The Kitchen for Exploring Foods

Best catering food on the planet. Amazing team of seasoned culinary professionals and guest relations specialists. Chef Jen rocks. Executive Chef Carl MacPherson leads with Culinary Institute of America finesse and confidence. Sous chef Omar will guide you through a tasting menu sure to delight the senses. What are you waiting for. Book your next event or private party with them NOW.

I can’t believe that a professional business treats their customers like this! I had event scheduled with them on a Saturday and called them the Monday prior to finalize the menu. After calling 2 times and leaving voicemails, a woman finally called me back that evening to gather more information. She said that she would pass my information on to the sales team and they would get back to me right away. On Tuesday morning I called them at 11:30, 2:00pm & 4:30pm before I realized they weren’t going to return my call. I then found a contact name and email address for a woman by the name of Carly D. I went ahead and sent her an email and received a message back right away saying that the person I am trying to reach is not accepting emails at this this time. It is now Wednesday night and they never did return my call. I had to scramble to try to find another caterer for our event. Horrible customer service! I told our event coordinator and she is removing them off of the preferred vendor list. They never returned her emails and calls either! The worst customer service!

Gourmet To Go rocks. And for large catering events this is the place to handle all your culinary desires. With over 30 years experience providing special events you will be the talk of the town basking in the afterglow of a successful and memorable event thanks to The Kitchen.

We had a business cocktail hour with finger foods and sandwiches event for 70 people. The food was incredibly good. I am still getting compliments. Also, Rick was a rock star event planner. I would highly recommend this company to cater your party.

The Kitchen is a wonderful place to go if you would like to have your event catered by excellent chefs. They are extremely professional and everyone is pleasant to work with. They also serve food for lunch. It is a nice place to while away some time while eating a sandwich and enjoying a cookie.

Alright everyone, we all know what we typically think about wedding food, mehhhh it was alright. That is not the case for this place. WOW! A few months ago I found myself at a friends wedding and I was excited about every single item that came out! What I really remember from the passed appetizers were these wonderful little wonton cups with ahi tuna and wasabi sauce and the miniature grilled cheese sandwiches. They were so cute and I honestly could have filled up on those alone. Something else I thought was cool and interesting for the wedding, they had all sorts of cool stations. They had a raw bar that was beautiful and done with incredibly fresh seafood. They displayed everything so creatively. Then they had an antipasto station. Who doesn't love some salami and cheese? Then they also had a salad station, a pizza station and a skewer station. My favorite stations however were definitely the mac and cheese station and the french fry station. I like my carbs! The mac n cheese station had a lobster mac and truffle mac that were already prepared and then a make your own mac with tons of topping. They had everything from chicken to bacon to veggies. For the french fry station you had your choice of french fry (regular, sweet potato, and avocado from what I can remember), then again a ton of toppings to put on them. I personally liked the avocado fries with truffle aioli. Yum! Now, as you can see, there was a ton of food! Soooo I didn't get to try too many desserts, but I did get a sip of the boyfriends ice cream float - because guess what, they had an ice cream float station too. All in all I thought their service, food and presentation were awesome. Time to start saving my money so I can afford them one day for my wedding!

For over two decades, Peggy Dark of the Kitchen for Exploring Foods has provided exceptional catering to all of southern California. The Kitchen has received the Zagat Award of Distinction, and has been featured in the New York Times and on NBC's Today show. The extraordinary quality of The Kitchen's food, service, and presentation has ensured its reputation as one of the top catering firms in Los Angeles.

They have the best turkey sandwich I've every had. And for vegetarians, the have and amazing avocado sandwich. I eat there 2 times a week.

Wow! Planning a big event costs a lot of money so you want to make sure you are dealing with a company that communicates. It started off great, but when you call and email back and get no response, it's time to move on and find another caterer. Pretty surprising from the Kitchen for Exploring Foods, since I always thought there were very good. But the women who coordinates everything is very unprofessional to not return phone calls.

