j-bites

Save your energy on other details of your party & trust j-​bites with your catering. Jennifer executed a fabulous birthday party for my significant other and his 40 guests. «She had me at the first hors d’œuvre».
Every stage in planning the party was painless.
Communication — was a breeze. All the emails I sent she responded to in a timely manner. She answered all kinds of questions I asked and didn’t make me feel like a burden or a troll.
Menu Planning — She first sent me an extensive and exciting menu which she so gladly customized. She took the burden of dealing with a party rental company for the plates, glasses, tables etc. off my back as well as arranging for drop off and pick up.
Cost — for a chef to come cook at your house and serve outrageously sumptuous dishes — I thought her charge was very reasonable. At the end of the party, when guests came to me raving about the food I thought, did I pay her enough?
Food — they not only looked so pretty, every single dish was super delish. Every passed appetizer that came out melted a fraction of all the built up party tension in my body. I might exaggerate now but that was how I felt that night. Dinner was perfectly cooked steaks and cornish hen served buffet style. The dessert was also a big hit. Service was timed flawlessly. If she did hit a snag, nobody noticed.
Staff — Jennifer brought a great team, a sous chef a server and a bartender. They were professional and pleasurable. They made the guests feel well taken care of. Their efficiency was impressive. It was awesome witnessing two ladies kick ass in the kitchen.
Overall experience — I felt like a winner. Too late now but I wish I found J-​bites for my wedding.

Beautiful and delicious food. Her menus are always in-​season and use the freshest local ingredients. Highly recommend Jennifer.

As the manager of a luxury portfolio of wine and spirits our company frequently seeks out a caterer for our nights of food paired with drink. We have used J-​Bites twice now and will definitely use them in the future. Jennifer and her team provide not only amazing food but exquisite service. They are capable of working in various places and Jennifer’s attention to detail as a planner is top notch. Her menus are all prepared custom and with the utmost attention to detail. WE LOVE HER!

If I could add 6 stars I would. Jennifer created a menu for my wife’s birthday and it was amazing. Jennifer came into our home, which has a slightly smaller kitchen, and served amazing heavy apps to 12 people who were having a great time. The food absolutely complimented the mood and wine and was a huge success. We all toasted Jennifer at the end of the night because it truly was a night we’d love to relive again and again. A night to remember indeed. Thank you Jennifer!

Jennifer recently catered our wedding for 50 in a private home. We were so impressed with her professionalism, warmth, responsiveness, flexibility, and her ability to handle every detail, including coordinating the equipment delivery/​pick-​up. We felt relieved we were in such good hands! In addition, we were so pleased to hear from our hostess that she left the house in absolutely spotless condition. I recommend her highly!

I contacted Jennifer last minute for a dinner party for 10 people. She was really flexible and made great menu and wine pairing suggestions. She was on time, food was delicious and was delightful to work with. I would highly recommend her.

Jen was incredible and I couldn’t recommend her more highly.
Delicious food, professional, accommodating — everything you would hope a private chef would offer.
First time using her, but definitely not the last!

Jen responded to a last-​minute request to cater our holiday party in our office for 22 people. The food was amazing and everyone was raving about the taste and quality!
She prepared a number of menu options that also accommodated a few people with nut and gluten allergies and was easy to work with to refine a final menu. My only regret is we couldn’t try more of the options she presented. She delivered all of this working out of our very simple office kitchen (one burner, no oven) with aplomb.
We will be using her services again for sure!

I wanted to do something special for my husband’s birthday. After looking at renting private rooms at restaurants around town, I started doing some research on private chefs. And I’m so glad I found this option!
Jennifer made it an unforgettable evening for our family.
(20 guests. 14 adults. 6 children)
Here’s what to expect: absolutely professionalism. I wanted a California inspired Asian-​fusion theme and was delighted with her proposed menu of inventive and seasonal offerings. The kids loved the fact that they could seconds on anything and
peppered her with all sorts of questions on preparation and presentation.
If you are thinking about hosting a large group of people at a restaurant, rethink! I highly recommend going the J-​bites route.
Jennifer has worked at some of the country’s finest establishments – in New York and California. Having her cook for your guests is like dining at a Danny Meyer restaurant… with the benefit of being able to pair your own wines with dinner.

Jen is awesome! We hired Jen to cook and serve cocktails for a number of us at a house rental in Calistoga a few weeks back. She bought, prepped and served food to 8 kids and 10 adults. Kid’s and adult’s meals were totally different and on top of that she made a variety of great cocktails and drinks for everyone. She worked her butt off. Everything was amazing and delicious. Our kids loved everything from the purple broccoli to the dill mac and cheese and the adults loved the gazpacho, sticky spare ribs and chicken lollipops. Her prices are very reasonable compared to other caterers/​cooks out there and she is very inventive. We in fact had someone else come earlier in the week and cook as well — very boring dinner with steak, potatoes and salad — and it cost more. Jen is definitely coming back to cook for us again soon!

We had Jennifer prepare a dinner for 15 people at our home. She was very professional and prepared a delicious 5 coarse meal and appetizers. Served everything and cleaned up. She was so efficient and came completely prepared.
Everyone wanted her information after the party to use her for future events.
I would highly recommend her for your next event. She is easy to work with on the menu and her prices are reasonable.
Lani in Berkeley

Jennifer Cho catered a work going away party and we were delighted with her work. The food was not only extremely delicious, with unusual and taste pairings, but it was beautiful to look at. Very classy. And the cost is very reasonable. I highly recommend Jennifer.

