Critic's Choice Catering and Locations by Kaycie

Michelle and the Critics Choice team made my wedding better than I could have imagined. She was incredibly responsive and professional throughout the entire process. I was planning my wedding remotely and Michelle was extremely flexible so as to meet me whenever I was in town. We were worried about rain the day before my wedding - and Michelle proactively called me with Plan B options to prepare for weather. On the day of the wedding (at Point Vicente), Michelle made our venue absolutely stunning. She went above and beyond with the decorations, and even incorporated other flowers/decorations that I brought into our design. The service was absolutely world-class. Everyone was extremely friendly and professional. Michelle made sure that everything was running efficient and on time. Last - the food was INCREDIBLE. Everyone at our wedding commented that our food was (hands down) the best wedding food they had experienced. I would highly recommend Michelle and Critics Choice Catering. I had high expectations and she exceeded all of them. Our wedding would not have been so wonderful without her. The value that CCC provides is outstanding.

Our food was catered by Critics Choice and we worked mostly with Tracy- they were amazing! Many of the members of our family said that they had never had such good food at a wedding and that Critic's should think about opening a restaurant. We loved it. The portions are quite generous for the amount you pay. They worked with us to find the perfect menu for our budget and guests. They were flexible with the ingredients: when we wanted more pine nuts or less of something else they were more than happy to work with us to make the menu everything we hoped for. We had older family members at the event that were not every mobile and the waiting staff made sure they always had a full glass and anything else they would have wanted- that meant the world to us! My husband and I were so busy speaking with our guests that we almost didn’t have any of our own cake- a waiter noticed and brought us some - I was so thankful!

A lot of brides don’t want to hear that the venue they fell in love with does not allow outside catering – you must use their preferred vendor. It’s hard to accept that you don’t have a choice, and I certainly felt some of that initially when the venue of my dreams – The Sepulveda Home – will only use Critic’s Choice. I was pleasantly surprised when I finally met Tracy and we went in for our first tasting. WOW! Not only was Tracy over the top accommodating and a blast to do business with, the food was FANTASTIC! I loved every bite and honestly had a hard time narrowing down the final menu. I wanted a little bit of everything. Tracy asked about my colors, décor, and went out of her way to make sure that her presentation was a feast for the eyes. In lieu of traditional wedding cake, we had bread pudding. Tracy revamped her dessert service to accommodate serving a treat that is a little offbeat without hesitation. She happily stuck our little cake topper on our dish packed with all 5 flavors and used the toppings to create a plate that was worthy of the traditional “cake pictures”. I even had a cousin who arrived well past dinner service and Tracy made sure she was seated and served dinner the moment she walked in. Amazing. Tracy is so awesome that I have already used her professionally as well. I needed 2 meals delivered a day for 4 days at 2 separate locations and Tracy did not miss a beat. Her menus were spot on and everything was delivered on time, hot and delicious. The delivery drivers were super friendly and happy to help if you needed a little extra assistance. I would not hesitate to use Critic’s Choice for another corporate lunch and I will absolutely recommend them to anyone who asks.

Tracy @ Critics Choice Catering was fantastic! She was extremely helpful and had such an uplifting, sweet, fun personality. She was reliable and always willing to go the extra mile, she even offered to be our coordinator and worked with our budget to provide quality food and service. The food is amazing, we had compliments all night long and the bartendars were very professional, friendly and mixed great cocktails with the list we gave them to work with. I would'nt recommend anyone else! xo Gina and Nelson

The food was absolutely amazing and Michelle was awesome to work with! We had a lot of specific needs (including multiple people with severe food allergies), and Michelle handled it all perfectly! The food was the best of any food we have had at any wedding, and our guests still can't stop talking about how great it all tasted. Thanks again for everything!

Michelle was not only very prompt in responding, her food was delicious, and she gave us an amazing deal! We loved how she exceeded our expectations!