EXCEPTIONAL. I worked for an event today, and after the reception ended, the caterers from Kitchen For Exploring Foods had so much food leftover, and I mean, they had enough to feed a village. The best part is, the food is so good. Chef Tim is super kind. Not to mention good at his job. He took me into the kitchen and I was in mini heaven. The spring rolls, salmon skewers with pesto sauce, mushroom dumplings, meatloaf with tomato sauce, open faced chicken wontons and roasted chicken were terrific. Filled me up real good. I loved the chicken. So bad. I quietly went back to my post, and contemplated on how to get my hands on more of that chicken. So about 30 minutes after, as the caterers started to pack up, I crept back into the kitchen and asked him bashfully if I could take some more of his roasted chicken home, and he filled up a box for me! My god they taste soooo goood. And the desserts... The strawberry milk shortcake, and the raspberry custard pastries were the highlight. The brownies were also great. Oh, everything was amazing. I know I share my opinion with many of the guests, because so many of them went home with smiles and boxes of food and desserts. There was a guy who filled 4 separate boxes with different things. One was brownies, one was strawberry shortcakes, and I dont recall what he had in the other two boxes. So I locked up, and went home grinning from ear to ear, glancing down at my spoils of war, even though there was no war. Tomorrow will be a good day for me, thanks to Chef Tim of Kitchen For Exploring Foods. The staff was friendly and energetic. And very helpful. The Yelp reviews are real, people! They're awesome! The flowers they provided were fresh and beautiful. The white hydrangeas were breathtaking. When I'm getting married, this will definitely be my caterer. Hands down!

I am posting this review as someone who dined on their excellent offerings this past Friday. So the picture may not be complete as I didn't have a chance to deal with the aspects of ordering and customer service. As far as my wife and I are concerned, this is as good as it's going to get with regard to the quality of catered food. I had the good fortune of enjoying this establishment's food twice (our office ordered from them last year at the same time for the annual holiday party). The appetizer menu (hors d'oeuvres circulated by servers) included short rib sliders, beef tartar, and sashimi ahi tuna. The main course menu included a arugula salad with light dresing, various grilled vegetables in olive oil (some tubers, peppers, squashes), seared salmon, pot roasted short rib, and dinner rolls. Everything was impressive. We could not resist going for multiple rounds on the sashimi hors d'oeuvres. The proteins on the main course were top notch with beef that literally falls apart on your fork tender. It's impressive how the beef could be cooked so tender and not be pink. The salmon with a wine sauce was perfect as well. Vegetables were excellent with no annoying signs of excessive grilling marks. I am already looking forward to next year (if we order again!).

The gem I stumbled across three years ago is not the same it use to be. Not only does the menu not change weekly, it now changes like every other two months. The quality of the food is not the same AT ALL. I mean everything looks like they saved it from days before , yet they tell us everything is fresh everyday. Yeah right!! The salmon is super fishy. As much as I complain to the cashiers, nothing has been done about the matter. I'm not the only person who has complained either by the way! Just look at the sandwiches! They charge like $15 for the whole sandwich which is absolutely outrageous! My three year old could make a better sandwich. I hope this opens the business owners eyes and they get their business together! Looks like my new place for meals is Lemonade.

Delicious! We spotted this place while we were driving by and decided to stop in for lunch. So yummy! The chicken enchiladas were like mom used to make. The K-bbq sandwich was also delicious.

This place has a couple of tables for seating, but mostly people do carry-out or maybe catering. Even though their board listed a $9 lunch special (sandwich, drink, chips and cookie) the man seemed REALLY surprised to see us. I had to ask what kinds of sandwiches they have. It also comes with drink OR chips, so you can either have chips and be thirsty or a drink. Because it came with a cookie he did not let me use the "free cookie with Yelp check in" feature. The guy kept looking beyond us and seemed distracted. It is not great when someone's helping you but not looking at you. It also didn't help with communication, as he said the selections were tuna or turkey and avocado, and I said "Turkey and avocado" and then it turned out that the avocado was the veggie sandwich. My husband was also confused by this so it wasn't just me being hard of hearing. The cookie selection is more than just a cookie. They also had a brownie or an almond tart, which is what we got. The brownie was cake-like and the almond tart tasted primarily of the shortbread crust. I was not a huge fan. We really liked the sandwiches, which came on a cheesy foccacia along with some pesto spread and arugula to give it a bit of zest The turkey they used was high quality. If I lived in the area I'd definitely try their take-out meals though.

