Voila Catering

I inquired about catering for my wedding next summer at a private residence. I have already hired a bartender and had planned to provide my own beverages and hors d'oeuvres, so I was looking for catering of the main meal, dessert, event rentals, etc. I received a very snarky response that I had contacted the wrong catering company because their website "clearly indicates that all beverage services are planned, managed and provided by our team." And "Our chef team does not offer "selections of cheeses, meats, veggies and fruits." I understand if you don't want my business, but that was an incredibly unprofessional and condescending message.

This business catered my son's wedding. This review is not a rant but I hope will help folks in making a decision. I have read the other reviews and most of the 1 Star reviews speak to the inept social skills of the owner Jonathan Goodrow. This is entirely true. He is very rude and not only insulted a lady who was a friend of the wedding party but the groom as well.

He may respond to this and say people were "breaking the alcohol rules". Problem is no one communicated the process and his way of handling these issues was totally unacceptable. He was asked to apologize to the lady for his actions and refused until the bride's father finally gave him an ultimatum. Even then, his apology was "I'm sorry But".Chef Tamara, you have been in business for 16 years and your revenues are still very low according to your public filings.

Your partner is the reason why. Listen to what all of the people with negative reviews have to say. It's true. The food was mediocre at best. You advertise cooking on site but your staff showed up with the food in warming cabinets and after 4 hours before serving, the chicken was dry and so was the Polenta. You only offered one choice of salad dressing.

The servers were professionally dressed and courteous, however every time someone got up from their table to visit, dance or go to the bathroom the servers were grabbing people's unfinished wine and beer and pouring them out. When they returned to their table, they had to make another trip to the bar. The appearance of this seemed to be motivated by wanting to sell the wedding party more bottles of wine and beer as this is how you charged.

No one is perfect but I cannot recommend this caterer simply because of Jonathan's behavior. The way he handled himself was totally unacceptable; no excuse is valid. The lady he insulted mentioned she had never been treated like that in her entire life. Chef Tamara needs to get this guy off premise if you want to grow the company.

Attended a wedding this company catered last night, the food from the hors d'oeurves to the desserts where all amazing. The staff was very attentive and amazing also. Kudos to you and your staff.

The food is absolutely incredible, just wonderful. Food and drinks are presented beautifully as well. While one of the owners can have some rude moments, they do a pretty good job overall. Guests always seem pleased and the Voila staff as well as other employees (musicians, etc.) are taken care of as well.

Unprofessional, elitist, and absurdly inconsistent. Refused to provide even a basic quote for a wedding, instead gave a wild $7k-$14k range. When given basic menu ideas, like salad, bread, pasta, potatoes, salmon, they said they couldn't provide those options. What food DO they offer? Couldn't keep their story straight on event planner requirements, was it free or $38/hour, and was it optional or required? Wasn't able to get a straight answer. Refused to provide options for plate/cutlery. Refused to allow us to provide beverages.

Repeatedly stated that any caterer that requires gratuity is bad/wrong, though what difference does it make when they are far more expensive than other caterers? Clearly its their way or the highway, and if you don't like their options then you're wrong. We will happily choose another caterer that was excited to work with us on even the most basic of ideas.

Voila Catering should be your 1st call if you are looking to cater an event around Portland. They work with passion and professionalism to make your vision a successful experience for you and your guests. We had grand plans for the catering of our wedding last June, with guests coming from all over the country and France, we wanted to show off what our region offers and give a wink to our European guests, with simplicity and elegance. Voila catering did just that.

Executive Chef Tamara has a rich palate and it shows. The food was not only delicious but creative and beautiful! We chose Voila Catering because they helped us shape the event, discussing all aspects in details to fit our budget, all communications were clear and they were flexible in tweaking things to be just how we wanted without sacrificing our priorities.

It was a pleasure to deal with a down to earth business who shows they love what they do and they delivered beyond expectations. Thanks Voila Catering, you guys were awesome!

