Culinary Concerts - Madison, Connecticut

Terrence I.

Culinary Concerts provides great food and service as a wedding caterer. Eating well during a wedding day is important to a wedding photographer like me, but so is working with a vendor team that treats the guests (and each other) well. Chris and team do an awesome job!

Emily O.

As soon as we began to plan our wedding, my husband and I knew that our highest priority for the event was excellent food. We've all been to weddings and sat down to room-temperature, rubbery chicken, and that just didn't work for us. We also didn't want a typical, cookie-cutter, "pick three from column A, two from column B, etc." caterer. We got married at the Guilford Yacht Club and they had a short list of approved vendors to choose from, and as I was combing through them all, I came across Chris and Culinary Concerts. I was instantly drawn to his approach—all his example menus were entirely customized to the couples' interests. When his website mentioned that he went to one couple's favorite restaurant in Brooklyn to try to recreate a cocktail for them, I knew I had to at least chat with him.

From the first five minutes of the call, I knew I'd found our caterer. As someone extremely passionate about food, I was delighted to hear his enthusiasm for our vision; he spoke about food and menus with the excitement that you'd want a caterer to convey. And to no surprise, his food matched (surpassed, really) our expectations. The greatest compliments we got on our wedding were all about the food, with one person remarking that they "could have pulled up a chair and sat at the seafood station" all evening. It's also worth noting that Culinary Concerts provides wedding cakes, too, which a shockingly scant few vendors do.

I attend a great deal of events professionally and have high standards for vendors, event structure flow, the small details, and organization. Of course, I personally am one of the least organized people alive, so planning a wedding (in six months!) was a big undertaking. For a wedding at the Guilford Yacht Club, *everything* has to be brought in, and Chris wrangled the vendors for tenting, decor, lighting, and linens as part of his service, for which I was so grateful—it was a total relief to know that so many of the organizational aspects were in his hands. He provided regular updated runs-of-show and menu breakdowns leading into the wedding. And on the day of, everything looked flawless (I wish I had more photos!!). His staff frequently checked in on me and my husband, including setting aside food from the cocktail hour for us and grabbing us ahead of the main event so we could enjoy it fresh as well asking us if they could get us drinks, anything, throughout the night.

I cannot recommend Chris and Culinary Concerts enough. He is a true artist, gourmand, and all-around fun guy; his services are worth every penny. If you are someone that has a deep love for food and dining, do not even hesitate—Chris is your guy. We wholeheartedly endorse him and plan on working with him again in the future.

Alexa L.

Chris, Arianna, and his team did a wonderful job as our wedding catering team! The food was fantastic and Chris did a great job in taking into account our hopes for the wedding. Arianna was very attentive and made sure all the logistics of the event went very seamlessly. Our guests all said the food was great and the team was very friendly. We really enjoyed working with Culinary Concerts!

Thap S.

To be a good caterer is one thing, but to be an over achieving, detail perfecting, seamless experience having, GREAT caterer is another.

Chris and Arianna were the duo in charge of coordinating both the food and drinks, and also the day of execution for our wedding yesterday. Chris made us feel so invited and calm when speaking with him over the long process of planning, not once did we feel rushed or did we feel like our input was not heard. Arianna made every decision feel intentional and helped to create a truly perfect setting for our wedding going above and beyond her duties when dealing with our families!

The two of them and their entire staff of servers, bartenders, food staff, and cleaning staff, worked seamlessly together to create an absolutely perfect day for us and we personally cannot thank them enough.

If you are on the fence about working with them, we would be the very first to tell you to do it, you will not be disappointed. If we could give them 10 stars it would not be enough.

Kristin G.

Food is good to very good but so much more is expected of a wedding caterer. If you are trying to avoid additional stress and pice increases outside of your catering contract 44 days before your wedding - please proceed with caution before booking with this company. If you expect the bride and groom to be attended to as laid out in contract, it did not happen for us. There is so much more to say - of all the wedding vendors used for my daughters wedding none were as difficult to deal with as Culinary Concerts, in fact they were all a pleasure and way beyond expectations.

Hannah Z.

Chris & his team created an amazing meal and dining experience for the guests at my wedding. Planning was easy as he had many practical suggestions and valued our input. He clearly has a passion for food and commits to delivering the highest quality possible. I am so happy we chose him for our big day!

Jillian C.

I can not say enough about how amazing Chris Bracken and his team are! Chris helped us come up with a beautiful menu that incorporated all the tastes we wanted and stuck to our budget! He came up with "grazing" stations that were mini buffets with different menus that got guests moving around our venue and created a great atmosphere. Every little detail was planned out to perfection (just how I like it) and not a single problem arose! The tables were laid out beautifully and every detail I asked them for was supplied to the fullest! I highly recommend you consider Chris and his team for your future catering event, you will not be disappointed! ~Jillian & Tullio

Evan C.

Chris the owner is awesome and the food is absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend