Primal Alchemy Catering

Great food and great service from start to finish. Thank you Chef Paul, Mona and Manny!

Great food, wonderful people — what more can you ask for? Chef Paul, Mona, and the entire crew were creative, caring, and professional. They helped make our special event stress-​free and delicious. The service was personal and well executed. Highly recommend!

Had their kale salad at at Orange County Museum event and enjoyed it. Loved the wooden bowls.

We used Primal Alchemy for our wedding last summer & absolutely loved their food! Truly appreciate that they use local & seasonal foods! So fresh & absolutely delicious. They also recommended wines to pair with the appetizers and the dinner & they were all fantastic! I received many comments that the food Primal Alchemy served at our wedding is the best wedding food people have had. Absolutely delicious!

Chef Paul and his team at Primal Alchemy are simply phenomenal. I would highly recommend them for any event, and especially if you are looking for a world-​class caterer for your wedding day, go with Chef Paul. He and his staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and will create an amazing meal that works with your budget. And to top it off, Chef Paul has an inspiring passion and vision for the use of healthy, local, sustainable foods. I really appreciated his attention to detail, and his ability to meet different dietary restrictions while making our 150 guest reception dinner absolutely delicious. Our guests loved the meal, and we loved supporting a local business with sustainability in mind. Thank you Primal Alchemy!

We used Primal Alchemy for our wedding rehearsal dinner and boy, are we so glad we did! Chef Paul met with us before the event and helped us plan our table set-​up and gave us a wonderful sampling of his culinary abilities while we discussed the menu. We were so impressed with his experience and knowledge of farm to table (which is why we were drawn to Primal Alchemy to begin with). He clearly is passionate about food and makes it a labor of love. He worked hard to design a menu that would accommodate our budget, but still satisfy everything we envisioned. Our guests all RAVED about the food and Paul’s team was so sweet, but professional and on top of it. The braised short ribs were melt-​in-​your-​mouth divine! The bread pudding dessert was the best we’ve ever had! I have no doubt that Primal Alchemy will exceed any expectations as they did ours!!!

Primal Alchemy and I go way back. My husband occasionally covered them at local events when he worked for the Post, and recently I competed in their Top Fish challenge. The thing about the catering company that keeps me so intrigued is how they look at food and the act of getting together around a table. They align themselves with farmers markets and chefs’ own gardens to make dishes that go directly from farm to table, using the season to ensure the best flavors.
One recent night, we sat around a table of 12 and ate a seven-​course meal that utilized two pigs completely from head to tail. One was a 350-​pound Berkshire raised by Rinconada Dairy in Santa Margarita, known for its handcrafted sheep and goat cheese. The pig was fed the whey and by-​products from the cheese production along with acorns from the tree directly over the pen. The second pig was from Old Reminisce Farms in Mira Loma raised on open pasture grass. The breed of this pig is Kune Kune, a smaller pig originally from New Zealand.
It was very tough for me to pick a favorite; every single course had something that had me going back for more, but I would have to say the house-​made sausage took the cake-​with every bite there was a new level of flavor. I’m not sure if I will ever be able to go back to eating sausage without looking for the complexities that this sausage had. Of course it was fatty but not in a greasy way – instead, in a comforting way. It was raining outside, and I warmed up eating a bowl of sausage served on the bed of the herb spaetzle; the brown butter really gave it an earthy flavor that I will try to accomplish at home.

We had Chef Paul and Primal Alchemy cater our wedding recently, and we were not disappointed! The staff that were there were excellent and very professional. They helped everything go as smooth as possible. The food was unbelievable. The meat and fish were perfectly cooked, I couldn’t believe it was catering, tasted more like a meal from a restaurant. I think every single guest at our wedding commented on how good the food was, and that it was the best wedding food they had ever had! We even had several people ask for their info to use them to cater at their future weddings! I hope I have some other events in the future that need catering I will be sure to work with Primal Alchemy again and will definitely be referring them to everyone I know.

