Victoria bc caterers moonight catering
 
Home Chef's Bio Testimonials Recipes Contact Us
 

Chef John's Tips for Choosing & Hiring a Catering Company

If you are planning a wedding or any other type of event for work or family, hiring a

catering company will save you time and energy. Caterers have experience in planning

events. Hiring a caterer will let you enjoy your event & interact with your guests while

the caterer handles the details of food & service. It is the caterer's job to make sure your

event goes off without a hitch. Most caterers have set menus for you to pick from but a

good caterer will be flexiable with the menu to fit your particular needs & will often help

customize  the menu.

 

Why Hire a Caterer? In the long run hiring a profesional catering service will not only

ensure the quality of food & service , but will take away the stress & energy needed to do

the event yourself. You may need to meet with your caterer or email them several times

to insure all your details are looked after.

 

Plan ahead. Hire a caterer well in advance of your event. Most good catering companies

are booked months & even as much as a year ahead of time. Start loooking for your

caterer as soon as you know that you are planning a wedding or other event.

 

Do your research on variuos caterers. How long have they been in business? Do they

offer testimonials or references from past customers? You can check out the Vancouver

Island Board of Heath inspection reports on line. Do their staff have food safe?  

 

Visit their location. What condition is their place of business? Is it clean & well organized?

Some caterers will offer to arrange a time & date so you can sample their food & get a

good idea of flavours & quality.

 

Biggest is Best? Often the biggest & most expensive catering companies are not

necessarily the best. Smaller companies  are usually still building their reputation & may

work harder to ensure you & your guests talk about their food & service long after your

event. Smaller catering companies  tend to make everything from scratch.

 

Does the caterer know & understand your budget needs? Does the caterer try to up sell

you or help you meet your budget? Ask what services are included in menu prices.

Are plates, cutlery, napkins & linens an extra charge? Is there a charge for staff & if so

how much? Are there any delivery fees or charges? Is there a charge for cutting &

serving your wedding or birthday cake?

 

Deposit & Payment. What are the caterer's deposit fees? Is the deposit refundable?

[ Most caterers do not refund your deposit if you cancel your event ] How far in advance

are final guest numbers due? Is there a discount for children & toddlers? When is final

payment due?

 

Chef John has 35 years experience in restaurants, pubs & catering in the Greater Victoria

area. Hire a Chef for the Evening for your next event.


 

specail menus

Great Food and Great Presentation

Thanks again

Moonlight Catering:
February 21, 2009 was our 3rd year of having Moonlight Catering cover our volunteer firefighters banquet and from the time of arrival to the time of carving, I could tell this banquet was going to

be second to none. John and his staff did a fantastic job and left no detail untouched. The food was awesome; everyone complemented his set up and presentation. The flavors left you wanting

more even though you were full. Thanks John for a wonderful evening of dining and we look forward to you creating another masterpiece for us next year.
Trevor West, Vice Chair,
East Sooke Volunteer Fire Department

 

Moonlight Catering.

I would just like to Thank

you all so very much for the making our outdoor wedding perfect. We had chosen the BBQ menu and  I was amazed with the quality and quantity of food. Everything was delicious. That was the first time I have ever had a steak, and cut it with a butter knife.

The food was fantastic  and the staff was very professional and courteous. No details were left

untouched.

I highly recommend Moonlight catering, and I will  definitely choose them again.

Sandra and Clinton Hunter, August 1, 2009

We use Moonlight Catering for "Birthday Teas, Open Houses, Garden Parties and Christmas Banquets." Chef Annear generously donates his services and equipment to our Society each Christmas. The food is always of top quality. Moonlight Catering Staff are courteous and give us excellent service. We highly recommend "Moonlight Catering" for anything that you would need their services for.
Briant Wm. Hyacinthe, Director,
Springtide Residents Society
December 2008

The food was exactly as ordered, was extremely well presented, delicious & very much appreciated by our guests. Having John cater our event meant that I could enjoy the event with my guests. I didn't have to worry about anything because Chef John is so professional. He took care of everything! The wonderful catering stole the show, and everyone wanted the caterer's name and menus for their future parties. We have used his services three times and will use him again in the future.
Sarah D. 2007

We planned our summer wedding August 30, 2008, in Saanich from Prince George. John made everything so easy. He scouted the site, briefed the parents, and kept us in the loop by email. He was totally organized and professional, and as a result, everything worked perfectly. When the big day came, we hardly had to think about the food because John and his staff just took care of everything, as promised. And the dinner was delicious! We were very happy customers and we would hire him again in a heartbeat.
Highly recommended.
Chris & Claire Walker

 

Dear Moonlight Catering

Thank youfor the exellent food & services you provided for our Sept.2006 Wedding. The food got rave reviews from our guests & fulfilled the backyard intimate Barbaque atmosphere we'd hoped to achieve. We will highly recommend you to friends & family for further funtions.