The day/night of my wedding was definitely a whirlwind, but the expertise and professionalism that Janel and all of the people at Critic's Choice provided with setting up, delivery and food service was fantastic and everything ran smoothly. I absolutely recommend their catering services. We received many compliments on all of the different food choices and appetizers we provided, and I can't even express how thankful I am for the way that my venue was set up. I just gave Janel my ideas and she put them into action and made our special day perfect!

It took me so very long to write this review because I had to figure out the best way to express this fact: MICHELLE OF CRITIC'S CHOICE SAVED OUR WEDDING. Before I move on to the review of the food and service (all phenomenal, by the way), I have to explain the statement above. My fiance and I started planning our wedding about a year and a half in advance. We wanted to avoid tight schedules, last minute rushes and the potential fear that nothing would be ready in time. The first thing that we did was to scout out locations. It didn't take us too long to decide on a particular venue which we felt best described us. We contacted the location's Events Coordinator, booked our date and they provided us with their list of approved caterers. Luckily, Critic's Choice Catering was on the list. I promptly called the number listed and was put in contact with Michelle. She was lovely, friendly, funny and just the perfect person to start the entire wedding planning journey with. After our first in-person meeting, we had agreed that she was the person that we wanted to work with. We scheduled a follow up meeting with her for a month later in order to start working out the final plans. About 2 weeks after our initial meeting (before we had officially signed any Critic's Choice Contracts), Michelle calls me and tells me that there have been some staff changes at the location that we had chosen and that we were not listed on the event booking sheet. Michelle gave us all the email addresses and phone numbers that we needed to straighten everything out. We thought that we had worked everything out, but the next few months were terrible. The location of our dreams had a staff that kept changing, they kept saying that we were not on the books, they changed their policies almost monthly and in a final insult, gave away the date that we had booked over a year in advance. At that point, we had less that 6 months to our wedding date and the best that they could offer was a sub-par location next door which was basically a glorified storage facility. Michelle wouldn't stand for it. She researched differed venues that were similar and in the same area. She kept in contact with us and kept assuring us that all would be well and that she would make certain that we would have the wedding that we wanted. And guess what?! SHE DID. With less than 6 months to go, Michelle found us our perfect venue. She called us with frequent updates, she made sure that we didn't forget anything and she was always quick to respond to our emails. Now for the food. It was just as amazing as Michelle is. Our first taste test with Michelle had opened our eyes to a very simple, yet overlooked fact. Wedding food can be delicious. We had sat through several tastings of bland, boring chicken and when Michelle had initially presented our tasting platters, we were absolutely in awe. The food was something that we would expect out of a 5-star restaurant and most certainly not what we would expect to be served at a wedding. Luckily, all of our guests agreed. The most common comment heard at our wedding was "The food is amazing! I'm going back for seconds" With all of that said, brides and grooms-to-be, go with Critic's Choice. It will be best wedding decision you'll ever make.

We highly recommend Critic's Choice Catering. I deal with caterers a lot for my company and I am very impressed with Critic's Choice. The staff were excellent and the food was fabulous. The wedding cake was from Mayer's Bakery. It was exactly what we requested, and very delicious. The Sepulvada Home was a perfect venue for our wedding of 28 guests. Sara and Susan were great in paying attention to all the detail and able to anticipate our needs. We would love to go back! Carla Ortega of Our Creations provided the flowers and they were beautiful! And the beautiful lavendar roses are actually still alive after a week! All in all it was a perfect night full of memories that will last a lifetime! Thank you everyone for making our dream wedding come true!

Janel and her team over at Critic's Choice Catering did an absolutely AMAZING job with my wife and I's wedding...words alone cannot convey how happy we are with the way everything worked out. Janel was extremely helpful and knowledgable on the front-end while we were going through the planning phase - and she was able to absorb our planned vision and make it a reality that surpassed our wildest expectations. She assisted us with planning every detail of the reception, and helped coordinate the day-of festivities so we didn't have to. On top of all that - she was flexible with our busy schedules during planning meetings - and worked with our tight budget without sacrificing any of the quality of services provided. Her staff on the day of the wedding were friendly, efficient, effective, and thoughtful (from bringing us out some beers for the post-wedding photo ops, to packing us up a 'to-go' plate for our wedding night), and all and all were another key ingredient in the success of our wedding. The room was decorated immaculately, and the food/menu that Janel helped us put together spoke for itself! All in all, we cannot rate Janel and her team highly enough. Thank you again for everything!!!!

