Tastings Caterers

No question: HIRE TASTINGS. Not only are they excellent bakers (they do cakes) and have outstanding event managers, but the food is unbelievable. I would highly recommend working with this company.

Yum - TASTINGS!!! Our wedding location (Codman Estates) asked that we use one of their preferred vendors, Tastings, being one. After exchanging emails with a few other caterers and Tastings, it quickly became clear that Tastings would be the one for us. We met with Sue (who is amazing, warm, funny and a TALENTED chef!) and she really sold us. Tastings provided drinks to the guests before the ceremony (a nice touch), then provided delicious appetizers during cocktail hour and a fabulous sit-down dinner. They also provided two friendly, professional bartenders (we were able to supply the alcohol). They made my cake - which was DELICIOUS and CUTE! At the end of the night they passed out apple cider donuts, which were also a big hit.

Sue and Eileen at Tastings were great, they met with us multiple times to determine exactly what we wanted for the food service. We went to a group tasting event so we could sample all of their options and get a sense of exactly what the food service would be like- this was really helpful. The only thing that surprised me was that they initially were very respectful of our budget for the evening but the final bill came out to be more than we expected and had discussed, I don't know if I just didn't get enough details beforehand but I wish i had been a little more clear about our bottom line. Regardless, the food was fantastic and everyone at the wedding raved about how great all the food was and the wedding cake too. We were very happy working with them. Also, Sue was amazing to have as the coordinator for the evening, she has so much experience I felt like I didn't have to worry about a thing. Everything went smoothly and the night was fabulous. Worth it!

From the moment we stepped into Sue's kitchen for our initial meeting, my husband and I knew this was the caterer for us. During our first meeting, Sue made my husband and I feel like old friends. She even sent us home with her homemade biscotti and cookies.We met a couple more times to talk details, timing, and menu. Not once did I feel like things would not go as planned. Sue had great ideas, and great little extras - like setting up a pre-ceremony lemonade stand, putting snacks at the bar, and handing out freshly baked cookies near the end of the night (all included - NOT extra!!).We also attended two tastings, which were amazing. So much food and drink to try. Both times we attended we left extremely full (with lots of leftovers!). My mother-in-law could not believe how fantastic the tastings were.The wedding itself was equally amazing. Everyone commented on how personable and professional the waitstaff was. They always had smiles on their faces and worked very hard. My guests raved about the food, the service, and attention to detail that Tastings offered.At the end of the night, the staff worked busily to load all our gifts and extras into our cars, and packed up a ton of leftovers for us.The value to be found in Tastings cannot be beat. I met with several other caterers who quoted me twice what Tastings quoted me, but the other caterers weren't offering nearly what Tastings offered (and delivered). Tastings had unique offerings (e.g. tomato soup sips with grilled cheese bites), which made their food stand out even more. It was great to have this unique experience rather than your typical wedding fare. Many thanks to Tastings!!

Sue Zahner is a total joy to work with. She really loves her work and her enthusiasm is infectious. She cooks good food and was willing to go above and beyond to cook up exactly what we wanted. Everybody at the wedding loved the food. Her prices are the BEST around. The staff at the wedding was great, too. The only downside of working with Tastings Caterers was that it often took them days or weeks to respond to our emails or questions - but only in the early planning phases. Closer to the wedding, communication got much easier.

