Dave’s Specialty Foods

A long overdue review — Dave and his team catered our wedding a few years back out at Vehe Barn in Deer Park and our friends and fam still talk about the food to this day. If you need an event caterer, look no further — you will not be disappointed with the quality or quantity. We didn’t have to worry about a thing — they brought all of the dishes and the chairs, were more than accommodating serving everyone hors d’oeuvres and cocktails outside prior to the ceremony, and it was the best garden party/​barn wedding ever! My only regret is that we barely had time to taste anything! Stay Awesome, Dave!

We chose Dave’s to cater our wedding and we weren’t disappointed. All of the food was amazing. We chose to have cupcakes instead of a cake. They were the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. The staff was so friendly and wonderful. We had a couple of guests that were late and they saved plates for them! Wonderful people who truly care about your experience.
Guests kept complimenting the rumaki, risotto cakes, and the fresh fish but it was all delicious.
We highly recommend Dave’s to cater your next event!

Dave and his team were amazing caterers for our wedding. They completely listened to what we wanted and walked us through what we needed each step of the way. They were very communicative, enthusiastic, pleasant to work with, and reasonably priced. We were honestly shocked to find all these things in a wedding vendor since sadly most people hear the word «wedding» and tack on 20% or give you an attitude. Sue and the staff set up our venue perfectly and it looked beautiful. Dave’s cooking was delicious and all our guests were delighted with his delicious cooking. We did not have to worry about a single thing all night, which was amazing for us, and everything ran smoothly. I cannot recommend Dave and his staff highly enough. If you’re looking for a caterer: STOP. Just use Dave already!

Dave’s Specialty catered our wedding and they did a phenomenal job! Everyone LOVED the food and the service was superb. They were super attentive — we missed the hors d’oeuvres but they saved a plate for us. A family member who is in the catering business and knows how tough it is was really impressed with the service. We contracted a separate person for the desert table and they like quadrupled our order! There were sooo many deserts, I am not exaggerating, it was like a dozen cookies per guest, not to mention cake! Dave actually ran out to get zip lock bags for us so the guest could take home goodies! He really wen above and beyond!
I would hands down recommend Dave’s Specialty again!

«Best wedding food we have ever had!» overheard by many guests and requests for the chef’s quinoa recipe are great signs right?! The staff made our event run smoothly, eagerly assisting in any way to improve the quality of the event outcome and insure the guests were well attended to. I enjoyed working with Dave’s knowing with confidence something needing to be done would not go unnoticed and would swiftly be taken care of. The attitude of this company is kindness not formality, relationships not rules mentality. Great attention to detail and fantastic food create a seamlessly run event, creating wonderful lasting memories by all. Many thanks for our successful family function.

Dave is amazing he Catered My nephews wedding in oct. It was great. just can ‘t say enough about him. He was able to provide them with a menu that was impressive and yet not over their budget. His staff was consistly busy seving the guest filling wine glasses clearing used glasses and plates.(we had an appetizer table I would recommend his service to anyone. I have two kids that are planning weddings and if they need a Cater Dave is the one. His pies are great.

Dave amazing chef. served our French guests well at reception. food was great. presentation spectacular. makes a meal a party

Dave’s magic in the kitchen combined with Sue’s expert front of the house skills took our wedding to 11. I couldn’t ask for a better caterer than Dave’s Specialty Foods. They treated us like family from the second we walked in their shop. We met with Dave 3 times to set our menu. We went with the buffet which featured chicken in wild mushroom sauce, boneless beef short-​ribs in a lingonberry sauce, garlic and herb roasted potatoes, roasted veggies, spinach salad, and a variety of breads. People raved about the buffet, I was especially happy with the beef, it was so tender and cooked with love. We also ordered for appetizers the cheese puffs (a knockout!), risotto cakes (amazingly good!), and crab cakes (didn’t get a chance to try but they crowd said delicious). The staff was so well organized and very pleasant. I have to give a shout out to the bartenders they hired, they rocked! The bottom line is that Dave’s is very accommodating, friendly, willing to work in a budget, and most of all makes great food and has exceptional service. Weeks after the wedding people are still telling me how good the food was. Dave’s is the real deal and I would suggest them for any party and the deli in the shop is a hidden gem.