Thank you, Michelle, for all of your hard work to make our 7/4/10 wedding at Point Vicente absolutly incredible! For future couples that need help organizing and creative ideas, Michelle and Critics Choice Catering will do it all for you! The food was *outstanding* and was a great value for the $$, too. Michelle was very flexible and willing to meet with us as many times as necessary to make our plans come to fruition. We can't thank you enough, Michelle!

Critics Choice was recommended to me by friend. As a frantic soon to be bride, I made an appointment. I walked in a little apprehensive and of-course really nervous because I had so much to do for the wedding. When I sat down and Janel walked me through what Critics Choice could do for me, I felt like a whole weight of stress just lifted off my shoulders. As I walked out I knew I wanted to use them as my caterers, not even sampling their food yet. Janel had this friendly vibe that wasn't fake. You could tell that she just met you, but she actually cared about you being happy as a bride and me needing to be hands on and not wanting any help, I knew I could count on her creativity and uniqueness to bring my vision to life. It is a great feeling because for couple months I felt like I was the only one I wanted to be in charge of everything so my stress level was so high. Couple weeks later, my Fiancée Joe and I went in for a tasting and it was beyond our expectations. I was really worried, AGAIN because my family and his family are all about the food and once we tasted it, we knew we made the right choice. Out of all the caterers we called, Critics Choice was by far the least expensive and they were willing to work with my budget. I thought since my budget was so low and I had so many people that, I'll get what I pay for, NOT TRUE. Janel worked with me through everything and she made sure I did not stress or freak out anymore than I should. I walked into the reception, It was everything I hoped for and more. The tables were exactly how I pictures, the candles, decorations were unbelievable and so beautiful. All people could talk about is how beautiful the place was, what wonderful staff critics choice had ( Vanessa was wonderful) and most of all, People could not stop talking on how delicious the food was and that we must have spent a fortune (little did they know ;). Janel, words cannot express my gratitude and thanks to you and your staff for giving me my dream wedding. We love you so much, Joe & Cathy Gillies-Olaya June 2010 Wedding

Wow! I was not only impressed, but I was so happy to have Janel and her team with me every step of the way for my wedding. Janel was my right hand the day of the wedding and every day leading up to it. There are so many details that go into planning a wedding and she didn't let me skip a beat. All of the food was amazing (people are still talking about it) and Janel personally made sure that Jeff (my husband) and I had full plates of food and always a full glass of champagne! I never thought of Janel as just my caterer, she was my wedding coordinator, and the reason why I had no stress the day of my wedding. That day was perfect and I honestly couldn't have imagined doing it without her! I highly encourage anyone that is looking for a caterer to meet with Janel, you will be so happy that you did! I can't stop smiling just thinking about that day!!!!

I recently got married at Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Our coordinator, Janel, was great the whole way through. She created a wonderful menu for our guests that was oceany/hawaiian themed. We got a "free" taste sample before hiring Critic's Choice & I was sold right then & there. The chicken was seriously the best chicken I've ever had. And when the wedding rolled around, the reality was that we had a fair amount of vegetarians, so Janel prepared tofu for them, which was also great. We had another taste test of the menu for the wedding a few weeks before and were able to finalize everything and make sure the food was all to our liking and good for the guests. We decided that all the appetizers would be vegetarian so no one had to worry about eating meat. Also, Janel had a separate sushi station set up, which was a really nice touch for the guests. I only with I had time to get some! Janel also served as the day-of coordinator and planner, which was fantastic because we had no idea what we were doing & it allowed us to enjoy the day but still remember to do the important things -- bouquet toss, cake cut, garter toss, etc etc. Janel kept track of time and paid attention to the details so we didn't have to! I gave Janel all the stuff for the tables (place cards, games for the kid's table, toasting flutes etc) about a week before and she had it all set up at the location. She even included the centerpieces in her planning quote, so I didn't have to worry about getting more flowers. She created beautiful ocean-themed fishbowl centerpieces, with floating candles, which were really stunning! Also, all deliveries went through her, so we didn't have to worry about when the cake or ice or flowers got there. Thank you so much Janel for making our day go smoothly so we could enjoy ourselves and our guests 100%. I would highly recommend Critic's Choice Catering to anyone!

