Culinary Concepts

A big shout-​out to Gina and her CC team for our wonderful event last night! It was our annual employee recognition dinner with nearly 300 in attendance and everything was great! After having an unpleasant experience last year with a different caterer, our folks were a bit hesitant going into last night’s event but Gina and her team totally rocked it! The food was awesome and the service was amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Can’t wait to work with Gina and the team again next year!

I’m a meeting planner who hires caterers often for off-​premise events. My greatest fear is that things can go wrong when so many moving parts are in play. Working with Culinary Concepts is always a great experience and the best part is, the food is amazing; better tasting and more creatively presented than upscale restaurants and hotels. The pre-​event consulting is priceless, turn-​key planning, attention to detail with so much creativity. My most recent experience with them was a very large and complicated corporate dinner event at Balboa Park. A total success and we received rave reviews from everyone. I’ll be back every chance I get because I know Kathleen Doeller and her team will create a home run event for my clients! Open a location in Scottsdale!

Culinary Concepts catered our May 2015 wedding at Scripps Seaside Forum. Merlot was a pleasure to work with. She answered our questions quickly and efficiently and kept us on track with payments. The food was amazing (a small selection: lamb chop lollipops, caprese skewers, steak, salmon with avocado/​mango salsa) and we and our guests were very happy!

I attended their 25^th anniversary party and had a blast! It was a pretty big event and it was nice to be able to roam around in the front and back patio. The décor was perfect for summer and I loved all the flowers they used for the centerpieces as well as the fruits on display. They had Snake Oil Cocktail Company making their signature drink «Strawberry Fields» which had vodka, fresh strawberries and rhubarb, pressed lime, mint, and almond orgeat. I had mine without vodka and it was very refreshing! I also tried several bites– I had the quinoa salad, pork belly, diver scallops, lamb tacos, Moroccan spiced fries with harisa aioli, and buratta. Everyone was excited when they were passing out ice cream in sugar cones! There was chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry? sorbet, but I went with the chocolate one of course! They also had a dessert station with plump strawberries and whip cream, slices of mocha cake, and a cheesy dessert. I seriously loved everything I tried, except for the cheesy one lol. All the bites were gorgeously presented and surprisingly filling. The staff was very friendly and welcoming… There was even a photo booth, musical entertainment, some pretty nice prizes, and a goodie bag to take home. Their chef, Donald Coffman, premiered some of his newest recipes at this event and I’m glad I was able to experience his amazing culinary talent. Now I know which catering company to recommend if I one needs fresh and delicious food that’s also creative.

We got married at the Scripps Seaside Forum and used Culinary Concepts as our caterer. They were WONDERFUL! Kathleen is one of my favorite human beings on the planet. She not only helped create a delicious menu with beautiful presentation but went the extra mile in helping us plan with all of our other vendors as well. I was nervous to go with a buffet hoping that the quality of the food would not go down. I was definitely not disappointed — it was seasonal, sustainable, and decadent. We are extremely thankful to have worked with such an attentive and amazing staff in making our food more than perfect on our big day.

I have been working with Culinary Concepts for over 10 years both personally and for my business catering needs. Culinary has always expertly handled every event; providing good food, that guests always talk about later, and presenting it with style and by smiling staff. I write this Unilocal now, because a few weeks ago Culinary Concepts and their incredible staff saved my graduation event with more than 300 people in attendance from a complete disaster!
Due to several over sites by myself and my venue, I somehow contracted catering for the graduation the day after the actual event date. I showed up at the venue a few hours in advance and because we have used Culinary twice a year, for over 10 years, I knew immediately that there was a problem and that no caterers were onsite. I called, only to find out that I booked the next day. What happened next is a tribute to the dedication of this staff and to the loyalty they hold with their clients. With only a few management and a sous chef, whatever food they had prepared for the next day, was loaded in a truck and rushed to the venue. The last serving tray was paced on the table as the doors opened and my guests poured out.
They called it «catering triage» and I had tears in my eyes. Not a guest knew what happened and all ended beautifully. Culinary Concepts will deliver in the best of times and also in the worst of times. All times, no matter what occurs will be wonderful! I will be forever grateful to the team and I wholeheartedly recommend them for any catering need!

Last Friday was my third time working with Gina and her team for my company holiday party and it was a huge success! Everyone had a great time with much thanks to the CC team! Food was delicious (so many guests complimented it), the staff was incredible and friendly. I enjoy working with CC every year and look forward to future years! They are so accommodating, which is a huge plus when you have so many other things to worry about. Also, kudos to my favorite bartender — Roberta!

I attended our work holiday party at the Library that was catered by Culinary Concepts. The. food. was. fabulous!
It was a sit down dinner and we were presented with lovely salad greens and a warm pumpkin soup in a small glass. I had the salmon (yum) and it was served with multi colored carrots, and cheese potatoes. Desert was mini cheese cake, carrot cake (my fave) and a pyramid chocolate mouse cake. Really an extraordinary catering.

