I first spoke with the owner of The French Gourmet, Michel Malecot, a few months before our son’s wedding. Scheduled for Saturday, July 18^th, we had originally intended to prepare the food ourselves (yes, I am blond and half crazy) for what we anticipated would be about 150 people. As the date approached I realized the great amount of work, not to mention stress, this would cause leading up to and on the day of the wedding. I began my search for the best San Diego wedding caterer I could find.

The French Gourmet - Catering to San Diego County

When I first called the French Gourmet, the voice directing me to the catering department was very French. I was pleasantly surprised and remember thinking, “wow, maybe they do know a thing or two about French cuisine”. Many of the management and catering staff of the French Gourmet are indeed from France.

Michel spent some time with me on the phone to determine what we were looking for in the way of cuisine for our wedding reception. When we were contemplating doing the catering ourselves, we had decided upon croissant sandwiches and cool, refreshing salads. I asked if he would be able to do the same. He assured me they would create something lovely and had the proposed menu to me the same day.

Within minutes he had transformed my vision of our San Diego wedding event from of a bunch of ladies from our church sweating over turkey sandwiches and mixing fruit salad in Tupperware to an exquisite presentation of exceptionally fine and delicious cuisine. And he made it seem effortless. When I read the menu, I began to relax and developed a feeling of confidence about the outcome of this special day. 

The French Gourmet - Catering to San Diego County

We then received a call from our catering manager, who would be overseeing the preparation and presentation of our food on the day of the wedding. The moment I spoke with Edith (she also has a lovely French accent) I knew our event was in extremely good hands. I had the opportunity to speak with Edith a few times on the phone, finalizing details. She was always available to take my calls and always assured me everything would be lovely. When planning a wedding all of the details can be overwhelming and finding a good wedding caterer is one of the biggest concerns. She would continually offer assurance and say “Don’t worry, this is what we do…It will be lovely, I promise”.

Edity met me at the reception site a few days before the wedding and knew exactly what she needed to do within minutes to create the perfect wedding reception cuisine, buffet and ambiance we desired. She configured her plans to set up the display and buffet tables and even came up with a few helpful ideas for our reception. She was kind enough to offer to bring large umbrellas to cover the food and our guests, which had not occurred to me.   

The day of the wedding large coolers arrived at the reception venue. Edith and her staff arrived as planned at about 3:00 p.m. and immediately set about creating fresh and beautiful trays of fruit, delicious salads and delectable appetizers. The wedding ceremony would begin at 5:30 p.m. Edith had arranged for the display table to be ready with drinks and appetizers at the conclusion of the ceremony. Dinner would be served at 7 p.m.

The French Gourmet - Fresh Fruit Platter

 I cannot tell you what a wonderful feeling it is to pass by your caterers in the kitchen and see that they are creating cuisine for your wedding reception which is not only going to be tasty – as it smelled delicious, but so beautiful. Everything was prepared fresh on site. While I was focused on last minute details throughout the afternoon, I would pass through the kitchen often and watch as amazing platters of fresh fruit, beautiful varieties of croissant sandwiches, the most amazing green bean salad parmentier (very French), and spinach salad with strawberry vinaigrette were being skillfully prepared by Edith and her fine staff from The French Gourmet…all exquisitely delicious. We had guests who, admittedly, stood at the buffet table for 10 minutes sampling the artichoke fondue – while their small children ran unattended. And they didn’t care! The food was not only delicious, but the presentation was lovely. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed everything!

 We highly recommend The French Gourmet to cater any San Diego event you may have.  They not only cater wedding receptions, but are also available for holiday catering, corporate catering and all types of social events. These San Diego catering experts worked with us to create a menu and style which complimented our event and stayed within our budget. As a local catering company, they are able to provide china, glassware, place settings, skirted tables, party equipment rentals, waiters and bartenders, and references for many of San Diego’s top event specialists.

Here are a few of our favorites from our reception menu:

Artichoke Fondue: Artichoke hearts in a cheese fondue, lightly seasoned with pepper and garlic and garnished with fresh chopped chives ~ exquisite!