The food here is excellent! I come by every so often because it's down the street from my office and they have a great lunch combo where you can select one of their gourmet sandwiches, a sodas and a dessert for $8. I had a late lunch the other day so they were limited on the sandwiches but had a the chicken Caesar salad wrap available. For dessert I opted for one of their superb brownies! My sandwich was delicious and when I ate the brownie later, that rocked too! The guy serving me was cool enough to set up a table and chair outside for me to dine when I asked about it and brought out his cool looking umbrella to shade me from the intense rays of Pasadena http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/r4R-Sgqy2FD9bHZXgEYp3g?select=Gl4ylovPg3tkE0eUKbfSug The variety of entrees available will make you come back again and again. It's a great place for a lunch or to cater an event. If you're in the area, make sure you stop in. You'll definitely become a fan of this place!

can't say enough great things about The Kitchen. They catered our fundraiser of 400 guests and everyone raved about the food and service. This was no rubber chicken dinner. Food and service can be taken for granted. I'm confident our guests were in a more giving mood because of the exquisite experience The Kitchen for Exploring Foods provided. *Bonus. We're a nonprofit. They worked with our budget and are also passionate about serving the community. It wasn't necessary, but when I stopped by to drop off our check, Amy sent me back with much appreciated snacks for our entire development department. They're good people.

Love the food here. This is a catering company, which does everything from decorating flowers to food. You can still however order meals and picnic baskets for special occasions. They always have new items in the case to eat. The sweets are also very good too. I happen to love the lunch special. The sandwich, cookie, and the drink are so good ! You sort of get a little of everything if you go with the special. Try it out !

The Kitchen for Exploring Foods catered our wedding, and gave us a 5-star experience from start to finish! We worked with their sales manager, Amy, at the start, and she helped us understand the menu possibilities as well as rentals required for our backyard wedding. Amy was very easy to work with throughout the process. Trey was our ever manager. He was clearly very competent, having managed hundreds of events, and was very willing to be flexible with the menu items. He even designed a cheese & crudité table centerpiece when we fell in love with one that we saw on Instagram. The food was absolutely amazing, and the presentation on the farm tables exceeded our expectations! We'd also like to offer special thanks to Patricia, who took care of us and our parents. She really made us feel like royalty, and ensured that we were never left hungry during the hustle and bustle of the reception.

I'm just reviewing the desserts, which are decadent. Today, I had an almond tart topped with candied orange rind. Rich and moist with marzipan inside. Very satisfying with just the right amount of sweetness. All for $3.50. I didn't know about this place until I walked by after having a rather virtuous lunch at The Little Flower Candy Company two doors down. A welcome find.

The Kitchen catered our Thanksgiving dinner for 12 a few years ago. Everyone loved everything, and that's hard to do with the picky eaters in our group. They also have a great herb hummus! Yum!

Experienced the most amazing customer service tonight. I arrived just past 6pm to pick up dinner for a friend who's currently house bound. As I pulled up, to see the place was already dark, I could here the song "scarlet ribbons" start to play in my head. I got out of the car to check the hours on the door. A woman appeared and was so gracious, she cheerfully helped me without hesitation. I've been a fan and customer for almost 20 years. Although the woman didn't know that, she was so kind, and I am so grateful. The dinner was so happily received by my friend. The food is always a gourmet treat served without pretense. This experience has just steeled my loyalty!

I had the lunch special for nine dollars; include half sandwich and a side with a drink it was so delicious did not expect that flavour and the great customer service. The people there were so friendly and helpful the manager came over and talk to us at our table. It was totally random that I stop there and had such a wonderful experience and to top it all off I saw Diana Ross yes theee Diana Ross having lunch there. What a great day!

Amazing! the food was delicious, service was great, PRICE was great and a clean cozy environment to enjoy the food! Really happy we stumbled upon this for lunch today.

We have hired The Kitchen for private dinner parties, holiday parties, fundraisers, and most recently for an art gallery opening. From the coordination team to the delivery staff, they are always beautifully professional and on their game. And their food is delicious. Whether it's just appetizers or a full dinner, their menus are creative and they handle all special requests with skill and care. I highly recommend them for any event, large or small. (Their Gourmet To Go is a great option as well.)

Amazing food and service! They catered for the Parsons New Years party after Rose Parade. I was blessed to attend.

This place is near my job and I love it. Its a great new place in the area and always busy. Parking can be a bit tricky. The food is awesome and I will definitly be coming back to try out more of the new dishes they will be serving.

We hired KEF for our daughter's college graduation. We had approximately 30 people and wanted a catered event. This company was responsive to my questions and worked with me on price. On the day of the event, Brian and staff showed up on time and put together a beautiful spread. Brian outdid himself with the flowers and plants on the tables - stunning! The food was excellent from the Chinese chicken salad in miniature take out boxes to the steak, salmon and delicious honey siracha Brussel sprouts. Everyone complemented the food and of course the table scape. Hands down a wonderful event and excellent caterers! Thank you to all for helping me put on this fabulous event.