Best regards.

Christine & Alex

Vancuver, B.C.

 

***************************************************************

 

Dear Chef John

Thank you so much for the amazing buffet you

served for our wedding, June 13, 2009. You had

a variety of menus for us to choose from and

customize, which allowed us to create our

perfect meal! The food was absolutely delicious

and beautifully displayed, our friends and family raved about it. Your staff was so friendly, professional and helpful. They even helped with putting out our wine bottles and cutting up our wedding cake. When the meal was over you so quickly and tly dealt with clean up it never even occured to me it was happening. It was the perfect service we had dreamt of for our wedding, and at a price we could afford. Amazing!! We most definitely give you five stars! Thank you Chef John and staff!

Mike & Eva Berry Victoria B.C.

 

***********************************

 

We want to thank Moonlight Catering for taking

care of us at our July 25, 2009 Wedding.

Working with Chef John Annear was a breeze, I knew when we first met him that everything

would be taken care of and everything was. His staff the day of the event were professional

and personable, amazing and efficient service. Most importantly though the food was incredible, I am still having friends and family rave about it. Everything was so fresh, the flavours were unique and mouth-watering, and the presentation was beautiful! Considering how many things there are to take care of when creating a Wedding, I am so happy we chose Moonlight Catering, it was the easiest part of planning. Thank you so much again, and we will definitely highly recommend you!

Christina & Josh Goller Victoria B.C.

***************************************

 
Appetizers

 

Hello John!

 

I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did for us on our wedding day. The food was AMAZING, that was the main thing all of our guests raved about was how great the food was. We had a few vegeterians we did not know about, but you were right there making sure they had a vegeterian meal. You came and set up the day before which saved our LIFE! The service was exceptional and the staff were so friendly! I really appriciate you answering all of my questions, and making sure I was happy with what I was getting. You made sure every little detail was covered down to skirting on my head table. So thank you to you and your team John, I will definately recommend you to any couple getting married and will be using you for any events needing catering from now on

 

Kyle and Chelsea Durrant

August 6th 2011 Wedding Day

*************************************

Hello John

I just wanted to say a very big thank you for the catering at our wedding last weekend.Everyone knows that the food

at a wedding is one of the things that everyone remembers and I'm happy to say that the food you provided received

rave reviews from all of our guests!  Your staff were friendly and professional, and the food looked and tasted

amazing.  The vegetarian lasagna in particular was a huge hit - in fact I think I ate more of the lasagna than I did of

the roast (and I love roast!).I knew right from the first time that we met with you in your kitchen that I could leave my

worries about the food behind and that you would provide an excellent meal! 

Its been an absolute pleasure working with you.

We look forward to enjoying your food again next weekend at my company's family BBQ.

 

 Sincerely Melissa & Geoff

 June 4, 2011 Victoria, B.C.

*************************************************************

Hi John!
My husband and I want to thank you very much for everything you did to make our wedding so incredible. From

helping us choose safe and delicious options for our guests with allergies, to going above and beyond with set up

the night before - you've been such a lifesaver to both us!
Our guests couldn't stop talking about how great the food was (the steak was out-of-this-world-good!), and I'm sure

they would be shocked to know how affordable it all was.
Daryl and the staff were so courteous and efficient; I was able to just relax and enjoy a great meal with my friends

and family.
I'm so happy I chose Moonlight Catering for our big day, and I know there will be many more brides and grooms

that will enjoy the same high level of care and attention to detail that you provided us. You're just awesome!

 

  Megan and Kristjan Isfeld
  May 28, 2011 Victoria, B.C.

****************************************************************

John,
Thanks soooo much to you and your staff, everything was just excellent, we had huge positive feedback from

guests as well, everyone saying how fresh and tasty everything was and how polite and efficient they were serving

and getting everything cleared off. I will be going out of my way to put a number of excellent reviews up online for

you guys and I'm sure you earned a few word of mouth recommendations Saturday night as well, we made sure to

mention the company name during after dinner speeches. So thanks again for being a very successful part of a very

successful night.


 Dustin and Melissa
 May 28, 2011 Victoria, B.C.

***********************************************************************

Thank you John and Moonlight Catering for a great job on the rehearsal dinner and wedding buffet for my wedding

on August 13 & 14th, 2010. As a bride organising a wedding from Australia and on a budget, I was happy to see

the great variety of food options you provided at a reasonable price, and was sourced from local suppliers. John

was extremely helpful with answering all my questions quickly, which made it easy for my husband and I to plan

the rest of the wedding. Having you for two days in a row made things a lot easier, and I was surprised I was able

to have completely different menues to serve my guests, who were happy and full on both days. I received nothing

but fantastic reviews from my guests about the food, especially the portion sizes. The chocolate cheesecake was

a favorite by all! I would recommend you to any brides, who want quality food, at a great price, and to have

reassurance that you'll get a great meal for your guests. Thanks again.