We asked Jennifer to cater a cocktail party for us that we would be having at our house. I wanted a local/​seasonal/​elegant menu. Jennifer and I talked through the type of event I wanted to host and the type of appetizers appealed to me at a high level and then she sent over a proposed menu with specific apps for me to choose. Wow… the choices were so amazing that my husband and I had a hard time narrowing down the menu. We chose a variety of proteins vegetarian apps and dessert.
Jennifer could not have been any nicer to deal with on the phone and via email and amazingly responsive with every engagement.
On the day of the event, she came ready to cook! She pulled together amazing dishes that were both so delish and elegant and easy to eat at a cocktail party. She was so lovely and personable to have in our home as she churned out more and more yummy eats.
The event ended with all our guests complimenting me on my choice of caterer and of course the amazing food and I actually had a great time socializing at my own party instead of running around and putting food out (which is the way that my parties usually go…) as Jennifer handled all the details herself.
I am already thinking of future parties that I am going to plan and have Jennifer execute.
She is a talented chef, personable, and overall a lovely person to work with.

I hired Jen to cater a Sat morning workshop for educators: essentially, a continental breakfast-​style spread. I’ve gone with other options before: ordering fruit and bagel platters from Whole Foods/Andronico’s and working with another small catering outfit. Jen was phenomenal, from the food itself (yummy and healthy!) to the presentation (people actually stopped to admire the buffet instead of just grabbing food) to the service (she was prompt, professional, thorough and entirely sweet). In addition to homemade granola with honey and yogurt, Jen made muffins, mini quiches and a fresh and seasonal fruit salad. At the end of my workshops, I typically have food leftover and encourage attendees to take some home with them. At the end of this workshop, I didn’t have nearly as much excess food as usual (which speaks to Jen’s ability to size portions and then charge appropriately), and the leftovers I did have to offer were snatched up eagerly (usually, people are more polite and reserved, but they wanted their mini quiches and muffins!) I recommend Jen enthusiastically and unreservedly. Loved working with her and will definitely work with her for my next workshop!

Jenn, she did a great job, she did our family dinner .
It was well prepared, delicious — –
I would recommend her to everyone.

I wanted to do something special for my boyfriend’s birthday so I planned an intimate dinner with our closest friends and hired Jennifer (again) to execute. I asked her to create a dinner with comfort food as the theme. We agreed on individual plating and she helped craft the menu and allowed me to make adjustments. Here was the outcome:
Amuse bouche: Heirloom tomato salad — it was a perfect bite to start the dinner off and, although they weren’t necessarily in season, Jennifer was able to make them taste perfectly ripe
1^st course: Phở with rare beef — the oxtail broth was nice and the dish came out with all the traditional fixings (thai basil leaves, cilantro, sprouts, etc.)
2^nd course: BBQ pork ribs + mac ‘n cheese (with panko breadcrumbs and bacon bits) + corn on the cob (with a lime-​jalapeño-​cilantro butter) + jalapeño cornbread — YUM!
3^rd course: Chicken and waffles with bourbon maple syrup — the perfect combination and the chicken was so juicy!
Dessert: I asked her to incorporate the BF’s favorite ice cream which is peanut butter and she did a play on PB&J — really cute idea and well done
All of our guests were impressed with Jennifer’s culinary skills and, needless to say, we were all stuffed at the end of our meal. Lastly, we sent everyone home with goody bags (current and pumpkin seed granola) courtesy of Jennifer.

Jennifer caters our lunch at the Urban Airship office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She is very reliable, always has something different and tasty, and she is pleasant to be around. I’d recommend her for any type of party or regular catering!

I hosted a Holiday Party at my residence and hired Jennifer the chef/​caterer for the night. I had never done this before and was very new to the process. Luckily for me Jennifer was well organized and highly professional.
Creating the Menu — Jennifer came up with multiple menu options and helped us think through the appropriate set-​up given the size of the group (16) and the dietary restrictions of a few people. She sent us a handful of options that were seasonal as well as classic. We were also allowed to choose off the menu based on our own preferences. We ended up have multiple options for every course. We went back and forth and she worked with us to create a menu that was customized and tailored for our group.
Shopping for items — She did everything. I didn’t have to lift a finger and she gave me the receipts.
Set-​up — She came over 8 hours before the event and went to work. Again, I did not have to do anything.
The Food — Awesome!
* Hors d’oeuvres: We had two. The big favorite was the butternut squash with prosciutto on a bread stick. A sweet, rich and warm cup of yumminess.
* Sides: We also had ²⁄₃ and they were nice accompaniments to the main courses. I enjoyed the mash potatoes; rich and creamy with a touch of heaven.
* Entrees: She made three for us. Roasted Chicken, Prime Rib Roast, Pork Chops. The Chicken was superb. Moist inside and flavored to perfection; everyone got seconds and thirds. Prime rib was also very tasty and was cooked amazingly; pink in the center with great flavor. The entrees were the highlight!
* Dessert: Chocolate molten cake — baked fresh in our kitchen and served piping hot. Executed perfectly.
Clean-​Up — She cleaned while we ate!
Pricing — based on the outcome of the dinner and the compliments to the chef, it was a bargain.
Overall Experience — The night was excellent and her services and execution was perfect. Nothing more I could have asked for and I will definitely use her the next time around.