The Kitchen catered our wedding and I couldn't recommend it more. We had a different company lined up that backed out about a month before, leaving us a little befuddled about where to go from there. After looking on Yelp, I found this company and reached out to them. From there I was able iron out a menu with their event coordinator Jenn. Since we were so busy with work and wedding stuff and yada yada yada we didn't actually even make time in our schedules to taste anything. Obviously I was a little freaked out that I didn't really know what I was getting us into, I guess I took an ignorance is bliss approach. A few weeks before the wedding we met up with the catering manager Spencer to do a site visit where he also helped me with final selections and figured out any last minute details. I felt pretty confident that we were in good hands and everything would be totally fine. When it came to the big day, they showed up on time and did a really gorgeous spread. All of our guests LOVED the food, and the catering staff were very polished and friendly. I didn't have the pleasure of eating with everybody else, but my favorite moment of the night was sneaking into the kitchen with my husband and eating leftovers that were left in the refrigerator. Beyond that, they did a really gorgeous setup that I was not expecting. They really went the extra mile to make it beautiful for us and it really meant a lot to us. The leftovers that we took home from the night were such a treat to have. After a week of entertaining all of our family, I was so thankful that I didn't have to cook another meal until our honeymoon. They made us a hummus for our appetizer station that was so good that we were a little sad when it was gone. All of our entree items were amazingly delicious! I especially loved a dish they made us of sautéed asparagus tips, fava beans and radishes. I really liked the Halibut they made, even though I didn't even get to try it until the next day. Everything was really amazing and if I ever have a need for catering again I will absolutely hire The Kitchen. Thank you so much to Lauren, Jenn, Spencer, Sarah and all of the staff!

It's that time of year again! It's WEDDING SEASON!!! Most people think of tulle and flowers during this time of year. My thoughts go to food. The Kitchen for Exploring Foods (AKA "The Kitchen" or, as one of my wedding couples called it, "K-FEF") is hands down one of the best caterers in Los Angeles, in my opinion. Their food is melt-in-your-mouth-oh-so-yummy! The presentation is gorgeous! The service is impeccable! I want to throw my own party just so I can have them cater! They had me at the bite sized grilled cheese sandwiches made with Gruyere cheese and topped with a fig compote. I've delighted in the crab cakes with a hint of lemongrass and ahi tartar on wonton crisps. However, what is better on a hot day than a lemonade bar with three different types: lavender hibiscus, strawberry and regular! They can also take the formality down a notch. They make excellent french fries and onion rings. I love this place! If you're hungry after a meal served by the Kitchen, it's your own fault!

Please read if you are thinking of hiring them to cater your wedding or event. If I was reviewing The Kitchen based on their food alone I would give them 5 stars. Their food is really excellent. We hired them as our caterers for our wedding. Peggy Dark is wonderful and friendly and really goes the extra mile to plan your menu by offering delicious suggestions. The tasting was awesome. We felt like Royalty. The servers at our wedding were awesome too and super friendly. The food was beautifully presented on the plates and everything tasted delicious too. The negatives to this review have to do with the office staff and the paperwork/contract side of their business. We knew that we would have to pay for parking at our event for the catering trucks and vans that brought the servers. We also knew we would have to tip the servers of course. We offered to pay the tips in cash to be handed out at the wedding but my wedding planner was told that it's easier just to have it added to our invoice that either way was the same... So we get our final invoice which has the parking reimbursement fees on it for 21 cars at $10 each. Ok. It also has the $20 tip for 29 staff. Fine. BUT, they added an 18% surcharge on top of that AND 8.75% sales tax on top of that! What!? So, we have to pay a surcharge AND sales tax on parking fee reimbursement? How does that make sense? Our event was at The Natural History Museum in LA. We didn't personally collect the $10 per car. That money went to the city. But the Kitchen wanted us to reimburse their parking fee PLUS give them an extra $2-ish per car? For what? And now we have to pay a surcharge and sales tax on the $20 server gratuities that we originally offered to pay in cash up front? So they want tips on top of tips? After my wedding planner argued with Trey (our day-of planner from the Kitchen) and other office staff over these 2 issues she was told that it's the law that whatever items are put on an invoice a catering company is allowed to charge a surcharge and sales tax on top of that. After I called as the Bride and spoke with Amy she agreed to take off the surcharge from the parking fee. Inconsistencies there... In the end, I felt like The Kitchen is deviously sneaky in trying to make as much money off of weddings as they can. If you can pay your tips in cash, do it. You won't have to pay tips on top of tips that way. Also if you have to reimburse for parking, get that deal worked out so you aren't deviously charged a surcharge AND sales tax on top of that.