The minute we contracted with Tastings, my stress level went way down. Sue was amazing: caring, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very on top of things. Because they work so often with the venue we'd chosen, Sue was able to tell me about details of the set-up that the venue's event coordinator didn't even know about. I think that's probably the best thing about hiring Tastings: you get an assistant event coordinator as well as fantastic food. The thing that we actually liked most about Tastings when we were looking around for caterers was that they have several group tasting events during the year that you can attend to sample their food. The other caterer we talked to would have charged us a ton for a private tasting, and wouldn't even let us schedule that until we were locked into a contract! I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not agreeing to pay thousands of dollars for food that I haven't even sampled. We did have to pay to go to the group tasting, but once we decided to contract with Tastings, they applied it toward our deposit. And once we tasted their food, we were hooked!Their food is beyond comparison! Our guests and even our DJ and photographer commented on it being the best food that they'd ever had at a wedding. We had some guests who needed gluten free food, and Sue worked with us to create a menu that had as many GF options as possible. We were also able to pick a real vegetarian entre that even the non-veggies among our guests raved about! Sue also makes absolutely scrumptious wedding cakes. She uses real frosting (yum!) rather than fondant. We ended up having a beautiful three-tier cake where each of the tiers was a different flavor, because we simply couldn't choose between all of their cakes! The only problem that I had is that sometimes I would have to email them a few times to get a response, but I think it's because they are a relatively small company who are in very high demand, hence very busy. If you decide to go with Tastings, book early and schedule appointments well ahead of time. Keep in mind that when peak wedding season starts, they are working constantly.

I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled we are that we hired Tastings Caterers ! In fact I'm in disbelief that they received a bad review here...this was not my experience at all...the level of service that Tastings provided to us is such a contrast that I wonder if all that can even be true. Sue and Eileen were so helpful through all of our menu updates, coordinating linens and rentals and giving us solid vendor recommendations for flowers, photographer and DJ. We felt so relieved to have found a caterer that was so down to earth and helping us understand the process. We had considered hiring a wedding coordinator, but after we met Sue we just felt like we had this great person with all these many year's of knowledge to work with...so we just took her advice on so many things...and it was perfect ! AND THE FOOD...is simply amazing...plus she was happy to put out some traditional Greek desserts on the buffet table that my grandmother had brought...I don't know of any other caterer that allows food to be brought in. We had her signature bacon wrapped breadsticks on the bar...and they were such a hit ! I wish they packaged them for retail. We had three food stations, a salad and vegetarian station, a station with tenderloin, roasted garlic potatoes and roasted vegetables and a station with boursin stuffed chicken, marble mashed and asparagus. Then we had a dessert buffet with Sue's amazing cakes, triple chocolate mousse, french vanilla and strawberries and cream with chocolate ganache sauce !! My family raved about the food and so many guests told us it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding.Sue was at our event early and her son Matt was there from set-up to clean-up. He created a beautiful display for our appetizer table and was sure to keep us on schedule with our timing. The staff was friendly and polite. They even boxed up the extra food for us to take with us! I can't recommend Tastings enough...thank you to Sue and all of your team for helping make our wedding a spectacular event !

I can only tell you what our experiences were with Tastings. They made our wedding! The food was cooked on site with their charcoal grills, and some of our guests went out to watch the Chefs grill the Tenderloin of Beef, the Salmon was the best anyone has had, so fresh. But first, We started with Non-Alcoholic drinks at the Italian Garden of Cranberry lemonade, Sparkling Water and Local Cider. Nice Touch. After the ceremony, we took pictures and we had our own 2 waitstaff to bring us food and drinks while our guests went back to the Carriage House for Cocktail hour in the Meadow. They set up a beautiful appetizer table with interesting items like: Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Terrine, Brie Topped with Apricot and Brown Sugar, Meatballs in Sam Adams OctoberAle Sauce ( with Pretzel sticks as the tooth pick!). we also had 10 different passed appetizers, my favorite was the lobster mac & cheese spoons and my husbands was the grilled baby lamb chops ( scrumptous). Then we had food stations. The Grilling Station had the Beef Tenderloin done perfectly, the Grilled Salmon with a Strawberry Arugula Relish and lemon, and Grilled Seasonal Vegetables, along with this great Marbleized Sweet and Savory Potato - really good.Our other foods that were a stand out were the Smoked Mozzarella and Basil Raviolis with Pesto Primavera Sauce, the Curried Wild Mushroom and Leek Strude (crazy good) and the Pies! We had Apple Struesal, Pumpkin Cognac, Maple Pecan, Chocolate Silk, and my Dad's favorite Banana Cream, served with Vanilla Ice Cream and Cinnamon Whipped Cream. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.As far as working with Tastings, they are so easy to plan with. Eileen was so responsive whenever I called or e-mailed, and she answered all the questions that kept popping into my head, at times on a daily basis. And Sue was so much fun to work with, she met us late at night, early in the morning and whenever we had free time, so did she. I know how busy she is, as she does all the baking besides the sales. We loved her! and the staff was there but not annoying like some at weddings. They moved mountains for us and I mean that, because at our wedding they moved the heavy white garden chairs from the Carriage House, down to the Garden for our ceremony, then back to the tent at the Carriage house, so that we didn't have to spend the money on double rentling chairs. They let us use all of their linens for our stations, cocktail tables, gift table and DJ, napkins, glassware, china, etc and saved us hundreds of dollars. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that our guests were treated well, fed well and left happy.Thank you so much Tastings, for all you did to make our wedding special, and I would recommend Tastings anytime you need a great caterer at a great price.