Culinary Concepts was great to work with. They catered a cocktail party I had for 30ppl and working with them was seamless. Cheri contacted me soon after I sent an inquiry and we figured out a menu shortly thereafter. My questions, corrections, and requests were dealt with promptly and Cheri was very easy to contact. The food was delivered hot and on time. Bravo to the talented culinary staff for the fab food. The beef Wellington tarts were the biggest hit, the chicken satay, beef empanadas and shrimp skewers were not far behind. All the sauces were phenomenal as well. In short– STAFF: friendly, prompt, talented culinary staff. FOODS: super yum and nice presentation. I will definitely work with them again and recommend them to anyone.

Well it’s been nearly 9 months since Kathy K. (Business owner of Culinary Concepts) commented on my review and said she be responding to me privately to discuss my concerns. I gave her ample time to respond, and I know they have my and my wife’s contact information which haven’t changed and I still have not heard from anyone… Down to 1 start for even worse customer service.

We used Culinary Concepts for our 7÷19÷14 wedding, and everyone LOVED the food!!!
We first met Chef Donald and Sous Chef Chris at the Orfila Bridal Show in 2013. We came to the show specifically to find a caterer, so we brought my best friend (and Maid of Honor), who is a chef with plenty of catering experience. She was able to ask the questions we never would have thought to ask, and she was thoroughly impressed with Donald and Chris. We also all agreed that the albacore bruchetta they brought for us to sample was our favorite of the day! We scheduled a tasting, and after working briefly with Kathy (owner), we were one of the first couples to have the opportunity to work with Christie as she started working with Culinary Concepts. Christie was absolutely INCREDIBLE to work with!!! She was professional and fun, and was extremely responsive whenever we had questions for her. She made sure everything was absolutely perfect on our wedding day, and the server staff was extremely professional and friendly! One of the servers brought a plate of hors d’oeuvres for us as we were taking bride and groom photos in the vineyard (during cocktail hour), to make sure we didn’t miss out. He even followed us around as we stopped between bites for photos… so fun! When my husband and I snuck away for sunset photos, we had only gotten a chance to have a few bites of our dinner. When we returned to our sweetheart table, one of the servers let us know that our entrees had gotten cold while we were gone, and offered to bring us new ones. I said it was alright, but she insisted, which I thought was so sweet! She brought us new plates, and we were able to enjoy a hot, delicious dinner! I highly recommend Culinary Concepts for your catering needs, whether it is for your wedding or otherwise!
Hors d’oeuvres:
–Beef wellington tart
–Curried chicken salad on coriander dusted flatbread
–Panko & pecan crusted brie with jalapeño jelly
–Albacore bruchetta
First course:
–Caprese salad
Main Course:
–Dual entrée (chicken and salmon) with rice pilaf and vegetables
–Vegan/​gluten free option of quinoa stuffed poblano peppers

The whole team at Culinary Concepts (Christie, Aubrey, and Javier) did such a great job at our wedding last weekend! We were able to customize the entire menu, and they were able to do everything! Everyone at the wedding loved the food and had more than enough to eat. At the reception, they provided a private server to make sure that my husband and I had food and drinks throughout the whole night. Overall, their quality of food is great as well as their service!

I have been working with Culinary Concepts for three years, and specifically Gina, on conferences and gala dinners. She is outstanding in her job and the level of service is flawless. CC’s food is outstanding. They keep up with current food trends and serve high quality fare. I have hired CC for lunches as well as cocktails and dinner. All my events have been very successful when I partnered with CC and Gina. I can’t recommend them enough.

Nearly a month after the wedding, and do you know what I’m still hearing from the people who attended? «What an amazing wedding… the food was INCREDIBLE!»
Both me and my husband *love* food, and it’s a love that’s shared by pretty much all of our family and friends. Our guests range from total Foodies (with a capital F) who read food blogs and are always on the lookout for hot new chefs, to grandmothers and aunts with killer recipes that have been passed down for generations. We knew that food was going to be the one thing for our wedding where we were willing to splurge a little.
We also had a bit of a strange dream: we imagined a caterer who could provide the perfect mix of Mexican and Polish food. I’m Latina, he’s 1^st-​gen Polish-American…so what better way to celebrate the joining of our families?
There were only a few caterers that we contacted that were confident that they could take on this challenge. Only three were responsive enough to arrange a tasting that could accommodate our busy schedules. Of the three… Culinary Concepts blew us away. The chef cooked his first pierogi ever at our tasting, and it tasted almost exactly like my mother-in-law’s pierogi. And so on and so forth — I wish I could list all of the incredible food that they made for us, but there’s not nearly enough space!
On the day of the wedding, the food was JUST AS GOOD as it was at the tasting — awesome when you’re cooking for ~120 people! Culinary Concepts also somehow managed to cater perfectly to my mother, who is allergic to EVERY kind of pepper. Yes, even though the menu had peppers in nearly everything, they prepared special versions of each dish in a separate pan + plate JUST for her. My mother felt super-​special; I’m sure she’s never received that kind of service in most restaurants.
And the service, overall — really top-​notch. We had a backyard wedding, and it was just about transformed into a 5-​star restaurant. Every member of the Culinary Concepts team was swift, clean and courteous.
One more thing — we did our catering family style, which was a very happy medium between plated and buffet. I had no idea how the idea would work on the actual day, but the CC team pulled it off, and all our guests thought we were geniuses. Good idea if you have a friendly crowd coming!

