couldn’t extend the date, but this was truly a last resort option.
Rather than handle the situation professionally, Kitty chose to berate J for even asking to change the due date because we signed the contract. How exactly were we supposed to know A YEAR AGO that his commission checks were going to be late?! Part of being a business owner is being flexible enough to know and understand that things like this happen. I’ve never heard of a catering company not at least accepting final payments on the day of the event.
I then called and explained the situation in greater detail, but she berated me as well. I kid you not, I felt like a deadbeat loser by the end of the conversation. After lots of back and forth, she finally agreed to talk to the owner, but called a few hours later and again told J that they would not extend the date at all. Tired of her negative attitude, J finally said that he didn’t want this to be such a negative experience, and that he wanted to keep the conversation positive.
She then asks if he is THREATENING her. He says no, but she doubles down and says she thinks he’s threatening her. Accusing someone of a threat is very serious business, and is not something we take lightly. I’ve known J for nearly 7 years. He’s a harmless eccentric who actively avoids negative situations.
We completely understand that they couldn’t extend the due date, and were fortunately able to pay our final balance in advance of the contracted due date, but the way Kitty chose to treat us was completely uncalled for. We were beyond offended by her argumentative attitude and accusation, and knew that we could no longer trust her to manage our event. Had this situation not occurred so close to my wedding, you better believe I would have taken my business elsewhere. But we were stuck, and HB clearly knew they had the upper hand.
Margaret took over as our event manager, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with her. Despite meeting us in the midst of a really unpleasant experience, she was nothing less than professional and courteous at all times.
I really wish this could have been a 5 star review. All of the guests raved about the food, Margaret was awesome, and the event staff performed phenomenally; unfortunately, none of this makes up for Kitty’s behavior. We have zero interest in using HB for future events, and we’re certainly not going to recommend them to others. I can, however, highly recommend Margaret, so do yourselves a huge favor and ask for her if you choose to work with them.
EDIT 12÷19÷13: While Dan thinks the «main issue» is that we demanded to pay after the wedding, the fact is that we paid the final balance in full, prior to the contracted due date, after both our initial request (NOT demand) to push the due date to 12÷15÷13, and subsequent request for ¹²⁄₇ (our wedding), were denied. J’s dad came through for us and we were more than happy to pay. Simple as that!
Dan fails to understand that my «main issue» is about Kitty accusing J of threatening her not once but TWICE, when he never did. See also Aja C.‘s review below for another example of the Kitty experience.
I frankly don’t care how good someone is at planning an event, customer service is just as important. Making baseless accusations or insulting remarks to your clients is simply unprofessional in my book, and certainly doesn’t equate to being «one of the best wedding planners in Chicago.»

My experience having Hearty Boys cater my wedding echoes those of Kathryn T., Beth C., and Lauren D. Kitty was a patient and responsive resource throughout our planning process and burdened us only with those decisions we absolutely had to make. She spared us the rest, which we appreciated as the stress of wedding planning reached a fever pitch.
Oddly, the wedding party’s table’s roasted chicken entrées were drier than those served to other guests, and the vegetables were different from those we’d ordered. It was a minor disappointment. Our guests raved about the meal, and that’s what mattered to us most.
Thank you to Kitty and the Hearty Boys for making our wedding fun, easy, and delicious!

I really want to give a better rating for the Hearty Boys but unfortunately I can’t. Here’s what happened:
We were recommended to hire them for our engagement party. The whole process was easy and we trusted they had everything correct.
The day of the party, as the start time neared, they hadn’t arrived. They had the time incorrect, when the start time was clearly requested. I called the kitchen and emailed our catering manager, Ashley. The kitchen was apologetic on the phone with me and said that they would get the food to us with in 45 minutes.
Fortunately the food showed up 45 minutes later; 30 guests had already arrived by then. The food was pretty good overall and the guests seemed to like it.
In response to my email directed to the catering manager, there was no apology for what happened, nor was there any follow up to see how the food was, or to offer a formal apology the next day. I waited five days after our event to see if she would call, and nothing. I’m not one to be a jerk — I know things can happen, but please make the effort to call your client and offer an apology in the very least.
Unfortunately, I will not be using them again.

We hired Hearty Boys for our September wedding without hesitation. Their food was delicious (go to their restaurant and see for yourself), the chef at our tasting was hilarious and obviously talented, and Steve, one of the two owners, was with us every step of the way! From the beginning, we were attracted to their way of doing business, and we liked that they were a family-​owned business. We also liked that Steve was able to work with us to stick to our budget (a real challenge when it comes to weddings!) while meeting our needs and going beyond our expectations to ensure our day was smooth sailing and perfect.
Don’t kid yourself – planning a wedding is a crazy, big thing. Steve quelled pre-​wedding fears when he did a walk through with us at our reception venue Architectural Artifacts the week before our wedding, working with us to ensure everything – from our table arrangements, to orchestrating the order of events, lighting and so forth – was all set.
The service at our event was prompt and seamless. We especially loved the yummy appetizers, the buffalo chicken mac and cheese squares, the savory donuts, the cute pies in mason jars, and the chocolate chip cookies and bourbon milk they served at the end of the night! Yes, we are five years old. But whether you’re 5 or 50, you should probably hire Hearty!

