The Phoenix - catering

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Laura at The Phoenix! Having quality, unique, and specific food at our wedding was at the top of the priority list for my husband and I. After a few not so great tastings and/or conversations with caterers, I was so excited after my first conversation with Laura! She really listened to my ideas and dreams and I immediately trusted her to help my vision come to life. We had a specific idea for a taco cocktail hour and we were so impressed with the chef's combination of ingredients in mini tacos at our tasting. We also raved about the mashed and sweet potatoes after the tasting, telling our guests the potato bar will definitely be a highlight of the wedding cuisine! Laura was so responsive and organized throughout the planning process and during the big day. Her serving team was so professional and went out of their way to help our wedding party and all of our guests feel welcome and took care of our every need. My sister has severe food allergies and she and her team worked hard to have the food labeled and Laura herself helped take care of my sister by serving her some of the food she was able to eat. We continue to get compliments from family and wedding guests about how incredible the food was! I always share my great experience with the Phoenix when recommending a caterer to friends or anyone I hear is getting married! Thanks Laura, I'm so glad we chose you and your team to cater our beautiful wedding!

— A. Rich

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Laura at The Phoenix! Having quality, unique, and specific food at our wedding was at the top of the priority list for my husband and I. After a few not so great tastings and/or conversations with caterers, I was so excited after my first conversation with Laura! She really listened to my ideas and dreams and I immediately trusted her to help my vision come to life. We had a specific idea for a taco cocktail hour and we were so impressed with the chef's combination of ingredients in mini tacos at our tasting. We also raved about the mashed and sweet potatoes after the tasting, telling our guests the potato bar will definitely be a highlight of the wedding cuisine! Laura was so responsive and organized throughout the planning process and during the big day. Her serving team was so professional and went out of their way to help our wedding party and all of our guests feel welcome and took care of our every need. My sister has severe food allergies and she and her team worked hard to have the food labeled and Laura herself helped take care of my sister by serving her some of the food she was able to eat. We continue to get compliments from family and wedding guests about how incredible the food was! I always share my great experience with the Phoenix when recommending a caterer to friends or anyone I hear is getting married! Thanks Laura, I'm so glad we chose you and your team to cater our beautiful wedding!

— A. Rich

I am so happy with the job the Phoenix did at our wedding. We served the short rib and the airline chicken, both tasted just as good as they had at our tasting. Laura Freking and the rest of the Phoenix staff were great to work with.

— Anonymous

I am so happy with the job the Phoenix did at our wedding. We served the short rib and the airline chicken, both tasted just as good as they had at our tasting. Laura Freking and the rest of the Phoenix staff were great to work with.

— Anonymous

The Phoenix did a fantastic job catering our wedding! From letting us taste all the food to select our personalized menu to the delivery and taste of food in our wedding day itself, everything flowed so smoothly and we never had any concerns. They also worked very well with our other wedding vendors and my husbands restaurant Gomez salsa who did a nacho bar in addition to all the amazing Phoenix food. Carolina was our coordinator with the Phoenix and she was so on top of everything for us and very flexible with our needs!

— Anonymous

The Phoenix did a fantastic job catering our wedding! From letting us taste all the food to select our personalized menu to the delivery and taste of food in our wedding day itself, everything flowed so smoothly and we never had any concerns. They also worked very well with our other wedding vendors and my husbands restaurant Gomez salsa who did a nacho bar in addition to all the amazing Phoenix food. Carolina was our coordinator with the Phoenix and she was so on top of everything for us and very flexible with our needs!

