Pepper’s Fine Catering

My colleagues and I were consulting with Pepper’s for a party we had planned for this fall. We ultimately chose another caterer, but the tasting we had at their location was a fine experience, if a little odd. When we got there, the table wasn’t set and we waited a little while for the first course to be brought out. Dianne was our host, and both she and the cook really knew their stuff. Not only what was in the food but how it could be changed to suit different kinds of events or different palates– if you use Pepper’s you have a truly customizable experience, which is rare and awesome. The wait between courses seemed overly long to us, and there were awkward pauses while Dianne sat and watched us eat (which was pretty awkward, rather than her joining us for lunch it felt like we were on display, but we got over it).
The food was delicious– short ribs, risotto, salad, grilled vegetables– except that the grilled vegetables were served cold, which seemed odd as they noted they’d have been served hot at the event. But the big downside was that they’d forgotten (which we did note in advance) that one of our tasters was vegetarian, so they hadn’t prepared an entrée for her. The chef quickly rushed back into the kitchen and brought out a plate of butternut squash ravioli that likely would have been amazing if they’d been cooked all the way through, but they were barely cooked enough to chew.
In the end they comped the price of my vegetarian colleague’s lunch, but at $ 100 a head we still felt that was on the pricey side for a tasting. Ultimately we ended up choosing another caterer who offered more in the way of events rentals and services in addition to food at a slightly lower cost. But we are thinking of using Pepper’s for our holiday party or one of our board meetings– their staff are knowledgeable and their food is really good, and their reviews speak to a high satisfaction rate– we just won’t be doing a tasting with them again.

Peppers catered my high school’s 50^th reunion this past Saturday in Needham and they were outstanding. They were helpful in the planning of our event relative to seating, placement of the bar, the menu and many little details we would have never thought of for an event that had 143 guests!
The food was delicious and the staff was pleasant, accommodating and helped make for a wonderful reunion!

We hired Peppers to cater our wedding. Peppers is truly a class act. From our initial inquiry, in person meeting, site visit, the event and their follow up afterwards– they are impressive. We worked with Jody and she was always available to help answer questions, provide great suggestions and improvise to make everything we wanted work. We got married in my mother in laws backyard which was quite an unusual space. Jody was so helpful in making sure everything was smooth and seamless despite the difficulty of our space. The food was incredible and we heard from so many guests how phenomenal the food and presentation was. Their day of staff was helpful, friendly and went above and beyond. I recommend them without reservation. Thank you Jody and the Peppers team for making our wedding everything we hoped for and more! I still daydream about those cucumber appetizers which was one of Jody’s wonderful suggestions.

Start to finish our experience with Pepper’s Fine Catering and Jody Boyajian was incredible. Jody and her team exceeded any expectation I had in a wedding caterer. Jody was such a pleasure to work with. She spent a lot of time getting to know my now husband and I, our personalities and our visions for our wedding. We changed our catering strategy midway through planning and not only was Jody very patient but she was very involved in suggesting ways to meet our venue restrictions and catering visions. She was also very responsive throughout the whole process always responding timely. Her attention to detail and completeness in planning was evident in all our meetings and communication as well as our final venue walkthrough — allowing us to truly trust her and be able to show up at our wedding knowing everything was going to be perfect. It was also evident how passionate she is about her job. She always made you feel that your day was very special — that you weren’t just another bride on her list of events. She really wanted to make your day as perfect as you had imagined it to be.
With that being said — the day of our wedding — we were completely blown away by what Jody, her team and Pepper’s Fine Catering accomplished. The food was incredible and we continue to hear how impressed our guests were by not only the food itself but the creativity and presentation of the stations, bars and hors d’oeuvres. It is a full package operation. The Pepper’s team decorated all our surfaces in ways I couldn’t have imagined but also in a way that echoed our theme. And the CAKE!!! Our cake was not only beautiful but it was absolutely delicious. I can’t wait until our one year anniversary to order the salted caramel devil’s food cake again.
If you’re looking for a caterer who is attentive, professional, courteous, personable, responsive, respects your budget and really shows that they care about your event HIRE PEPPER’s! You will not be disappointed.

We worked with Liz at Pepper’s for our wedding at Tower Hill and it was great! We had a very eclectic menu and she suggested stations to make it fun for our guests. The stations were a hit, the food was amazing, and our guests can not stop raving about it. They also have a great selection of desserts to choose from. Honestly you can’t go wrong with anything on their menu.
I did request that the stations for our wedding not be overly themed and they were very accommodating. In the end the service was amazing, the food was delicious, and everything looked perfect. Would totally hire them again.