Chef Paul of Primal Alchemy just catered a party I had last weekend. He suggested BBQ chicken chili (his award winning recipe) with sweet corn bread pudding and a wild rice salad. I’m not that big of a chili fan, but he told me that his version I would like. It was the absolute BEST chili I had ever tasted! My guests loved the food, and there was more than enough – Being Jewish, we like to make sure there is a lot of food for guests! Really, everyone was raving about it and I got to enjoy his great cooking for a few days afterwards…
Now I know why Chef Paul is so well known and so busy in the Long Beach area. He is also very passionate about his ingredients and everything was just perfect. He sent one of his staff to set up and keep the food heated for the evening and I did not have to do a thing. He makes it so easy for you!
I would recommend him to anyone that wants food that is superbly delicious!
THANK YOU Chef Paul and Primal Alchemy for you contribution to a great evening!
Cindi Milrad
Long Beach, Ca.

Primal Alchemy catered our wedding and every single guest said it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had. Great job Paul!
Paul is very passionate about food. For him, this isn’t just business, it’s pride … it’s art. Two quick examples:
1. When discussing the menu he proudly explained how he gets all his ingredients local (within 5 miles for his «5 mile salad) and how the fish would be alive no more than 24 hours before it was on our plate
2. He insisted on on-​site cooking. At one point the wedding site owner tried to prevent onsite cooking, but Paul said he’d rather walkaway even though offsite prep was less effort for the same paycheck.
My only words of advice to people working with Paul are to remember he’s a chef first and a businessman second. He doesn’t respond well to micromanaging or too many specific requests. Also, he could use some administrative help. He handles all the orders himself, even though he’s getting very busy. As a result, he can sometimes be hard to reach or not catch your special requests the first time you give them.
As long as you respect his culinary vision and follow-​up on special requests, you will be in for a treat!

New Orleans native wife always longs for authentic foods from home.
Most California Chefs just don’t get it right. until now.
Chef Paul’s rendition of Bread-​pudding had all the flavor and richness as any dessert we have eaten in New Orleans.
The Sauce was superb.
We appreciate the Farm to Table philosophy of this business.
We will use Primal Alchemy and chef Paul for more catering

It is a relief to know there are catering businesses like Primal Alchemy out there that you can rely on. Perfection! No chef takes greater pride in their work than Chef Paul. From origin of product and origin of recipe to finished product… this chef is pedantic about his ingredients and food presentation. Creative without being gimmicky. What a pleasure.

Chef Paul and Primal Alchemy did an absolutely outstanding job catering our wedding. If you’re reading this review, you’ve already made the decision to look outside the box for a great caterer who takes food very seriously. Trust your gut, go with Chef Paul.
This is not your run-​of-​the-​mill corporate wedding caterer serving up house salads followed by fish or beef (although, I’m sure if you asked him, he’d do it and it’d be great). Every single dish was creative, fresh, and absolutely delicious. Without just cutting and pasting the menu he created, some of the stand-​out dishes included watermelon cubes with caramelized feta brulee, asian style boneless beef shortribs with char siu sauce, and three different kinds of late night grilled cheese including brie & white truffle. The pictures below and on the website are a great representation of the beautiful, thoughtful, and understated presentation used for every dish.
Without exception, the first comment people had about our wedding was how amazing the food was. In fact, most people (unsolicited) said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding.
Believe it or not, the main reason I would recommend Chef Paul is not his food, but how easy it is to work with him. We weren’t having an over-​the-​top wedding, and had to operate within a certain budget. Chef Paul offered the perfect balance of incorporating our ideas with his own creativity. He was also a tremendous help when it came to working with other vendors, which was particularly important since our wedding site required everything to be brought in.
I am beyond confident that Chef Paul and Primal Alchemy will exceed everyone of your expectations.