All Around Amazing. NOTE: In response to the negative reviews. While some email responses may seem harsh, listen to them! My husband and I were slightly concerned but come to find out, Jonathan, Tamara, and Voila staff really know what they are doing! When they tell you no or give advice, it is because they have had over a decade in experience in the catering business.

Dear One Star Reviews: Voila and Jonathan do not need to try to sell you their food. It is so good that they don't need to and know that even without your business their weekends will be filled with weddings. You should really have tried them! The entire experience with Voila was amazing. We started by going to the catering location in SE Portland.

We met with Jonathan and were blown away by the experience. It was so much better than all of the other caterers we went to see. We made a rough sketch of the wedding timeline and menu. Jonathan gave us their homemade lavender limeade and iced tea. We were impressed and so went and tried their food at Cafe Voila before deciding (for certain) on them to cater our wedding.

The food was superb! (I have since gone back to the cafe for lunch). We decided to use Voila Catering for our wedding. Jonathan communicated well with us throughout the entire ten months of planning and the day of everything was executed perfectly! Voila Catering helped to make our wedding a fairytale moment. Everything was perfect, with much thanks to them!

The food was delicious and service impeccable. Also, they decorated our cake for us because the cake lady (Portland Dream Cakes) dropped it off without decorating it! Please consider Voila for your wedding or other big event!

I only had one interaction with Voila. I am in the process of finding a caterer for my Rehearsal Dinner in August. Sent Voila an email to their general inquery address that explained where, how many and what my initial ideas are for our event. Here is the jist of my email: "I am thinking we will need Drop off and equipment pick up only, no on site staff.

Any information you can send my way on menus and pricing would be helpful!" Here's what I was responded with : ". To provide quality food and service, all of our events require an on-site chef team and service staff. Our food is hot, fresh, and right out of the oven. it is not available for drop off. If you are looking for drop off food, your most economical option would be a grocery store.

Best Regards " RUDE. I obviously do not know much about this type of subject, and would have loved some more information and not a rude brushoff. Isn't it their job to try and sell me their food? Very unprofessional to assume I do not want quality food and to assume cost is my number one concern. I am offended by the suggestion to go to the grocery store, this is a special day for me.

I will never contact Voila again! Furthermore, if I hear someone is thinking about using them, I will strongly urge them not to waste their energy. Please, Don't waste your time.

Jonathan and Chef Tamara (plus second Chef Nick) obviously know what they are doing. Our event was a 50th wedding anniversary party. The venue was the Holy Names Heritage Center in Lake Oswego. From the first day when we met Jonathan and Tamara to the conclusion of the party everything went like clockwork. Our first meeting included a tasting of recommended dishes.

That was a very important day. We had tasted at other caterers and they seemed reluctant to do that without a deposit or some kind of commitment. Not Voila! The food from the first bite was great, and the suggestions they made were excellent. All staff at the event were obviously well trained, courteous, and sharp. Thank you Jonathan, Tamara, and Nick for helping make this a memorable event! Dan and Patty G.

Yep. They don't work with wedding planners. They're a full service deal and this saves you money in the long run. If this ruins your day, I'd go elsewhere. #DealWithIt #$500YouDon'tHaveToSpend But you want kick ass food, fresh and beautifully executed, at an outdoor menu? You want Steelhead so delicious that your guests might fight each other for the last piece?

This is your caterer. Johnathan was there from first meeting to wedding day, and he has a real eye for which details to stress, and which details you don't need to stress about. His style makes for pain-free planning. Johnathan was great about snagging our cupcake delivery ("If we leave them out the guests will graze before you even get to the cake cutting.") Bringing me a lovely glass of wine and bottle of water before my march down the aisle, and making sure I had a lovely salad for lunch between photos before the ceremony. A+ service The dinner itself? Amazing.