I haven't ever worked with this company for catering, but I love their store-front. It's a great, tucked away location with such lovely food. Great gourmet to go! I loved grabbing a piece of salmon and some amazing roasted vegetables in a flash. Every dish was right on point. When they ask you which sauce you'd like, say you want both chimmichurri and tomato. Mix them together and then spread them on everything. So absolutely delicious. Plus, since it's somewhat weigh&pay you get to control your portions and your price, which is totally great if you're going for lunch on a budget. I was a little disappointed that the two specials listed were out, but that must mean they are just too popular! Oh, and be sure to grab some of their homemade cookies too. You will not regret scooping up one of their amazing peanut butter cookies. I ate the whole thing before I knew what happened!

Thank goodness for husbands who are smart cookies. Valentine's Day came around and all I knew was that I didn't have to worry about my dinner plans because he was working it all out. At first I thought that we were going to go out to dinner, but in our communications it was quite clear that we were staying at home. What on earth does all of this have to do with Kitchen for Exploring Foods. Well, it is a catering place. It's not a sit-down and eat place. He found out about it from his mom, and he decided to order our dinner from there. Unlike some of the men who order from there and take credit for having "made the food," he came clean, but it was a lovely dinner. He ordered a mushroom ravioli served chilled, which was fabulous. I had never had chilled ravioli. The main dish was a salmon roulade. To be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of the main dish, but I can say that it was a beautiful presentation and edible. He enjoyed it because of the wonderful herbs inside the roulade. The kicker though was the dessert - a chocolate cake filled with mousse with a raspberry sauce on top. It was amazing!!! He got two individual ones and when we both finished our servings I looked at him and asked if he had gotten a third. Then to top it all off it was incredibly affordable. What a thoughtful Valentine. So if you need ideas for romantic dinners and you don't have time to cook, check this place out!

I do so love this longtime staple of West Pasadena! If it is a sh*t workday, I can always rely on getting a lunch special to pull me out of my funk. Lunch offerings always include something light and truly indulgent- amazing salads with roasted veggies, sumptuous sandwiches, pasta and beautifully cooked salmon! Get something to go, sit in your car or better yet, the nearby San Rafael or Eagle Vista parks and re-start your day. (The desserts are as yummy as a hug from Mom, and just as comforting!) For catering- hands down best! The most perfect 4 year old party I have ever been to was catered by The Kitchen. The presentation and menu that they offer for events is truly great. Also, they do great box dinners for Bowl shows and other lovely Summer events!

I have used the kitchen in the past and was very happy with them so when I was having a huge 300 person party ( biggest I've ever done) and my event planners suggested the kitchen I said sure their bid was higher than anyone else but I was told don't worry it's the kitchen they won't let you down The experience was awful The service was terrible from the beginning when they were supposed to be handing out refreshments in trays to my guests and the trays were constantly empty and the staff was not accommodating couldn't even smile as guests arrived The party looked a mess and there were glasses used plates everywhere and they just didn't care my personal trash cans were full and they didn't bother to change them out and instead left them overflowing they were arrogant and unprofessional they set up a pizza station and the pizza was cold they never bothered to do anything to keep it warm at the station there were salads also but no plates or silverware I personally had to carry it over during my own party ! Their bartenders were awful and literally didn't know how to mix or make a drink and we did an old fashioned soda bar for the kids and they took the beautiful bottles and poured into plastic cups the worst part of their service was these two things firstly I had $30 giveaway sweatshirts for kids at the party they decided they were " cold" most likely because they weren't moving and doing their job busing tables and without my consent or permission they took about 30 of the sweatshirts to wear ! Disgusting and they never even returned them staff also took other giveaways ( I have security cameras ) in addition I have used top Los Angeles caterers before and not one has left a bigger mess at my home than the kitchen there were bottles everywhere trash all over the place they didn't even bother to bag the soiled linens they just left them in a big pile even the flower arrangements were all over the place it was a great great disappointment !!! Ruined one of the biggest nights of my life I asked my event planners to have the principle from the company call me but it's been three days and no one has contacted me yet Very sad to write this review I dint know what happened they used to be great

A wonderful catering company. Delicious and beautiful foods. Great service. They've been around for a while and Peggy now even has her own book out. She really knows what she's doing. I worked for her about 12 years or so ago. I started as a server and shortly started working the grill. The amount of work they put into their events are nothing short of spectacular.

