Food For Thought

Food for Thought isn't cheap, but boy are they worth it. Jennifer Vahle is exactly who you hope will be running the show at your wedding: she's cheerful, professional, incredibly unflappable and definitely knows her stuff. I have to say, for the most part, the food at the wedding was just as delicious as it was in the tasting (people have specifically mentioned the soup and appetizers to me multiple times now) -- and that was the result of much back-and-forth about food, wine, bread, etc. etc. from the whole family. Jennifer never blinked at any of our requests - just said "Absolutely!" and got to work executing them. They were excellent with dietary restrictions, the servers were solicitous and professional and really added to the evening. Couldn't have been happier!

FFT catered my wedding as well as my sister's. I cannot express how happy we were with the quality of the food. My sister's wedding was in 2009 and friends/family were still talking about the wonderful quality of her food come my wedding in Fall 2011. I also had a large event, with 225 people, and the food, considering the amount of people, was amazing- all plates were presented beautifully and with the exception of one thing, all came out at the temperature they should be. I had to give FFT many stars because of the happiness of our guests and overall wonderful quality of service, the food truly made both of our weddings that much more enjoyable and obviously still talked about by many that we know! That being said, I didn't give it the 5 stars I would have wanted to because of attention to detail and at times, difficulty getting communication from our consultant. I got married during a very busy wedding season, and I will admit I had my own ideas and paid much more attention to detail than the average person might (my mom and dad have worked in the catering/events business for years), but there were just a few details that were not executed accurately. This would have gone unnoticed to anyone that was a guest (hence their happiness and therefore my overall happiness), but I would have given it 5 stars had all of our requests been honored and communication was more timely towards the end of our event. Regardless of these small details, I would 100% recommend Food For Thought. My sister and I had several other tastings with caterers for our weddings and they stood out from the beginning for their service, quality of food, and presentation. Overall, this was an extremely positive experience and I trust anyone who uses FFT will have a positive experience as well!

Food for Thought was recommended to us by our venue, Architectural Artifacts. We had a tricky schedule, a large guest list, and special requests for the menu all of which they worked with perfectly. We wanted not only artfully presented meals, but also a cocktail hour with plentiful appetizers & h'orderves that appealed to a diverse crowd. They nailed everything on the wedding day, in part because they were so good at communicating with us before the wedding. They do a LOT of weddings from what it seems, but we did not feel like a number in the queue. We felt like we were their only client which was great. Hats off to Food For Thought for making our wedding a dream come true.

Jennifer Vahle at Food for Thought Catering has been an angle. When we told her we wanted a Chicago themed wedding she ran with the idea and created a menu that is quintessentially Chicago. Every food station is a culinary peek into different Chicago neighborhoods, from Devan Street to Lincoln Park to Greek Town. We just hope our guests came hungry!! Highly recommend.

Jennifer and the Food For Thought team pulled off our wedding reception exactly as I had envisioned it. Our friends and family keep telling us how great the food was, and Food For Thought helped us create the vibe that we were looking for: relaxed and festive, allowing our guests to mingle with each other, enjoy great food and delicious cocktails. The linens Jennifer helped us select were perfect and really suited the colors of our wedding. The set-up of the furniture was well-suited for lots of interaction among our guests. One minor issue was that Hall's Rentals went to my house to drop off the catering equipment and rentals the morning of my wedding day, BUT our reception was being held at another location. (Also annoying was that they came to my house again the next morning to pick up the rentals.) So that was stressful, but Jennifer responded to me quickly on my wedding day to assure me that wouldn't happen later in the afternoon with the FFT team. I also want to commend the staff that supported our reception -- everyone was very courteous throughout the entire night.FFT may be a little more expensive than other caterers, but if tasty food is important and you want to work with someone who will actually listen to what you want for your event, then I HIGHLY recommend Food For Thought!

FFT catered our wedding and did an absolutely terrific job! Our guests kept commenting on the delicious food (unusually delicious for such a large event - 225 guests), the responsive service, the presentation and the fact that there were actually enough hors deorves to serve the hungry masses at cocktail hour (a point we really drove home during our consultations and which was very well executed at the event).Our consultant, Jennifer, was absolutely superb. She is a true expert in her field and was terrific to work with. She did not flinch when we gave her a litany of special requests and dietary restrictions of various guests. She was extremely knowledgable about rentals, service, preparation and everything in between. On the day of the wedding, she oversaw the whole complex operation flawlessly - the food & drink service was perfect and the room & tables looked magnificent under Jennifer & FFT's oversight. Many many thanks to Jennifer and all the folks at FFT!*Highly recommended*

Food for Thought catered my wedding on May 21st. I worked with Megan Wienstroer and from the tasting to the reception she was attentive, helpful, and a joy! Megan helped us get what we wanted within our budget and worked well with all the other vendors. She asked about our food preferences and came up with the perfect menu. I dreamed about the quesadillas from the tasting until I popped one in my mouth during cocktail hour - delicious! Many guests complimented the food, including the vegetarian meal. The signature cocktail they created was a huge hit! Grace was the catering manager the day of and she was wonderful as well. So was the entire staff. Everyone was friendly, professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend Megan and FFT.

