Food For Thought Reviews
Reviews
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4.8 out of 5 rating
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4.8 out of 5 rating
161 Reviews
97% recommend it
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Alex J. Sent on 05/26/2024
FFT for our wedding at The Adler
We had an amazing experience with Food for Thought for our wedding at The Adler Planetarium. The tasting before the wedding and the food, drinks and service at our wedding were perfect. Our favorite thing about working with FFT though was having Diana as our day of coordinator. She went above and beyond what we expected of her and made everything at our wedding run so smoothly - from set up to vendor coordination to just explaining wedding basics to us and making us feel at ease during the months leading up to the day. I truly don’t know what we would’ve done without her. Thank you to Diana and the whole team at FFT for a truly perfect wedding day. -
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Joe R. Sent on 08/12/2024Food for thought and Diana at Adler Planetarium
The Groom:
Diana was our planner for our wedding and our point person for our catering and food ordering. The long and short is, this was THE best value we spent on our wedding hands down, and it’s not even a competition.
When you hire her you are hiring one of the most organized people I have ever met and she is an absolute rock star at her job. The moment I first realized this is during our first wedding planner meeting when she busted out a three day minute by minute timeline that went over everything, and I do mean everything. Do you need 20 minutes built in to have some shots with your friends? Maybe you need to go out to smoke? What about when the picture people arrive? Got any VIP’s (needy family) who need a little “extra” during the wedding? She’s got a plan, for well, everything.
She’s very good about telling you something straight up if it probably isn’t going to work like you envision, and likely has an alternative plan that will work. Your parents paying for the wedding and they like to be…extra sometimes?
Well lucky for you, Diana will take care of making sure your parents know their ideas are not necessarily the best way, but do it in a way that isn’t offensive and have them on board with a phone call or e-mail thread as well as a new plan that works. Not that our parents were bad about this, but when they were doing things that weren’t making sense Diana was able to hop in and take care of things so we didn’t have to try and have that conversation. =) (She will tell you if your idea is bad too!)
We were able to tell her our own over arching ideas we were mulling about and she’d very often be able to give some feedback that made it incredibly easy to make a decision.
Throughout the entire process she was always readily available, she was professional, and she was worth every single penny. She really took away a lot of stress, a lot of planning, and saved us from a lot of mistakes that we would have made trying to do it on our own.
The wedding itself was absolutely amazing. We did a Star Wars themed wedding and I have to say this was the best day of our lives and it was largely to do with Diana and her team. I’m not actually sure there were any negatives regarding the planning for us to mention. She generally took care of issues before we were even aware there might be something wrong. She’d just be like “so this happened, we did this to take care of it, and I’ll update you if that changes.”
For the food? It was honestly very very good. The tasting was a few minutes from our house in Skokie which was nice. Every meal was fantastic. Vegetarian dishes were clearly thought out and were extremely flavorful. I had several actual chefs’ compliment the food choices that were available.
The day of, food was great. We did not hear complaints from any of our guests. We did not have any complaints personally. Food was fresh tasting, delicious, and plenty for everyone. Everyone was such a joy to work with. Thank you Food for Thought, Diana, and Adler for making our day the best day of our lives. This was damn near Disney levels of perfect.
The Bride:
Diana and Food For Thought were fantastic. The catering was superb, but the real shining star was Diana herself. We added her Day Of Coordinator services. Diana starts working with you 2 months in advance. She was extremely organized and not afraid to speak up if she felt that something wouldn’t work the way we expected. She suggested vendors to help narrow the field in the overwhelming Chicago wedding market. Her suggestions were all excellent. She coordinated with all the vendors and made sure they knew what to expect and were prepared. She created the floor plans for the dining room and ceremony, as well as a to-the-minute schedule for the day. She even worked in time for us to have time alone after the ceremony to relax! Also, it was really nice to be able to send the schedule to family and the bridal party. Being able to tell family to “check the schedule” instead of having to field a million texts was such a help.
The Parents who paid:
Dad: Wedding went off like clockwork. Diana took care of all the little things that can drive you nuts on wedding day.
Mom: Husband said (i completely agree) that hiring Diana was the best thing we did for the wedding. If you want to relax, want to enjoy the wedding and reception, and know everything will go well without you…hire Diana.
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Kelli C. Sent on 02/13/2024Top Notch Chicago Catering
OUTSTANDING!! From the day we had the tasting to the day of the wedding, we were blown away by the quality of the food, service, and presentation.
