Raves & Reviews - Local Harvest Catering & Personal Chef Denna Myers

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06/07/2010

Denna catered my 85 person wedding at the UCSC arboretum this weekend. The food was by far the most important aspect of the wedding to me and I interviewed several caterers. I had a fairly strict budget but am also extremely particular about food and quality of ingredients and many of the caterers I interviewed were very discouraging about my budget and unreceptive to my input. I was intrigued by Denna's focus on fresh local produce and from the first time we talked I knew she would be my caterer. She was very kind and open, putting a huge amount of effort into designing a menu within my budget that I loved. She was warm and absolutely willing to work with me and accept my input, changing or substituting any ingredient I asked for so that I really got to feel that I was getting EXACTLY what I wanted. She was absolutely prompt in returning all of my (MANY) emails and phone calls.

The menu as finalized consisted of:

Ahi poke on wontons, pepper crusted tenderloin with horseradish cream crostini, heirloom tomato bruschetta, and a veggie spring roll with macadamia nuts, basil and chili blood orange dipping sauce. For lunch I requested a spread of sandwiches (prosciutto, brie and caramelized onions on sourdough; smoked salmon BLT with lemon mayo, cucumber and arugula; herbed goat cheese with roasted peppers and chicken chipotle with avocado). She prepared a fingerling potato salad with caramelized onions and a shallot vinaigrette, caprese salad, and green beans with crumbled bacon and pine nuts).

I cannot stress enough how delicious everything was. Everyone raved about the food the whole time (which is exactly what I wanted!). The ingredients were fresh and delicious, the flavors were spot on and the presentation was beautiful. I also hate a hungry wedding and even with the more expensive ingredients the food felt extremely abundant. Seriously, if you want an incredible, talented and enthusiastic caterer and you want everyone to leave your wedding talking about how good the food was, hire Denna at Local Harvest. Start to finish a wonderful experience!

~ Megan S., Santa Cruz, CA

04/21/2010

For a "Company" Holiday dinner, we decided to forgo the usual restaurant fine dining and have a more intimate, private event, catered by Local Harvest Catering. The event was held in her private home, where we were able to enjoy the panoramic view of the entire Monterey Bay while Chef Denna and her staff prepared an amazing meal for all 12 of us!

I highly recommend Local Harvest Catering for all of your "large" events, whether that be 6 or 60...

In today's economy, the value, the personal service, the attention to detail regarding diet needs is priceless and ... I'm looking forward to using Local Harvest Catering not only for our business and personal needs, but what an excellent gift idea!

~ Hope L., Ben Lomond, CA

04/20/2010

Denna Myers' food is mouth watering, fresh and delicious. She is dedicated to healthy, organic, fresh, local, in-season foods, and what a difference this makes! The roasted vegies brought out the food's purely natural flavorings, the scalloped potatoes made me want seconds and thirds, the stuffed chicken breast was so delicious, and we requested the breakfast fritatta over and over. Her food satisfies the organic eater, conventional eater, adults and children alike.

~ The Drake Family

04/19/10

I was in need of a catering for 25 to 35 people with little notice. Denna, owner and chef of Local Harvest Catering came through with an amazing menu, fresh organic starters and the best service I could have asked for. She created scalloped potatoes that everyone wanted seconds of, a delicious salad and a winter vegetable dish that was flavorful and just the right texture. I will use her again for every party that I throw. Not only was the meal and menu above and beyond, the service and time she spent to meet my needs, my concerns and the dietary needs of my guests was amazing.

~ Alecia M., San Jose, CA

03/03/10

Congratulations to Santa Cruz's newest up and coming caterer Denna Myers! Her company's commitment to local organic quality food is just what our town needed. Beautiful presentation and exciting flavor combined with unbeatable service. Hire with confidence!

~ Dori S., Ben Lomond, CA

Raves & Reviews

08/10/2010

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You and your staff did such an outstanding job at our wedding. The food was wonderful, the service was great and everything went so smoothly. All of our guests were so happy and even our snobbiest foody friends were raving for days about the appetizers and buffet. We can't thank you enough for helping our wedding day turn out perfectly!

~ Amanda and Ryan, Santa Cruz, CA

07/20/2011

Denna is competent, organized, helpful, calm, and talented. Denna was the single best decision we made for our wedding day.

It's hard to know how to begin to praise Denna enough. I wish I could give her six stars, because she did her job with professional efficiency, competence, and grace, but also did so much more.

From the beginning, she was personable and a good communicator. I found her here on Yelp, and even though she didn't have many reviews, I really liked her website. I worried that she would be above our price point because many caterers who emphasize locally-sourced organic produce, cheese, and other foods are also exceptionally expensive, but she came up with a menu that would work with our budget.

The day of our tasting, she was busy cooking for another event, but was able to work us in because we were coming from two hours away. Even though she was going between the kitchen (to manage things in there) and our table (to talk us through her food and our wedding choices), what I remember most is that she was patient and friendly throughout. One of Denna's greatest gifts is that she's able to stay sound and calm even when she's busy. Caterers and their staff can set the tone at any event, and I think she is largely responsible for how stress-free and fun our reception felt.

She also communicated directly with our reception site, met us at Alexis Party Rentals so we could pick out our tableware in person, managed all of the rental ordering, and went to the reception site with us to do a "walk through." The reception site staff were sometimes disorganized, and Denna ended up doing a lot of the smoothing out of those complicated and confusing details herself. She also did several interventions during our wedding itself: Alexis didn't have a BBQ grill for the rehearsal dinner the night before, so she borrowed her father's; the reception site wrote to me to say there was a problem with the tablecloths, and Denna wrote back to them before I could; and on the night itself, I was never asked to make any decisions or put out any fires. If there were problems, Denna handled them. (It's also possible that there just weren't problems, which would also speak well of her).

Her staff were courteous, ever-present, friendly and helpful. I was impressed by them.

At this point, you might be asking yourself: but what about her food? She did a wonderful job. Her "spring greens" salad with champagne vinegar dressing was some of the best food I've ever had. Her caprese salad was made with luscious heirloom tomatoes, basil, and delicate fresh mozzarella. The penne pasta with pesto was flavorful and cooked perfectly (wedding pasta is usually overcooked; hers wasn't). Her herb chicken was delicious. Before the main dinner, she also had a varied assortment of cheeses, fresh fruits, and bread, as well as bruschetta.

Each couple or event is different, though, and what's nice is that Denna will work with you on your menu. Because she's so committed to organic and locally-grown food, it also means that the produce is picked when it's riper and more flavorful, and she did a nice job of letting the ingredients sing.

All in all, I can't recommend Denna enough.