Catering
Formal three-course plated and seated wedding dinner service for 100-plus guests with full waitstaff and tableside service. White-glove plated dinner service is the most formal program offered. Built for couples hosting one hundred or more guests across Santa Cruz County, the Monterey Bay region, and most of San Benito County who want a fully seated banquet-hall experience with course-by-course tableside service. The published per-person rate covers the food program, china, glassware, linens, the expanded waitstaff team, and the standard ten-hour service window.
Menu structure. The plated program runs three core courses with an optional fourth. Course one is a cocktail-hour selection of three passed chef hors d'oeuvres. Course two is salad: caesar, baby greens with seasonal fruit, warm spinach with brie, or spring salad. The main course is an entree selection from a luxury list that includes Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon, Sesame Halibut, Dijon Salmon, Mahi-Mahi, Chicken Wellington, NY Strip, and Pork Tenderloin. Each plate is finished with two accompaniments, a garden vegetable, and fresh-baked breads. An optional soup course can be added at a $15 per person upgrade.
What is included in the per-person rate. Full china place settings, silverware service for every course, glassware (water, wine, champagne) per guest, polyester linen napkins and full-length linen tablecloths in over thirty colors, a banquet captain, an expanded formal waitstaff team trained in synchronized service, a back-of-house team, an on-site kitchen team with a chef brigade, and dedicated tableside service captains are all included. Service covers the standard ten-hour on-site window (three hours setup, six hours active event, one hour cleanup). Champagne pour service, tableside wine and water service throughout the meal, and cake cutting service are included at no additional charge. There is no corkage fee. Two vendor meals are included free of charge; additional vendor meals are billed at half the per-person rate.
Service style and event flow. The plated program runs as a coordinated tableside brigade. Cocktail hour opens with passed appetizers. Once guests are seated, the salad course is dropped in sync across the room, followed by an optional soup course where ordered, the entree course in sync, and cake and dessert service. Each table has a dedicated server pacing the courses with the banquet captain calling the timing. The team integrates with the planner, DJ, and venue coordinator so toasts and course drops never collide.
Dietary and allergen accommodation. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, kosher-style, nut-free, and organic plated alternates are available for every guest with a noted restriction. Plates are marked by the kitchen with a discrete tag so the server delivers the alternate to the correct guest. Allergen-aware prep stations and ingredient lists are available upon request at the menu confirmation stage.
Tasting and planning support. Complimentary tastings are offered for confirmed wedding groups of 75 or more guests and include a venue walk-through where logistics permit. A custom menu design pass is included at no extra cost. Couples bring entree preferences and the chef team writes a menu document with the per-table entree split for the program insert and the place cards. The planning rhythm runs contract signing, a one hundred and twenty day check-in for menu lock and entree-split counts, and a two-week-out finalization pass for the final guest count, dietary cards, and seating chart.
Pricing transparency and what is additional. The per-person rate on this tier covers the food program and inclusions described above. A nineteen percent service charge plus applicable California city and county sales tax are added at booking. A delivery fee applies based on travel distance from the Watsonville-area kitchen. Groups of 75 to ninety-nine guests add $5 per person; groups under fifty use the Intimate Wedding tier. The optional soup course adds $15 per person. Family-style table service is not offered on this tier (the package is plated by design). Bar service is sold separately. Specialty entree upgrades (premium seafood at $7 per person, short ribs at $5 per person, Filet Mignon at market price) are quoted at booking.
Venue requirements and compatibility. Plated service requires either a commercial kitchen on site or rental of a convection oven, warming box, speed rack, and covered prep tent. Open-air settings are not recommended due to food temperature exposure. Ballrooms, indoor halls, country clubs, and estate venues with a kitchen are the best fits. Service runs Santa Cruz County, Monterey County (excluding Big Sur), and most of San Benito County. Travel outside this footprint is quoted case by case.
