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Back To Earth Organic Catering
Category: Event Planning & Services Caterers Caterers [Edit]
1327 61st St(between Union Pacific Railroad & Hollis St)
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 652-2000
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm
About This Business:
Here at Beli Deli Gourmet Catering, we strive to make your event memorable and wonderful. For 28 years, we have been combining modern culinary art with… read more »
17 reviews for Back To Earth Organic Catering
17 reviews in English
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Review from Stefanie G.
San Anselmo, CA
11/28/2010
Back to Earth catered my wedding this past September at the Presidio Officer's Club in San Francisco. From start to finish and on all levels of the process, Back to Earth staff went above and beyond and exceeded my expectations! I knew I wanted to use them to cater our wedding because I valued what the business stands for and share in the same food and sustainability philosophies.
We had about 120 people for our wedding reception with cocktail hour, bar service and dinner. From the time the food was eaten up until today so many of our guests said that the food was so amazing, that it was was the best food they have ever eaten at a wedding! I was so happy to hear this because that is exactly what we wanted for our guests.
Mere was our coordinator and Mollie was the menu planner and both helped me shape my menu and pricing to fit my needs, desires and budget. I loved working with both of them.
The staff the day of was professional and courteous and very efficient!
I can not say enough about Back to Earth and how wonderful their food and service is and how their participation in our wedding reception helped to make our day so perfect!
Thanks Back to Earth!!!!! -
Review from Heather M.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2010
Back To Earth catered our wedding on August 14th. Hiring BTE was the best decision we made. We loved working with them and the food was amazing. They really helped make the day to be everything we wanted - and more! More importantly -- I felt like Molly, Eric, Mere, and Kim really cared.
Our guests LOVED the food. They couldn't stop talking about it - even for days after the wedding. We had a menu in mind and BTE helped us create an amazing vegetarian buffet that looked beautiful. (Don't let their website limit your menu - they can do so much more.) BTE made sure the food was fresh and presentable at all times. Some relatives kept saying things like "if this is how vegetarians eat, I could be a vegetarian" and "I don't usually like tofu, but this is fantastic." Others wanted recipes and brands. They'll have to come back to California though - because everything is of course locally sourced.
We worked with Molly to put together the menu, do the tasting, and make the adjustments to the menu we suggested. She was professional, easy going, and very responsive. I felt like I could make any request and she would make it happen.
In terms of organizing and planning, Eric helped us work through all of the details - even some we hadn't thought about. He went through the entire schedule and helped us with the timing of every moment of the day. From heat lamps to table decorations - he helped me get whatever I wanted (for a price of course). I didn't want to hire a pricey florist, so Eric and Molly got organic flowers from Full Belly Farms - where they get many of the organic fruits and vegetables that make their food so amazing and fresh.
BTE really helped pull it all together and make the planning process stress-free. Thanks to their help, we were able to be really enjoy every moment with our friends and family. -
Review from Sharon T.
San Francisco, CA
8/17/2007
Back to Earth recently catered my wedding and I'm sort of torn on this review. On the one hand, we chose them because of their commitment to organic, sustainable local food, and they were one of the only places that could do a vegan wedding who actually got back to me.
On the other hand, they tended do be difficult to work with. We had to book them without getting a tasting because they wouldn't do one for us. Certain staff members were not so great about following up with my emails, they often lost documents I sent them, and two weeks before the wedding they informed me they weren't decorating my cake and I'd have to do it myself. Huh?
Now, on the other (third?) hand, the event itself ended up going extremely smoothly. Their wedding coordinator, Rose, was very much on top of things and she put me at ease. And most importantly we got rave reviews about the food. Nobody missed the meat, people asked me for recipes, and several people told me the cake was the best wedding cake they'd ever had.
So overall, I'd recommend them again with the warning that you will have to stay on top of them, but knowing that you can have faith in them delivering a memorable event.Listed in: Getting hitched?
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Review from Barna M.
San Francisco, CA
5/20/2009
We recently had Back to Earth (BTE) cater our vegan wedding. For us, the catering was perhaps the most important part of our planning because for many, if not most of our guests, this would be the first time they had a full vegan meal. We are so grateful to have worked with BTE because from our first contact with them, the staff was friendly and attentive and this did not change throughout our experience with them.
We initially spoke to Molly who discussed what we type of food and service we were looking for. She came up with a sample menu and set up a food tasting with us. That was a treat to sample the food and to make modifications as needed or wanted though we didn't really want anything changed- the food was fantastic. Molly was really organized and helpful with offering suggestions and ideas. The food included passed
hors d 'Oeuvres: spring pea croquettes, endive spears with avocado, grapefruit and pistachios and potato-leek soup shooters; main course included salad with apples, beets and walnuts, spring vegetable phyllo roulade with a cashew cream sauce and asparagus with garlic chips along with assorted artisan breads.
