Preferred Sonoma Caterers
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Preferred Sonoma Caterers
Meet with our Chef and Lead Event Planner to design your perfect menu and discuss every aspect to make your day just what you want. Start with our Menus page where you will find samples from previous events. Then review our large selection of Hors d'oeuvres. Our Cost Planning and Sample Weddings can help you set the scale and offer good planning pointers.

Specially designed menus including vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, allergen friendly & healthy requests.
Services
Preferred Sonoma Caterers was founded by Owner/Chef Amber Balshaw and her husband Jim over 30 years ago. Amber's love of cooking always keeps her excited about food, and that excitement keeps her menus fresh and innovative. Amber has seen trends in food and design come and go (and sometimes come again) over her years planning weddings and other events.
Our favorite part of the process is planning the menu with you! Created to match the fare to the event, the season, and your tastes. We will consider the location (is there an oven?), and personal desires (favorites, vegetarian, cultural). Styling the cuisine and presentation to set the mood or fit a theme, to explore the latest trends or work with your traditions.
A beverage and small nibble is appreciated after a long drive or if you have a ceremony preceding the cocktail hour. Hors d'oeuvres and stations are a must for the cocktail hour and will make the party pop. The perfect sweet to end the meal, coffee to relax and enjoy with friends, and that little extra to keep the evening going.
The cost of having an event can vary widely. The following guidelines should provide you with a good idea of what you can expect and help you in designing the vision for your event. The type of event can be the biggest determining factor in price, and also has the widest variability. Does the event require substantial service staff (i.e. a served dinner), medium staff (passed hors d'oeuvres), or light staff (a buffet)?
Reviews (23)
Chelsea C.
Chelsea C.
Nov 26, 2021
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I ordered their pre made Thanksgiving Dinner this year. It was amazing! I had 14 guest and everyone comment on how delicious the meal was. Reheat direction were easy and I was able to do it all with just one oven. I was able to enjoy the day since they did all the work! There was not a single thing I would change about the meal.
John Alden
John Alden
Nov 07, 2021
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I own the Mountain House Estate wedding venue and highly recommend Amber and the team. Karen, the banquet captain and her team for two weddings here this weekend once again knocked it out of the park. Guests had a great time, loved the food, and had many compliments for this catering company. The professional wedding planners who 'ran the show' always love working with Preferred Sonoma Caterers. Great with the guests, and great with the team working behind the scenes - working in concert to make it the best day ever!
Jennifer U.
Jennifer U.
Oct 08, 2021
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If you are looking for a wedding caterer look no further! Preferred Sonoma caterers was a pleasure to work with in planning our May wedding. From the moment I reached out to them they were always professional and responsive to emails and phone calls. They crafted a beautiful menu for us that featured fresh and delicious California food. The service during the wedding was exceptional and our guests raved about the food. They go the extra mile to ensure that your day is special and truly make you feel like a valued customer along the way. If we plan another event in the future we will be sure to
Alix B.
Alix B.
Sep 22, 2021
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It was an absolute delight to have PSC cater our wedding. The flow of the event went so smoothly because of them and my guests and I loved the food. Their professionalism and expertise definitely allowed me to enjoy the day with friends & family.
Yehuda Donde
Yehuda Donde
Sep 21, 2021
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Preferred catered our wedding over Labor Day weekend. They were great! Not only was the food delicious, but they were able to accommodate (and suggest improvements on) all of our menu preferences. Very responsive and organized throughout the lead-up to the wedding, and consummate professionals during the event itself. They genuinely care about making sure the couple is enjoying their special day. Highly recommended!
Alexander C.
Alexander C.
Jul 19, 2021
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We are working with Preferred Sonoma Caterers for our upcoming wedding, and the experience has been amazing. Karen is extremely nice, knowledgeable, and responsive. We recently went for a tasting and the service was absolutely incredible; the food was great and we had a great time trying to figure out the table decor. Absolutely recommend!
Ina R.
Ina R.
Jun 15, 2021
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My husband and I,
(45 & 49 years old), have never written a review.
We feel compelled to write a review for Preferred Sonoma Caterers as they far exceeded our expectations and provided us with an unforgettable experience from beginning to end.