Our guests were raving about how fantastic the food was! Not only did they say it was the BEST wedding food they've ever had, but some of the best food ever. Our guests were given the option between the Herb Rubbed Beef Tenderloin, Grilled French Chicken Breast, or Hand Rolled Ricotta Gnocchi. I am so glad I had the option of tasting all the dishes because it would've been a shame to miss out on all the awesome flavors.
We worked with Lorena and she was fantastic! Not only did she provide great advice on selecting the courses, but she also gave great recommendations for little ways to make an impact without going over budget. She was professional, patient, and creative.
Pricing may be a bit higher than some of the other caterers, but have no doubt, you get what you pay for with FFT. -
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Krystle C. Sent on 11/11/2023Not your average catering vendor! 5 star quality and service!
Food is one of those aspects that people will remember about your wedding and truthfully it’s the most important. We had a lot of guests wirh allergies and restrictions so it was important to work with a team that were accommodating but also just provided a great customer experience since they was one of our prioritizes. Not just that but serve amazing food that people would enjoy eating. FFT did all of the above!
Everything was perfect and we could not have been happier with our decision to go with FFT. From the servers to bartenders and most importantly the food, we heard nothing but compliments on our wedding day. The guests even told us that they wiped their plates clean and this was the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding before!
My planner and I worked with Dana, who was on top of everything all the time. There was no detail missed and she also coordinated working with an additional company for rentals because of the look we wanted to achieve.
The compliments we are still receiving about how people felt like they were getting a gourmet meal is unreal. A great experience and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a catering vendor! -
Natasha S. Sent on 08/23/2023
Great experience!
We used food for thought to cater for our wedding and had a great experience! We worked with a coordinator who was an expert with our venue and she was honestly such a delight to work with - she answered any questions and was incredibly prompt and detailed with responses. The h'ors deuvres, entrees and dessert bar all turned out exceptional!! -
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Molly S. Sent on 12/27/2022The Perfect Wedding Caterer For Foodies!
I am a proud foodie. Therefore, food at my wedding mattered. I wanted it to be a meal people would actually enjoy and potentially even rave about. We got married on 10/15/22 at the Sculpture Garden at Bridgeport Art Center and WOW, Food For Thought delivered above and beyond. I researched multiple caterers, did multiple tastings and landed on Food For Thought as the best option for our budget, the responsiveness and the stellar menu options. And I am SO happy we did. Multiple guests told me “it was the best food at a wedding I’ve ever had,” “The gnocchi was my favorite gnocchi ever!” From the first tasting, Food For Thought was incredible to work with. The tasting is such a thoughtful experience, complete with welcome drinks that were our favorite cocktails. Lorena was the most amazing partner in helping us bring our menu to life and our entire vision. From the look and feel of the place settings, to securing a s’mores bonfire pit station to the service, it was more like a well run restaurant than a caterer. I can’t say enough good things about our experience in working with Lorena and the entire FFT team or the actual food. They truly helped bring all our foodie dream details to life at our wedding. HIGHLY recommend hiring Food For Thought for your wedding!! -
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Victoria D. Sent on 10/25/2022Exceptionally Incredible Bar Service!
Our venue referred us to Food for Thought and we couldn't be more pleased that they did. We worked with Lorena leading up to the big day and she was extremely professional, quick to reply, and very helpful. As we had to make modifications to guest totals leading up to the event, they were quick with the changes. From the moment their team arrived on our wedding day, they were super fun and ready to party! Our guests had such a blast because of their team's humor, attentiveness, and kindness. They were very prepared, the bar set-up looked beautiful, and they were even seeking me out as the bride to ensure I always had a drink. We had pins for our guests and their team even wore them behind the bar...and signed our guest book! They were a true joy and made our wedding so memorable from start to finish. We 100% recommend Food for Thought and are hopeful we can work with them again. Thanks FFT! -
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Chelsea F. Sent on 09/09/2022Creative and Delicious!
Food for Thought was one of the four pre-determined choices that my wedding venue gave us to choose from, but I honestly think we may have ended up there anyway! Their creativity and all around incredible food made it an easy choice. In addition, they were incredibly friendly and flexible. We were planning our wedding in 2021 into 2022, and Covid was still an uncertainty - they were our only vendor that allowed us to negotiate in a Covid clause. We also were able to do our tasting prior to actually signing officially with them, which put our minds at ease. We also wanted to incorporate some asian flavors to honor my asian heritage, and they were so flexible with us in allowing us to do that but also keep a somewhat traditional wedding menu. I have to say as well, that Lorena was incredibly responsive and very helpful - she had very clearly done many events at my venue in the past, and knew my venue manager well, which made everything much easier. She was able to read my mind - recommending all linens I loved, and helping me through deciding on extras, like Chargers or No Chargers… she also was extremely helpful when it came down to bar placement, which I struggled with, and really appreciated her input. We also did our wedding cake through FFT (which my wedding planner had never heard of), but the cake was truly so delicious - we are still receiving compliments on it!