I love this place. I've never had the catering, but I like to go in and get the food to go whenever I can. I usually just order whatever I feel like getting and it works out to less than $30 for 3-4 people. I don't think you can get food of this caliber for that price anywhere else. I wish they had a few more chairs, but we usually take our food to the park anyway. You really can't find an easier way to have a picnic.

A favorite caterer for everyone from old-guard Pasadena socialites to Malibu hipsters and beyond - plus they have take-out! Full disclosure: I worked for The Kitchen awhile back, in-between video gigs. But I just stopped by the shop today for lunch - and I would recommend them hands down to anyone planning a catered event - or even if you just want some excellent take-out! The Kitchen is a first-rate, all-event caterer, for everything from small baptism parties to classic, multi-tented weddings for 1,000. Owner Peggy Dark runs a ship-shape enterprise here, with over 35 years experience - and consistently presents gorgeous, fun, and surprising food that often wows guests into speechlessness. Hors d'ouvres that run from classic to California chic; beautiful, imaginative salads, amazing mains and sinfully tempting desserts (Mini chocolate souffles anyone? Maybe a bit of rhubarb cobbler?) Don't forget to order their scorpinos for toasting, if you're planning a wedding reception! Haven't been invited to a billionaire's birthday party in Montecito lately? Don't worry - you can just drop by "the shop" on Colorado Bl. (Monday through Saturday) and pick up some of the same amazing food they cater with - as take-out: sea bass steamed in ti leaves, forbidden rice, heirloom tomato and green bean salad... a yummy selection of focaccio sandwiches - and beautiful desserts that will ruin your diet. All made fresh daily. Stop by and buy yourself lunch - trust me - you'll be back.

Their pecan bars are AMAZING. Expensive, but in my opinion worth every penny.

Best wedding food ever. I am a wedding planner and I had the good fortune of working with The Kitchen on my last event. Everything from the initial meeting, to the tasting, to the day of was an amazing experience for both myself and my client. Our day of representative, Trey, was amazing and uber prepared. The staff was top notch, friendly, and extremely professional. I recommend the Kitchen to all my clients. I should also add that their take out counter is killer and the perfect place to pick up something to-go.

This is a neat little place to grab a bite to eat. Actually, I have never heard of a catering company offering an open deli counter for the public to stop by and sample their eats. I got a delicious sandwich, potato salad, and a drink for about $10 (which is standard). The cookie, I will say, was AMAZING! The service was impeccable because the man that was helping me took the time to explain everything they had, which is nice since I had never been there before. Parking can be an issue, but I was able to find a spot. I always pass by this location and I am so glad I stopped because it's really hard for me to find a decent place to grab a nice lunch from where I work. I will definitely be back!

This is a great place to buy food for event or to have an event catered. They have WONDERFUL food and very helpful staff. My girlfriend uses them to cater and host for her annual Fall party and it's always terffific. I have ordered food for events and always get rave reviews on the food. A little pricey, but worth it for the food, service, and so that I don't have to be the cook/waitress at my own events.

A huge thank you to Brent & everyone else here at The Kitchen for the most wonderful wedding experience. From the food, to the bar & drinks.. I don't know which was better. The staff and waiters were so helpful and kind. 3 months later and people are still telling me this was the BEST wedding food they have ever had. Our cocktail hour food choices were so delicious and dinner was even better. I just can't thank you enough for all that you did for us to make our day that special.

The best turkey sandwich and also avocado sandwich I've ever had in my life. Amazing desserts too. And all homemade, fresh food.

I used this caterer for an event with donors and other high-profile individuals and while the food was good, the experience was not. My main frustration is that the proposal, once signed, kept going up and up and there were a number of "hidden" costs that they didn't raise until it was too late to find another vendor and which ultimately put the event over budget. The staff also didn't seem to be very knowledgeable about the venue, one they've catered at many times and didn't seem interested in doing a site visit on their own.

I can't speak highly enough about The Kitchen. The food is always top notch and the employees go above and beyond to make your event special and unique. There is a reason they are one of the top catering companies in Los Angeles. You won't be disappointed if you use them. P.S. If you have a holiday party...order the sticky toffee pudding. It's to die for.

This is a most unusual catering company. I first learned about The Kitchen FExF several months ago at a catered party in Arcadia. There were twenty guests at a beautiful private home. There was Gorgeous Food Everywhere! A pasta island with four sauces, mushrooms, four types of pasta, many cheeses, sliced chicken breast and massive bread sticks. There was also a six foot long salad bar with elegant veggies and dressings. The serving staff, all six of them, were engaging, helpful and Happy to be there. I've never been to a private party where the servers were having as much fun as the guests. Soooo, Tonight I'm having four guests. (Take a breath) A lemon-mushroom-chicken breast entree, a broccolini-parmesan dish, an arugula-walnut-cranberry-balsamic-blue cheese salad and watercress-tortilla-salsa appetizers all for under $200 USD. I can't buy the ingredients for that little wonga. Run, don't walk to The Kitchen FExF for your next party bash. You won't be disappointed.