Hiring tastings was one of the best choices we made for our wedding. We fell in love with Sue at our first meeting. Before meeting her we had interviewed four or five other caterers, and she was a breath of fresh air. The food was fabulous, our guests are still raving about it. Tastings also coordinated many outher little details that complimented and added to the atmosphere of the event. They were really a stand-out vendor, and I would definitely use them again for any catered events I host.

They did a great job of executing what we had envisioned. Sue is so fun to work with and her husband is a master at the grill. Best meat/fish I've ever had at a catered event. They are very cost conscious and help you to save money ("don't buy/rent that--we can bring it"). And their staff is so friendly and helpful.

Sue ran show. The food was incredible and the service was the icing on the cake.

Now that we are coming back to the "real" world from our incredible wedding this past fall. I felt that I shouldn't hesitate in writing about Tastings Caterers. They were the best part of our wedding plans. We interviewed so many other catering businesses and found Tastings to be the most down to earth, easy to talk budget with and the creativity was beyond what I ever thought that we could afford for our wedding. They made us feel important to them both professionally and personally. It was always pleasant to meet with Sue and her enthusiasm for us, showed in many ways. The week of our wedding was crazy with so many things to still do, but at least I didn't have to worry about the food, staff or overall reception details, which made my life so much easier that week.Then the reception.. it was magical!!( Although it went by with the speed of lightening.) The memories are still with us and will be forever! I just wish we could do it all over again, this time in the winter months( our date was quite warm!).The appetizers were plentiful and they had a waitress assigned to just our bridal party for food and drinks, something that didn't happen at my sisters wedding a few years ago!, the buffet was decorated so tasteful to match the great menu we picked, ( Tenderloin, Grilled Swordfish, Curried Wild Mushroom & Leek Strudel.. should I go on?? and then the desserts!!! WOW is all I heard from our guests, who must have said it at least one time per person to me about the food we served.I hope someday to hire them again, as they are so worth it! Bravo!

Working with Tastings Catering was one of the best decisions we made during our wedding planning. I met with Sue on my own during the planning process and I was 100% convinced that Tastings was the caterer that I wanted to work with - even before eating any of their food! However, my husband needed more convincing. We went to a group tasting and after eating their food - we signed the contract, wrote a check and sent it in the very next day!! Sue was a pleasure to work with. She always made us feel welcome and super excited about the decisions we were making. The food on our wedding day was amazing, people can't stop talking about it. The staff was very nice and did a good job. My only complaint was that our dessert bar went out later than we would have liked...but once it was in place - it was superb. I would highly recommend Tastings Catering to anyone looking for a fantastic caterer.

