Renegade Outpost
Discounts available
Discounts available
$75/person
starting cost
Zip code
Cuisine(s)
Scheduling
Responds in about 4 hours
Introduction: Hi there,
Renegade Outpost is a full service event planning and chef services company. We've been in business for 7 years and have been associated with Thumbtack for 6 years. We have been hired more than 280 times and have more than 160 excellent 5 STAR reviews.
We offer logistical services as well as day/of coordination and securing orders for rentals. Our "rolodex" includes many of the best vendors for all your event needs, whether it be entertainment or lighting to photographers and waitstaff. We take pride in our work with making your job easier as our highest priority.
Wonderful food always begins with amazing ingredients, especially produce. We source directly from local farmers, we work with an organic butcher, a wild fish monger and importers of select cheese and specialty products.
Food is the heart of every catered event. We work with your ideas and curate the menu based on seasonal delicious produce, expert preparation and beautiful presentation. The produce inspires us and we often build a dish around vegetable.
From plated dinners to high end cocktail events... from chef-manned stations to grazing tables... from fundraisers and galas to weddings and themed events, we have the professional staff and connections to ensure your event runs smoothly.
Looking forward to working with you and making you a fan as well. We make sure all the elements meld together. We want you to relax and have fun with your guests. We will make your dreams a reality for beautiful memories for years to come... Polished or playful, dynamic or understated, we will work with you on your vision.
Please let us know when you want to have a conversation to discuss your event details... renegadeoutpostcatering
Overview
Hired 300 times
60 similar jobs done near you
5 employees
8 years in business
Payment methods
Cash, Credit card, Square cash app
Social media
Top pro status
Top Pros are among the highest-rated, most popular professionals on Thumbtack.
Jul - Dec
Jan - Jun
This pro indicated that they reviewed CDC safety guidelines for COVID-19 and pledged to do the following:
Maintain 6 feet of distance from customers
Wear masks during the job
Wear gloves during the job
Disinfect surfaces touched during the job
Featured Projects
243 photos
35th Birthday party
Personal Chef
Specialties
Event type
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Cuisine(s)
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Reviews
Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.
Great 4.7
184 reviews
5
88%
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5%
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Read reviews that mention:
Shanique L.
Feb 8, 2022
·
Hired on Thumbtack
Hired on Thumbtack
I really had to sit and think before writing this review because trying to find the right words to share my appreciation and gratitude for Ellen and the team is practically impossible. I found out a week before my event that the chef that I booked unfortunately got covid. So I had a week to figure out how I'm going to cater for 45 people, with no chef, no tables, chairs, etc. I put in a new request on thumbtack at about 11pm and at 1am Ellen was already responding. The crazy thing next is that she agreed to take my call at 1am!!! We spoke on the phone until about 3am, going over all the details, from tables, to tablecloths, decorations, plates, cups, cutlery, etc. There is NO WAY I would of been able to pull this off and as smoothly without Ellen's help.
The night of the actual event my Mom's 60th Birthday party, I ordered 4 different appetizers and Ellen managed to throw in 5 more additional ones! Totally unexpected and a very nice touch. She even remembered the lamp chops that my Mom wanted, which was completely separate from steak, salmon, and chicken options for the guests. She was very real with me and gave me advice about pricing, suggestions based on what I was looking for, etc. The tablescape was beautiful and exactly what my wanted. We later found out that Ellen did it all by hand with the plants and flowers that she picked up at the crack of dawn during the week. She really helped me navigate everything and I learned so much about event planning just from working and interacting with her during the week.
On top of all this, Ellen and the team made the trip out of blizzarding Brooklyn to where the event was being held. "Thank you" is not enough. I am forever grateful.
Details: Birthday or anniversary party • Dinner • Cocktail hour or hors d'oeuvres • Coffee or tea • American - formal • Mediterranean or Middle Eastern • Buffet • Yes, full service • Home • Yes, full kitchen • 40 - 49 guests • Plates, utensils and glasses • Serving and warming equipment • Table décor • Paper napkins • Premium (high end ingredients)
Wedding and Event Catering
Irene P.
Feb 7, 2022
·
Hired on Thumbtack
Hired on Thumbtack
I hired Chef Ellen for a dinner party that I was hosting for 20 people, and she absolutely EXCEEDED my expectations. From our first call about planning the event, to the event itself, Chef Ellen was fantastic. She has such an impressive rolodex of appetizers and meals she can prepare, and she worked with me to customize a perfect menu for the evening.