I rarely take the time to write a review but this catering service deserves 10 stars. I threw a special surprise B-​day party for my wife and invited 40 of her lifetime friends.
All the typical restaurants and wineries were booked so a friend recommended Dave’s. It was local and it was special. We met Dave and Sue and they immediately took a personal interest in the theme of the party and our plans. They helped with suggestions of very unique and eclectic choices for appetizers, and other dishes.
The rumaki, the cheese puffs and everything were interesting and delicious. Moreover, Dave’s supplied a fantastic staff of bartender and server that set up tables, the bar and made everyone at home. They completely cleaned up, packaged leftovers and took down tables so we had no followup work left to do. The reasonable quoted prices for food and services were fair, and maintained. By providing our own wine and liquor, with Dave’s help, our party was a huge success and far more reasonable and personable than any restaurant or banquet room. Not only will I call Dave’s first for any future events, but my guests indicated they would too.

Dave catered our wedding on 4÷20÷13, for around 100 people and everyone raved it was the best food they ever had at a wedding. Everything was delicious and Dave, Sue, and his staff were great to work with, made everything easy for us, and the cost was great for what you get (excellent food at reasonable prices for wedding catering!)
We enjoyed our interactions with Dave and Sue. We even set up rentals of dishes, linens, etc. through them with another company upon our request. They took care of it all which was a relief for us. They provided our bartenders for our open bar. Basically, they helped us pull off one of the best days of our lives with low stress.
Thank you for the great food and wonderful service!

[knock, knock, knock]
Who is it?
It’s me Dave, I got the stuff, man… open up.
Dave’s not here, man.
No, it’s ME… DAVE… open up!
On the South side of the Metra UP/​NW line in the quaint village of Mount Prospect lies a row of shops and restaurants that go virtually unnoticed by the masses that rip through town along Northwest Highway.
One of these fine shops is Dave’s Specialty foods– a place to go when looking for a caterer for your wedding or family feast.
Aside from the professional services, they also have a fine selection of sandwiches and soups for lunch.
I brought my 5-​yo son with me and we had a wonderful time.
The first thing you see is a refrigerated case full of various cheeses and unique beverages. The next case showcases some prepared foods, most notably, the bread pudding. A big hunk of dense bread and egg littered with chunks of dark chocolate and drizzled with a vanilla sauce of sorts. Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and you will be instantly transported to your grandmothers kitchen– shhh-​eating grin and all.
The sandwich selection was fair. I ordered the BBQ pork and my son had the tuna with a bag of tasty chips sans MSG, gluten, and hydrogenation. A couple of San Pelligrino sodas rounded out our meal.
The bread was thinly sliced and toasted to perfection. The bbq pork was tender, juicy, sweet, and tangy– delightful to say the least.
The tuna salad was fine. Creamy, tangy… Straight forward and equally delicious.
The décor is sort of eclectic with a hodgepodge of tables and chairs reminiscent of a deli of sorts.
The service was as friendly as you’d expect from a Mt. Prospect joint. Smiles and free brownie samples always make our day.
The hours of operation are from 12 – 4 so stop on in for a tasty sandwich… without the Labrador.

Great addition to Mount Prospect. I love the selection of cheeses and the fact that I can grab a great lunch at the store. Also, Dave is at the farmers market in the summer serving up great food — including awesome breads!

I live in MD and I had to rely on my sister’s recommendation of where to have my reception. She recommended Dave’s Specialty Foods because she had attended several of his cooking classes at her local library and thought the food was AMAZING and Dave was fun! I went on his website and looked at the menu options and pictures of his «Party Room» and decided it was the perfect place for our wedding. It definitely was the right decision. From the very beginning, Dave returned ALL my e-​mails and phone calls and between my husband, me, and Dave’s recommendations, we came up with a menu that was FABULOUS! I have to admit, another sister was VERY concerned that I would decide to have the reception at Dave’s Party Room after she checked it out for me. After seeing the pictures the first sister sent me and her high recommendation of Dave, we decided to go for it. The reception was absolutely perfect!!! Even the sister with the serious issues with the way the place looked prior to the reception was AMAZED at how it all came together. EVERYONE raved about the food and service (Dave was our chef and server). He is so much fun:-D I could NOT imagine having our reception anywhere else. Thanks to my sister Linda for recommending the place and to Dave for a memorable day!!!