I was recently married on 5/08/10 and we used Critics Choice Catering as our caterer and they did a wonderful job. Our coordinator, Janel, did an amazing job and I would highly recommend her. She was very helpful during the whole long process with giving us ideas and trying to make things easier on us. And on the day of the wedding, she was amazing. She continually checked on us to make sure we had everything we needed, got us drinks/food, packed up all of our things at the end of the night, etc. We weren't bothered with any of the little details. The food was great! Everyone enjoyed it. Our menu was the Italian Stuffed Chicken and garlic mashed potatoes which I would highly recommend. The servers and bartenders did a great job as well. The bartenders and servers provided our bridal party with drinks and appetizers before the wedding and while we were busy taking pictures. Also, Critics Choice provided our centerpieces which I loved! I would and will recommend Janel and Critics Choice Catering to any future brides.

Michelle was great to work with. She was very understanding and worked around our low budget. We had Asian stir-fry for dinner, and while most caterers/restaurants wouldn't allow outside vendors, she allowed us to have a guest bring in a roasted pig (as a gift) - which they gladly cut and served to our guests. Since we had a specific theme going on (Beatles, 60s theme), they dressed up the buffet tables accordingly. They had the bright Sgt. Pepper's colors out (with their linens) and their own Beatles pictures and album covers for decorations. They even had their servers come in their 60s best.

My husband and I were recently married at The Sepulveda Home in San Pedro. Critic's Choice prepared a marvelous dish for our guests to enjoy! The staff were professional, courteous, and friendly....and the food was magnificent!!! Carol was a pleasure to work with and stopped at nothing to ensure our wedding was spot on! The food was reasonably priced and the presentation was perfect! Our guests raved about how well organized, delicious and friendly the staff was! I can not thank them enough for making my wedding extra special and memorable for me, my husband and all of our guests!!

We also had our wedding reception at the Sepulveda Home and it couldn't have gone any smoother. Carol is an absolute professional and a pleasure to work with. As soon as we arrived at the reception site, she was there with some excellent hors d'oeuvres for us, since it's hard to find time for the bride & groom to grab a bite. Every step of the way, we felt like we were being taken care of. The food was amazing and Carol's consultations were very helpful in preparing our menu to meet the dietary needs of our guests. We highly recommend her and Critic's Choice!

We worked with Tracy on the menu for our wedding at the Sepulveda House (Critic's Choice is the exclusive caterer there). She was very friendly, willing to answer questions and make suggestions, and worked with us to make sure we had entrees available for our few vegetarian guests. Because they cater all of the events at our venue, Tracy was able to give me information and let me know a few questions to ask the event planner there which was very helpful. The day of the wedding the food was perfect. All of our guests raved about it. I got a lot of compliments on the chicken especially because it was so moist - not like most of the chicken you've had at a wedding. The only complaint came from my husband. While we were in our separate rooms waiting for guests to arrive and for the ceremony to start, someone brought a plate of food up to the bride room. My husband was in a room downstairs and asked for something to eat and someone told him that there was a plate in the room - but they were talking about the plate in my room. So he didn't actually get to taste any of the appetizers. I have to say, I put half of the blame on him because he should have spoken to Tracy about it and I'm sure she would have taken care of it right away. Other than that tiny bump, everything was fantastic and I would highly recommend Critic's Choice.

Michelle was great to work with in planning the food for our wedding. She was thoughtful about accommodating vegetarians and we have received many compliments on the food at the wedding. She was very organized, helpful and professional. It was a pleasure working with her.