Pepper’s Fine Catering recently did a dinner for my college reunion which was nothing short of spectacular. The food was tasty and creative with lovely garnishes and intriguing combinations of flavors. The menu was well conceived and beautifully executed, with something for everyone, from carnivores to vegetarians! Service was pleasant and attentive. Best of all, Kathleen brought the meal in on budget, which was most appreciated since we were a non-​profit organization trying to be careful about the bottom line. If you are looking for a delicious and memorable experience, look no further!

I was lucky enough to find Peppers when organizing a fundraiser auction for our small independent school. Jody and her staff made our event perfect. She helped with everything from menu choices to decorating ideas and cocktail suggestions, always keeping my budget in mind. Traci and her crew were unbelievably professional the night of the event. We ended up with more people than expected so the space was tight. No one complained and they managed to maneuver in the room, getting everyone served and keeping the guests happy.
The best part of all though was that every single comment I received from my demanding crowd was that the food was superb. From hors d’oeuvres to buffet to dessert the food was delicious and perfect for our event. I would not have been able to throw such a successful even without Jody and Peppers. Thank you to Peppers and we have already booked them for next year’s event!

I have worked with Peppers on several standing, cocktail-​style receptions. They are always professional, creative, and a pleasure to work with, and deliver excellent food. Most recently, Jody, Darcy, and team helped make an evening with 200+ guests wonderfully fun, successful, and a great time all around.
From the beginning, Jody embraced the baseball-​themed event and came up with a fun and tasty menu of creative ballpark favorites, including delicious homemade cracker jacks. Day of, Darcy ensured the evening flowed smoothly. Guests raved about the food and absolutely loved the ballpark theme. Servers got to everyone with passed hors d’oeuvres (the only items on the menu) seamlessly despite the crowd.
Peppers also went above and beyond by providing baseball decorations and having staff wear baseball caps that added to our festive atmosphere without being over-​the-​top or kitschy. All in all, Peppers consistently delivers on quality, professionalism, flexibility, and creativity. I would highly recommend them.

Overall, it’s hard for me to find too much to complain about when it comes to the wedding experience we just had with Pepper’s. Our Event Designer, Jody, was purely a joy to work with throughout the entire process. In fact, every Pepper’s employee was a delight. Caitlin was a fabulous designer and helped us with printed items as well all of our flowers (which were GORGEOUS and lasted over a week after the wedding). Our «day of» event manager, Traci, was a joy to work with, and every person working the floor or bar was super accommodating and friendly.
The venue looked fantastic and the food presentation was amazing (and was as delicious that evening as it was in the tasting). We heard nothing but rave remarks from our guests when it came to Pepper’s. Aside from the DJ, photographer and videographer, we used Pepper’s to coordinate every detail: food, flowers, linens, china, cake… and that really took the pressure off from a planning standpoint.
In the end, the critical feedback is pretty minimal. There was a mistake on our cake, but it still looked lovely, and only we knew (and if that’s the worst thing that happens on your wedding day, you take it). The wine pouring during the meal was late, but as soon as we let the bartender know, he jumped to correct it (even though it wasn’t really his job to do it).
Like some others, I did feel a bit «nickeled and dimed» on some «administrative» items, but I do think this is par for the course in the industry. We got 4 quotes and Pepper’s was among the best-​priced. As with any quote of this type, do not go into it thinking the quote you get on day 1 will be what you pay. Of course you will tweak, upgrade, add items, etc. and the price will be more… go in with this mindset, regardless of who you pick, and you won’t feel «cheated.» It’s just how it works…
My only specific wish for Pepper’s process would be to be more transparent on the Labor costs. I did feel like every time I got a revised quote, the labor amount changed… sometimes down but more often up… and it was impossible to know why. A few other smaller items mysteriously changed from quote to quote as well. Nothing major when you look at the total cost, but I did feel I had to compare quotes each time.
In the end, I truly loved my Pepper’s experience and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to others or use them again. From set-​up to clean up, Pepper’s helped us create and execute the wedding we dreamed of. Thank you Jody, Caitlin, Traci and team for a terrific wedding!

