Bespoke event catering, designed course by course.

Bespoke event catering is fully custom event catering: the menu is written from scratch for your night, wine and cocktail programs are paired against each course, and the chef leads a staff team for thirty to one hundred fifty guests. Standard event catering is package-based with menu selections from a fixed catalog and lighter staff depth. Bespoke starts with a ninety-minute consultation, includes menu design, paired-drink advisement, and full service staffing. For smaller seated dinners under twelve, see private dinner parties. For cocktail-forward events under one hundred, see cocktail parties. For weddings, see private weddings.

Bespoke event catering serves thirty to one hundred fifty guests. Below thirty the format compresses into private celebrations or private dinner parties, both of which run chef-alone or chef-plus-server service. Above one hundred fifty the event steps into full-scale event catering that requires venue-supplied kitchen infrastructure. The sweet spot is fifty to one hundred, where the chef plus three to five servers plus a bartender can execute a four-course plated dinner or a stations-plus-plated hybrid across a three-hour service window. Larger groups scale the team from there. Every plan is priced at the consult.

Six to twelve weeks minimum for a bespoke event, twelve to twenty-four weeks preferred for anything above seventy-five guests or during the holiday season (mid-November through January). The extended lead time covers ninety-minute consultation scheduling, menu design iterations, tasting-session logistics if requested, venue coordination, staff scheduling, and produce and protein sourcing against the confirmed menu. Around wedding reception clusters and corporate calendar blocks the six-to-twelve-week floor holds firm. Last-minute bookings inside six weeks are sometimes possible depending on calendar density and event scope; the consult call confirms availability.

A bartender program is included in bespoke event catering as a standard component for events fifty guests and above. The bartender works the cocktail menu the chef and program lead designed, mixes signature cocktails written for the night, and runs standard wine and beer service throughout dinner. Alcohol is usually stocked by the host; the chef and bartender advise on quantities, glassware, and the cocktail-menu depth at consult. For events under fifty guests, the bartender is an optional add-on quoted at consult. For bartender-only bookings without full catering, see bartending services. For cocktail-forward events without a seated dinner, see cocktail parties.

Yes. Bespoke event catering routinely handles mixed dietary breakdowns across fifty-plus guest events, including kosher-friendly, halal, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and severe-allergy plates within the same four or five course menu. The chef sets the menu against the confirmed dietary breakdown at consult, produces allergy-marked plates for named guests, and runs strict kitchen separation for celiac and severe-allergy cases. Vegetarian and vegan trays run in rotation for those guests. Kosher and halal options require additional sourcing lead time. Every dietary lane is quoted into the bespoke plan at consult so pricing and menu depth reflect the real complexity of your guest list.

Bespoke event catering in Connecticut is custom-priced per event. Pricing reflects five drivers: guest count, menu complexity, service depth (chef plus how many servers plus bartender plus sommelier), venue logistics, and lead time. Chef-plus-three-servers-plus-bartender for a fifty-guest four-course dinner sits in one band. Chef-plus-six-servers-plus-bartender-plus-sommelier for a one-hundred-guest plated gala sits higher. Themed tablescape, signature cocktail menu, and wine-pairing depth all add. Wine, spirits, and any specialty ingredients beyond standard menu pricing are your cost. The consultation call is free and produces a real number for your event within forty-eight hours of the call, not a per-plate range.

A tasting session is included for bespoke events at seventy-five guests and above, and optional as an add-on for events between thirty and seventy-five guests. The tasting is a two-hour session at least four weeks before service where the chef prepares three to five of the confirmed menu courses for a small tasting party of your choice (typically the host or hosts plus a small planning committee). Wine pairings can be sampled at the tasting if requested. Any menu adjustments confirmed at the tasting are locked into the final menu ninety-six hours before service. Tasting-session logistics and any additional-guest tasting fees are quoted at consult.