Tastings Caterers catered our wedding in August of 2009. The food was very good, with mostly positive feedback from our guests. (One person complained about dry chicken, but most guests were very satisfied.)However, Tastings’ co-owner Sue Zahner treated me in a very unprofessional manner in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and also sent me a rude, mean email about a year and a half after the wedding.The problem started when we were planning our tasting. Sue had seemed wonderful in our initial meeting. We live in NYC, but were planning a wedding in my hometown in MA. We explained our scheduling difficulties – my husband works market hours and was using all his vacation days for our honeymoon; I work at a church, so must be in NYC by Sunday morning. Sue promised to work around our schedules when planning a tasting.Starting in January of 2009, I tried to schedule our tasting. Sue had not told her employees of her promise and had forgotten all about it herself. We finally ended up with a tasting for the two of us and my parents on the Saturday night before Mother’s Day. There was a torrential downpour that night, and my parents were about 20 minutes late, but we offered to start without them. When they arrived they were very apologetic.Afterwards, I sent Sue some notes about what we liked/didn’t like/wanted to change. Sue sent back an email in which she excoriated me, my husband, and my parents for being 45 minutes late, and told me how rude it had been of me not to let her know that my father wasn’t coming. (My father was there.) She also told me how rude it was of me to demand a Saturday night tasting during wedding season (once again, she had agreed to this and we had tried to schedule in January.) In response to my request for a bit more garlic in the tzatziki dip, Sue suggested that I make it myself. In several conversations trying to sort this out, Sue never apologized and was insistent that my father was not at the tasting.In the following weeks, Sue began to treat us poorly: she added a cake-cutting fee, and did not waive it until I produced an email from her written several months prior indicating that she would not charge this fee. When we requested that some leftovers be sent to our honeymoon suite (which she had earlier said they always do), she informed us that there are never any leftovers. Dealing with Sue Zahner in the weeks before my wedding turned me into a nervous wreck; my heart pounded and my hands shook whenever I saw an email from her in my inbox. I was so anxious about how she would behave that I hired a wedding coordinator at the last second so that I would not have to deal with Sue. The wedding coordinator was not very good, and managed her time poorly so that she did not have time to change into professional attire before the wedding. I was not impressed with her, but at least kept a buffer zone between Sue and me.In February of 2011 (18 months after our wedding), I received this email, which I am quoting in its entirety: “Your wedding reception makes us laugh every time we think of it and the memories of your party planner that night at your FORMAL wedding.... dressed in her blue jeans, non-fitting sweater, chunky pocketbook and no knowledge of weddings.. .just adds to the fun. I bet you are so happy that you had her on your side. I will be talking about your particular reception at an upcoming seminar that includes these details, so others get this picture. Just thought you'd like to know. Thanks so much for opening our eyes to who we like working with and who we want to go above and beyond for.”The way Sue Zahner of Tastings treated us was unprofessional, rude, mean, and vindictive. Nothing could ruin our wedding, but it seemed like she was trying her best. Shame on her, and on Tastings Caterers.

We are still on cloud nine from our wedding!! Working with Tastings was even better than any of the great reviews that I read before I called them.. they made it easy, fun and stressless, from the first call, through to the last dance. The food was incredible, which showed all of my guests just how much they love their careers, that's for sure! The staff was wonderful, and knowledgeable about what was being served ( I had some picky eaters as guests!).I do not live in Massachusetts, but felt like I was right around the corner everytime I talked with either Eileen or Sue, just to ask a question. Sometimes it took a couple of days to get a response, but in all honesty, I called and e-mailed them ALOT!When we finally were able to attend one of their Group Tastings, we were thrilled by the presentation and the quality of all items offered... then they let us go wild and take home as much of the leftovers as we could possible fit into the take out boxes that they handed out.... how crazy and exciting was that?!!So to make it short... we loved everything about Tastings.. the food, the staff, the presentation and the little ways that Sue showed us to save money.. as she said" there is life after weddings". Now that it's over, I just dream of working with them in any capacity.. so that I can have more of the amazing foods...Did I mention the cakes??? Totally awesome... everyone is talking about my wedding and I am proud to refer Tastings to anyone who wants value and a great event produced by an amazing catering company.