 

Megan and Andrew Shaw, Australia

 

************************************************************************

Hi John,

I just wanted to pass on a thank you to Christie and Daryl.  They were wonderful!  I have received lots of 

compliments about the food as well as how great Christie and Daryl were. They were a perfect match for my

event July 21, 2010. The next time I am planning another function, you will be the first one I will contact

Again thank you for the great food and superb service.

 

Laura Lee, Victoria B.C.

************************************************************************** 

Hi John 

 I just wanted to say thanks so very much for the wonderful food yesterday , July 22, 2010- it was all delicious

and so beautifully presented. Christie was great and very professional and efficient.  I was sorry not to be able
to see her off but we had all gone in the house for gift opening and left her to her packup. Please pass along my

thanks to her as well.

I will highly recommend Moonlight to anyone looking for a caterer and certainly keep you in mind for myself in

the future.  It was the best gift I could have given myself so that I could enjoy my daughter's weekend.
Best regards, Lynda Ireland Victoria B.C.

 

***************************************************************************

Hi John,

I just wanted to send a quick note to say thank-you to you and your chef and serving staff for my mother's

birthday party on Saturday night June 19, 2010.  Everything went just great at the party, and all the guests were

so impressed with how good the food was, and how friendly and professional the servers were.  We were just

thrilled with it all, as was my mother.

I will definitely recommend you to anyone looking for a caterer.

Thanks again

 

Avrael Perreault, Victoria B.C.

***************************************************************************

 

August 15, 2009

Thank you John and all that assisted with our very special wedding day.  The meal was fantastic! 

Everyone commented on the way their steaks were bbq'd and how tasty they were.  The salads were

amazing and as I knew the "thai noodle" would be the biggest hit.  The staff that ran the event were very

 professional, organized and arranged their tables and food beautifully.  We were so impressed with

how they were able to do everything without even knowing they were there, very unintrusive, just fabulous. 

Guests asked for business cards that I readily handed out.  It was great knowing and being the bride that I

didn't have to worry about anything.  John assured me of that and it was so wonderful that it went exactly

that way.  Thank you so very much again, John and everyone who took part in our wedding.  I would

recommend anyone to work with Moonlight Catering; not only is the price and the food amazing, 

the customer service is even better.

 

Many happy wishes; Alexandra and Dan (Cochrane, Alberta)

 

***********************************************************************************************

Dear John, Christie & Moonlight Catering Staff

Thank you so much for the great barbaque at Starling Lane Winery on Saturday August 22,2009.

The food was delicious and the service wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect

wedding. Many asked about your catering company & we are happy to recommend it to our

friends & family. Thanks again !                                                                                                          

Al & Pam Teasdale,    

Carolyn Teasdale &  Robin Stapliton  

      ****************************************************************************************************                                                                                                                     


Dear Chef John:
I want to thank you so much for the fantastic buffet meal you served at our August 8, 2008

wedding reception at the Shawnigan Lake Community Centre! Our guests raved about the food,

the presentation, and the professionalism of your catering staff all evening. We ordered the

Ultimate Buffet for about 80 people and I received nothing but compliments about the quality,

quantity, freshness, and choice of food available. You really helped to make our wedding

reception a huge success, so much so, that people were almost too full for dancing afterwards!

In planning my wedding reception, I researched a number of catering options. Many caterers

offer buffet meals, but yours stood out from the rest right from the start. Your menu choice and

flexibility in substituting items was just great, and your price was excellent in comparison with

the others. In fact, you offered more menu choices for a lower price than all of the other catering

companies. When I contacted you for more information about your services, I was immediately

impressed with how you answered my questions and how willing you were to work with me to

ensure my special event was a success. I met with you before the wedding reception to go over

menu choices and final details, and could tell by the cleanliness of your facility and your

organizational skills that I was not going to be disappointed with the results. Indeed, it was no

problem for you to pick up my wedding cake, order special linens, and deliver everything from

Langford to Shawnigan Lake on time. I truly appreciated that extra level of service. Besides

everything else, you are a very pleasant person to work with. I felt very comfortable around you

right from the start, and was nothing but happy with every aspect of your service. I would

recommend you in a minute to anyone looking for a high quality, professional, flexible, and fairly

priced caterer for any event. Thanks again for making my dream wedding the best day of my life!

I couldn't have done it without you! Cheers,
Lynn Wilson (and Ernest Gerrand)

 

 

 
Recipes