Truly a Gift

We just want to let you know how much we appreciate you! You have worked with us every step. on our way to creating our family union. Thank you for your Guidance and endless patience. You have already gone above and beyond for us and the event hasn't even happened yet! We do not know what we would have done if you did not come into our lives, Your ability to understand and accept our indecisiveness and nervous tendency's is truly a Gift !! Thanks again
Oct 21, 2009 by Cory and Roy in Santa Cruz, CA

Affordable Chef Mark Gallagher

I am so impressed

I am an oncology sales specialist in Santa Cruz. I was referred to Affordable chef from my colleague Al Krankle. At that time I was using a variety of caterers in the Santa Cruz area. I was pleased with their service, but the biggest complaint from my customers was that they were tired of getting the same food all the time. Lisa raved about Marks food. She was very specific about some of her favorite menu items and said that Chef Mark is a great caterer. Upon her recommendation, I started using Affordable Chef Catering. During that time they have done a great job in providing outstanding meals for my customers.

October 23, 2009 by Carmen Mc hale

Chef Mark Thank you :}

What a wonderful time we had working with you and your staff! We loved the food at the wedding and everyone is still talking about it. You really helped to make our wedding special. We loved your willingness to listen to our ideas and work with us...Please thanks your staff - everyone loved them and thought they worked hard!...Please use us as a reference if you would like - we loved you and the delicious food!

October 11, 2009 by Linda S in Santa Cruz, CA

Great Company

My family was excited about the excellent food, and without personally having to stress about anything I just got to be a great hostess. Since all the plates and cutlery were brought I didn't have even have to worry about clean-up. I think Affordable Chef is a great company in Santa Cruz. If I could afford it, I would have him cook all my meals, but I don't know if my husband would miss my domesticity, or maybe he'd actually eat my food.

Such a success ..

Hello Mark this is Cindy Henderson and you catered Cassie and Luis's wedding this past Saturday @ Highlands Park what a fantastic job you did everyone thought the food and everything looked fantastic and tasted great. Just wanted to let you know that when you guys left there were 2 green tubs sitting there so we put them in my husbands truck and he took them to Luis's house and when the kids arrive back from their honeymoon around Sept. 17th, I'm sure Luis will be contacting you about how to get these back to you. Just wanted you to know where they wound up and thanks again for making their wedding experience such a success kudos to you and your staff. Affordable chef Thanks again, Cindy Henderson

Great..

We LOVED Affordable chef, and so did our guests! Great food, great atmosphere. Mark and Cris were so helpful and responsive, reassuring me during the stressful planning process. During the week of my wedding, they were so easygoing and helped with all of our last-minute needs. They complied with all of our little requests -- I didn't have to worry about a thing during my reception. I keep saying that other than deciding to marry, this was one of our best choices.

Everything was so easy and wonderful. The staff there is amazing -- in the run-up to our wedding, they were nothing but supportive and reassuring and made everything seem effortless. Every request was met with a "yes." Mark was so accessible throughout the process, which helped ease worries. The place looked FABULOUS without much spent on decorations, and nearly every guest has complimented us on the food, even our snootiest and pickiest eaters. It just felt magical. We also used the photobooth to do our guest book, and we will treasure it forever!
Carrie M..

I don't have enough words to express how happy we were with Affordable chef services and everyone that worked there. Mark, responds to emails in under 24 hours (usually) and is nothing short of sweet, friendly, and accommodating. Cris, took care of us from the first time we walked in the door. until the very last guest left the night of our wedding. The guests are not only raving about the food (which was freaking awesome!), the views, and the space - but also about the service. This was my absolute dream spot and it surpassed all expectations.

Thank you..

What can we say other than "First Class" - the food, the presentation, Affordable chef staff - truly amazing. We had been thinking about our day for over 2 years... to see our vision come to life, flawlessly, was so rewarding. Your attention to detail and customer service leading up to our event made the entire experience so enjoyable!"
Morgan M.