I could not possibly explain well enough how absolutely fantastic Tastings was! Sue is a bride's dream come true - her number one concern is that you get the wedding you want. She was by far the best caterer we met with, but it didn't hurt that she also had the cheapest prices. On our first meeting, my husband, my mom and I spent nearly three hours at her house, listening to stories about how they provided almost all the meals for the volunteers with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when they were in Massachusetts, and how she and her husband started their catering business nearly 30 years ago after they were unhappy with the caterer at their own wedding. Throughout the whole process, I felt like Sue was in my corner, excited about all my little details, and even though I knew I was one of many many weddings, I felt like mine was the only one she was catering!As for the day of, Sue had another event in the morning, so as soon as I got out of the limo, her daughter was there to greet me and my new husband, give us hors d'oeuvres and drinks, and let us know that Sue was on her way. The food was FANTASTIC, and I'm still hearing about how much everyone loved it practically every day. We had a buffet dinner, and Sue kept bringing extra plates of food over to our head table to make sure we were eating (since brides and grooms sometimes forget to!)She also made our cake, which was, in all seriousness, the BEST cake I have ever had in my life. Seriously. We had Sour Cream Vanilla and Lemon Sunshine, but I didn't get any of the lemon, which I was totally fine with, since the vanilla was so amazing.After the event, the Tastings staff packed up all the leftovers and sent us home with them. We weren't leaving for our honeymoon for 2 days after the wedding, so we lived off the leftover food and cake. It was great!I would absolutely recommend Tastings Caterers, and I plan to use them in the future for any events I host. Thanks a million, Sue!

My husband and I got there name from the Higgins Armory, where we go married. At first I was skeptical, but we made the call any way. When we got to meet Sue, she was very enthusiastic and very happy for both of us. She chatted with us, just to get a feeling of the type of people we were. We told her what we wanted, and what we DIDN'T want. She took entensive notes. We left her place with a very good feeling. When it came to the tasting, it was an event in itself. Set up like a Wedding, for about 200 people with each table decorated differently just to give you examples of different styles of Wedding. We had given her suggestion on what to serve. She and her husband John cook a large selection of every catagory of food. Main dishes, veggies dips and appetizers all kinds of salads and side dishes. Huge numbers of cakes also. I had asked for a wheat free desert and a sugar free desert. She accomodated everything we asked. When it came time for the Wedding, the food exceeded our expectations. EVERYONE at my Wedding commented how great the food was. It was fabulous. Every course, including the salad was fresh, and look like it was from a magazine. Grilled right outside and served, hot and delicious. We had a theme wedding, she also provided little extras for the table, just to push it over the top. We loved every thing she did. You and guests will be VERY satisfied with the selection and taste of the food. You won't go wrong if you hire them for you wedding...

I considered no less than 10 caterers for my wedding. When I told Sue my budget for the number of people I had, she was the only one who asked me why I was spending that much. Her experience and sensibility (26 years in this family run business) shone through immediately. Food was great (I went to 2 group tastings before picking the final menu), she baked and designed my 3 tier wedding cake, the service staff was pleasant and professional, and her prices were very reasonable.

I feel compelled to respond to the only negative review written about Tastings Caterers. As someone who was fortunate enough to work with the Tastings crew for my daughter's wedding four years ago, not only do I hold Tastings Caterers and all of their staff in very high regard, but find the accusations of "unprofessionalism" completely unfathomable. In a strange twist of fate, my husband and I recently learned that we have a mutual acquaintance with the bride that posted the exceedingly negative review. Suffice it to say that if readers were given the benefit of the details of this particular event in proper context, I am confident that no negative conclusions would be drawn about such an outstanding company.I had a wonderful experience with Tastings in every aspect, from planning to execution. I have nothing but high praise for Susan, John, and their staff as they went above and beyond to make my daughter's wedding a memorable day for everyone. I have referred Tastings to several people (who were also highly satisfied with the quality of service they received) and will continue to do so in the future.

I'm a professional photographer, and have worked with caterers all over Massachusetts. There was little doubt in my mind when I chose Tastings to cater my own wedding.The food was amazing, the cake even better, and the service of the staff, and Sue and John tops that. I have not had better food, anywhere, from anyone. Period. My wife and I still dream about the French Almond Cream cake, and Clam Chowder... and it's been over 10 Years.Hire Tastings, you will be happy you did.