Dave’s recently catered my daughter’s wedding and we couldn’t have been happier with the food and the service. We had not been to an event that Dave’s catered but we took a chance on him because of the positive reviews from the coordinator at the venue we used. From the beginning Dave and his staff were very nice and accommodating. My daughter was living out of the country for a year before her wedding so it was especially difficult organizing the wedding, but we didn’t worry at all about the catering once we booked Dave’s. When we had our tasing Dave personally met with us and had a menu prepared based on his emails with my daughter. The food was delicious. There were reports that some guests licked their plates!
But a lot of how an event goes depends on the service, and Dave’s staff was excellent. We had cocktails outside then went inside for dinner. Everything, both inside and out, was set up beautifully. The servers couldn’t have been more professional and friendly. We still have friends who are talking about the bartenders on a first name basis! Often at weddings it’s difficult to get an appetizer at cocktail hour, but we were so happy to see several servers out passing trays and everyone we talked to raved about the appetizers. We had a plated dinner for 180 and all the guests were served hot food in a timely manner. That is not an easy feat!
Dave was absolutely upfront about the cost. His estimate inclued everything, there were no hidden costs. The final bill was just what we expected. I would recommend Dave’s Specialty Foods to anyone who is planning an event and we will surely use them again.

I probably shouldn’t be writing a review for this shop, considering I never had them cater for me, but I like to review everything. Boasting 60 types of cheeses and a huge variety of specialty foods, only a small amount of stuff is available in store. You need to order in advance or get them to cater in order to buy more things. Only about a dozen cheeses (the ones there were good), 2 meats (Busseto dry salami and some pâté), like 5 pre-​made meals, some preserves, and whatever stuff they were serving for lunch. There was a considerable amount of wasted space. Despite this, I WILL be coming here for a cheese tasting sometime in the future.

I actually ate at my own wedding! And it is one of the best memories of the day. From meeting Dave to planning with him to eating his delicious food to his very professional follow-​up, I highly recommend him.
Dave catered our wedding at the Byron Colby Barn. On their list of recommended caterers you’ll find a wide variety. There are catering companies who do food, and real foodies who have grown into catering. Dave is the latter. He has a passion for food, he’s an expert chef, and he has assembled a team to cater events very well. Plus, he is reasonably priced for such high-​end food.
Be prepared that the small store can get very busy and they can be slow in responding to emails. But don’t let that freak you out. In retrospect, with all my wedding vendors, I’ve found what matters most is the day-​of performance, followed by the ease of planning. Whenever I spoke with Dave it was a fun, easy process, and he gave me a lot of expert planning advice (mixed with funny anecdotes to illustrate his points!) On the day, his crew arrived and set up the space on time and as planned. As he put it: «You may have a lot of people there to help, but we arrive prepared to do it all.» He also did us a few huge logistical favors above and beyond the job.
Above all, the food was spectacular. We had brisket that just crumbled under the fork, sweet & tender mango chicken, colorful spinach salad that is not the generic spinach salad you’re thinking of, his signature risotto cakes, fresh fruit, herb-​roasted veggies and. .. I missed the hors d’ourves while taking photos, but our guests still talk about them, especially the cheese puffs!

Too bad folks flying by on the Metra train don’t know about this place. Dave’s got a fine little place. His tuna sandwich is delicious. I’ll be back.
Thumbs up!

I cannot rave enough about Dave, his staff, service, food and AWESOMENESS!!!
We had Dave cater our wedding. We met with him back in January while looking for caters and we fell in love with him instantly. His food is fantastic and he’s so easy going. The whole process was a breeze. We had about 140 people at our wedding and we did passed appetizers during cocktail hour and then a dinner buffet. The appetizers were insanely delicious as was the buffet dinner. People raved about the food the whole night and the service was impeccable.
If we ever need to do another catered party Dave will be the only one we call. Thank you Dave for making our wedding fabulous!
You should seriously consider Dave’s Specialty Foods for any event.

I had Dave’s cater my small wedding. We had 30 people and he was the only one really interested in such a small affair. I was hooked the second I tried his food! In fact I canceled another tasting I had scheduled for the next day because I knew Dave’s was the right decision.
I love, love, loved his food! Service at the wedding was amazing. his staff was friendly and helpful. The food was all incredibly beautiful and well presented. In fact 6 months later I have guests still talking about how delicious it all was! If I didn’t live 5 hours away I have a feeling I’d be eating there quite often!

Dave’s Specialty Foods in Mt Prospect, IL offers fresh food made daily to carry out or enjoy at the large table located inside. They also offer cooking classes once a week.
If you like cheese, check out their selection. They have just about everything.
This is a video of the store:
They also have a wide variety of loose leaf teas. I tried their chamomile tea and it was great.
Enjoy,
Todor Krecu