Let us help you create the perfect culinary experience

Creative Culinary and Catering Services

Services

Event Design

Do you need a little help planning that special event?
We work with a variety of partners from florist, tents, printers, bakers, mixologist and everything in between That is sure to help create a magical event for you.

Catering

Event Design

Great taste is the name of the game, and we are committed to our clients to step up to the plate.

Are you looking for someone to provide the food at your next event? Large or small, we do it all! Get in touch to start planning the perfect meal for a business lunch, wedding, cocktail reception, and more!

Get a quote

Charcuterie

Event Design

Charcuterie

Let us help you meet your grazing needs, whether a girls‘ night in, a business function, or a large-scale event. We handcraft our signature “CharCuties” , boxes, boards and tables to feature cheeses, jams, pickles, meats, desserts and so much more.

We pay attention to detail and carefully curate our ingredients to give you the best taste

Experience the Best Catering with The Cottage

Buffet Catering

Buffet catering, consists of platters or chafing dishes of foods artfully arranged. Your party guests move along the buffet line and serve themselves or an attendant will assist with the main courses. The pros/cons to this style of service is you have a little bit lower staff costs, but higher food costs, since you don't know what the guests will select, and they control their portions and can come back for seconds. Plus, even with a two sided buffet line, you will have people lined up to take their turn. Key to the success of buffet party catering food is to call tables one by one, rather than a free-for-all with all 150 guests in line at once.

Another way to offset the waiting is to have the first course, usually a salad, preset when guests get to their tables, or just after, so guests have something to eat/do while waiting for their turn at the buffet line.

Family Style Catering

Family-style catering is perfect for a more informal wedding or party. However, it is also surprisingly, the most costly! First, you need more food, since every platter needs to look plentiful when it's placed before your guests, or else your wedding or party catering seems skimpy and already finished and everyone feels like they should leave early. And since everyone can serve themselves, including seconds, you have to have enough of each item for each party guest.

Plus you need enough catering waitstaff to bring all the platters to each of the tables. (You don’t want the mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables to get to the table, then get the braised short ribs and creamed spinach 10 minutes later.) Lastly, the cost for renting all the platters needed for each of the menu items, for each of the tables, adds up. So if you're looking for a relaxed, casual environment, where party guests have more control over their meals and maybe even some leftovers, family-style catering might just be perfect for you!

Sit Down/Plated Service

With formal sit-down dinner catering, your party guests sit at tables and our waitstaff serve the meal to you. More formal than any other type of service, sit-down wedding and party catering looks elegant and stylish, with proper portions.

Sit-down dinner catering gives you more control over the timing of your reception, too. We plan the exact time for each element of your wedding catering (champagne toast, the first dance, etc). Also, your party guests don't have to wait in line to get their food, as with appetizer stations at weddings, for example. While the food costs are usually less than the other styles of service, since the portions are controlled, your staff costs will be much higher, as you will need at least 1 server per 1-2 tables of party guests, plus the service captain, plus more kitchen staff to execute the plating in an efficient and timely manner for party appetizers catering.

Appetizer and Hors d’oeuvres stations

Appetizer and hors d’oeuvres create a party-like setting where guests can meet and mingle; and is considered one of the costliest types of full-service party and wedding catering. Each appetizer dish is like an entire mini-entree, with every piece needing to be cooked, assembled, garnished, sauced, and plated. We estimate 2 -3 pieces of each appetizer per person. (This goes for appetizer stations at weddings, too.) If your party has 6 different appetizers for example, we must make each guest 12-14 pieces of food. For a 40-person wedding that would be 560 pieces!!!

Most parties start in the early evening, so even though you're not serving a main course, guests will miss dinner, be more hungry, and eat more food. Cocktail party catering tends to go for longer for periods of time, too. So, while a dinner might start at 6 pm and end by 7:30 pm, a Christmas cocktail party catering service might last till much later in the evening, 11 pm and after, and guests will expect appetizers to be served the whole time which increases staffing cost as well.

Action Stations

Appetizer stations at weddings are quite popular. Similar to a buffet, except chefs prepare and serve foods at the buffet (rather than in the kitchen). Adding a couple of action stations to buffet party catering can help alleviate the long lines at the main buffet, plus it adds a fun interactive element to the event and guests love the chance to interact with the chef.

Entrees that lend themselves well to action station service include wok stations, mashed potato bars, fajitas, pasta stations, grilled meats, omelets, crepes, sushi, gourmet taco, gourmet burgers, and flaming desserts. These stations are sometimes called “performance stations” or “exhibition cooking.” Extra cost associated with these types of stations are one or more chefs for the station (depending on guest count), extra pans/tools for cooking and plates for each serving.

Learn More

Menu Ideas

Appetizers

Sample list of some of our lite fare items to start your evening

Flat breads

Cremini mushrooms, goat cheese, balsamic

Sweet potato, sage &. pancetta

Goat Cheese Mousse w/fig & balsamic

Onion Chutney, blue cheese & pear

Bacon, cheddar & apples

Hummus Platter

Available with pita or a variety of raw vegetables

Traditional Bites

Smoked salmon on cucumber disc w/ creme fraiche

Chicken sate with peanut sauce

Mini Beef Tacos

Brie and seasonal fruit wonton

2 bite Wellington

Asian Chicken lettuce wraps

Watermelon Caprese

Reuben Cocktail Eggrolls

Veggie Egg Rolls

Party Stations

Sometimes deciding on a menu can be tough. Let us lessen the stress with a themed buffet or party station

Southern Fried

A meal graced with all kinds of Southern charm: fried chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans and a seasonal house salad, accompanied by BBQ, honey mustard, and comeback sauce

Little Italy

Who doesn’t love carbs: fresh pasta spaghetti and chef’s choice served alongside a rich and velvety meaty tomato sauce accompanied by fresh Parmesan cheese and a fresh garden salad with house dressing

Mashed Potato Bar

Mashed potato bar choice of sweet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, with pulled chicken or pork, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon bits , BBQ sauce, brown sugar, praline pecans, marshmallows, and a garden salad. .

Breakfast for Dinner

It’s never too late for breakfast, scrambled eggs, quiche squares, French toast bake, Bacon and hash browns.

The Southern Brunch

Flavored Waffles and fried chicken fingers with house made syrup

southern stye shrimp and grits

smothered potatoes

egg muffins, French toast sticks, bacon, sausage link and fresh fruit station

Please note: this is just a sample of items from our menu. Our team loves to work with you to put your best plate forward for any event you may have

Creative Culinary and Catering Services

Services

Event Design

Event Design

Event Design

Catering

Event Design

Event Design

Charcuterie

Event Design

Charcuterie

Experience the Best Catering with The Cottage

Buffet Catering

Family Style Catering

Sit Down/Plated Service

Appetizer and Hors d’oeuvres stations

Action Stations

Reviews

Social

Photo Gallery

Menu Ideas

Appetizers

Flat breads

Hummus Platter

Traditional Bites

Party Stations

Southern Fried

Little Italy

Mashed Potato Bar

Breakfast for Dinner

The Southern Brunch

Past Events

Video

EVENTS

Just Because

Contact Us

Contact us for a custom quote

Let's chat about food!

The Cottage Caterer

Gift Cards

Specials and offers

Weekly meal to go

Some of Our Partners

This website uses cookies.