— Anonymous

I have always been one of those people who won't write a review unless I have had either really terrible service or exceptional service. I am writing this review of The Phoenix Catering because of the absolutely wonderful service that they provided for our wedding at Rhinegeist Brewery this Spring. I didn't have much experience with planning an event of that scale, but Laura and the entire staff at The Phoenix made things so easy and straightforward right from the start. We decided to do a station reception, and I highly recommend it for other couples. We were able to make some substitutions and really personalize the menu to a degree that I didn't expect. I had many, many, questions for Laura about everything. One of my major anxieties was that I was planning our wedding from my current home in Boston. I wasn't able to set up a tasting, or have a face to face meeting with the catering staff, but in the end it turns out I didn't need to worry! We actually had multiple guests (at least 15-20) come up to myself or my husband and tell us that we had the best wedding food that they had ever had. The mashed potato bar, the sauerkraut balls, the sloppy joe sliders, the Grippos tater tots... I could go on and on... It was simply amazing food that sets the bar for what wedding food should be. Thanks again to everyone at The Phoenix for making our day extra special.

— Anonymous

I have always been one of those people who won't write a review unless I have had either really terrible service or exceptional service. I am writing this review of The Phoenix Catering because of the absolutely wonderful service that they provided for our wedding at Rhinegeist Brewery this Spring. I didn't have much experience with planning an event of that scale, but Laura and the entire staff at The Phoenix made things so easy and straightforward right from the start. We decided to do a station reception, and I highly recommend it for other couples. We were able to make some substitutions and really personalize the menu to a degree that I didn't expect. I had many, many, questions for Laura about everything. One of my major anxieties was that I was planning our wedding from my current home in Boston. I wasn't able to set up a tasting, or have a face to face meeting with the catering staff, but in the end it turns out I didn't need to worry! We actually had multiple guests (at least 15-20) come up to myself or my husband and tell us that we had the best wedding food that they had ever had. The mashed potato bar, the sauerkraut balls, the sloppy joe sliders, the Grippos tater tots... I could go on and on... It was simply amazing food that sets the bar for what wedding food should be. Thanks again to everyone at The Phoenix for making our day extra special.

— Anonymous

I cannot say enough good things about our experience with the Phoenix!! The Phoenix is a GORGEOUS venue with delicious catering and wonderful event coordinators to work with! We worked very closely with Lydia, who was always ready to help us with whatever we needed throughout the process of planning our wedding reception. She took care of absolutely everything for us so everything turned out exactly like we wanted on our wedding day, and we did not have to lift a finger on the wedding day. The catering was also absolutely perfect-the food turned out wonderfully. Our reception was in the Grand Ballroom, which looked absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend the Phoenix!!

— Anonymous

I cannot say enough good things about our experience with the Phoenix!! The Phoenix is a GORGEOUS venue with delicious catering and wonderful event coordinators to work with! We worked very closely with Lydia, who was always ready to help us with whatever we needed throughout the process of planning our wedding reception. She took care of absolutely everything for us so everything turned out exactly like we wanted on our wedding day, and we did not have to lift a finger on the wedding day. The catering was also absolutely perfect-the food turned out wonderfully. Our reception was in the Grand Ballroom, which looked absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend the Phoenix!!

— Anonymous

The Phoenix provided excellent food and service during our wedding reception. Food was a top priority in planning our reception. We wanted our reception to feel like it was at a restaurant (similar to some of our favorite OTR or Downtown restaurants), with the food and service to match. The Phoenix worked with us to create this atmosphere and exceeded any and all expectations we had.

The planning leading up to the reception was thorough and extremely helpful. We worked directly with Laura Freking who was instrumental in the planning of the service and made sure everything went even better than planned. It was a wonderful experience working with Laura to plan our reception.

I would absolutely work with the Phoenix again.

I give the Phoenix my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

— Anonymous

The Phoenix provided excellent food and service during our wedding reception. Food was a top priority in planning our reception. We wanted our reception to feel like it was at a restaurant (similar to some of our favorite OTR or Downtown restaurants), with the food and service to match. The Phoenix worked with us to create this atmosphere and exceeded any and all expectations we had.

The planning leading up to the reception was thorough and extremely helpful. We worked directly with Laura Freking who was instrumental in the planning of the service and made sure everything went even better than planned. It was a wonderful experience working with Laura to plan our reception.