We chose 5 hors d'oeuvres, and she surprised me on the night with two additional ones on top of the five we'd chosen! Every single appetizer was delicious. From there, we did a sit down dinner that included a soup (amazing butternut squash), salad (the best salad my guests have ever had - who knew a salad could be that life changing!), and then guests had a choice of filet mignon or arctic char for their main course. Both main courses were so thoughtfully prepared, perfectly cooked, and the presentation for everything was stunning.
On top of that, there was a mini pizza delivery crisis for my 5 and 7 year old nephews who were over, and Chef Ellen graciously offered to make pasta for them -- all while preparing a 20-person dinner. What more could you ask for?! After dinner, she also surprised me with mini passed desserts :)
Chef Ellen also had brought a server with her, who was professional, charismatic and on top of everything to ensure the night went smoothly.
To sum it up, Chef Ellen helped make the night so special, and I was thrilled with all of her hard work. If you're looking for delicious food, beautiful presentation, great service, and a hell of a personality, don't hesitate to book Chef Ellen. I am so glad I found her and am already looking forward to having her back for another event!
Details: Special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) • 11 - 20 guests • Cocktail hour / hors d'oeuvres • Dinner • Dessert • Premium (high end ingredients) • Cold beverages (alcoholic) • Dessert • American - casual • American - formal • Italian • Mediterranean / Middle Eastern • Barbecue • French • Asian • Meal prepared onsite • Only once • My home, venue, etc.
Personal Chef
Britt M.
Nov 22, 2021
·
Hired on Thumbtack
Hired on Thumbtack
Britt Muñoz
9:20 PM (2 minutes ago)
to me
I initially hired Chef Ellen as an event planner. My fiancé and I had decided last minute we wanted to throw a housewarming/engagement party, but we also didn’t have the time or skills to throw together one. We essentially wanted someone to just do all the heavy lifting and thinking for us, while keeping it on a tight budget (as we were having it at home) so that we could have some kind of event before the holidays and our families would be happy. In the end, we didn’t really get so much as all that… we ended up having a lot of work we had to do on our ends in order to have the party we wanted within the budget we inevitably exploded anyway. That being said however, there are many details to be mentioned.
I did not know what to expect when hiring a planner. Chef Ellen turned out to live further away than I expected (that was my fault because I had done the research), therefore it was difficult for her to travel back and forth. My fiancé and I realized we would have to do much of the outdoor lighting ourselves if we wanted to have the party we wanted. We did just that, and it was A LOT of work, but it was definitely not something that could have been done in a day. We were able to really set the scene as something we truly wanted, saving a lot of man power and obviously, money, better spent on food and other rentals.
One of her vendors wouldn’t travel to my location so she had to try someone entirely new. That new vendor ended up messing up big time, installing our massive rental tent completely wrong two days before the event. I had so much going on at the time and it definitely was the tip of the iceberg for me. Although Chef Ellen was unable to come due to a work event and the distance, she was attentive and calling me as often as she could, brainstorming for solutions and trying to ease my anxieties. She apologized as well, stating she had never worked with this vendor before and was only trying to make sure we had a tent. We were able in the end to get the company to come back and fix the problem thankfully. Her other vendor however (tables, chairs, glassware, etc.), came through. This vendor she did have a connection with and they were wonderful.
The day of the event, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. We had tornado warnings and downpours for hours leading up to the event which led to serious delays in getting set up. Luckily we had prepared our outdoor lighting 10 days prior, but her staff was unable to set up cocktail tables or outdoor floral arrangements outside of the tents until the rain had stopped (which was moments before the event started). They worked efficiently though despite it all. Chef Ellen was stalled due to the weather since she was transporting the food, but her staff arrived early. We all got started a bit late, but most of our guests also arrived late due to the storm as well. Once the party got started, I just allowed to stress to dissipate and enjoy myself.