A friend of ours who did catering himself warned us about salmon at weddings being a dry, mealy disaster due to the logistics of 100+ people. Voila did it, and did it well. We had no Steelhead leftovers. Considering the long list of food allergies our guests had (A vegan, 5 odd paleo dieters, allergies to buckwheat, apricots, gluten, soy, cinnamon, cilantro and tomatoes.) the fact that there was something tasty for everyone was a feat in and of itself. Also, if you are doing Bridal Veil Lakes, they have this site memorized backwards and forwards. I highly recommend this caterer.

Voila' first came to my attention several years ago when I noticed that they were the ones working the classiest events around Portland. (I am a professional musician.) One of the things that made them stand out for me was that they always made a point to set aside a tray at the end of the gig for the musicians - that kind of courtesy was unusual, and the food was amazing! Based on those experiences, I hired them to cater a fundraising event for our youth symphony, and they were great to work with in every way.

They kept us within our budget and everyone raved about the food. Several years later when it came time to hire a caterer for my wedding, there was no question in my mind that I wanted Voila'. Still, my husband-to-be was living in CA, so I set up a tasting so that he could decide if he wanted to try other places, or go with them. No question - after trying the food it was Voila' all the way! I've seen negative reviews on this site. Is Jonathan opinionated? Yes, but there is good reason for that.

They take their food seriously, and they have been doing this for a long time, so they know what works. Now they are also doing event rentals, and I found it to be cost-effective as well as more efficient to also order the linens and such from them that our venue did not provide. I really appreciated his input and did not find his manner off-putting.

In fact, he even agreed to meet with me again when I was questioning my choices on the menu! Of course, in my field I am accustomed to strong personalities, and I don't take offense at someone who is passionate about what they do. Everything they did at the reception was STELLAR. Everything they served was scrumptious, and their excellent serving staff made sure that everything was smooth and trouble-free. Delivery/clean-up was flawless.

Since they make everything to order, they do not do buffets, so if that is what you are looking for, this isn't the place for you. If you want organization, exquisite flavors and something really special - call Voila'.

Voila Catering could not have been more helpful and friendly in assisting us in planning our wedding with just two months notice. While Voila's website and FB page show many larger and more elegant events than our 60-guest wedding, we found that Jonathan and Chef Tamara made us feel well cared for, both in the planning stages and on the day of the event.

After our first meeting Jonathan sent a multi-page plan and detailed price breakdown for the event, both of which made us feel like Voila was not going to let any details slide. They also sent a list of dozens of menu options, all of which sounded delicious; it made our menu-planning process very enjoyable and creative. On the day of the wedding we woke up feeling strangely relaxed since the Voila team had taken care of all the details and set-up.

Other reviewers were annoyed that Voila does not work with event planners; honestly, I don't know why you would need one in addition to the Voila staff. The whole day went off without a hitch. Several guests commented afterward about how considerate and friendly Jonathan and the staff all were. Finally, the food was completely delicious and beautiful from start to finish.

We had four different hors d'oeuvres, a salad, soup, and entree with two vegetables, and everything was outstanding. They prepared steelhead filets on-site that were moist and tender, accompanied by a sauce that was somehow both nicely rich and light at the same time. You've never heard so many raves about broccolini in your life. Side note, the food prep happened in partial view of us and our guests and throughout the event the staff all looked calm and well-organized, which is reassuring when you are getting married and have other things on your mind.

By the way, it's a bummer that we same-sex couples have to be concerned about possible bad vibes from wedding vendors, but no need to worry about that with Voila. That was so not an issue. A note about the negative reviews here-- if you are thinking about working with Voila, check out their FB pages and notice how many happy clients they have. Yes, Jonathan is straightforward with his opinions, that's one reason we hired him (and enjoyed working with him). We'd do it again in a heartbeat.

All we wanted was a simple classy wedding reception, Voila's work played a big part in making it an elegant memorable one. The setup was pleasing to the eye, the staff were very professional yet warm, and the food and drinks were the refreshing treat we had hoped for. We initially chose Voila because they offered the best service proposal knowing we were working on a reasonable budget.