The smartest thing I ever did second to marrying my wife, was hire Hearty Boys to caterer the event.
They did more than caterer this event, they made it all happen flawlessly.
First, the food was exceptional. We did a buffet style fajita bar and many many of our guests said it wasn’t even «wedding» food, it was the best food they’ve had at any event.
We were fortunate enough to get to work with Steve, who from the moment we walked in the door was a resource to us. He is organized, understanding and truly cares about making your wedding day perfect.
He helped us with table clothes, napkins, chairs, you name it… way beyond food. He did a walk through with us and pretty much made sure everyone was ready to go for a flawless day.
Steve was the first person I was greeted by when I shows up to the venue on my wedding day. He made sure I had a drink waiting for me. When it started raining, he escorted me with his paperwork covering my just done hair. He made sure everything was set up exactly how we had pictured it. His staff was attentive, considerate and made sure everyone was having the perfect time!
I would recommend Hearty Boys to anyone planning a wedding, a party, any event that needs catering! Steve and his staff hands down made our special day as special as it ever could be!

Was I talking with the wrong Hearty Boys? Are you all pranking me? Because my experience wasn’t pleasant with Kitty at all.
Things started out great. My fiancé and I live in California, so we had to do all of the initial work over email or phone. We emailed back and forth, then I hopped on the phone for a call with Kitty so she could get a feel of what we wanted. That went great. So great, that I even emailed my Dad and said «this is the one for our wedding!» before we even got the proposal.
Once the proposal came in, I was so confused. It was WAY over our budget and nothing looked appetizing on the menu at all. To make things easy, I’ll just paste our email exchange here:
«Hi Kitty,
Thanks so much for sending this along.
I have to be honest in saying that I was a bit bummed about the proposal. All of the food seems pretty pricey, and to be blunt, we didn’t like almost everything on there. We kind of just felt like it was all over the place, with Asian-​type hors d’oeuvres, French-​type crepes (we’ve decided we definitely don’t want these), and American carvings. Also, am I correct in saying that the dessert was not wrapped into the proposal so it will raise the price per head?
Also the cost of staff just seems extremely high. All of the other proposals I received did not have anywhere near the amount of staff. Can you explain a little bit as to why we’d need all of those people?
I can chat tomorrow around 3 PM your time if that is fine with you!
Thanks,
Jenny»
This was her response:
«Jenny.
I am not in the office after 2:00 PM tomorrow. «
What?! No greeting, no questions as to what was so wrong, nothing. Just felt so cold and came off like she was so offended by my email. She never once followed up with that email in any way, shape, or form. Not even to try to move things around to make our budget work. Such a sign of immaturity and so unprofessional. Who doesn’t try to make potential clients… clients?!
You don’t want to hear some criticism? That’s fine. I took my money over to Food For Thought and am having such an amazing experience planning everything with them. We even raised our budget because they worked with us to build such an amazing menu that is SO «us.» So Kitty, your email of «I realize it’s over the budget that we discussed but I wanted this to include everything that we spoke about so that you could see the costs.» isn’t gonna fly with this bride. Food For Thought made it work AND gave us more than you did. Who knows, maybe if you were a little more willing to work with us, we would have raised our budget for you too.
(Just for all you potential clients out there, I asked her to keep it around $ 100/​head, which in my opinion is not «a bad budget» at all. She delivered $ 140/​head, $ 6000 over the whole budget.)
I’m sure Hearty Boys is great, and maybe I just caught her on a bad day. Oh well. Definitely not my loss.

We chose Hearty Boys to cater our wedding at A New Leaf in Chicago on 9÷28÷2012 and are extremely glad that we did. Barbara was our «everything» contact and she made the experience a truly great one. In fact, her staff at our wedding was absolutely top-​tier and we’re very thankful they were on our team for the night. We ultimately chose them beacuse the food at the tasting was so incredible and Barbara worked with us to find a package that was amazing and also inside of our budget.
Probably the greatest moment for me was just after the ceremony, when my new wife and I were hiding before making our grand entrance. The anxiety of the ceremony is over and you’re sitting there in a jumble. The supervisor for the evening brought us each our favorite mixed drinks and a platter of appetizers while we waitied. AWESOMENESS! We didn’t have to give thought to anything they were doing the whole night, so their experience paid off big time.
If you’re trying to decide which of the many caterers to use for your event, absolutely check these guys out. Organized, reasonable and so great!