I did a lot of mingling and little eating. But I will say, what I did eat was fabulous and what my friends and family ate, they all enjoyed as they felt inclined to tell me over and over again. When I finally took a second to walk inside the tent to actually look at how it was all set up, it was all just really beautiful. The flowers, the place settings, everything just looked lovely and everyone looked to be enjoying themselves. Chef Ellen had made a floral arrangement for my banister that I am really glad I decided to add on last minute, because it was really pretty and added elegance and charm to the whole event. Her staff was delightful and friendly, we all enjoyed having a laugh with them and they never were without a smile. I know I had read some reviews about Chef Ellen to be short or rude; I just found her to be in her zone and running a tight ship. Our event was for 60 people, with all of those people coming in through the kitchen to get to the restroom. A couple of friends told me she snapped at them when they were leering over to get food and I laughed and told them, "good. She's got to feed 60 people and make sure all of this stuff goes around and it looks pretty, so wait your turn." It's a lot to run a kitchen with so many small plates/appetizers for an event so I get it. She definitely has a tough, no nonsense personality, but you have to ask yourself if that's what you want. For me, definitely, otherwise, I'd have all my guests running into the kitchen, grubbing food off of the dishes before they made their debut out. The guests belong in the guest area with the smiling staff so you can let the chef work.
That being said, Chef threw in a couple of extras (I have to be honest, I didn't notice at the time because I was everywhere all at once) which was nice. Food did come out a little late, but again, the storm did not help so I have to put that into consideration. Lastly, one thing I should probably mention is that our bar list was a bit excessive. We did hire a bartender through her staff (who was very, very sweet, but I do wish he brought more than one shaker, otherwise I would have totally provided more). Once you give your head count, you receive a list of things to buy for the bar. We ended up buying everything on the list and it was a bit much. It wasn't so much the wine or liquor as it was the juices, cases of club sodas, and cases of beer. Definitely could have cut the beer in half and the club soda to 1/2-1 case. Considering my group of people indulge on Vodka/Clubs and beer often, having that much extra means we definitely bought too much. Just a little something to keep in mind going forward.
At the end of the day, the party ended up costing us more than we wanted, but was more than we expected it could be. And that counts for something. Our phones blew up the next day with our friends and family thanking us again and truly overwhelmed by how beautiful our party was. They thought we were going to surprise everyone and get married that night it was so beautiful. For people to be that impressed by our party means that it was done correctly. We definitely put more work into it on our ends than we initially wanted to, but it wasn't the worst thing. It gave us an event we could be proud of at the end of the day. I am grateful for Chef Ellen's ideas and guidance on everything. She knew we were trying to save in some areas, so we did our part and she did hers. The party was a success and we were very pleased with it.
Details: Engagement party • 51 - 100 guests • Full service planning (start to finish help) • Day-of coordination • Decor rental • Bartending • Setup • Wait staff • Cleanup • Catering • Floral services • Chairs • Tables • Tents • Lighting • Tablecloths • Centerpiece(s) • 1 - 2 months • My home, venue, etc.
Event Planning
Sofia C.
Oct 11, 2021
·
Hired on Thumbtack
Hired on Thumbtack
Ellen has catered multiple events for me, sit down dinners, buffet style and cocktail style. She has exceeded my expectations every single time. The last one i had a week ago was a Penn State event which was very formal and the food was to die for , the service incredible, can’t says enough good things about the way she runs her business. Best caterer out there !!!!!!!!!
Details: Dinner party • Dinner • Cocktail hour or hors d'oeuvres • Dessert • American - formal • Buffet • Yes, full service • Home • Yes, full kitchen • 50 - 59 guests • Premium (high end ingredients)
Wedding and Event Catering
Alison B.
Oct 3, 2021
·
Hired on Thumbtack
Hired on Thumbtack
Working with Chef Ellen was an incredible experience. The food was delicious, creative, and thoughtful. She was very professional, and working with her to create a menu for our wedding was a breeze. All of our wedding guests (small in-home wedding for 22 people) absolutely loved the food, were full, and happy. I could not recommend working with her highly enough.
Details: Special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) • 21 - 35 guests • Dinner • Premium (high end ingredients) • American - formal • Meal prepared onsite • Only once • My home, venue, etc.
Personal Chef
FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
It's not complicated, bartending is by the hour and the distance... Food pricing depends on what type of cuisine you want and how many dishes you would like prepared
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I send them menus and have them pick a few things to get a feel for their palate. I tell them the pricing structure and then help them pick some dishes based on their choice of cuisine
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I have both corporate and private clients that I work with...I'm comfortable serving up to 60 people by myself and if need be, I have staffing available for you to hire for larger events. I've done hors d'oeurves/canape cocktail parties for corporate clients for up to 180 people and weddings for up to 150 people with appetizers and plated meal service.