Would highly recommend FFT! I felt we didn't fully take advantage of all of their creative abilities, but it really feels like the sky is the limit! If you can, Lorena is incredible as well :) -
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Melanie M. Sent on 08/17/2022Our guests are STILL talking about the food!
We are so grateful to Food for Thought - I never knew that wedding food could be SO DELICIOUS, and we were lucky enough to have that delicious food on the most special day of our lives. Not only was the food delicious, but everything logistically with their catering was seamless. We had no problems, and they went above and beyond with everything. Our guests are STILL talking about how spectacular the food was, and I imagine they will be for years. I know we will. Thank you thank you thank you for contributing so much to making our wedding day the best day of our lives! -
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Julia E. Sent on 08/27/2022Recommended for Catering & Day-Of-Coordination
I HIGHLY recommend FFT for catering & Annie as day-of coordinator! Our venue was Adler Planetarium, where FFT has an exclusive contract. Because of this, the entire FFT team knew the venue inside & out. Annie met us to walk through the venue and is very knowledgeable about the space & options for layout & flow. We worked with Annie for close to a year on all details related to rentals, catering, lighting, menu, and layout, and when we decided we wanted to use FFT for day-of-coordination as well, we were over the moon to find out that Annie would be paired with us for this, too! We also worked with Marisa & Melissa for our tasting while Annie was on leave, and they were amazing. The process was seamless and as a detail-oriented person, I was grateful for the entire FFT team's thorough, thoughtful approach. They are true professionals!
Working with Annie for day-of-coordination put my mind at ease leading up to the wedding. I was in excellent hands and Annie communicated each step, timeline, and option. She made me feel comfortable & empowered to include what I wanted and was a great help in evaluating what would not work well, and what would. I came to rely on her extensive experience working in events & weddings at our venue, and I am so glad that I did. During the wedding itself, Annie was calm & focused, checking with me on details and for the few last-minute changes I wanted (like rearranging the head table layout), Annie made it happen quickly & efficiently. Annie's masterful direction of the day gave me the opportunity to be fully present & really savor the wedding & reception. My husband, family, and I are so grateful to Annie for making this experience truly perfect!
The entire FFT team was gracious, professional, and a joy to work with! My family and I are big foodies and loved the elegant, creative, and delicious options to pick from during the menu selection. SO many of our guests complimented the food, which was as excellent during the wedding as it had been during our tasting many months earlier. Our guests had numerous allergies & dietary needs, and FFT handled the complexities with great care. They made what I'm sure was a headache seem effortless, and I know our guests appreciated it!
I would recommend FFT for any catered event, and if you get the opportunity to work with Annie, you will have an amazing experience! -
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Fred G. Sent on 06/22/2022Excellent Service and Food
Throughout the planning, booking, and execution of our wedding, one vendor stood out above the rest. Meaghan Tiberio and her team made sure that we felt prioritized from the second we met them. They had a wonderful catered tasting ready for us at their test kitchen. They were prompt in communications. They ensured that all of the food options met our guests' needs. They did a wonderful job managing our venue space. Their servers made the meal feel elegant, rather than catered. But above all else, Meaghan personally made sure that me and my wife felt taken care of, including helping us with other troublesome vendors. I would highly recommend FFT to anyone booking a wedding in Chicago. 5 star experience. -
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Krishna P. Sent on 07/31/2022Thank you!
We had our Indian wedding reception at Adler Planetarium over Memorial Day Weekend in 2022. Our experience working with the Adler/FFT team was very positive. They were responsive to all of our questions and requests throughout our planning process and even allowed us to push our date due to COVID without any difficulty.
Coldplay ended up having a concert at Soldier Field the very same night so we were worried about getting our guests to Adler on time for our event. The Adler team was extremely communicative and transparent with us on how to best handle the situation and helped to ease our stress as well as ensure that our guests arrived safely and on time.
The tasting experience was also great. The presentation of the food was exactly the same as the tasting which we appreciated. Our ONLY issue was that on the day of the event, the food seemed to run out quickly at each table and some of our guests did not get to try each dish that we selected as it was a family style dinner. Our recommendation would be to refill dishes or provide more of each dish if possible!
On the day of, everything was exactly what we hoped for. We simply showed up and were absolutely blown away at how beautifully the venue was set up. Everything went off without a hitch thanks to Annie and her team! We appreciate everything that they did for us to make our event truly the best night of our lives!
