Shouldn't You Choose Your Caterer Based on the Food?

Call Us Old Fashioned, But Shouldn't You Choose Your Caterer Based on the Food?

We've been in business since 1967. Three generations. Over half a century of weddings, corporate events, family celebrations. And in all that time, we've noticed something strange about how people choose caterers…They ask about packages. They ask about linens. They ask about timeline coordination and vendor lists and how many events we've done. Almost nobody leads with, "How good is your food?", which is wild because here's what actually happens at your wedding: Your guests will forget the color of the napkins within an hour, they'll forget the centerpieces by the time they get to their car, but six months later, they'll still be texting you about the Beef Wellington they devoured at cocktail hour. We know this because they tell us.

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What our Couples Actually Say (And Why It Matters)

"My husband and I were blown away by the quality of food we had for our wedding. We had SO many guests tell us after about how much they loved it and many said it was the best wedding food they've ever had." - Sarah & Michael

"Everyone raved about how delicious the food was. There was more than enough for the amount of people that attended. I would use Jay's again in a heartbeat." - Jennifer

"People couldn't stop talking about how good it was." - Lauren & David

Notice what they're not saying. They're not saying, "the food was nice" or "the food was fine" or even "the food was good." They're saying their guests are still talking about it. Weeks later. Months later. That's not catering. That's cooking!

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The Difference Between Catering and Cooking

Most caterers optimize for logistics. Can we feed 200 people efficiently? Can we hit our timeline? Can we keep costs down? We optimize for the moment someone takes a bite and stops mid-conversation. The moment your vegetarian aunt reaches for seconds of the Rotolo Bolzano (a third-generation recipe from 1967 that we've never modified, because why would we?). The moment your friend's husband - who "doesn't even like cake" - comes back for a second slice because, in his words, "this cake is soooo GOOD." That moment costs more, but it's the only moment that matters. It takes longer. It requires chefs who refuse to cook differently for 200 people than they would for 20.

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"Way Higher Quality Than Your Typical Wedding Food"

That's a direct quote from a couple who had us cater their wedding at the Natural History Museum, and it's the most damning indictment of the catering industry we've ever read because it implies there's a category called "wedding food" - some acceptable tier of quality that's below restaurant food but good enough because hey, it's a wedding. We reject that entire premise. When a couple books Jay's, they're not getting "wedding food." They're getting the Short Ribs we've been perfecting for 15 years. The Beef Wellington that 73% of our couples choose because their friends won't stop asking about it. The Tequila Lime Chicken that couples specifically request by name.

"You really can't go wrong with any of their food options (short ribs & lime chicken were amazing) - everything was way higher quality than your typical wedding food!"

‘Higher quality than typical wedding food’ isn't the standard. It's the floor.

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The Beef Wellington That Launched a Thousand Texts

If you've been to a Jay's wedding, you know about the Beef Wellington. It's the appetizer people ask about when they're touring venues. The one couples request at tastings before they've even seen the full menu. The reason guests corner you at cocktail hour asking for the recipe. Here's what goes into it: Hand-wrapped filet mignon. Mushroom duxelles. Puff pastry that we bake to order - not reheat, bake - so it comes out golden and flaky and still warm when it reaches your guests.We make thousands of these per year! Why? Because in 1967, my grandfather decided that if you're going to do something, you do it right. My mom carried that forward. Now our executive culinary team runs the kitchen with the same uncompromising standards. That's what three generations means. Not just longevity. Accumulated refusal to compromise.

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"OMG; the Best Food in This Side of Southern California"

That review came from someone who, by their own admission, is a "southern girl" who "never expected good food" from a California caterer. Their chef "knows his stuff," they said. “Everyone complimented the food. The cake was so good that people wanted seconds but didn't want to be impolite." And then they said something that stuck with us: "If I hit the lottery, I would throw a big party and hire Jay's Catering." That's the dream, isn't it? That if money were no object, you'd call the same people. We're not the cheapest option in Orange County. We've never tried to be. But we are the option that makes your guests ask if they can take leftovers home.

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The Vegetarian Rotolo Bolzano (And Why Meat-Eaters Order It)

"Everyone loved Jay's famous Vegetarian Rotolo Bolzano."

"Famous" -That's the word they used. It's a dish we created in 1967 - fresh pasta sheets rolled with ricotta, spinach, herbs, finished with house-made marinara and parmesan. It's been on our menu for 58 years, unchanged. And here's the thing: Meat-eaters order it. Not because they're being polite to the vegetarians at their table, but because it's that good. Most caterers have "vegetarian options" - some afterthought pasta or grilled vegetables that signal to your plant-based guests that they're an inconvenience. We have a vegetarian dish that people specifically request. That couples tell their friends about. That's been made the same way since Lyndon Johnson was president. That's the difference between accommodating dietary restrictions and actually cooking.

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What Happens at 4AM

While you're sleeping, our team is prepping. By 4 AM, our chefs are in the kitchen. Hand-wrapping Beef Wellingtons. Preparing meats. Checking temperatures. Tasting sauces. By the time your guests arrive at cocktail hour, we've already put in a full day's work, and they'll never know it. What they will know: The food is hot. It's fresh. It tastes like it was cooked for them specifically - because it was - not reheated from a holding box.

"Everything was incredible! Not only did the food come packaged in containers that kept them warm for hours (literally, they were still piping hot as I packed up leftovers hours later!), but everyone raved about how delicious the food was."

Piping hot. Hours later. That's technique, not luck.

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"My Asian Mom Didn't Complain About the Food"

Of all the reviews we've received, this might be our favorite: "My mom did not complain about the food, which for an Asian parent eating Western food is tremendous."

If you know, you know. Asian parents - particularly mothers - have standards. They grew up with cuisines that have been refined over millennia. They're not impressed by "good enough." When someone tells us their Asian mom approved of the Filet Mignon Carving Station, that's not a review, that's a Michelin star from someone whose opinion actually matters.

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The Cake That Converts Cake Haters

"My husband doesn't even like cake but just went for it. During the reception when we cut the cake & fed each other, we looked at each other & blurted out, this cake is soooo GOOD...!!! People came back for seconds & we heard later that others wanted to but didn't want to be impolite."

Wedding cake is usually the thing people tolerate, not request. Dry layers. Overly sweet frosting. That moment during the reception when the crowd politely applauds and then goes back to drinking. Our bakers don't accept that. They make cake that people actually want to eat. Cake that makes couples yell "this is soooo GOOD" at their own wedding. Cake that guests wish they could take home, because if you're going to bake 300 servings of cake, you might as well make it worth eating.

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We're Not for Everyone

If you're looking for the cheapest option in Orange County, we're not it. If you want corners cut in places guests won't notice, we're not your caterer. If you're fine with "wedding food" - that acceptable tier of quality that's good enough because it's just a wedding - call someone else. But if you want your guests to text you six months later about how good the food was... If you want your vegetarian cousin to actually be excited about dinner... If you want to serve Beef Wellington that your friends will request by name at their own weddings... Then we should talk, because after 58 years, three generations, and thousands of weddings, we've learned one thing: The flowers fade. The DJ packs up. The photographer goes home. But the memory of great food? That lasts.

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Jay's Catering Company
Bringing people to the table since 1967

Ready to taste the difference? Email my team today: info@jayscatering.com