II · The Feast

Catering in New York that feels like being hosted

Upright

A room full of people who feel looked after, and food that was cooked for them rather than held for them. We plan the evening from the door in: arrival, the first thing in a hand, the moment everyone finally sits.

Reversed

Trays under heat lamps, and a caterer who doesn't even know your name, has never even met the host.

What we cater

  • Private dinners and celebrations at home, up to one-hundred guests.
  • Supper clubs and pop-ups. Jess co-created the Mortar & Pestle dinner series in Charlotte, seating strangers together on purpose. We also pop-up with the Catskills Cocktail Club at the StarLite Motel in Kerhonksen, NY and around the City.
  • Corporate dining: team dinners, client evenings, the lunch that makes the offsite worth attending.
  • Gallery openings and launches, where the food has to be beautiful in one hand.
  • Retreats and travel: we cook where you gather, in the city or out of it.

How an event comes together

One conversation about the room and the people. A menu written for the space, for the occasion. On the day, a team sized to the room, and a chef who is in it.

From the room

Jess is a food magician! She puts so much love into her craft of creating the perfect dishes and it truly shows in the flavor of every bite... Her personality and ability to connect with everyone in the room is the icing on the cake!

Gabrielle, catering client
  1. VI The bloom Chicory, cucumber and tomato, laid out like a flower around the dip.
  2. VII The wreath Green beans wound into a wreath around the fish, the graze table set around it.
  3. VIII The round A round table, every plate already down before the first guest sits.
  4. IX The library A long table laid down the middle of a library, set for everyone at once.
  5. X The canvas Crudites set as a painting on an easel, for a gallery that eats.
  6. XI The dusk Dessert plated outside as the light goes, the garden already at the table.
  7. XII The skyline A table on a roof, set for the hour when the city turns pink.

Questions people ask

When should you book a caterer for an event?

The earlier the better for the busy seasons, and a month in advance if you want a preview tasting. Two to three weeks in advance, ask to see if your preferred date is available.

How do I book a caterer?

Send the date, the venue, the head count and the feel you are after. We reply with a first menu and a quote range. A 50% deposit holds the date, remaining balance due the day of the event.

How do I evaluate NYC event catering options?

Eat the food, ideally at a tasting. Ask who will be in the kitchen on the night. Ask how they handle a guest who cannot eat what is served. Ask for the last event's menu, not the sample menu.

Who offers eco-friendly catering in NYC?

We buy from the greenmarkets Jess already shops, write menus around what is in season, and size portions to the head count so little goes home in bins.

The date, the room and the head count are enough to start.
  1. XXIII The canapé Jess plating canapés at the shower.
  2. XXIV The garden Jess at the garden table under the lights.
  3. XXV The plates Salad plates lined up on the counter.
  4. XXVI The prep Meal-prep boxes from above, the jar of dressing beside them.
  5. XXVII The squash Squash soup and the can of ginger ale.
  6. XXVIII The graze The grazing table with flowers, the mountain painting behind.
  7. XXIX The radish The radish salad bowl on the blue cloth.
  8. XXX The charcuterie The charcuterie board on the dark blue cloth.
  9. XXXI The citrus Salad with citrus, close, on the lace.
  10. XXXIX The cup Cucumber cups and the chalk sign that says whose food it is.

Elsewhere in the deck