Voila Catering

I only had one interaction with Voila. I am in the process of finding a caterer for my Rehearsal Dinner in August. Sent Voila an email to their general inquery address that explained where, how many and what my initial ideas are for our event. Here is the jist of my email:
«I am thinking we will need Drop off and equipment pick up only, no on site staff … Any information you can send my way on menus and pricing would be helpful!»
Here’s what I was responded with :
«…To provide quality food and service, all of our events require an on-​site chef team and service staff. Our food is hot, fresh, and right out of the oven… it is not available for drop off.
If you are looking for drop off food, your most economical option would be a grocery store.
Best Regards «
RUDE. I obviously do not know much about this type of subject, and would have loved some more information and not a rude brushoff. Isn’t it their job to try and sell me their food?
Very unprofessional to assume I do not want quality food and to assume cost is my number one concern. I am offended by the suggestion to go to the grocery store, this is a special day for me.
I will never contact Voila again! Furthermore, if I hear someone is thinking about using them, I will strongly urge them not to waste their energy.
Please, Don’t waste your time.

Jonathan and Chef Tamara (plus second Chef Nick) obviously know what they are doing. Our event was a 50^th wedding anniversary party. The venue was the Holy Names Heritage Center in Lake Oswego. From the first day when we met Jonathan and Tamara to the conclusion of the party everything went like clockwork. Our first meeting included a tasting of recommended dishes. That was a very important day. We had tasted at other caterers and they seemed reluctant to do that without a deposit or some kind of commitment. Not Voila! The food from the first bite was great, and the suggestions they made were excellent. All staff at the event were obviously well trained, courteous, and sharp. Thank you Jonathan, Tamara, and Nick for helping make this a memorable event! Dan and Patty G.

I am a very busy person and value my time but I want to take this time to share with you about an amazing experience my family and friends had at an event that we attended recently in November. It happened to be Café Voila 10^th year Anniversary being in business and this event was catered by Voila Catering company. My family, our friends and I were so looking forward to attending this event because we love the food at Café Voila but have never had an opportunity to sample the food from Voila Catering.
Let me share with you what they served as they sent out a menu to entice all of us on their invitation to this great party on Monday, November 17^th 2014 from 5 – 7:30pm.
1-​Wild Chanterelle and fresh Sage Bouchee
2– Cherrywood Smoked Sturgeon Wonton Canapé
3-​Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Peruvian Causa
4– Pink Peppercorn Duck Breast and Lingonberry Canapé
5– Dessert was Lemon Pistachio Tuille Cookies.
Beverages included all different types of wines, beers and non-​alcoholic beverages.
We had to work until 6pm on that Monday so we didn’t arrive until after 6pm, I was concerned that they might not have any food left but that was not the case. When we arrived, we were greeted by Jonathan Goodrow who looked so professional and dapper in his suit and we also met sweet Chef Tamara Kay. Talk about honest; hard working good people that know what they’re doing, Jonathan and Tamara are the real deal. They definitely practice what they preach and walk the talk. It was our first time meeting this couple in person and I have to tell you, both were so warm and friendly; they even thanked us for coming to their party. They invited us to go and get something to drink as soon as we entered the room; so we went over to the Beverage station and picked out what we wanted and there was a Catering gentleman there to serve us our beverage. Shortly thereafter, we saw other Catering ladies start walking around with different Hors D’oeuvres on their tray coming toward everybody announcing what was on their tray and invite the guests to try the dish. We were able to taste all 4 of their delicious savory Hors D’oeuvres and had their Lemon Pistachio Tuille Cookies. Myself personally I must have had at least 3 or 4 servings of each dish and ate 2 cookies. Everything tasted delicious; seasoned perfectly well you can tell the food was made extremely fresh with love and care. I peaked in their kitchen and saw the Chefs were creating the dishes in the kitchen and the Catering Staffs brought everything out fresh and served to the guests at the party. Everything was very tasty but I have to say we were in love with the Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Peruvian Causa since we’ve never eaten anything like that before. It was so tasty you’ve got to try this dish and make sure you ask for it to be on your menu. We really had fun chatting and meeting other people at the party and there was also live music playing during this time. We noticed Jonathan made a point to greet and talk to all of his guests and Tamara has to run back to the kitchen from time to time just to make sure everything was running smoothly.
We observed everyone at the party and they seemed to be having a good time and there were lots of laughters that filled the room. We eventually had to leave so we thanked Jonathan Goodrow for inviting us to their 10^th year Anniversary party and told Jonathan how much we enjoyed tasting their Voila Catering Hors D’oeuvres and dessert. Honestly, this is a no brainer; If you want first class food and first class service; you’ve got to go to the expert Voila Catering for your special event. They know what to do and they do it very well. Jonathan Goodrow and Tamara Kay know what worked for them and what made their events successful and they’re not afraid to share that with their potential clients. Voila Catering has a perfect formula that works for them. By letting their potential clients aware of it up front only makes them credible and trust worthy and that’s how I would interpret it regarding their philosophy.