After visiting (and dining) through different caterers, the onsite food cooking and preparation got us signing on the dotted line. Looking in hindsight, Voila's major advantage over other catering services is they provide an integrated planning service. The planner (co-founder Jonathan) provides a service proposal based on your working budget and the event vision. Doing a back and forth correspondence with him was very productive.

He provided suggestions, we told them our vision, exchanged opinions, and it always concluded in a solution that works for everyone. Even up to the day of the wedding, our correspondences were positive productive ones that you'd expect from a professional service but mostly a privilege nowadays. My favorite aspect of Voila's service though I have to say was the event crew, led by co-founder Tamara Kay.

Beyond her duties of keeping the operations smooth, she also assisted me and my wife in keeping the event seamless and organized. The staff managed to be always of pleasing service, without being in the way of the guests. And even though this is Portland and it sounds very old-fashioned (or some even say discriminating), I was very glad that the crew were pleasant including their appearance fitting an elegant formal event.

And finally, we have to talk about the food. Our guests were so impressed with the fresh northwest theme we wanted to provide and Voila delivered. Everyone loved the salad, and the dessert. We got so many complements on how freshly enticing the salmon was (a last minute decision based on what was in season), and how succulent the chicken entree was.

And they were able to provide our vegetarian guests their own entree (not the typical show them the salad bar routine - which seriously what I got from other caterers) as part of their regular service (no additional preconditions or fees for the veggie entree) So definitely we would recommend Voila to our family and friends. This should be our only wedding, but maybe for future big events or one of our big anniversaries; we'll have them provide their excellent service again.

I highly recommend Voila Catering. Our office has used them a number of times, and every time we talk about how wonderful the food was. As a matter of fact, we were late booking our holiday party, and they were already busy on the day we wanted, so we changed the date, because everyone wanted them. They show when they are supposed to, leave by when they say they will, but not without everything being done to perfection. The staff is friendly yet discreet. As long as I am manager and we need catering, I will use Voila Catering.

If you value your time and have any self-respect, I recommend staying far away from this business. Here are some information that I (unfortunately) experience first hand at a tasting to evaluate their services: 1) Their salesman (or owner?) spent 90% of the time we were there patronizing us and speaking poorly about the competition - so rude - he really reminded me of a horrible car salesman 2) They have a mandatory policy that you must have them provide the alcohol for your party, they get really upset AND WILL TELL YOU when you inadvertently didn't see it on their website. 3) The tasting last over 3 hours (one of the worse 3 hours of my life!) 4) The food is mediocre at best and they served it cold!

After going on and on about the importance of cooking onsite to serve food at the correct temperature - I've had airplane food that tasted better. The bottom line: even if they paid me to use their services I'd refuse to have them cater at my wedding.

When it comes to weddings, you start with the idea that you can keep it simple. Unfortunately even when you try for simplicity. there is nothing simple about planning a wedding. Initially we thought just a few people, in a garden--or maybe the back yard? But with good food. Really good food. What came about was a classy and elegant time for 60 guests at Leach Botanical Gardens with Voila's chef cooking on site, serving our family style meal, and hosting the bar.

Our guests said it was the best wedding they'd ever attended. This is in part thanks to Voila catering, who took care of not only the food, but also the coordination between vendors, decorating, setting up, and making things easy on the bride (me). I work 50 hours a week and am very busy outside of work as well; Voila made it easy for me at every step.

They are prompt communicators through both email and phone always accommodating--the detail in their estimates was exactly what i was looking for and helped me with budgeting. Voila's beautiful food and unique offerings were just what we wanted (how many people get to serve Wild Boar appetizers to start?). We had a great time and I would not have changed a thing. and when it was all over, there was nothing for me to do but change my clothes and go--Voila did the rest.

When hiring a caterer, it may help to make a detailed list of what you want going in, and don't visit caterers that are not within your budget or what you are looking for as far as scope. Easier all around for everyone!

My husband and I recently used Voila Catering for our wedding reception at the Rose Garden Amphitheater. Voila was wonderful, not only was the service excellent but the food as delicious as I'd hoped for also. Our guests were very impressed with the food and everyone had a good time. We got so many compliments, and the waiting staff and Tamara were so professional and friendly, it really felt like a polished, elegant party which is exactly what we had hoped for.

