Cook and Run Catering Services

I was at the event for my cousin's wedding and I fully concur with all items that are noted my cousin's review of Cook & Run.At the cocktail hour, there were both hot and cold dishes. I found it odd that the hot dishes didn't have a warming tray or even a can of sterno to keep the food warm. The food consisted of bruschetta and meatballs. The bruschetta was just okay and the meatballs were tough.Everything noted in the review above is true and accurate to what transpired at the event as both myself and my girlfriend were both part of the guests that not only were served cold food, but we didn't have the option of a chicken entree.I mention the chicken entree only due to the fact that I found out there actually was chicken after the event had ended, but it had actually run out. The other funny thing was when we came through the cafeteria style service we were told "only TWO pieces" of the tri tip entree.

Cook and Run was amazing! They helped our day to flow so smoothly. They put so much thought into our tables and food, as well as the flow of the evening. I could not have enjoyed my wedding reception without the peace of mind that they were taking care of everything.Also, compliments to the chef. They cooked amazing Mediterranean food. Everyone was raving about how good it was! Shoutout to the event manager Regina. she was AMAZING. I highly recommend if you are looking for a thorough and pleasant caterer.The price was very reasonable.

I used cook and run for a dinner party for six coworkers, and the food and service was beyond amazing! I would highly recommend their services for anyone looking to host a lovely evening at home with delicious food and a great chef!

Update! The legal team at my company composed a polite letter which was sent to the chef. I followed up repeatedly for about 2 weeks to which the chef replied once that "her legal team was looking into it." It has been about a week since that interaction and I have still not heard back, so it looks like she's not complying and we'll have lost $1800 for a terrible night.I should've done more due diligence before trusting this chef that had a nicely done website and 5 stars on Yelp (One of these five stars on this page is from a guy who thinks this is a sushi restaurant, so major disclaimer there...).If anyone is thinking of booking here - I'd suggest not to, and welcome any DMs with questions from our experience - I've got 23 unhappy guests to back me as well. Have a great day!

"I generally do not take the time to write reviews but felt compelled to do so in this case. We hired cook and run for our daughter's wedding which took place on October 28, 2023 at the Fox Haven Ranch in Byron, CA. I was apprehensive from the start as the cost seemed very high at $15,000+ for a 160 guests and the bill had to be paid in full prior to the event, but my daughter and son in-law really liked the food so we moved forward. Unfortunately, my apprehension was realized because we feel like we did not get what we paid for. The lack of service, communication, attention, and professionalism is not something that any parent wants to deal with on their daughter's wedding day. Our contract stated that we would have 5 servers for the event and only two showed up. The chef and the chef's assistant were 45 minutes late and seemed to have no information or details about our event. Through all of our conversations, we had the expectation that chef Marissa was going to be our onsite chef. She did not show up and did not give us any notice that she would not be there. Their staff brought no food warmers, our food was in aluminum tins and just placed on a counter; therefore, some of our guests received cold food. The food that was not cold did taste good, but quite a few guests at the wedding were ultimately served cold food. These are just a few of our complaints. We followed up with chef Marissa after the event to discuss these issues and she was very argumentative, and defensive. She offered us, what we felt was, a half-hearted apology and a small reimbursement which we did not accept. She said any future conversations would need to be had through her attorney. We did attempt to negotiate with her attorney but felt that the money had already been spent and that it was more important for our voice to be heard in hopes that no one else has to go through something so stressful on what is supposed to be a joyous occasion.

We recently had a company meeting in the Oakland area and chose Cook and Run to lead a team building event for us, learning to cook tapas. We are a group of alphas who tend to take charge, but Chef Marisa was so engaging and funny, that we settled in and listened to her instructions, laughed and enjoyed an amazing meal. Not only did this help us to bond as a team, but it also helped us learn life lessons in addition to simple, yet tasty recipes.This was a pleasant experience from start (choosing the menu) to finish (eating our tapas). I highly recommend Cook and Run!

Amazing caterers and such beautiful appetizers they did for my husband's birthday. They were so professional and great crew to bring to your party. Will hire again many times for sure. Thank you so much.

Awesome experience! Great people, Great Food, and an incredible Valentines Day Dinner. Highly recommended:)

Cook and Run catered a special 50th birthday party and they are top notch! Their food, presentation, staff and service are exceptional and we look forward to using them again soon.

Unfortunately I can no longer recommend this business after using them twice (last year & this year). I've given this a lot of thought (it's been 12 days since my event), so it's with a heavy heart that I downloaded Yelp so I can speak up. Chef Marisa lost her sales person Dan Bridges and now I wonder if he was a huge part of what helped her business run smoothly. So much so that I asked her several times if her business model changed & she said no. We hosted our annual Holiday Bash for 35 people ($65 per person) & the theme was roaring 20's. They arrived later than expected and when I called to ask where they were, they apologized. Four people showed up in hoodies with chafing dishes which confused me. Who was the fourth person & why were they in my home??? I also asked who the chef & bartender were & I was told they hadn't arrived. I offered to turn oven on & they said it wasn't necessary. I ran upstairs to get ready then heard the doorbell & ran back down to see a man dropping off food on oven trays wrapped in celaphane. Again I wondered what was happening. Why was the food already prepared & plated? Where was the chef? I later learned she lost a chef the night before, but she didn't alert me, nor did she extend a discount for the very different experience we received. I also found out her kitchen is San Leandro so I'm pretty sure the food was prepared and sat around for hours before it got to us. Definitely not the experience I paid for, wanted or expected. The flatbread (sweet & tough) shrimp & grits (both cold & stiff), chicken & waffles (frozen tenders & eggo waffles), chicken satay (cold, marked with fake looking grill marks - store bought?) meatballs (okay, but too salty), stuffed peppers (bland & flavorless - quinoa fell out) and the stuffed mushrooms (tiny mushrooms, not even sure how they put meat stuffing on). I was shocked & upset so I texted Marisa at 3:00 am to say I wouldn't use Cook & Run again. Marisa pushed back HARD & said her servers told her I was happy when they left. She also kept asking why if I was so displeased with the food didn't I say anything and why did the servers say there wasn't a lot of food left over??? Well, everyone was starved when they arrived and the two dishes my husband who's vegetarian could eat (flatbread & stuffed peppers) weren't good, but he was again very hungry so he ate it. The servers were good & the bartender Mo exceptional! He made the experience WAY better, but the apps were not. I kept staring at the chicken and waffles wondering what it was, because it was heavily breaded tenders that looked & tasted frozen. Last year the chef kept grits warm on stove, sautéed shrimp here and made small waffles, all assembled in my kitchen which server passed when ready. When I relayed that to Marisa she said that would've been a disaster. I've done it before & why I paid Cook & Run $3,500 including 20%. It's as if she wasn't aware of her own biz model & services. Marisa and the bad experience with the food she cooked ruined the vibe of my annual party, and when I shared that she yelled & disputed my account of things. She refused to accept that no sane host with guests arriving at the same time as servers would choose to fight with them (they have nothing to do with her food). For the experience delivered I could've made my own apps. Instead I paid for a private chef to cook at my home, plate and serve warm food, but that's not what I got. Marisa finally admitted that she lost a chef the day before, but still insisted the food was good. So good in fact that she and her staff took food home after and enjoyed it. She never once alerted me to this fact & her apologies were followed by buts and A LOT of defensiveness. She also admitted that she's been very stressed out, but that was after an epic shouting match and her blaming me for using proper etiquette to get thru a horrible situation. Just an all around bad experience.