Mark, before any more time passes, I want to tell you how wonderful it was to meet and work with you. As I said the night of the reception, I felt like part of the "Rich and Famous" having you and your staff in the kitchen of that wonderful house with the linen table clothes, beautiful arrangements, and glowing candles. The food was delicious and beyond our expectations and the service just made it better. Thank you so much for working with us."Lyn B.- Mother of the Bride

Chef Mark goes above and beyond culinary expectations with his blend and delicacy of flavors. It is a tradition to have Affordable chef cater the Klyne family on Thanks giving, each year with a delicious five course meal. We always find that Mat's gourmet dishes are artfully displayed and give a sensuous, savory taste that lingers in the mouth. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it!"

Dear Mark, Thank you again for your help with making our wedding day so memorable. It was a pleasure working with you and the food was delicious. Everyone was very impressed! We look forward to future trips to Santa Cruz and hope to eat more of your dishes!"
Shannon and Matt- Bride and Groom

"Mark and Nicole, I want to let you know how pleased I was with the dinner you prepared and served to my guests. You and other workers were courteous, professional, efficient, and delightful. The food was awesome, and everyone who came commented on it. If you ever need a reference for anyone, I would be more than happy to provide one. Thanks for helping to make our visit to Santa Cruz, Ca spectacular!"
Pat S.- Rehearsal Dinner

Made all the difference

Chef mark and his staff made our event so enjoyable. the food was delicious, displayed beautifully and served with a smile.he was so easy to work with...a real pleasure. i recommend affordable chef catering highly and will use them again. August 11, 2009 by s. french in Aptos, CA

Small Garden Wedding Extraordinaire!!!
After meeting with Chef Mark to plan our wedding, he said, "Just have fun and I'll take care of everything." And that's just what he did! During the months preceeding the event, he checked in frequently and was always available to answer questions or offer suggestions. His charming and fun personality really made everyone in our family feel so comfortable! Most importantly, Chef Mark made everything about our wedding day so special! He tailored the menu (and the whole reception, actually), to reflect the intimacy we wanted for our celebration. Not only was the food fabulous, (our guests are still commenting about how great it was) but the atmosphere Chef Mark created with his creativity and professional talents was incomparable! I was worried that my Italian mom would get all stressed out having someone in "her kitchen" but Mark couldn't have been more reassuring and nice on that level as well. He and his staff were so courteous and amazing all day - We love Affordable Chef Mark!!!! July 17, 2009 by Carolyn M'Guinness in Napa, CA

Picnic Graduation Party
Mark was delightful to work with, and made it easy for us to coordinate this celebration from 100 miles away. The food was terrific, and appropriate for our setting in the park. I would highly recommend the Affordable Chef adn would definately hire him again should I need another caterer in Santa Cruz.
June 16, 2009 by Kirsten Weisser

How to have a good time at your own party
I sensed after I first met Mark that working with him would be very easy. As the rehearsal dinner approached and more details needed to be addressed, he consistently conveyed to me that I could leave it all up to him. I did --and we had a fabulous evening with indeed everything (including color coordinated linens, furniture, crystal, china, arrangement of the room, placement of flowers) taken care of. The menu we selected was delicious and ideal, for adults and children. Everyone had a festive time. His assistant was excellent--attentive to all the guests' needs and requests. Chef Mark took charge and I had a grand time.Thank you Mark.
June 01, 2009 by lynnet c mcdermott in Santa Cruz, CA

Great party
Nearly everyone of our guests, Ed included, commented on the beautiful buffet and delicious food. I should also add that you and the rest of the staff were absolutely charming. In other words the party was great; you are the best caterers I've ever hired; and thank you."
May 26, 2009 by Arthur M. Kaplan in East Windsor, CT