I know in some of the reviews people complain about Jonathan being opinionated, but honestly his opinions were correct on the big day, and I was glad we went with most of his suggestions. Something as simple as his suggestion to order off white table linens instead of pure white so that the sun didn't blind our guests reflecting off the linens. On the day of, the sun was very bright, and off white was certainly bright enough, I was so glad we went with his suggestion.

I was worried they wouldn't look white enough, but they looked great. They really know their business. Lot's of simple suggestions like that really made a difference in how enjoyable the day was, and how smoothly it went. I was also really impressed with how tolerant Jonathan and Tamara were of my husband and I changing our minds or adding in new things right up to last minute.

They were very polite and had excellent service in this regard. They helped us deal with last minute hiccups with solutions that worked wonderfully. They also allowed us to bring in a special kind of soda we wanted and coordinated a lot of extra things with other vendors that we needed, so that we didn't have to think about those extra things and could just enjoy the day. I was very pleased and my husband also so glad we chose Voila, we will use them again if we have a big event.

We were lucky enough to have Voila cater our wedding this month at Bridal Veil Lakes. From our first meeting with Jonathan, we were sold - the extremely detailed and reasonable budget/plan, quick response time and fact they prepare all their meals on site (and provided rentals and clean-up) immediately impressed us. Come wedding day, the entire staff was cheerful and attentive and Jonathan and Jen made sure the day ran smoothly and proceeded exactly how we envisioned. On top of that, our guests are still raving about the food! It really is incredible!

Voila catered our small, casual reception and it was perfect. We were on a pretty tight budget but our guests having great food was a priority for us. Voila was able to provide incredible food along with linens, service ware and great staffing. Our reception was in a public park, and we considered doing rentals ourselves and either making food or getting premade, high-end, grocery store deli food.

The cost of having Voila provide everything we wanted plus staff to set up and, most importantly, clean up at the end of the night was only a few hundred dollars more than we could have done it for ourselves. It was well worth the time (and dish washing!) we saved and turned out better than we wished for! If your priority is all inclusive service and really delicious food, this is your place!

I can't imagine my wedding without Voila's food and services! They not only cooked a fresh amazing meal but provided event planning services that really made the wedding great. Voila uses all fresh ingredients and and cooks the meals on site. Before the wedding they provided me with a schedule of the day including their staff schedule and a venue map with timeline of the day.

The morning of my wedding Jonathon provided me with all the guidance I needed to not be stressed, when I needed water or champagne he had it ready for me! I will use Voila for any event I can think of in the future and would recommend them with full confidence to anyone. I also was able to rent anything I needed from paper lanterns to sound systems through them which is incredibly helpful saving time and money.

I checked out just about every catering company in Portland for my Bridal Veil wedding last summer and am so glad I choose Voila. They helped me plan my entire day and then pulled it off perfectly. My guests are still raving about the food. I could not find a better deal than Voila. I strongly recommend these guys!

I can't say enough wonderful things about everyone at Voila Catering. They took care of everything down to the last detail and the execution was flawless. My fiance and I didn't need to worry about anything at all. The food options that they had available were not only amazingly delicious, but incredibly varied. Plus, they were able to work with us on a catering set up that would work with our tight budget, all while maintaining a level of class and elegance that ensured our wedding would be everything that we dreamed of. Thank you Voila for helping make our wedding day perfect!

Voila catered my wedding last month and also supplied the table linens and chairs for the ceremony. Worked with Jonathan and he was fantastic. He made sure we got everything we wanted and needed, plus a few special requests (including grapes for the table centerpieces). Everyone was impressed with all of the food: amazing hors d'oeurves (though the gazpacho was a bit difficult to eat out of the shot glasses), fantastic salad, and delicious salmon, potatoes and veggies. Their lavender limeade is also wonderful! Plus they were extremely reasonable for the quality of food and service they provided.