Closer to the event, we were in contact with Eric, the President of BTE, who helped us organize and finalize all the plans including a cake tasting. Eric was amazing. He was really friendly, organized, and thorough. Because he has catered so many events, he was able to help tie up all the loose ends to our planning, things we would have really never thought of like making sure he coordinated with the venue to get all the needed permits. We ended up getting additional rental equipment from them that we would use for the actual ceremony (it was an outside wedding) rather than deal with an additional rental company. Working with them was a breeze- they made everything seem so effortless, which I think was a true sign of their organization. Going into the week of the event- I was not worried at all about the catering or equipment because I knew they had it taken care of.
The day of the wedding, everything ran smoothly, equipment was delivered, they set up, the cake was beautiful (lemon cake and chocolate cake- it was delicious!), the food was amazing (everyone was raving about it), but most notable really was the service. Eric was there the day of the wedding and his timing was thoughtful and impeccable. The staff were gracious, friendly and helpful. The guests enjoyed the buffet style serving, which was presented on beautiful platters as opposed to the silver clunky food warmers. When we were ready to eat, Eric served us our food right as we sat down. The food really was beautifully thought out and executed. They even packed us some cake to enjoy at home. As quietly as they arrived, they broke down and gathered their equipments, without anyone noticing.
Back to Earth really made our wedding day so special because rather than worrying about things getting done, we were able to enjoy each other and our friends and family. One of the best decisions we made was to work with Back to Earth. We would highly recommend them to anyone. -
Review from Carla C.
7/13/2011
Wonderful selections on the catering menu for 30 people. Prompt delivery throughout the day. Morning coffee, scones, muffins and fruit. Lunch short ribs or grilled portabella mushroom with roasted veggies, grilled polenta, heavenly! As if that weren't enough, we had an afternoon refresher; fruit tartes with creme ingles, ginger snaps - yummy!
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Review from Danthemilliondollarma n.
El Cerrito, CA
12/22/2008
SUPER YUMMY all organic food. It Rocks! As far as I know they are the only caterer in the Bay Area who offers this.
Outstanding service too (professional NOT HIPPIE!)
Also, the people who work there are extremely knowledgeable. If you care about great quality organic food, they are the only catering company to go with. -
Review from David W.
Oakland, CA
10/12/2008
Backt To Earth catered our wedding.
Super Customer Service, during planning and at the event.
Great Food, presentation and taste!
4 stars instead of 5 only because they were a little pricier than I wanted to spend (but they're organic!) & they were a little more formal/slower than I wanted during the dessert portion of our wedding. I know they just wanted everything to look nice, but some of our guests didn't get ice cream cake because they were trying to maintain presentation and neatly serve everyone individually. I would have been okay w/ a little chaos. In all fairness though, ice cream cakes are always difficult.
Loved the food. Lots of compliments from our guests, especially for the appetizers (too bad my wife and I were having our pictures taken during the appetizers, boo hoo.)
Definately would reccomend. -
Review from Chancey T.
San Francisco, CA
8/5/2008
These guys are great! They catered our wedding on June 28th and did a fantastic job. The food was beautifully presented and equally delicious. They nailed the quantities. The serving staff was ridiculously friendly and professional. At the last minute we asked for heating lamps and viola! Done. Our coordinator Eric took really good care of us and was thoughtful enough to bring plates to my elderly grandparents. Everything was great. So, why only four stars? Well, the financial side could have been better. I thought the 20% admin fee was way too high. Then we were charged an extra 3% for using our credit card. And since the wind blew over a bunch of glasses we had to pay for that too, which I was ok with but my friends pointed out that they did keep setting up new glasses just to have them all blown over again. Oh well, they say broken glass is good luck : )
Anyway, we had a great time and were very pleased with the food and service. Thanks guys. -
Review from Clay S.
Oakland, CA
7/30/2008
It's not quite enough to say that Back to Earth "catered" our wedding this past Sunday, July 27, because even as good as the food was, the food was just one part of the entire experience. They planned and executed a delicious meal, true, but they also made everything at the reception run like clockwork; they worked with us patiently and enthusiastically in the weeks leading up to the reception; they helped to design and decorate the reception space; they communicated in a positive and clear manner, and stayed tremendously organized; they responded flexibly and affirmatively to every special request we made; they kept me and my bride feeling sane and taken care of through each step of the process. In every respect, Back to Earth was amazing, even inspiring.