I just experienced my 2^nd Pepper’s event and could not be happier! To set the stage, I was hosting gathering of 30 of my team members and their significant others at my home for a Holiday Buffet dinner.
From the moment Liz O’Neil and I connected I knew I was in good hands! She helped me navigate thru menu choices and decisions I needed to make while covering every detail. She is so passionate about her work and excited to talk about all that Peppers can do to create the right venue with wonderful complimentary food.
As promised, promptly at 4:00PM Tracy and Tony knocked on my door and after a quick tour of the house, began to set up in our garage off the kitchen as their work area. They were both so professional and made quite a team! Tracy set up the buffet with my serving pieces and passed a variety of scrumptious Hors Oeuvres from the Preferred Holiday Menu. Each one was as delicious as the last. My guests loved every one of them, each with unique layered flavors. They were afraid if they kept eating, they wouldn’t leave room for dinner. Lobster Salad and Candied Bacon Planks were at the top of the list! Tracy was the consummate professional server, moving throughout the house, 1^st and 2^nd floors to reach every guest, picking up leftovers and clutter, and crumbing table tops.
Tony was a gem, and couldn’t have been more accommodating when I needed to delay dinner for some late arrivals. He was personable, and engaging with our guests when they asked about ingredients, yet invisible when he needed to use the kitchen oven.
And dinner… What a hit! The short ribs were so tender and flavorful, the horseradish mashed potatoes surprised everyone, the fresh vegetables were cooked to perfection and the spinach salad a perfect accompaniment! I only ordered half a tray of butternut squash lasagna for one vegetarian guest… I should have ordered a full tray… it was gone within minutes!
After dinner we held the traditional Yankee Swap… during which time Tracy wistfully cleared all the rooms of dishes, glasses, silverware, etc., and artfully arranged all the desserts [our guests brought] on serving trays and refreshed the buffet table for round two! She worked so swiftly and efficiently that I was shocked! I didn’t have to think about what to do or take a moment from enjoying my guests. Minutes later Tracy and Tony were packed up, leftovers stored, trash taken out and they were ready to go!
Every aspect of my experience with Pepper’s, from my first phone call til waking up the next morning with just a few dishes to wash, exceeded my expectation! My guest raved about the food and enjoyed a wonderful evening thanks to your very professional and capable team! Please extend a very special Thank You to Liz, Tracy and Tony! I look forward to my next event with Peppers as my partner and will specifically ask for this team again!

We tasted about 8 different caterers for our wedding, finding someone who could do 200 people, and could reliably reproduce what they made on a small scale. We hired them for our wedding because their food was making us salivate just thinking about it, even after going to other tastings and being full we’d compare and salivate over Pepper’s food.
We had them do the following menu:
They were absolutely fantastic about catering to different dietary needs.
The desserts were delicious, and the cakes were out of this world, Especially the grooms cake which they made look like a castle for us.
I can’t imagine having gone with anyone else, they were fantastic from start to finish, set up all the decorations, ordered all the linens. My guests can’t stop raving about the spooned corn pudding with the Petite Filet, and the roasted root veg with the other dishes also keeps getting talked about.
We had our event at Mechanics Hall, and even though we had a change in everyone handling our event (2 years of planning is bound to have some staffing changes) it still went off without a hitch.
Just a small suggestion — don’t pick vibrant blue and green for your frosting color on your cake… you’ll have blue/​green lips/​teeth the rest of the evening ;)

Amazing from start to finish. Patricia really understood what my daughters post wedding party for 65 family members was about and did a perfect job. The staff set up in my home before we arrived from the out of town wedding hotel.
My home looked wonderful they put together the seating and decorations and the food was fabulously displayed.
OMG the food was the best all gluten free, variety, flavor and elegant.
The wedding cake not only looked as we pictured but tasted better. They had so many options it was hard to decide (top layer was gluten free).
When they left I did not know that a party had taken place except for the wonderful memories and leftovers.
My daughter had the wedding of her dreams and I had no hassle and could afford it…
Thank you,
Patricia.