Loved it. Thank for making it happenn
We had, lets say, Shot gun wedding, we thought we were all set with our catering needs. I guess we did to much talking and not enough confirming. So we lost our caterer 6 days before the event. I spoke to Chef Mark at affordable chef. explained my problem, and asked for help. Boom that was it. He went in this direction and that direction.Everything was thumbs up. Thanks for making it happen..
May 25, 2009 by Bob and Sandy Stieger. in Enfield, CT

When the big day did came.
Even before the date, I felt very assured about your services. You made the reception portion of our big day the least worrisome. When the big day did come, you and your staff were spectacular. Everyone raved about the food Chef Mark dished out. For me, the oysters were most excellent and serving it as a shooter was a very good idea. Each guest enjoyed everything and left with a favorite dish from the reception. It was a total sensual delight: from the gustatory to the visual. I really hope that the photographers were able to take pictures of the food as I would like to keep a visual keepsake of the wonderful reception from you. You took away a lot of potential stress. As I walked into the reception, all I could see was perfection and tasting everything simply proved it.
May 23, 2009 by Debra pinski in Scotts Valley, CA

Truly a Gift
We just want to let you know how much we appreciate you! You have worked with us every step. onj our way to creating our family union. Thank you for your Guidance and endless patience. You have already gone above and beyond for us and the event hasn't even happened yet! We do not know what we would have done if you did not come into ourlives, Your ability to understand and accept our indecisiveness and nervous tendency's is truly a Gift !!
May 21, 2009 by Cory and Roy in Santa Cruz, CA

Give him a call
I was watching one of those take home chef shows. While researching for a chef in my area, I was goggling and came across a local chef, Mark Gallagher. After talking to him a little about what I wanted to do, which was a 3 to 5 course candlelight dinner for my girl, chef Mark took full control over every detail.
Needless to say she was in wonderland, and I was shocked and impressed at the same time. If you have a couple bucks to spend, give him a call.
May 16, 2009 by Terry Way in Santa Cruz, CA

Thanks so much
What can I say other than delivered as promised. Affordable Chef team were extremely punctual & organized. Everyone loved the food, the service was excellent and the guests were pampered-your team were pros... Thanks so much-- our son and daughter-in-laws celebration was a great success, thanks to you and your team!
May 12, 2009 by Becky Oneal in Palo Cedro, CA

Definitely use them again
Affordable chef was a perfect caterer for our party, which at the last moment became a wedding. They were flexible, attentive, and very professional. The servers went out of their way to do little extras that made everything go smoothly and perfectly. The food was good and everything was clean at the end of the night. I would highly recommend Affordable chef. and would definitely use them again.
April 24, 2009 by Anonymous in Sebastopol, CA

Thank your staff we forgot..
Our wedding was exactly as we had imagined! We are both from out of state, so initally we thought planning would be difficult. It couldn't have been much farther from that! We took a weekend several months from the wedding to visit Santa cruz and picked all of our vendors at that time. After speaking with Mark before our visit, we were given a list of their preferred vendors which made things a lot simpler. I still feel confident we would have been just fine picking vendors from that list and never meeting in person. Mark was incredible in every way. Our guests had an amazing time (so we were told!), the music was great, food and wine was incredible...
April 18, 2009 by Anonymous

Small Garden Wedding Extraordinaire!!!

After meeting with Chef Mark to plan our wedding, he said, "Just have fun and I'll take care of everything." And that's just what he did! During the months preceeding the event, he checked in frequently and was always available to answer questions or offer suggestions. His charming and fun personality really made everyone in our family feel so comfortable! Most importantly, Chef Mark made everything about our wedding day so special! He tailored the menu (and the whole reception, actually), to reflect the intimacy we wanted for our celebration. Not only was the food fabulous, (our guests are still commenting about how great it was) but the atmosphere Chef Mark created with his creativity and professional talents was incomparable! I was worried that my Italian mom would get all stressed out having someone in "her kitchen" but Mark couldn't have been more reassuring and nice on that level as well. He and his staff were so courteous and amazing all day - We love Affordable Chef Mark!!!!