Assorted Mini Croissant Sandwiches: Freshly baked Croissants filled with a choice of: smoked ham and Swiss cheese; Turkey and Avocado; Roast Beef, Vegetarian, Chicken Salad and Seafood Salad ~ I think I tried them all!!!!

Green Bean Salad Parmentier: Tender, steamed Blue Lake green beans mixed with julienne of Swiss cheese, new steamed potato, purple onion and whole grain mustard vinaigrette ~ fabulous!

Fruit trays: The fruit they prepared was all fresh, sweet and delicious. Lovely melons, sweet pineapple, huge ripe strawberries and unbelievable sweet, bing cherries ~ amazing! 

The French Gourmet - Fine French Bakery

These San Diego catering experts worked with us to create a menu and style to compliment our event and stayed within our budget. As a local catering company, they can provide china, glassware, place settings, skirted tables, party equipment rentals, waiters and bartenders, and refer you to many of San Diego’s top event specialists.

Keep in mind The French Gourmet also creates amazing wedding cakes. We hired another fine bakery, but with what we experienced with the French Gourmet’s savory catering talents, I am sure their cake bakery must create the most perfect wedding cakes, as well!

We highly recommend The French Gourmet for any event requiring amazing cuisine prepared by an excellent staff! Many thanks Michel, Edith and the talented French Gourmet staff!

The French Gourmet Restaurant in La Jolla California

The French Gourmet - Sea Shell Wedding Cake

Tom & Chelsea prepare for their big day

We have been impressed and very pleased to be working with the lovely people at The French Gourmet. They are all wonderful – very personable and easy to work with, yet very professional. With our wedding just 4 days away, we feel totally taken care of and relaxed. We know everything will be lovely. They have prepared an exquisite menu and have seen to all the little details. We are looking forward to a beautiful day!

The French Gourmet Catering

The French Gourmet has served San Diego with the city’s finest full-service catering since 1979. They are the leading professionals in San Diego for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, holiday and social catering, as well as corporate events. In addition to their large catering services, The French Gourmet is well known for its casual and quaint San Diego French restaurant and bakery in La Jolla.

All of the amazing cuisine created by The French Gourmet is prepared fresh daily on the premises. The dishes prepared in their kitchen reflect a commitment to originality, freshness and the celebration of taste. These San Diego catering experts work with you to create a menu and style which will compliment your event and your budget.  As a local catering company, they will provide china, glassware, place settings, skirted tables, party equipment rentals, waiters and bartenders, and refer you to many of San Diego’s top event specialists.

The French Gourmet is a fully licensed and insured catering company with an impeccable reputation and a well established clientele. They are one of the few off-premise wedding caterers in San Diego licensed for the service of alcoholic beverages.

The French Gourmet Wedding Cakes

If it’s wedding cake you are looking for, The French Gourmet wedding cakes are made from scratch in their San Diego bakery to your specifications or better, with only fresh, natural ingredients. The French Gourmet takes delight in preparing for you a wedding cake delectable in taste, and styled to be the elegant center piece of your wedding reception. Choose from more than twelve delicious wedding cake flavors.

The French Gourmet - Sea Shell Beach Theme Wedding Cake

The French Gourmet’s San Diego wedding cake bakery will work with you to create your perfect gourmet wedding cake. Let the expert bakers in La Jolla help you bring your dream wedding cake to life. Contact the wedding cake department at The French Gourmet to schedule an individual consultation and begin the process of creating your wedding cake. The French Gourmet is committed to designing the ideal cake for your event. Offering a wide variety of elegant, sophisticated finishes and custom cakes in whipped cream, butter cream, rolled fondant, white or dark chocolate fondant, or marzipan The French Gourmet will create something you’ll love.

The French Gourmet’s wedding cake bakers in San Diego can accommodate wedding cakes for reception parties of 40 to 275 guests in San Diego. They will begin the process on your wedding cake as soon as you contact them in La Jolla, and choose the selection and style of your dream wedding cake for your San Diego reception.

Please be sure to visit The French Gourmet online, and stay tuned. We will be delighted to “keep you posted” on all the delicious details of our up and coming wedding reception.

The French Gourmet - Fine French Cuisine

The French Gourmet Restaurant - La Jolla, California