We contacted them on very short notice - in JUNE! - after having had lackluster experiences with several caterers. Despite their being in high demand, and despite our wedding being pretty small (meaning - not a huge contract for them) the wonderful Molly got us in for a tasting as soon as possible. We were worried that Back to Earth might be too expensive for us, but Molly and the rest of the staff worked very creatively with our budget, and prepared an impeccable menu. When we tasted, we were blown away by all but one dish - so the chef, Ritchie the mad genius, came out and took our feedback with the utmost respect, and made great suggestions for the replacement. On the day of the reception, the new dish he came up with blew us away. Basically, after doing our tasting it was clear that these were people to whom we could give total latitude - they have exquisite taste and know-how, so all you have to do is give them a sense of what you want and let them amaze you. Having one less thing to worry about leading up to the wedding, one big to-do that you just *knew* was totally handled, was a real luxury.
One last comment. I'm convinced that our event coordinator, Fred, has magical powers. Leading up to the wedding, he dealt with us and our decorator friends with the utmost tact while lending us the benefit of his amazing sense of style and his gift for making things run smoothly. That was amazing enough. But on the night of the reception, I noticed that whenever my bride or I needed something he would just sort of . . . materialize, holding the thing. I found myself spontaneously hugging the man at the end of the night.
Everyone we worked with was amazing. The food was delicious, and an unbelieveable value. As soon as we talked to Back to Earth, catering stopped being our biggest worry about our wedding and became the one thing that we absolutely knew was going to go great. And I haven't even talked about their commitment to organic, sustainable, local produce and meats! I mean, what else do you want? I sort of wonder why you would ever hire someone else. -
Review from Rebecca F.
Oakland, CA
8/7/2010
I did the VIP pass at the East Bay Express party last night, part of which included light catering from Back to Earth. I had the grilled veggie lavash wrap, which was DELICIOUS!! i couldn't stop eating it and finished every bite. It had roasted organic, seasonal veggies with good olive oil, yummy hummus, all wrapped up. Really filling and wonderful. I wish I had an event coming up so I could hire them!
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Review from Shoshana D.
San Francisco, CA
5/30/2009
I am in the natural chef program at Baumen College and am lucky enough to be doing some intern hours with Back To Earth. This weekend for the first time I tasted their food at an event they catered, and it is honestly the best catered food I have EVER tasted. I was blown away. The quality of the ingredients is the best available, all organic and truly seasonal. The team of people in the kitchen is highly skilled and creative. The general feel was one of great teamwork, both with the client, the kitchen staff and the servers. If only I had an event to throw myself, there's no question in my mind who I'd hire as a caterer. They are also opening a restaurant in Berkeley next fall. And it was exciting to hear they are doing a joint project catering a large series of children's camps along with Alice Waters -- that affiliation shows Back to Earth's high caliber.
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Review from Ash B.
San Francisco, CA
2/21/2009
I've used Back to Earth for at least 3 or 4 events and often recommend them to all my friends.
They have fantastic organic food and can handle large events with ease. They are the only caterer I'd trust with my wedding, and they were fun to work with, as well as hyper competent and creative about food, menus, plating, and even decor if you want their help.
As a vegetarian/vegan, I am even more enthralled with them because it is rare to find caterers who can do awesome veg food and make even your die hard meat eating guests happy.
But everyone I know who has tasted it tells me their non-veg food is good too, I just don't know personally! -
Review from Jessica T.
Oakland, CA
8/13/2009
Even though we didn't end up going with Molly and Back to Earth catering, she was the most professional and organized of all the caterers we spoke to about our wedding buffet. Her proposal made sense and was reasonable, but it was a little out of our price range. If I would have had a bigger budget, I def. would have went with Back to Earth.
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Review from Elizabeth J.
Berkeley, CA
6/26/2009
In one word: AMAZING! BTE and particularly Eric and Mere and all of the folks who were with us last weekend, you MADE our wedding! Everyone was a pleasure to work with, professional, friendly and fun and the food was fantastic! All of our guests raved about the halibut, lamb, artichoke hearts and overall presentation -- thank you -- thank you! It was delicious, fresh and beautiful! Mere and co were patient and so helpful whenever anything came up -- not only did they handle the food and bar beautifully, but literally RAN the evening.
I hope to work with you all again and I hardily recommend BTE to anyone who loves food!
-- Eliza & Gretchen -
Review from Noel J.
San Francisco, CA
9/10/2009
went to a shindig and these folks catered a pretty spectacular feast. it was vegan and so unbelievably delicious. i may use them for Christmas dinner.
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Review from Sven B.
San Francisco, CA
10/6/2010
Absolutely world class catering, excellent service, great people and the right way to run a business.
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Review from Lauren E.
San Francisco, CA
8/14/2008
Back to Earth is simply the best catering company around. We used them for our wedding in Sausalito this July and I could not have dreamt up a better team of people or more delicious food. Every person we worked with was extraordinarily professional, friendly, and just fun to be around. The event was executed flawlessly and smoothly and every guest felt well taken care of. Even more importantly though, the food was the best food I have ever had at a wedding. It was refined, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious - not to mention entirely organic and sustainable. There truly are no words to express how highly I regard this company and the people who run it. You can not go wrong with Back To Earth.