Un-freaking-believable. I'm just sitting here. Eating their cheese cracker and their quiche and thinking...how else could I describe this food? I'm a pretty amazing cook, so for me to obsess over every single bite, and turn the savors over in my head, thinking...oh...oh...how did they do this? what kinds of cheese and what type of bread gets this crispy while still remaining light and tasteful....well, let's just say. For me to freak out about something I've only had once, it has to be good. Good enough to write about, in fact. And. I'm French (the kind that's actually from France and has a passport and a generally critical attitude towards everything) so for me to like the QUICHE.... Just go. go.

We were beyond happy to have The Kitchen cater our wedding!!! Their food is EXCELLENT and the service is wonderful!! Lauren walked us through every step of the process, with great suggestions and attention to detail. John made us feel welcome at the storefront. Matt ran our event beautifully and worked with us to make sure it was exactly what we wanted. Our guests all complimented the food (including the vegans and gluten-free eaters) and were impressed with the presentation and service. And... we'll definitely continue to drop by the store for takeout!

I've been going here for years and I figured it is time for me to write them a worthy review. The Kitchen is fantastic! I'm kind of one of their #1 fans just because I'm such a foodie. They are really known for their catering(which is also A+) but little do people know that they have a store front counter. The food there is to die for! I posted pictures as well of some of my top faves they offer recently at the counter. Everyone at the counter is so nice too! They are so helpful and answer all of my questions regarding the food. They give out samples so don't fear to ask to try things. Also, you have to try their lemon bars, insanely good. Go check this place out they do not disappoint!

Top notch presentation and service. The food looked and smelled mouthwatering. But .... once again, the flavors just weren't there. Perhaps it's because I have fewer taste buds/sq in than most, but the fish wrapped in sliced zucchini - while perfectly cooked - was utterly bland. The roasted vegetables and salad were fresh and beautiful, but left no impression. On the other hand, the trio of desserts was a triumph, the saving grace really.

Bar none, best catering in Los Angeles! We've had the Kitchen cater a few parties and with each event I have been over the moon happy. From the first phone call in planning each customized menu, to the decor used for our abundantly filled buffets, to the final clean up - everything has been fabulous! Would recommend the Kitchen to anyone looking for a smooth-sailing-delicious party. Thank you, Kitchen team!

This is such a unique and special place, tucked away on the edge of Pasadena. They really push the envelope with exciting and flavorful menu items. We had them cater an event for us and their foods were exquisite. Spicy meatballs, BBQ chicken sliders and salads that make my mouth water just writing this review. Try this place without hesitation!

I had the Kitchen for Exploring Foods cater my wedding, after lots of looking around! It wasn't an easy decision but meeting Peggy and seeing her write an amazing menu for me and my soon to be to husband, I was sold. She incorporated our favorite foods, and pulled things right out of a magazine on her desk. I worked with the girls in the office who were helpful and got me a great party Manager Matt. Matt was an amazing help on my wedding day. I loved his energy and ability to get things done. I really wasn't worried at all. He was so sweet, and brought a lot of décor that really went with the theme and venue. (Maxwell House) The staff that day was super nice, and I loved it. Again having our Short Ribs and Halibut was just as good as our amazing tasting with the kitchen. I was really happy and felt like they were on top of it. Lots of seasonal veggies, and lots of food. (we had left-overs)the desserts that went with our cake were great and a hit with everyone. Caramel pot de crèmes, heart shaped raspberry cookies, little warm bouchons, and ice cream cones They also did a few specialty cocktails for us and named them for us which I really thought was sweet. Overall, I am quick to recommend them if you want delicious food, and a lot of heart from the creative process and the staff.