Primal Alchemy Catering is AMAZING! I was helping out _​call me the Wedding Coordinator :) — for a friend’s weeding in Palm Springs and not only is their food amazing — their catering STAFF is awesome. They need raises — if you are reading this Chef Paul :) .
The dinner was family style and there was MORE than enough to go around for 10 people at our table. The salad was so fresh — you would NEVER have knows we were in 90 degree weather. The grilled veggies were flavored just enough, the wild rice was to die for and the tri tip was just juicy enough. I am not a big fan of bloody meat — I like mine well well done — but even though this wasn’t well done, I had about four pieces. It was DELICOUS and the BEST wedding food I have had in years. And trust me; I go to a lot of weddings.
I also know they do all sorts of parties and events — not just weddings. Chef Paul needs to open his own place!
I would recommend Primal to anyone — and ask for Gail. She is an amazing on-​site Coordinator and awesome to work with. Thanks Primal — you guys are AMAZING!

From start to finish, Chef Paul was a pleasure to work with. He helped us come up with an incredible menu for our wedding featuring three different cuisines: Australian, Indian, and Mexican. Not many people can make Indian food well, but the sauce on the beef that he made from scratch was one of the best sauces we’ve tasted in a long time. Everyone raved about the food at the wedding. We also had an extra ten guests RSVP just days before the wedding and Paul was able to accommodate them without question. Throughout the planning process, we had many long conversations about how the event would be set up, timing, etc. Paul genuinely cared about ensuring our guests had the best experience possible and making the process easy for us.

My kids and I are in LOVE with this place! My 9 year old daughter just finished a one week course of cooking classes at Primal Alchemy with Chef Paul and crew. Each and every child turned out amazing food every single day, and all in 2 ½ hours! I was absolutely amazed and pleased each time I picked her up. The quality of the ingredients were superb — fresh, organic and sustainable. He artfully showed them safe knife techniques, how to mix ingredients, and how to be confident and patient in the process of creating these fabulous plates of food. The variety ranged from Red Fish w/​a mushroom white wine cream sauce and peach salsa to roasted chicken coated with a maple syrup glaze to fabulous vegetables dishes and WOW an amazing crème brûlée. The grande finale was the Mystery Basket on the last day where the kids had a basket of ingredients that they had to use to create a meal. What a fabulous experience. My daughter walked away very happy and loving to cook even more and eagerly awaits the next session!

Not only can Chef Paul cook, he can teach KIDS to cook. My daughters recently attended Primal Alchemy’s summer cooking camp where they learned to make some amazing dishes including salmon tartare and crème brûlée. Best of all, they are now inspired to cook their own meals at home! With a focus on local, organic and sustainable food, my kids learned lessons that will last a lifetime. Can’t wait for the next camp!

I went to my friend’s wedding last week, and food was out standing.
I would recommend this caterers for my friends.
Fish was so moist and tender, fresh, health and amazing taste.
My husband is very picky eater but he ate all of their dish.
I can’t forget about the sauce on top of the fish. Yum…

We hired Chef Paul to cook pizzas for us at a backyard wood-​fired oven, for a feature film cast & crew wrap party. 9 hours and 50 pizzas later, we had very happy guests! Paul’s love for cooking and generosity in teaching our guests how to make their own pizzas made the event extra special. Paul is delightful and the pizzas were delicious. What more can you ask for? I’d hire him again in a heartbeat!

we only had 18 guests at our wedding, but we still wanted to bring a caterer to our venue. we didn’t want to go to a restaurant. i called several high end restaurants that do on site catering, as well as a couple of companies that strictly do event catering. Chef Paul was the best at communicating AND had very reasonable prices (for a caterer that came on site to feed only 18!).
Chef Paul is super friendly and went over every single detail (down to dessert fork and placement of napkins) over the phone. the staff he brought with him was super professional and quick. the presentation was gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. our wedding photographers took a lot of pictures of the food!
all of our guests RAVED about the food. they, and i, have never had food like this at a wedding before. talking with him about our menu over the phone beforehand, you can tell he really puts a lot of thought and care into his ingredients.
truly amazing and would recommend Chef Paul to anyone looking for a special event caterer!