I would absolutely work with the Phoenix again.

I give the Phoenix my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

— Anonymous

We appreciate the detailed involvement Laura and Lydia gave to us. They thought of everything and allowed us to enjoy the evening with no worries. The food was wonderful and everything flowed seamlessly. Thank you for everything.

— B. Brokamp

We appreciate the detailed involvement Laura and Lydia gave to us. They thought of everything and allowed us to enjoy the evening with no worries. The food was wonderful and everything flowed seamlessly. Thank you for everything.

— B. Brokamp

Thank you again for truly going above and beyond at Maggie and Stephen’s wedding. I’m not sure we could have pulled it off without the help from your team and of course the amazing adapting you all did to less than ideal conditions in the rain. You amazed me, and the family. BRAVO! We can't wait to work with your team again.

— Blue Dahlia Events

Thank you again for truly going above and beyond at Maggie and Stephen’s wedding. I’m not sure we could have pulled it off without the help from your team and of course the amazing adapting you all did to less than ideal conditions in the rain. You amazed me, and the family. BRAVO! We can't wait to work with your team again.

— Blue Dahlia Events

We used the Phoenix for off-site catering for our Sunday brunch wedding at Rhinegeist Brewery. We got in touch with them about six weeks before our wedding, after we had to fire our previous caterer. Needless to say, we were stressed about finding someone new in such a short time-frame — especially since we don’t live in Cincinnati — but Laura at the Phoenix was responsive, professional, and helped us put together a perfect brunch-meets-pub-food stations menu within our price range and on our very short timeline!

The day-of, everything was wonderful: the buffet stations were set up beautifully, the staff were professional and courteous, and the food was a big hit. What could have been the biggest disaster of our wedding turned out to be one of the best parts, thanks to the incredible professionalism of the Phoenix’s catering!

— Elizabeth

We used the Phoenix for off-site catering for our Sunday brunch wedding at Rhinegeist Brewery. We got in touch with them about six weeks before our wedding, after we had to fire our previous caterer. Needless to say, we were stressed about finding someone new in such a short time-frame — especially since we don’t live in Cincinnati — but Laura at the Phoenix was responsive, professional, and helped us put together a perfect brunch-meets-pub-food stations menu within our price range and on our very short timeline!

The day-of, everything was wonderful: the buffet stations were set up beautifully, the staff were professional and courteous, and the food was a big hit. What could have been the biggest disaster of our wedding turned out to be one of the best parts, thanks to the incredible professionalism of the Phoenix’s catering!

— Elizabeth

The Phoenix catered our wedding at Rhinegeist Brewery. Words or pictures could not describe how impressed we were. Expectations met and excedded! The staff was amazing. Loved loved loved the Mac & Cheese and cornbread! I was very happy they took the food allergies seriously, none of our gluten free guests had issues and everything was clearly marked. The Event Captain and service staff were just wonderful! Many of ours guests invited the staff to stay and enjoy the party and were disappointed to find out they couldn't. The staff had such a fun energy and made our reception fabulous! I would have another wedding just to work with The Phoenix again!

— J. Ross

The Phoenix catered our wedding at Rhinegeist Brewery. Words or pictures could not describe how impressed we were. Expectations met and excedded! The staff was amazing. Loved loved loved the Mac & Cheese and cornbread! I was very happy they took the food allergies seriously, none of our gluten free guests had issues and everything was clearly marked. The Event Captain and service staff were just wonderful! Many of ours guests invited the staff to stay and enjoy the party and were disappointed to find out they couldn't. The staff had such a fun energy and made our reception fabulous! I would have another wedding just to work with The Phoenix again!

— J. Ross

The Phoenix took care of so many things I never had even thought of for my wedding. They made it so enjoyable and stress free. I am still getting calls and texts about the food. Everything was on time and smooth. The staff was extremely through and executed everything as we wanted.