Kitchen for Exploring Foods catered our nearly 200 person wedding and we were so incredibly happy with the entire experience! Thank goodness we entrusted them with the food for our big day! I'll start with the food--My husband and I had a few top priorities when it came to the wedding and one of them was having delicious food. KFEF did what they do best--elevated, high quality food that had just the right amount of creativity, the freshest in-season ingredients, and makes you stop in your tracks to appreciate your meal. It's been a month since the wedding and our friends and family are still all raving about our food, and we had some serious foodies there! (Even our guests' personal posts on social media gave shouts outs to the delicious food!) People were grateful we chose to do a buffet so they could go back for seconds. And that butternut squash RAVIOLI. Never heard so many positive superlatives used by guests to describe a side dish at a wedding! The ti leaf wrapped branzino, the roast beef passed hors d'oeuvres, the churros, the buchons, the persimmon salad, the fave bean hericot vert--all got several mentions too! My husband and I were so excited about the menu we'd come up with KFEF, so we made sure we tried everything during the wedding (though we had to do it quickly!), and we were thrilled about every single item. Personally, we were drooling over the braised short ribs, and I was so touched that they made a delicious gluten free plate for me (gluten intolerant bride, here), including the branzino! Not sure how they had time to create a special one just for me! A server brought us a bunch of the hors d'oeuvres while we were taking pictures and they were on point! We were grateful everything tasted like the way it did at the tasting as we'd read reviews of *other caterers* that mentioned how the tastings were good but when it came to scaling up for the big event, the quality didn't hold up. This is so not the case with KFEF. Their team truly, truly knows what it's doing!! The personalized touch--KFEF takes food personally and understands that weddings are a personal thing. We worked with Nicole, the wonderful catering coordinator, who so graciously spent MONTHS on the phone crafting a menu with us--a menu that felt unique (aka not like your typical wedding food), balanced, and spoke to what made us happy. At the tasting, Ari and Brent, who oversee KFEF, personally sat with us and brainstormed a different fish entree from what we'd tried. We wanted to see if we could do branzino, even though that fish doesn't present that well in a buffet, and we wanted it to stay moist. So, on the spot, Ari and Brent came up with this creative idea of folding the branzino, including peppers and a yummy ponzu sauce, and wrapping it all in a gorgeous green ti leaf. It was beautiful nod to our culture's cuisine (Taiwanese cuisine) and made our families smile SO big. KFEF even let us come back for a second mini tasting in order to make sure they'd nailed the branzino and we could go into the big day without any questions. It should be noted that KFEF takes this kind of tailoring to heart, and that thoughtfulness requires time. We are so grateful to Nicole, the kitchen staff, and the entire team for their time and care. Presentation--One of the things that attracted us to KFEF was their presentation. We love their aesthetic so much that we decided to go with two buffets because they do them so beautifully. We were able to work with Matt, our awesome KFEF event manager, a month prior to the event on a personalized look. I was able to send him photos for inspiration and discuss what KFEF had in their inventory. For the buffets, they brought in beautiful copper serving platters, beautiful wooden bowls and spoons, their own giant flower arrangements, and big white pumpkins (they were so cool and seasonally appropriate), and they also set up a pretty pre-ceremony beverage table--all included with their catering (would have been a separate charge with other caterers). They also worked with us when we wanted to use a bunch of our own big jugs and ceramic pots to use as decor. Matt is ALL positive energy and made sure everything with the bars and food ran smoothly during the entire event including set up and clean up. He personally checked in on us during the night to make sure everything looked and tasted great! Ari even came to our wedding to make sure everything looked on point and ran smoothly! The serving staff was professional, polished, and had great down to earth vibes. Final note--KFEF is a higher end caterer, but we were able to talk openly and honestly with them about our tight budget and they really worked with us. In the end, we felt they were really reasonable with their fees, especially for the quality and personalization. There were no hidden costs after the event was over, just the same kind, gracious, celebratory attitude from their amazing staff!!! They exceeded our expectations on every level!!!

Absolutely love the food here. Although I've never been here physically, one of my friends picked up a few items for me while I was bedridden after breaking my foot. Eating the food totally lifted my spirits. The most memorable thing for me was a fruit salad that was simply amazing. It was like every bite I took was an explosion of flavor in my mouth, and I'm not normally a fruit salad kind of guy. It was pretty much the closest thing I've had to a religious experience. I don't know when it'll happen, but if a wedding is in my future this place is going to be at the top of my list.

Our company has used them on many occassions, they have excellent food for catered events. I would highly recommend this company, especially for events catering to 500+ persons.

We used them for our both our engagement party and couldn't have been happier! We stayed at our wedding venue for two days so not only did they cater our reception but also two brunches for family and the wedding party. Every single bit of food was amazing and their team was so friendly and on top of everything! I keep getting compliments from guests! They even went out of their way to make sure my husband and I were taken care of and actually got to eat, which we all know is hard for the bride and groom! They are an exceptional caterer and I couldn't recommend them higher! :)