The first conversation I had with Karen, the Lead Event Planner & Banquet Captain, several months before the wedding, blew me away.
I felt as if I had called a wedding planner instead of a caterer!
She asked me questions about my vision and helped me create one since I was pretty clueless about all the details that go into planning a wedding.
She
Wendy H.
Wendy H.
Jun 14, 2021
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Sonoma Preferred Catering always exceeds our expectations. From the moment we reach out to them with a catering request to every detail in the middle they handle each communication with the highest level of professionalism. They are truly a delight to work with. The menu planning and food are outstanding. I have had the privilege to work with them on a number of events over the last decade and the quality of their food stands out far and above the other caterers. This last weekend I hired Sonoma Preferred for a small 60th wedding anniversary celebration and used their casual catering to go. The
Liz H.
Liz H.
Apr 30, 2021
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Such great food.
I was in a last minute bind trying to find a caterer for my parents very intimate anniversary dinner and I am beyond happy I found them. Edie was so helpful and friendly. She was on top of everything I needed and within a week I had planned and pulled off the most important part of a dinner - the food! Thank you Edie & team. My very picky father had no complaints. We loved the salmon, veggies, salad and tortellini and not one thing went unmentioned as to how amazing and fresh it all tasted.
Will definitely be doing business with them in the future and will recommend to all
John P.
John P.
Apr 07, 2021
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Sonoma Preferred Caterers
We have used PSC for parties for several years but this Covid-19 year has expanded our appreciation of their services. Last Christmas we ordered their Prime Rib Christmas dinner so that I could stay out of the grocery store, and support local business. Everything about that order made my life easier. Pick-up was so well organized, the cooking instructions were perfect (they even included a meat thermometer to make sure our Prime Rib was properly cooked) and the food was outstanding. The meal was such a huge hit that I checked their website for Easter. I ordered the Easter
Alison T.
Alison T.
Mar 04, 2021
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I simply cannot write enough good things about the PSC tea and the quality of their food. I have a local business that provides luxury picnics to our clients and it is imperative that the food match the experience in looks and taste and PSC never disappoints.

From a picnic client perspective-our clients rave about the food to the point that we have never received a complaint but they also LOVE the packaging. Even when food is placed into disposable boxes PSC takes the time to tie it up with cute twine and greenery to ensure all items maintain the vibe of a fancy picnic. The team is also so gracious
Arlene C.
Arlene C.
Dec 26, 2020
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We picked up their food for a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Loved it so much that we decided to do try the Christmas dinner. Wonderful food, delicious and Edie is warm and lovely. Highly recommend!
Karl Bundesen
Karl Bundesen
Dec 08, 2020
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Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value
These folks are the absolute best! Nice people, responsive, professional and the food is spectacular! Definitely our go to caterer. Thank you Amber, Edie and the crew!
Michael F.
Michael F.
Nov 30, 2020
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This was the first year we decided not to prepare our own Thanksgiving dinner. We had previous experiences with Preferred Sonoma, (4 or more) which were all positive, so after seeing their posted menu we decided to have them prepare our Thanksgiving meal as well. We ordered one and a half dinners which fed more than 12 easily. On pick up day, the day before Thanksgiving, we arrived with their having everything ready to go in boxes, including re-heating instructions. The pickup was very orderly and we were in and out in no time. Bravo.

