7 Chicago Catering Companies for Your Holiday Entertaining
The winter holidays bring joy, yes, but they also often bring stress, especially if you’re the one hosting friends and family. Outsource the hassle of food preparation so you can enjoy more of the good stuff. We’ve rounded up a list of Chicago catering companies that’ll make your sugarplum dreams come true with mouth-watering custom menus and staff that’ll sweat the small stuff so you don’t have to.
If locavore dining is your thing, look no further than this caterer with its own on-site organic growhouse and emphasis on locally-sourced, sustainable products. Acclaimed chef Devon Quinn leads the culinary kitchen of this catering team with a focus on seasonal specialties customized to your fit your specific needs. Whether you’re envisioning passed one-bite hors-d’oeuvres, food stations, a seated meal or a knockout dessert display, they’ll work with you to make it happen. You can also add staff for everything from setup, food and bar service, and clean-up; let them do the work so you can actually enjoy the holidays.
Gluten-free? Nut allergy? Hosting holiday meals has gotten a lot more complicated. If you have guests with five different sets of preferences or strict aversions, Inspired will have five delicious solutions—and will provide tented cards displaying ingredients for each dish so your guests can stay safe and happy. Start with one of their holiday menus to make your planning easier or work with their executive chef to fulfill a theme dream like “hometown favorites” with dishes you remember from the place you grew up or even your own mother’s kitchen. Choose food drop-off or have a chef come cook right in your kitchen.
For very personalized service, check out boutique caterer Firefly where the owner makes a point in connecting with every client to create memorable and timeless events, regardless of size.
With a focus on simple, reliable, delectable food, Firefly offers suggested menus as well as custom options. Enjoy Thanksgiving specialties like their mushroom bisque soup, maple whipped sweet potatoes and sausage and sage stuffing. In December, perhaps opt for glazed ham with cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar and stuffing made with cornbread, wild mushrooms and pecans.
With early pioneers in the locavore and green movement at the helm of this catering arm of the Revel Group, Limelight places their focus squarely on the natural tastes of fresh food. Work with them to design a custom menu based on your needs and preferences. They’ll also provide everything needed for inventive displays and offer service that will take good care of your friends and family. From small backyard barbeques to Barack Obama’s inauguration party, Limelight has been serving up deliciousness for more than 27 years.
If you’re looking for a twist on the old standbys, take a look at Foodstuffs. They enjoy taking traditional winter comfort food and recreating it in a unique way, like with their boozy hot chocolate and cider bars or their salt rock action station which features foods cooked right on Himalayan sea salt rocks to create a result as flavorful as it is fun for your guests. For New Year’s Eve, Foodstuffs is focusing on everything gold and silver—even the cocktails! Foodstuffs’ goal is to make you a guest at your own party.
Imagine your only holiday prep job is opening the door. Truffleberry offers several options to meet your every little need: Truffleberry Tonight planned-menu dinner delivery service, a customized catering delivery service, and full-service event catering. They live at the intersection of “home cooked” and “dining out” and can provide pop-up restaurant-style dining in your own home with intricate and labor-intensive menu items that are as beautiful as they are delicious and styling with an element of excitement and interactivity.
Big Delicious Planet is a female-owned, 4-Star Certified Green Catering company that specializes in vibrant, farm-to-table cuisine. They maintain 146 varieties of 39 different crops as well as two beehives. With a newly-constructed hoop house to extend the growing season of their urban farm, they’re thrilled to be able to utilize their fresh produce in creating fun and festive winter menus for your holiday meals. BDP is a full-service caterer, handling everything from food to staff, rentals and bar service and even timeline creation, vendor coordination, floral design and hand-drawn calligraphy signage.