We would not recommend using Pepper’s — overall we had a difficult time working with them, and were unimpressed with the level of service given the high cost.
The original Event Designer (ED), our main point of contact, was easy to work with and understood our needs. Unfortunately, after negotiating and signing a detailed contract (Service Agreement) 5 months earlier, the Event Designer quit 2 months before the wedding. There our troubles began. The new ED told us that our contract did not include enough staffing, even though our final guest headcount was less, not more, than what was in the contract. She insisted that we needed to pay for more staff. At this point, it was too late to go and select another caterer, so we were stuck. We protested but paid more because we were afraid they would sabotage the event. They did not seem to feel responsibility for following through on what they had promised, instead blaming the problem on the departed employee. The owner was unbelievably rude over the phone. Overall, we felt nickled and dimed. There were also many small mistakes (e.g., table layout, menu details) adding to the bride’s stress in that she had to constantly double-​check and correct what Pepper’s sent us. It wasn’t our fault their employee left.
Also, despite promises that Pepper’s knows how to work seamlessly with the other wedding vendors, we found this not to be the case under pressure. In the days before the wedding, the wedding day threatened rain, which naturally caused some confusion given that the ceremony and cocktail hour were to be outdoors. Pepper’s pushed us to commit to moving it indoors as early as possible, even though we wanted to keep our options open, explaining that we were willing to sacrifice certain things to have it outdoors. Instead of coordinating directly with the venue to come up with a plan, Pepper’s kept trying to make a unilateral decision to move it indoors, which caused confusion and made us feel that they really didn’t care about our satisfaction. In the end, largely thanks to the very proactive and professional venue staff, we were able to make a last minute decision to have things outdoors when the skies cleared. It was lovely, but if Pepper’s had had it their way we would have been inside on what turned out to be a great day. They did not live up to their sales pitch that they were flexible or creative.
Finally, the quality of service at the event was not as we had expected. For example, the toasts were made with water, because wine inexplicably took so long to get poured. Dessert was served at one station instead of two as we had agreed. The DJ announced a cake cutting when there was no cake (we had a different dessert), which reflected a lack of communication between Pepper’s and the DJ. The fish was OK but the chicken was tough — not the quality that we had tried during our tasting.
Pepper’s did set up the tables beautifully using our decorations and the staff was nice although the bartenders were inexperienced. It was not our fault that their employee quit. We think the upfront staff probably protected others from the owner. Overall we got the impression that he only cares about profits, and not customer satisfaction. When you’re paying so much, you expect a higher level of service. Our interaction with Pepper’s left a bad taste in our mouths, and we would not recommend using them for your wedding.

Peppers catered our wedding. They sold us on a very extravagant tasting and promises of knowing the venue intimately and how to create the atmosphere we wanted. We asked for a relaxed cocktail party where people could easily move about the space. What we got were giant tables that were impossible to walk around forcing many people to sit down at a table and not move all night. The exact opposite of what we wanted. This was after we discussed at length with our sales person and pointed this specific concern out to them weeks ahead of time. They reassured us that when we saw the space with the tables we would be happy.
Additionally they ran out of drink mixers and tried to close the bar down an hour early. Our point person was very responsive and friendly but the bar staff was less than polite. They did re-​open the bar after my wife, the bride, complained but options were extremely limited.
If you think the mash potato bar means cocktail cups with an array of toppings. You would be mistaken, it’s a trough of potatoes slopped out on a giant 12 inch plate (remember cocktail party with heavy appetizers). You still get the toppings.
Most of the staff was friendly, responsive and food tasted fairly good. My rating is based on peppers completely missing the mark on the most important elements for us. Our wedding wasn’t ruined but I can’t recommend them especially when you consider the premium price we paid.

This wasn’t even my event or wedding!
I worked at a wedding last night and, as a vendor, sometimes you’re an after thought. Jackie, the catering manager, remembered our names (which a big deal!!) and made sure we had everything we needed. Cupcakes were OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious, too! Entrée was outstanding!
How many more adjectives can I think of? Let’s just say this is the place to go for your wedding or event catering!

This review is a long time coming as my wife and I got married in September of 2012.
The first thing that i need to say is that everything at the wedding itself was amazing and perfect. They even went an extra step to ensure it went that way which I will explain later. This was all thanks to the two lovely ladies who organized this for us, Liz and Traci.
Liz was our first contact at Pepper’s and her fast communications and organization made planning the event and details a breeze. Liz helped talk us through the menu options and broke down prices (which are very reasonable) in a very detailed manner so we could see exactly what we were getting.
We met with Liz and Traci a week before the wedding to finalize plans. This is where we met Traci for the first time and new instantly that they both shared our vision for the perfect wedding and we could tell they actually cared that it went off as planned.
The setup at the wedding was everything we had hoped for. The food was delicious and elegantly presented. It exceeded our expectations. Everyone raved about it. The support staff they brought with them seemed to really care about our special day as well. They were genuine and competent. But, the extra step came in when unknown to myself, the beer keg I had brought in for the bar would not fit the taps. This would ave been devastating to me as this was the only thing i had planned to drink that day! But before i even knew there was an issue, they had gone out to a liquor store several miles away, and picked up a few cases to make sure it was available for me. Not all caterers care enough to do something like this.
All in all, the staff is amazing, the pricing extremely fair, and the experience they help create will be remembered for a lifetime.
My wedding would not have been the success it was without them and their expertise.