— K. Johnson

The Phoenix took care of so many things I never had even thought of for my wedding. They made it so enjoyable and stress free. I am still getting calls and texts about the food. Everything was on time and smooth. The staff was extremely through and executed everything as we wanted.

— K. Johnson

We went with the Phoenix because the food was seriously some of the best food that we have ever had. It was so good that it was worth paying more for, no doubt. Usually, we go with the cheaper options, but this was one splurge that we went for and it was such a great decision - it was not even that much more expensive than our other options.

We loved that the meal was plated too, because that saved us time at the wedding because we did not have buffet lines to worry about. We had salad, bread, and either a roasted chicken dish or vegetarian eggplant lasagna or a chicken finger kid's meal option that were all so good! We also had a cheese board spread during the cocktail hour. On the wedding day, we (the wedding party) were even brought a cheese platter to munch on before the ceremony began - it was so nice! Then, during the wedding night, the staff were great about serving me and my husband first (and they made sure we ate and had plenty of drinks too) and they also served us our pieces of cake first too. Laura Frecking, who helped us get booked with the Phoenix, was especially so nice and helpful - we highly recommend her!

We used this caterer as they were 1 of 4 options that we had to choose from at our venue (Newport Aquarium). Like I said, they were not the cheapest (they were also not the most expensive), but they had the best tasting food. We had 160 guests and we chose a cheaper menu option and it cost us around $6,700 for the food, linens, plates/glasses, and service.

— Kelsey

We went with the Phoenix because the food was seriously some of the best food that we have ever had. It was so good that it was worth paying more for, no doubt. Usually, we go with the cheaper options, but this was one splurge that we went for and it was such a great decision - it was not even that much more expensive than our other options.

We loved that the meal was plated too, because that saved us time at the wedding because we did not have buffet lines to worry about. We had salad, bread, and either a roasted chicken dish or vegetarian eggplant lasagna or a chicken finger kid's meal option that were all so good! We also had a cheese board spread during the cocktail hour. On the wedding day, we (the wedding party) were even brought a cheese platter to munch on before the ceremony began - it was so nice! Then, during the wedding night, the staff were great about serving me and my husband first (and they made sure we ate and had plenty of drinks too) and they also served us our pieces of cake first too. Laura Frecking, who helped us get booked with the Phoenix, was especially so nice and helpful - we highly recommend her!

We used this caterer as they were 1 of 4 options that we had to choose from at our venue (Newport Aquarium). Like I said, they were not the cheapest (they were also not the most expensive), but they had the best tasting food. We had 160 guests and we chose a cheaper menu option and it cost us around $6,700 for the food, linens, plates/glasses, and service.

— Kelsey

The fact that I am reviewing our caterer nine months after the wedding can mean only one thing...they were so AMAZING that I was committed and compelled to write this for the Phoenix!

If you'd like to see our daughter's wedding video with images of the food, please visit: http://www.studio213films.com/new-blog/2016/5/26/maggie-and-stephan-wedding-film-oxford

Laura Freking, Director, and Joey Hahn, Executive Chef, were chosen to cater our daughter's wedding (May 2016) ONLY after we had intereviewed (with the help of our wedding planner, Michelle Kinne of Blue Dahlia) and attended six other tastings with some of the finest caterers throughout the city.

Our daughter and her (now) husband live in Manhattan (wedding was at her childhood home in Oxford). Because they have enjoyed so many fine dining experiences in New York, they were very focused on the food and wanted to find a caterer that would deliver a memorable menu. Laura and Joey worked with us to develop the perfect menu--one that fit the outdoor woodland-setting.

Their entire team (including the owner) came a few weeks before the event to see the site, make decisions on service, logistics, etc. My husband and I were extremely impressed and assured that we were in great hands. They really cared about this special day and it was apparent in the professional response and attention.