Dear friends recently decided to get married, and I offered the use of my garden as a venue. Since they didn’t want to get mired down in over-​planning, they set a date only 2 months out. They looked at several companies, but liked Voila’s holistic approach of supplying so many of the services.
As the expert on the venue, I went along on the initial planning meeting, where I met Jonathan. I was so delighted that my friends had chosen someone so obviously experienced and professional! I have hosted other large parties in the garden, and we all discussed options for where to set up various parts of the event. Jonathan asked great questions, keeping the focus on the feel the couple wanted, and giving them wonderful guidance .
The next day, Jonathan came out to my property, to measure and plan. We determined that the ceremony would be on the back deck, the cocktail hour would be in the side garden, and the dinner would be most dramatic served on a single long banquet table for 60, with the wedding couple at the head, looking down the row at all their assembled friends and family. It was a wonderful layout that the couple adored.
Since the cooking all happens on site, and the couple wanted a fun event, Jonathan determined that the best solution was to set up the kitchen in the street, right in front of the house! The guests loved this slightly irreverent touch. After the wedding couple settled on the menu (colorful, local, seafood based) the service style (passed platters family style), and the color scheme (coral, gold and cream) Jonathan sent a fantastically detailed schedule for the set up.
On the day of the wedding, the crew arrived right on time and quickly got to work. Some things were a tight fit, but the crew did a little troubleshooting and got everything working. I watched as folding chairs, banquet tables, linens and plates seemed to just fly into place. Details like taping down cords, shimming tables on uneven surfaces and allowing comfortable clearance areas were all attended to. I felt completely relaxed. All I needed to do was place the flowers down the center of the table. When my friends arrived to get dressed, they were moved to tears, amazed at how beautifully and easily everything had come together.
Everything was in place when the guests began to arrive. Jonathan even made a point of having quiet time in the kitchen, so no clanking pan would interrupt the ceremony (now that is thoughtful!) Passed hors d’ouvres and drinks set a delicious tone, and they kept the tasty coming! Service was absolutely seamless, with servers who were consistently friendly and efficient, but unobtrusive. Nothing threw them for a loop– and if it did, it sure didn’t show! Candles were magically lit as dusk fell, cake slices appeared in a beautiful array, chairs appeared where they were needed, and disappeared where they were not. Their bartender was charming, plus, you only get charged for the bottles that are opened!
As the evening wound down, I was perhaps most impressed by how considerate breakdown was. While people danced under the twinkling lights, the most distant tables were silently struck, and the votives from those tables were carefully moved to illuminate the paths in the garden! This is not something we ever discussed, it is just the kind of incredibly smart and thoughtful gesture that seems to come naturally to Voila. The fact that it came together in just 8 weeks should be an inspiration to anyone who thinks magical weddings have to take a year to plan!

