edenopolis

Richard catered my wedding for about 90 people, family-​style. He’s fantastic to work with, super responsive, goes above and beyond to make the meal what you want. Guests loved it and although I didn’t remember to eat a lot, it was so good. He took the time to learn some West African inspired dishes that tapped into my husband’s traditions and even impressed some hard to please family members. He entertained crazy requests and worked with us to fit our budget. The only thing that was a little bit of a bummer was the timing– it took a lot longer than we anticipated and cut into the dancing but who is going to cry over spilled milk? Not this girl– I would totally recommend working with Edenopolis for your next catering event. I certainly will. :)

This review is long overdue because our event took place at the end of August, but Chef Richard of Edenopolis richly deserves to be praised for all that he did before, during, and after our wedding reception to make it both beautiful and wonderfully tasty, so I’m glad that I’m finally getting around to writing it. This guy is truly the best – both as a human being and as a chef/​caterer.
Chef Richard was, to be honest, sort of a godsend. My husband and I had decided at the beginning of the summer to get married without a ton of time to put together a reception, and we’d been scouring the Internet and canvassing friends to secure a caterer who would be able to prepare the sort of food that we wanted to serve – Moroccan and Colombian – without requiring a pirate’s chest of gold doubloons as payment. We’d been to a couple tastings, and though the caterers in our price range were nice, their food was inconsistent and often not very carefully prepared: too salty, processed ingredients, uninspired.
We’d sort of grown weary of the whole caterer search, despairing of ever finding someone good at a price we could afford, and Richard really turned everything around. He’s just a very upbeat and funny and flexible sort of person. And he knows his stuff. Part of the concern about the caterers that we’d been dealing with was that they really didn’t know much about Colombian or Moroccan/​Middle Eastern food. The falafel we sampled was mostly inedible. Chef Richard, on the other hand, is extremely well traveled – he’s even lived in Morocco – and knows a ton about the different spices and ingredients that are used in cooking these cuisines. We were really impressed.
On top of all of that, he was super flexible and quoted us a price that was not going to leave us searching the subway ads for a payday loan.
I’ll try to mention here all of the things that Chef Richard helped us with and took care of, but I’m sure to forget something because he really went far far above and beyond for us. His devotion to making sure that we had delicious, carefully prepared food to serve to our guests was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He helped us to coordinate all of the serving staff using a staffing organization with which he has a long-​standing relationship. He also put us in touch with his contact at a catering supply company, which was very helpful. He was very clear about what he would need, worked with us on our menu until it was exactly what we wanted, and prepared a delicious tasting menu for us in his home in Tribeca (all of the food was prepared and presented in the exact way that it would appear at the reception, which was helpful). At the tasting he was very amenable to our suggestions about adjustments to the spicing that we wanted; that in itself is a rare thing, to my mind. Lots of chefs don’t want to hear what laypeople have to say about their preparations. The whole experience was just very enjoyable.
In advance of the actual event, Chef Richard was in very good touch with us, which was a comfort. He also went out of his way to go to Azuri Café to get the pita for our reception! It was absolutely delicious, and well worth the effort! He spent the week carefully preparing all of the empanadas and various other hors d’ouevres that we would be serving Saturday night. He doesn’t make a huge deal about this, but it was important to us: he uses all organic and locally sourced meat and produce. The grass-​fed beef he used for the grilled flank steak, for example, was just out of this world!
On the actual day of the event, he and his staff were very prompt, and they whipped up an incredible feast. There were a selection of different appetizers during the cocktail hour, and then they set up the Colombian and Moroccan food stations in adjacent rooms. Our guests were absolutely plotzing! Everyone loved the food, and they were very vocal about this both that evening and in the days and weeks following the reception. Chef Richard just knocked it out of the ballpark!
I could go on and on – he even called the catering supply company on our behalf to recover some silverware that had been picked up by mistake – but I think I’ve made my point.
It is, however, worth mentioning that Chef Richard is a really kind and gentle soul – he’s a former yoga instructor, in fact. It was such a pleasant departure from the sort of overwrought, egotistical chef archetype. He was a hugely calming influence all the way along, which was a boon for us since we were pretty harried during the preparations.
Long story short, Chef Richard is a great guy and a superb chef. Having him as the caterer for our wedding reception was the most marvelous blessing. We were really lucky. I emphatically recommend him to others, and I hope that we’ll have occasion to work with him again soon.

Richard is an amazing and courteous caterer. The staff he works with will go out of their way to ensure a wonderful event. They are friendly and efficient. Our guests loved the appetizers and oysters. Everything was fresh and beautifully presented. Richard put us at ease from the moment we met him. He invited us to his home for a tasting and came up with creative ideas for our wedding. Don’t be fooled by his laid back demeanor, when it comes to his food he is a serious professional.

Thank you for a wonderful evening, it was fantastic. All of your dishes were fresh, flavorful and delicious. I’m glad we did the corn on the cob versus the corn salad, it was full of flavor and the pickled onions were a hit! The oysters were some of the best we’ve ever had and your homemade mignonette and cocktail sauces were the perfect compliment. The tomatoes in the salad were packed with so much flavor, they could have been eaten on their own. I don’t even know where to begin with the roasted lamb — it was soooooo juicy and tender and the sauce was perfect over the quinoa. Ending with the peach crumble was the perfect ending to a perfect meal. All of the guests were commented on not only your food but presentation as well. We enjoyed eating leftovers for lunch yesterday and certainly look forward to working with you again.

I have had the opportunity to work with Chef Richard on a few events, and 5-​stars are not enough to quantify the care, thoughtfulness, and compassion that he puts into his work. As a world traveled Private Chef, Richard brings his vast knowledge of food into all of his dishes, taking his guests on an awesome tour of culinary greatness.
And not to just boast about the food, but Richard’s attention to detail in whether it was the right plate for an appetizer or specific wine to match a cheese shows that he cares about every facet of your event.
Please do not hesitate to choose EdenOpolis as your caterers of choice for any event, large or small.