Greet your out-of-town guests with passed canapés and crafted cocktails. Our team brings the bar, the bites, and the service, so the celebration begins the moment everyone lands in Chicago.
An intimate dinner the night before, at home or at the venue of your choosing. A plated tasting menu or elevated family style for the wedding party and the people closest to you.
A fresh, seasonal brunch served while everyone gets ready. Beautiful plates and easy timing, with nothing for you to think about on the biggest morning.
Full wedding catering with Michelin-trained execution, from plated tasting menus to food stations and raw bars. We also design elopement dinners and micro-weddings, complete fine dining experiences for even the smallest guest list.
One more table before everyone heads home. An elevated brunch for retelling the night, opening gifts, and closing the wedding week together.
Our experience in Michelin-starred restaurants over the last decade has armed us with extensive knowledge, organization, execution and timeliness. Chef Francis Pascal and our private chef team are with you every step of the way and understand this is one of the most special celebrations of your life. As Chicago’s most trusted private chef catering experience, we do nothing less than take extraordinary measures to make your wedding dreams come true.
Your tailor-made menu is carefully crafted to tell the story of your relationship. We source the freshest, seasonal ingredients from local and organic farms, as well as ethical, premium products from exclusive purveyors. We ensure nothing but the best for every element on your plate.
We are experienced in collaborating with planners, stylists, purveyors, and the entire operation of your intricately planned wedding event.
Whether you are planning an intimate micro wedding, a large, traditional celebration, or an elopement dinner, we have the knowledgeable chefs to make your day a truly divine and standout experience.
We take extreme pride in providing you with quality cuisine, crafted cocktails, wine pairings from our sommelier and a seamless process from start to finish.
We like to keep things personal, and know you may have a full weekend (or week!) of events for your guests. We can provide effortless culinary support from your rehearsal dinner, to post-wedding brunch, and all gatherings during your wedding week.
We will provide you and your fiancé with a complimentary, in-home private dining experience of your full wedding menu with Chef. This romantic private tasting experience is reserved for the couple and the chef, and offers an opportunity to share ideas, learn more about one another, and discuss wedding plans.
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Chef Francis trained at Japonais by Morimoto, joined the opening team at Momotaro, and was Sous Chef at Roister of the Alinea Group. That pedigree shows up the night of your event in three places: the technique on each plate, the speed of execution that lets every course leave the kitchen at the right moment, and the discipline that lets a small team work cleanly in a residential kitchen with limited space. That training carries through every team member because we never source from staffing agencies.
The beverage program is part of the evening, not an afterthought. Three wine pairing tiers are available for tasting menus, or our sommelier can build a custom pairing around your existing cellar. For evenings that lean toward cocktails, our award-winning bartenders design seasonal cocktail programs and zero-proof options, set up a full licensed bar in your space, and break it down at the end. The team includes certified sommeliers and licensed bartenders, never third-party staff.
What arrives with Vendador is the operating infrastructure of a restaurant, scaled to your space. Cookware, plateware, Riedel glassware, silverware, serviceware, linen napkins, and the cleaning tools to put your kitchen back together arrive with our team. Before the event, we ask for photos of your kitchen and dining space so the team prepares the right setup. We protect your surfaces and leave the space exactly as we found it.
Every staff member who walks into your home has signed an NDA before the booking is confirmed. We protect the privacy of you and your guests, and will even bring a tray of food down to the Secret Service team. Our core team is small and consistent, so repeat clients work with people who already know their home.
Every menu starts from scratch. The arc of the evening, the people at your table, the dietary realities of the group, the season we are cooking in, the spirit of the gathering, all of these feed into the development. Two anniversary dinners booked back-to-back will look nothing alike. The final version is printed on handcrafted menus for the night. We do not use sample menus or catering packages.
Since 2021, Vendador has grown to more than 400 clients and over 300 five-star Google reviews, entirely through word-of-mouth. The hosts who hire us almost always come to us through a neighbor whose home we already cook in. If you are reading this page, it is likely because someone you know already hosts us. That referral chain is the marketing channel we care about most.