On the day of the wedding, it rained all morning. Laura, Joey and their entire team of servers and crew arrived early. Laura had new uniforms for the wait staff. When they saw how wet the site was, they ran out to purchase rain boots for their crew! They pitched in to spread hay under their working tents--it was over and beyond what anyone would expect of a catering team and, honestly, they did it with a smile!

The food was gorgeous and the presentation was special. Servers had guests chasing after them for the "lobster on a stick," and the "grilled cheese with truffle honey." Dinner was served homestyle--a juicy roast chicken with grilled lemons presented on a wooden platter. Sides were not 'just' an afterthought--they were all so delicious--the potatoes were something special. At midnight, Joey rolled out a "whole roasted pig" for our guests' late night enjoyment next to the blazing bonfire.

People were raving about the food long after the wedding was over--a sign of a great caterer! Thank you, Phoenix, for an amazing experience!

— R. Rupel

The fact that I am reviewing our caterer nine months after the wedding can mean only one thing...they were so AMAZING that I was committed and compelled to write this for the Phoenix!

If you'd like to see our daughter's wedding video with images of the food, please visit: http://www.studio213films.com/new-blog/2016/5/26/maggie-and-stephan-wedding-film-oxford

Laura Freking, Director, and Joey Hahn, Executive Chef, were chosen to cater our daughter's wedding (May 2016) ONLY after we had intereviewed (with the help of our wedding planner, Michelle Kinne of Blue Dahlia) and attended six other tastings with some of the finest caterers throughout the city.

Our daughter and her (now) husband live in Manhattan (wedding was at her childhood home in Oxford). Because they have enjoyed so many fine dining experiences in New York, they were very focused on the food and wanted to find a caterer that would deliver a memorable menu. Laura and Joey worked with us to develop the perfect menu--one that fit the outdoor woodland-setting.

Their entire team (including the owner) came a few weeks before the event to see the site, make decisions on service, logistics, etc. My husband and I were extremely impressed and assured that we were in great hands. They really cared about this special day and it was apparent in the professional response and attention.

On the day of the wedding, it rained all morning. Laura, Joey and their entire team of servers and crew arrived early. Laura had new uniforms for the wait staff. When they saw how wet the site was, they ran out to purchase rain boots for their crew! They pitched in to spread hay under their working tents--it was over and beyond what anyone would expect of a catering team and, honestly, they did it with a smile!

The food was gorgeous and the presentation was special. Servers had guests chasing after them for the "lobster on a stick," and the "grilled cheese with truffle honey." Dinner was served homestyle--a juicy roast chicken with grilled lemons presented on a wooden platter. Sides were not 'just' an afterthought--they were all so delicious--the potatoes were something special. At midnight, Joey rolled out a "whole roasted pig" for our guests' late night enjoyment next to the blazing bonfire.

People were raving about the food long after the wedding was over--a sign of a great caterer! Thank you, Phoenix, for an amazing experience!

— R. Rupel

The Phoenix executed the wedding of my dreams! The entire planning process was so easy, thanks to their team of experts! The actual day of the wedding was absolutely perfect, and I had no worries, because Lauren (the lead coordinator) knew exactly how I wanted everything to be and had my complete trust. In fact, it was even better than I imagined. My husband and I felt like royalty, as did our families and bridal party. The guests said the dinner was so delicious, it was like they were at a restaurant. Absolutely the best day ever and I am so thankful for Lauren and the staff at the Phoenix.

— T. Murray

The Phoenix executed the wedding of my dreams! The entire planning process was so easy, thanks to their team of experts! The actual day of the wedding was absolutely perfect, and I had no worries, because Lauren (the lead coordinator) knew exactly how I wanted everything to be and had my complete trust. In fact, it was even better than I imagined. My husband and I felt like royalty, as did our families and bridal party. The guests said the dinner was so delicious, it was like they were at a restaurant. Absolutely the best day ever and I am so thankful for Lauren and the staff at the Phoenix.

— T. Murray