So fantastic. My husband and I used Pepper’s to cater our October wedding and we couldn’t be happier with the quality of service that Jody, our catering manager, and the rest of the staff gave us.
We got quotes from 5 or so catering companies and Pepper’s was on the higher-​end of things, but once we went to their group tasting we knew that they were the best people for the job. Not only was the food delicious, it was so great to have everything done in house (chairs, tables, linens, cake, etc.) instead of having to run around to 5 different vendors and coordinate everything. Jody acted as our defacto wedding planner as well, taking charge and making sure that our outdoor ceremony and indoor cocktail hour and reception went off without a hitch. All of our guests had a blast with the Pepper’s staff day-​of. They made sure everyone was well fed and always had a drink in their hand, even makingsure my husband and I had a few minutes to ourselves to sit down and eat something (a serious problem future brides and grooms!)
Jody was attentive, inventive, and was always there with a suggestion or a work around when we needed it. She was always there for us, even staying late at Pepper’s one night for a meeting when everyone else had gone home because we were stuck in traffic from Boston. She even had a tray of cheese and crackers waiting for us because she was afraid we’d be hungry. From one hometown girl to another, she is simply the best!

Exquisite. Unique. Perfection: three words that only begin to describe Pepper’s ability to transform an ordinary space into an extraordinary event.
Our wedding was held at the Worcester Regional Airport, a venue which has never hosted an event of this kind. Therefore, we turned to Pepper’s to supply us with a complete package; from food all the way down to glassware.
Planning:
From our very first correspondence, I knew Jody and I were going to work great together. Extremely well spoken and knowledgeable, she guided us through the many choices that a couple must make when planning a wedding, and took extreme care in familiarizing herself with the venue to focus on details that I didn’t even know to think of! She has a wonderful way of suggesting décor options that will create the greatest visual impact while keeping within budget. Planning a wedding at a venue that does not specialize in weddings became quite the challenge, but Jody handled all questions and concerns with extreme professionalism, even when they were over and above her call to duty!
Food:
Wow! From the tasting to the big day, Pepper’s has it all together. The presentation is exceptional, like edible art, which paves the way for just how delicious the food tastes! We had 245 guests in attendance, and chose to have only passed hors d’oeuvres at cocktail hour because of a space restriction. Our guests are still raving about them! Kathleen, our event manager, was very accommodating and available the entire night, and even met me with a plate of hors d’oeuvres after our formal photos to make sure I got to enjoy some before the guests scooped them all up! We served the Roasted Top Sirloin of Certified Angus Beef, Herb-​crusted Stuffed Chicken Breast Roulade, and Spinach Roasted Garlic Tortelloni, all of which got A+ reviews from our guests.
Flowers:
After a semi last minute cancellation, we turned to Pepper’s to become our florist as well. Without hesitation, Heidi took on the challenge, and we couldn’t have been happier with the result! Working within a neutral pallet and a fairly conservative budget, Heidi created the most beautiful bouquets and centerpieces for me, and even added some surprise accent arrangements for the gift table and dessert table!
Overall, Pepper’s service, presentation and quality is second to none. We couldn’t have made a better choice!

Pepper’s did an extraordinary job with our wedding and looking back, choosing them was one of the best decisions we made.
Jody is superb, I actually can’t say enough great things about her. She was always responsive and solved problems before we even knew they existed. She has outstanding attention to detail and captured every single thing we asked for. Also, she treated our wedding with such importance, scoping out our venue multiple times, and triple checking that our ceremony and reception would be beautiful regardless of the weather we had that day. (It poured rain on our outdoor ceremony and the move to plan B was seamless, in fact, family has argued they liked it better than the original plan!!)
On top of all of this and I should have mentioned it first, the food was delicious and so were the desserts. The service, setup, staff and food were impeccable. We are so thrilled we worked with Pepper’s and would highly recommend them to anyone in need of a caterer!

We hired Pepper’s to cater our wedding reception and they were able to do so wonderfully, especially given the relative short-​notice that we have them. Like many of the reviews mentioned, the food is simply outstanding. The staff, servers, bartenders, and event manager at our event, were nearly flawless. Pepper’s not only catered, but also brought some tables and table linens, brought the flowers and displayed the food in such a way that all of our guests were impressed and could not pay enough compliments about the quality of the food.
After we called Pepper’s for a quote, we were visited immediately by one of the owners. We spoke about our vision for our wedding celebration and generally planned a lot of the details and the menu on the spot. Unfortunately, our event was then transferred to one of the event planners. This meant that we had to go through a lot of the initial conversation again. In fact, we had to do it a third time when we met the event manager, the person that was actually going to oversee our event. The setup of the event could definitely have been smoother and I hope they work on this in the future. Despite that fact, I would definitely consider using Pepper’s again for future gatherings and highly recommend them.