You have found your caterer! Culinary Concepts catered our wedding in La Jolla last weekend and I cannot say enough about how amazing they are. Everything from the linens to the dessert exceeded our expectations.
We had a family style dinner for a wedding of 180 people. We had chicken, pasta, veggies, and two flatbread pizzas. Our guests were raving about how delicious all the food was and how fast and hot it came out to the table. They even brought my now husband and I a fresh plate of food because we were busy talking with our guests and our food got cold. I wish I had that food now…
Planning a wedding can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. Working with Christie and her team eliminated a majority of that stress. She was very responsive and her input was priceless. I had a really hard time figuring our what linens to use and she was very patient and helped me find the perfect linens to help create our vision.
All in all, Culinary Concepts is who you want on the day of your big event!

Christie from Culinary Concepts is a pro. She knows everything from start to end on how things should be executed! The tasting was such an eventful time. Culinary previews you the service they provide in such a professional manner and it made our booking secured!
You know your caterer is perfection when all your guests are busy chowing down when you ask them to stand up for a photo with the bride and groom! haha It was memorable. Never did we ever have so many guests compliment on the wedding food! It was a great pleasure working with them and definitely eased our minds because they knew how weddings run blindfolded.
The only regret we had is turning away the Hors d’œuvre! Criessss. Both the bride and groom were sooo busy we shooed the waiter away! I still feel bad till this day. and I wished we had our famous popular bites everyone still raves about.
You will never question the quality of Culinary Concepts. They are above the quality you would expect for what you paid for :)
Also working with Christie was a great pleasure, her confidence in what she does ensured us that we were in good hands and everything was going to run smoothly.

After traveling to Spain, my husband & I wanted to add a little Spanish flavor to our wedding menu. We were having a difficult time finding a caterer who could pull it off until we met with Gina.
She immediately understood our vision and with the help of the Chef, put together an authentic Spanish menu that included tapas and a paella station. Not only did she give us an incredible menu, but also gave us an incredible price that met our catering budget.
Gina and her team’s attention to detail gave our guests an unforgettable & unique experience. Even months after our wedding we are still getting compliments on our food!

We used Culinary Concepts for our wedding a few weeks ago at Scripps Seaside Forum. We have nothing but great things to say about this caterer. Everyone noted how amazing the food was, their service was awesome and they were willing to work with us on our price point. Planning a wedding can be stressful, so it was nice to know we were in good hands.
To the guy who had a problem with the two extra people, I highly doubt it was a timeframe of 5 minutes between the two head counts. Likely story.
I recommend using Christie, she knows her stuff. Message me if you have any questions.

Use them! This is who you want for your event. My wedding was last night and I’m just wishing I had that wonderful food tonight to eat. Everything from the smallest detail to the biggest requests were given full attention.
Let me say I had a difficult menu and am a huge foodie. The bar was very very high they met and exceeded my requests. The whole team had amazing customer service from the tasting to the service captain at the wedding making sure we (bride and groom) got to eat everything there. If I could give them 10 stars I would.
Please use them, I swear you will not be disappointed.

Culinary Concepts is fantastic! They catered my wedding last month at the Scripps Seaside Forum and brought their A-​game. Gina was great and worked with my budget and didn’t make me feel like a scumbag/​cheapskate– she even offered creative ideas to class-​up our menu at a reasonable price. Unlike other caterers I spoke with, Gina seemed to actually take an interest in our wedding/​menu and care, you’d think that is a common, no-​brainer, but it wasn’t. Her follow-​up and personal interest made the difference.
CC’s staff was 110% attentive during the reception, but despite reminding me to eat at least 3 times, asking what I wanted on my plate, asking if they could bring me a fresh plate (after mine sat at our table for 30+ minutes), I barely had 2 bites (so sad!). We received many compliments on the food, and though I didn’t eat much that day, I assure you it is super delish.
I cannot remember names any of the staff that actually worked the day of, but Javier took over after Gina had the menu locked down and he was great too. He delt with our changing guest count, table count, and my lack of ability to coordinate table assignments and made it all work out.
Recap: If you’re on a budget (who isn’t?), you want attention, you want a rad menu and you want a staff that actually knows what they’re doing, then go with Culinary Concepts.