I can safely say we will never cook another Thanksgiving
Faye Dorman
Faye Dorman
Oct 24, 2020
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We had never ordered a thanksgiving dinner before but alas our oven had broken.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about both the food and service we received!
Everything was so delicious and amber had given great instructions on how to heat it all without an oven.
Thank you everybody at ps caterers for making our meal so memorable and successful!!!
Daryn K.
Daryn K.
Oct 21, 2020
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The entire team at PSC are outstanding. We booked them as the caterers for our Sonoma wedding in June 2020 because of their warmth, professionalism and absolutely delicious food, but when we ended up needing to cancel the wedding because of COVID19, our experience navigating the unprecedented situation with them made an otherwise awful situation incredibly positive. They truly put their customers above all else. I am already thinking of how I can work with them on any future event we host!!
HungryGirl M.
HungryGirl M.
May 13, 2020
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Preferred caterers recently did my very small, weekend destination wedding. They did an outstanding job! They exceeded my expectations in every way.

From the planning stages with Karen, to the actual night of the event everyone was was thoughtful and lovely.

The food was outstanding and the buffet portions were huge, enough to serve our guests lunch the next day!

The real star was Ann, who was our server at our event. She really went above and beyond, and did everything she could to make the day go smoothly, and treated me like a princess. All of my guested raved about her and the food too
Scwr Education
Scwr Education
Jul 20, 2019
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Preferred Sonoma Caterers did a phenomenal job with our event, "Pints for Paws." They listened to our needs and provided the perfect menu for our event with a focus on vegan and vegetarian choices. We couldn't be more pleased. We received many compliments from our guests as well. The ratatouille dish was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Everyone at PSC was courteous and professional. We can't wait for our next opportunity to work with Amber and her talented team of food artists!
~Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue
Jennifer L.
Jennifer L.
Dec 29, 2018
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Amber and Edie are truly what made our wedding day so flawless. Amber came to the wedding venue with us beforehand and walked around, showing us how the day would go. Her many ideas to fit our budget were outstanding. Edie was always so responsive whenever we had a question or change in plan. The food was DELICIOUS. We got so many compliments from friends and family about how mouthwatering everything was. We absolutely love the way our wedding day turned out and a huge thank you goes to Amber and her team. We really appreciate all they did for us and would recommend them to anyone who wants to
Cindy W.
Cindy W.
Dec 17, 2018
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Preferred Sonoma Caterers provided the excellent menu of goodies at the Hansel BMW Holiday party and could not have been better!

The wonderful staff generously made the rounds with incredible hors d'oeuvres, hot from the mobile onsite kitchen in a tent, including a crab tartlet and a Korean short rib piled on top of sushi rice cake, scrumptious!

In addition to the excellent hors d'oeuvres was a hot bar of melt in your mouth short ribs and the best mash potatoes I have ever tasted!
Of course they had a premium charcuterie table and a desert table too!

If your hosting a premium event
S. Price
S. Price
Oct 28, 2018
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Sonoma Preferred is the best catering company! Delicious, healthy, locally sourced when possible - the food is delectable without breaking the budget. So easy to work with, community minded, and full of solutions to every problem! We use them every year!
Marie G.
Marie G.
Sep 18, 2018
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SIMPLY AMAZING! We can't say enough praises on how wonderful Amber, Edie, and the entire team at PSC are. We got married at the Secret Gardens and knew that we wanted a caterer familiar with the quirky setup of the venue. This team is the one to hire! We knew we were in good hands from the beginning; Edie was super helpful and very responsive, and Amber made the entire process easy, seamless, and fun. In fact, they were so fantastic that we asked them to caterer our brunch on the bluffs the following day.

The FOOD! Our friends and family are still talking about how amazing the food was at
Erik L.
Erik L.
Jul 19, 2018
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My wife Jill and I used PSC to cater our wedding in Sonoma and we couldn't have been more pleased with the quality of service and knowledge Amber and her team provide.
Their service goes beyond food, which was exceptional. We planned our wedding from Texas and she was always willing to send my wife the information she needed, including linen samples to match with our colors. I couldn't imagine any caterer being more accommodating or easy to work with.
They made the day-of so easy for us. We didn't have to worry about any of the set-up or take down, her team hit like a storm and everything was