Chef Ricky

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Introduction: My experience and knowledge has build creativity in me. My mind allows me to see more than a simple dinner. I see flavors, colors, and themes while maintaining elegance. There is never a boring day. No routine. Variety in activity. Meet a lot of people.

Overview

Hired 12 times

4 employees

13 years in business

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13 photos

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Reviews

Good 4.4

16 reviews

5

81%

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6%

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1

13%

Harold H.

Jul 6, 2015

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Hired on Thumbtack

Wedding and Event Catering

Peggy D.

Jul 8, 2015

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Hired on Thumbtack

Event Catering (Drop-off)

Meghann M.

Dec 29, 2014

My husband and I hired Chef Ricki for a holiday dinner party at our home. From the first communication, Chef Ricki was absolutely professional, polite and thorough! He prepared a presentation of the menu with a suggested place setting and wine pairings. We talked about the vibe I wanted for the party and what he could offer. He was incredibly helpful with all kinds of suggestions, from how to set up the table to serving late night sweets for my guests to take home. The night of the dinner was a smashing success! Chef Ricki arrived and immediately got to work. Everything smelled delicious! He showed me how to fold my napkins to make the place setting look impressive. He brought a server with him, and the two of them were impeccably dressed and very professional. The food was superb! Everyone especially loved the tenderloin and the chocolate mousse. Chef Ricki would come out and explain each dish, offering tidbits of flavors and how everything was to be served. After dinner, Chef Ricki had set up a "to go" sweets station and lit candles all around. The kitchen was clean and my guests were well fed, comfortable and happy! i could not have asked for a better evening. Thank you so, so much Chef Ricki!

Sara A.

Jan 4, 2016

We hired Chef Ricky and his company, Elegant Occasions Houston to cater our wedding for 180 people. We wanted a buffet style line with appetizer type foods. The food was fantastic, but, unfortunately, there was not nearly enough to go around. We were assured by Chef Ricky several times that we would have "plenty of leftovers" that would be boxed up for us. This reassurance was given to us in person and in writing. It was more than disappointing when we ran out of food at our reception, not to mention embarrassing for us, as the hosts. The staff that Ricky hired for the event was completely unprofessional and was even seen eating some of the (limited) supply of food! They were supposed to ration the food for the guests but instead just stood by and let people serve themselves heaping mountains of food. This is a poor reflection on Ricky, as he clearly did not properly train his staff on his expectations for the night. When confronted about the lack of food, he told both the mother of the bride and the father of the groom that "there were 197 people eating." This is impossible. We had 180 confirmed guests, including us, and noticed SEVERAL guests who did not show up. Nevertheless, Chef Ricky had excuse after excuse for the events of the night. We ended up having to spend an additional $150 on pizza for our hungry guests-- which he did not even offer to cover. This is all bad, but the WORST part of the whole evening was that we asked many times that a piece of our cake be saved for us to freeze and enjoy on our one-year anniversary. The server cutting the cake was even asked by the bride to do this, but somehow, we ended up with no cake. For a bride not to have that is unforgivable. I was devastated upon hearing that there were no leftovers for us. Chef Ricky later owned up to his mistakes, but we are still waiting for our contract in the mail to see what we our rights are as highly unsatisfied customers. It seems only fair that because 15-20% of our guests didn't eat, we should get 15-20% of our money back. The entire ordeal was nothing short of disappointing. The night was a memorable one, but some of those memories are ruined by the humiliation of running out of food.

Richard J.

May 6, 2016

Perfect elegance. We hired Chef Arredondo after heeing about his company Elegant Occasions through friends. We recently saw his name published in the paper and were impresses by the article. Immediately decided to get in touch with him and schedule an appointment. Our event lacked time and budget, Chef Arredondo kept bringing more to the table. He kindly offered a private dinner to be part of the auction we were hosting. We hired him and his team to cater both the kick off party and a sit down gala for over 200 guests. He hosted a tasting that left us speechless and very impressed. We made our decision right on the spot. The day of the event came and we couldn't have asked for anything better. His food was superb and the presentation of the whole evening magnificent. His selection of customed cocktails made us and our guests extremely satisfied. The evening ended with a beautiful display of desserts and delicious bites. Chef Arredondo, terrifiant.

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My pricing is set on the amount of guest, finalized menu, and type of service needed.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Our first meet/email consists of taking the time to listen to the client by asking a series of questions; budget, number of guests, service required, etc. We take some time to do numbers and find the ingredients with most quality at the best price to offer the most to our clients. We provide a few quotes to give them options. Details are finalized and a contract is prepared.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have several culinary degrees from different schools in Texas. I also visit cooking demonstrations and my former teachers to review techniques and flavors.

Chef Ricky

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