Porras Solutions - Chef Carlos

For my husband's 52nd birthday celebration on September 1st 2024, we had the pleasure of working with Carlos & Donna Porras from Porras Solutions, LLC, and I couldn't be more thrilled with how everything turned out.From the start, they were incredibly responsive, promptly accommodating changes we made to the menu with ease and flexibility.The event was beautifully executed, with an incredible menu that featured avocado puffs, falafel with tzatziki, paneer empanadas, arepas with fried cheese, and bruschetta with burrata and olives. For the main course, we had ricotta and spinach cannelloni, flatbread with chicken shawarma, cilantro pesto with paneer, arancini arrabiatta, and grilled asparagus and green beans, flatbread and pasta Alfredo.Dessert was a true highlight and a delightful finale, with mango panna cotta, crème brûlée, and strawberry lemon tarts. We even had a bartender who provided a drink list in advance, making sure everything was tailored to our preferences.Carlos and Donna arrived well ahead of time to set up allowing us to relax knowing everything was in capable hands. Carlos and Donna's team handled everything--from bringing and setting up the dinner tables, chairs and linens, to arranging the décor, to serving the food family-style, which added a warm, communal vibe to the celebration. Their attention to detail and professionalism made the event stress-free and enjoyable for us and our guests. Everyone was raving about both the food and the flawless service.I highly recommend Porras Solutions, LLC, for anyone looking to host an event where the food, service, and ambiance come together perfectly. They made my husband's birthday an unforgettable experience.

I recently had the pleasure of hiring Chef Carlos from Porras Solutions, and I cannot recommend him enough! From the moment he arrived, Chef Carlos made me feel completely comfortable in my own apartment. His professionalism, warmth, and culinary skills are unparalleled. The dishes he prepared were absolutely divine, showcasing both his creativity and expertise. Not only was the food spectacular, but the entire experience was seamless and enjoyable. Chef Carlos truly went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect. If you're looking for an exceptional chef who makes you feel at home while delivering top-notch cuisine, look no further than Chef Carlos. A five-star experience all the way!

Porras Solutions delivered an incredible experience all around. The food was truly exceptional - including the most delicious French Onion soup (pictured here). The team was highly professional and personable. Plus Carlos is wonderful with kids. Strongly recommend Porras Solutions!

Chef Carlos and his wife, Donna, made my big birthday celebration an awesome gourmet dinner for four, and a memory we will always cherish! Our menu consisted of Amuse Bouche - avocado mousse feta cups with shrimp which we could have made a meal on just them! Bruschetta, butternut squash soup and the entree was individual beef wellington, galette potatoes and roasted rainbow carrots and to top it off was chocolate soufflé with creme anglaise! This was a prize that I had won at a Lyon Real Estate MarTech event! How lucky was I! Chef Carlos and Donna were such a lovely warm and friendly couple....hassle free and no clean up! I highly recommend them for any occasion! Toodles and Gary Hauf

From the first moment to the last, Chef Carlos and Team were on point. Plated appetizers served to each guest. (Guests dietary restrictions respected) Stuffed Baby Bellas, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Crostini with Tapenade. Main course, Filet Mignon, Asparagus and Potatoes Confit. Desert was the bomb. Crème Brûlée, Orange Soufflé and a Mini Red Velvet Cake. All the pieces of the dinner played well together, like a symphony. Chef Carlos brought everything, and I mean everything. This was a Private Chef Dinner for 8 in a private home. Every aspect exceeded expectations. I highly recommend. I highly recommend.

I had the pleasure of having Chef Carlos cater my wedding at a winery this year. From the first call I had with Carlos and Donna, I knew that not only that I was in incredibly talented hands but that we would have a lot of fun planning this event together! Carlos worked with me to create a unique and custom menu that incorporated my desire to celebrate fresh ingredients and farm to table cuisine that also provided options for me as a vegetarian. In addition, my venue had a wood fired pizza oven, which Carlos used to not only cook the entire meal but also serve delicious flat breads and empanadas (plus homemade chimichurri and jalapeño jelly!) for cocktail hour utilizing the oven. One of the things that really stood out to me when talking to Carlos was how many options he was able to provide to my guests. My guests had a choice of salad, entrée, and sides! My guests loved this attention to detail and many remarked that it was almost hard to choose because there were so many amazing options. And in a final level of fine dining detail, Carlos cooked all of the filets to each of my guests specific preference. All of my guests remarked at how delicious and beautifully presented all of the food was and how much they enjoyed everything. In addition to how amazing all of the food prepared by Carlos was, Donna worked tirelessly to make sure all other aspects of my wedding went perfectly. She and I instantly bonded over our mutual love of organization and planning. Donna and I exchanged many calls, emails, and photos going over all of the details, both large and small, of my event to make sure everything aligned with my vision. Donna made me feel completely at ease which allowed me to just relax and enjoy the day. I honestly cannot say enough about how wonderful it is to work with Carlos and Donna. If I could give more than 5 stars I would! I highly recommend Chef Carlos to anyone looking for a caterer for their wedding or other event. You will not be disappointed!

I booked Carlos for my boyfriend's 30th birthday. We rented an Airbnb and decided we wanted to have a private chef for our family dinner of 9 guests. I had never booked a private chef before so this was very exciting for us.Carlos was very kind and I appreciated the little things he did to make the dinner special for my boyfriend and family. It was awesome to be served as if we were at a restaurant.Attached are photos of the beef Wellington bites (picture does not do it justice at all) and the main course Tri-tip, penne pesto pasta & candied brussels. My family all loved it! Not pictured was the salad, crème brûlée and tiramisu we were also served.Overall a great experience and we will definitely be booking again in the future!

I see a lot of positive reviews for Porras Solutions and after having read them it seems a lot of those reviews are for small groups of 2-10 people. We hired Porras Solutions for our wedding of 60 people and had Chef Carlos come meet us near our home very early on in the process. I can without a doubt confirm that Chef Carlos is top tier, can cook amazing food and improvise an amazing meal no matter the tools he's given. He's also extremely polite, thoughtful, professional and it was always a pleasure to talk to him. With that being said, his team is severally lacking and while that may get smoothed out by Carlos's expertise in a smaller group setting, It definitely showed during a disappointing food experience for our wedding. Dona is difficult to deal with, unresponsive, and was clearly in an unpleasant mood the day of. In the lead to the wedding, we had issues with a lot of what had perviously already been agreed to and the lack of responsiveness created unnecessary stress. Meanwhile all of our other vendors were very responsive despite having their own busy schedules. Dona and Carlos's support staff are nice, but are not professionals and lack motivation and attention to detail, which makes the team look disorganized and stressed. And while my now wife and I are very reasonable and would have been willing to overlook this, we could not overlook the following:1) One of our main courses completely ran out before our immediate family even had a chance to get food from the buffet. The second course had a sweet potato puree that was delicious and also ran out after only about half of our guests had served themselves. This is despite Dona telling us they like to pack a little extra to make sure things never run out. This means our immediate family basically had to settle for pasta only.2) The bartender service was lack luster. We elected to have only a his and her drink (plus a mocktail option). Our process for selecting the drinks was long and thoughtful and we prepped fresh ingredients (squeezed dozens of lemons, homemade blueberry and blackberry puree) and made a large font bold recipe for the bartenders to follow. It was clear they did not pay attention to this recipe judging by the amount of ingredients left unopened, the garnishes requested were not on the drinks, and the drinks tasted nothing like what we were used to (and we made several of these in preparation for the event to refine the recipe. 3) Cleanup was lacking. Porras left linens that had been rented on our behalf behind, left all of the alcohol bottles open and by the way opened a bunch of the same bottle and threw the tops away for some reason. It's really a shame that our wedding that was incredibly fun and amazing in the moment had to be soured by all the things we heard from our parents, friends, and other family once we returned. Catering was the thing we checked off the list because it was most important for us and while the DJ, photographer, florist, and venue were all amazing and we had high hopes for Porras Solution, having them cater for our wedding was ultimately our only regret.

I have used Carlos and his wife Donna for three parties over the past three plus years. Each time the quality and service has gone down hill. If you decide to hire them, ask for a detailed proposal and taste and approve everything before your event. Get all details in writing!To recap: They were late for my husbands' 75th birthday party of 55 guests with no apologies. Yes, there is traffic and accidents on freeways, but true professionals compensate for those unfortunate issues by leaving early and being prepared. The food was far from superior. The promised welcome drink and appetizer were not available as guests arrived because they were still setting up. (Embarrassing) The Beef Wellington appetizer consisted of 2 pieces of cold tough meat with a portion of bread attached. The buffet style food was barely warm with no heating devices available. We ran out of the fish entree and the vegetable. The second filet entree ranged from raw to overdone. When Carlos asked me how everything was (I told him the truth) , he disappeared in a huff with any promised leftovers. He asked for shots of tequila three times over the course of the food preparation. (Awkward!)I wish them well, but customer beware. The catering cost was close to $4,000, and although we thoroughly enjoyed the celebration with our friends and family, and a terrific band, (grateful) the catering was a disaster. And, of course, they will tell you I'm a difficult client, but I'm not. I really don't want anyone else to stress before a special event due to their lack of responsibility and attention to detail. We wish them well, but will never use them again.On a positive note, the pear bites appetizer, the salad, potato side dish, and the Mac and cheese (for the little ones) were good.

Chef Carlos does a great job. The food was great and there was a good variety and plenty of food. This is the third time I have hired Chef Carlos.