We were thrilled with the passion and dedication that Brian and his team brought to the meal planning process and our wedding day. The food was the hit of the party and everything surpassed our expectations. Our guests had nothing but good things to say about each and every course. I appreciated the attention that FFT took during the tasting to make sure that every flavor profile and texture met our needs. I only wish we could enjoy the meal again! I had to be realistic about the value. If you want the best, memorable meal at your wedding FFT is for you - but you definitly pay for the quality and service. FFT also took care of all of our space planning rentals and linens - it was a great all-in-one service. We didn't have to worry about scheduling and planning for 3 different companies coming in to set up on the day of the wedding. Saves some stress and time. Fantastic quality to the linens and the colors were spot on!Thanks for all your hard work. Corinne & Brian

Great food and great people

Food for Thought did my wedding at the Thunderhawk Golf Course in Beach Park, IL. The venue was gorgeous and food was AMAZING (people raved!). Our coordinator, Ingrid, was a nightmare to deal with though. 3 days before our wedding her boss, Steve (the GM/head chef) had to step in and handle everything. She would ignore entire emails or just select questions she was too lazy to respond to, didnt follow any of Food For Thoughts' rules and would shock us with last minute requests that she never told us about. When we first met her, she was great but quickly turned into an unresponsive, incompetent sore spot. Steve, however, was fantastic and saved the day! This review was for him...not Ingrid.Ingrid has never apologized.

We worked with Jennifer at Food For Thought and they were amazing!! We had a couple of tastings before and their food was above and beyond any other place. Plus, she was willing to work within our budget. We got married in downtown Chicago so it wasn't cheap, but they were will to work with us to come up with a number that we were comfortable with and was below many of the other caterers in the area. The day of, the food was delicious and we got lots of compliments. It was a little less traditional than typical wedding fare, but had wide appeal. They arranged all of our equipment rentals too. I would definitely go with them again - everything worked out beautifully. I still dream about their truffle parmesan fries that we had as late night bites - YUM

I was really happy to have gone with FFT. The food was amazing and so was their staff. Our person Linda Barder, who I was in contact with to plan everything, was MORE than helpful! She is so knowledgeable and just a very nice person and made everything really easy for me. FFT provided the staff, including bartenders, and they were not quite awful, but not good. Our venue provided the liquor and the bartenders told my dad that they didnt have some of the liquor that was in our contract, it turns out that the venue did provide the liquor, and the bartenders just didn't serve it. In addition, one of the bartenders told my sister that she did not have any bottled water, when we knew there were cases available, so she had to have me ask the bartender for water, who them gave a bottle to my sister. All in all, great company, but bartenders sucked.When we went for the tasting, they made us personalized menus to take with us, which was a nice touch and the food was really just amazing! Much better than any of the other tastings we attended! I would recommend them! And try to get Linda B to work with you, she’s wonderful!

We worked with Jennifer at Food For Thought and they were amazing!! We had a couple of tastings before and their food was above and beyond any other place. Plus, she was willing to work within our budget. We got married in downtown Chicago so it wasn't cheap, but they were will to work with us to come up with a number that we were comfortable with and was below many of the other caterers in the area. The day of, the food was delicious and we got lots of compliments. It was a little less traditional than typical wedding fare, but had wide appeal. They arranged all of our equipment rentals too. I would definitely go with them again - everything worked out beautifully. I still dream about their truffle parmesan fries that we had as late night bities - YUM

Food for Thought was amazing. The food was fantastic! Every single appetizer, salad, entree and desert was incredible. My guests were raving about it.The service was also unmatched. From the beginning of the planning, Michelle listened to every idea I had and came up with an incredible menu and some decor ideas as well for my rentals. Everyone was extremely professional and truly a pleasure to work with.

I have been to many events with great catering, and for my wedding I want the best. After lots of research, I decided to go with them and I don't regret it.

I cannot say enough nice things about Rosemary Reed and Food for Thought as a whole! From my first introductory email, to our food tasting, to the days leading up to the event, and most importantly, the execution on the big day...our wedding reception at the Adler Planetarium was handled with professionalism, perfection, and elegance. Guests raved about the food, the service, and the little touches throughout the evening, that Rosemary played a huge part in coordinating. She effectively communicated with all of our vendors, even in Spanish when she needed to with the delivery of our Tres Leches Cake!I highly recommend Rosemary and Food for Thought Catering for any of your party needs - first-class treatment all the way!Tracy Galindo

Food For Thought did an excellent job of catering, everything was taken cared of appropriately and everyone was served on time. The food options they had were lots, so it wasn't hard finding something we both liked. Overall one of the more easier things to take care of for the wedding, in part to FFT.

Brian keifer and the staff at FFT are the best! We can't say enought great things about their food, service, personalism and the fact that they went over and above for us! We had a plate of hors d'oevres aside for us after the service, so we would be sure to eat, and the room at the back of the museum had a wine buket and ice waiting for us as well as the apps. We would use them again in a heartbeat for any event we needed a caterere for!!!

We chose Food for Thought as our caterer and could not have been happier! We worked with Abby England and Christine Grant and they were wonderful! My husand and I are big foodies and it is by far the best food I have ever had at a wedding (and I am not just saying that because it is my own wedding)! We not only received a ton of compliments on the food from our guests, but we also received a lot of compliments on the service. If you are looking for a caterer that will provide exceptional service, wonderful food, at very reasonable prices, then I recommend Food for Thought. They treated us wonderfully throughout our whole wedding process!

The wedding was at the Adler and we worked with Rosie Reed. She was so helpful and organized and professional. Things ran smoothly and guest after guest commented on the setting and how great the food was. I would highly recommend having an event there.Cheryl Makris