Most wedding catering companies operate on volume. The same menus, similar setups, the same service for every event, multiple events a day. Vendador was built on the opposite principle. Every detail of your wedding experience, from the menu to service flow, is shaped by a small, in-house hospitality team. We aim to be your intentional culinary partner for every season of life, the team you call for every reason worth gathering people around a table. And there is no meal more important than your wedding meal.
Every Vendador wedding follows the same process. Seven steps, from the first conversation to the relationship that follows.
Every wedding starts with a 15 to 30 minute phone call with Chef Francis. We learn about you as a couple, the people you are inviting, the date, and the core memories you share that will inspire your menu.
We take great care in designing personalized wedding menus. You will receive a proposal within four days, depending on the scope of your event. There are no standard packages to sift through and no hidden line items.
A deposit based on your guest count secures your date on our calendar. Many couples reserve the date first and design the menu later; when the timing is right, we reach out and begin.
We refine the menu together until every course is right, and the planning goes far beyond the plate. Glassware, plateware, silverware, linens, service flow: we handle all of it, so you never have to think about rentals or how many you need of anything.
Three months before the wedding, we come to you for an in-home private tasting of your full wedding menu with Chef, with all the bells and whistles. A romantic evening for the two of you, and the moment to perfect anything before the menus are printed.
We coordinate with your planner and your whole team on the day-of timeline, so there is more than enough attention on every detail to make everything perfect. You are a guest at your own wedding.
The best part of this work is what happens after. Some of our clients have become close friends. Many call us back for their anniversary, the next birthday, the next holiday. We hold preferred dates for returning clients, and the same team you met the first time is the team that returns.
Word of Mouth
five stars & over 300 reviews on Google
“Chef Francis is world class! The entire experience was amazing from initial inquiry thru tasting thru the event and follow up afterwards! His selection of courses were amazing and he worked miraculously around food restrictions in our group. He did such an amazing job during our wedding and we believe it would have not been the same without him!”
“Our wedding dinner was absolutely incredible! The attention to detail throughout our entire planning process up until the night of our dinner celebration was flawless. Every course was perfectly tailored for us and our guests. The service, finesse, and pacing of the dinner made for an unforgettable night.”
“We had the privilege of working with Chef Francis and the Vendador team for our wedding, and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice! The 5 course plant-based menu, passed appetizers and custom cocktails he crafted for us were bursting with flavor, and our guests couldn’t stop raving about the food and drinks! The staff made us all feel like we were dining at a Michelin Star restaurant!”
Most couples reserve Vendador 6 to 12 months before the wedding, and popular Saturdays go earliest. A deposit based on your guest count holds your date, and the menu can come later, so if your date is set, reach out early. Elopement dinners and micro-weddings can often be arranged on shorter timelines.
Yes, for our reserved couples. Once your date is secured, we come to you for a complimentary in-home private tasting of your full wedding menu with Chef, typically three months before the wedding. The tasting is reserved for the couple and the chef.
Constantly, and happily. We collaborate with planners, stylists, and venues on the day-of timeline, load-in, and service flow. We aim to be the calmest name on your vendor list.
Plated tasting menus of three to eight courses, elevated family style, food stations and raw bars, passed canapés, farm-to-table and plant-based fine dining, and global cuisine. Many weddings combine several across the evening.
Yes, all of it arrives with us: cookware, plateware, Riedel glassware, silverware, serviceware, and linen napkins, plus the team to set it and clear it. You never have to count anything.
Yes. Rehearsal dinners, welcome parties, the bridal brunch, and the day-after brunch. Many couples contract us for the entire week: it is easier than coordinating several vendors, and we cook across cuisines and styles.
Yes. We routinely build wedding menus around allergies (including the major eight), kosher and halal observance, vegetarian and vegan preferences, and medical dietary requirements like Celiac. We gather these details for every seat at your table.
Across Chicago and the surrounding area: private homes, tents, lofts, galleries, and venues of every kind. If your venue has no kitchen, we bring the infrastructure ourselves. We also do select destination experiences.