Voila Catering did such an outstanding job with catering our wedding reception. I met with Jonathan and Chef Tamara a couple of months prior to the event and was thrilled they were able to book us.
I had already checked them out online and read the reviews. The website was clear about their service and I understood that I did not need a wedding planner, which was great for my budget! I wanted to keep the event simple and elegant without breaking the bank.
After some discussion, we decided to have an afternoon affair with passed appetizers. We settled on linens, tables, beverages and a beautiful tent since the event was outdoors. We were able to rent everything from Voila, which was super convenient. They had a tent liner available that went in the ceiling of the tent and it was gorgeous! I highly recommend the liner. It was white like the tent with lots of gathered material and it brought in a lot of light and looked very romantic.
At some point, we changed the head count by over 50 percent and I kind of stressed out that there wasn’t going to be enough food. Jonathan and Chef Tamara took it all in stride and made adjustments. They assured me the guests would be satisfied and they were right.
They were also able to supply live music at the last minute. I may have just been lucky to book someone at such a late time, but we booked a trio of musicians that played double reed, classical baroque and modern music. It was perfect for our garden party! And, all the arrangements were made by Voila! So easy for me!
The party went off without a hitch. The severs were polite and always quietly at hand, tending to the guests. The food was incredible! The appetizers were prepared on site and the flow of the food was perfect. Not to mention, there was plenty of it and my guests were full!
They organized the toast and cake cutting. My favorite part was watching Chef Tamara cut the cake (no cake cutting charge!). She sliced through that cake with such ease and speed that the cake was passed out, in what seemed like seconds. I was impressed and my guests didn’t have to wait because trays of cake were circulating within seconds of the cutting.
In the end, the place was cleaned up by the staff and leftovers were boxed up for us. The next day, I received an email asking how we enjoyed the event and where to send the refund — totally unexpected! Apparently, the party ended a little short of what they anticipated, so they are sending back a refund for the difference.
I did notice a couple of negative reviews, but I’d take them with a grain of salt. First of all, they didn’t even use their services, and secondly, this type of attitude is a friendly reminder to all of us brides to be gracious to everyone. Yes, it’s our «special» day, but the world is not revolving around us! Voila is unique and has a specific service they offer. If the service fits your needs, by all means, hire them! You will be thrilled!
The event was just days ago, but the compliments keep coming.

If you value your time and have any self-​respect, I recommend staying far away from this business. Here are some information that I (unfortunately) experience first hand at a tasting to evaluate their services:
1) Their salesman (or owner?) spent 90% of the time we were there patronizing us and speaking poorly about the competition — so rude — he really reminded me of a horrible car salesman
2) They have a mandatory policy that you must have them provide the alcohol for your party, they get really upset AND WILL TELL YOU when you inadvertently didn’t see it on their website.
3) The tasting last over 3 hours (one of the worse 3 hours of my life!)
4) The food is mediocre at best and they served it cold! After going on and on about the importance of cooking onsite to serve food at the correct temperature — I’ve had airplane food that tasted better.
The bottom line: even if they paid me to use their services I’d refuse to have them cater at my wedding.

I have used Voila Catering on a number of occasions and have always been completely satisfied: great food, beverages and hospitality. The team is very friendly, thoughtful with a strong attention to the detail.

I haven’t used Voila as a caterer yet, but I’ve been to two of their tasting events, and they are incredible! They host an annual tasting event to showcase their food, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by everything I’ve tried. I’ll update once I actually use them as a caterer.

Let me give some background information. I got engaged (yay!) and a few months later moved over 1000 miles, from another state, to Portland, OR. Having two older sisters who have married I know that a wedding takes a lot of experience, planning, organization, knowledge of the area/​vendors, and even running of errands before and after. With all my family being at least a two days drive away I knew that I would need help. What do I do? Hire a wedding planner.
Our planner is able to help me know what to do, when to do it, help figure out what vendors to check out, and help us enjoy the weekend rather than work it. When it came to caterers Voila was NOT on the short list of vendors. I had heard great things about them from a couple of sources and planned a meeting with them. The office manager, Jen, who is great, was very quick to respond to email (even on the weekend!)
We met with Jen and Jonathan at their facility. Over the next 45 minutes we had a tour when Jonathan told us about everything. At this point my fiancé and I were very happy and (besides the constant name dropping and excessive story telling by Jonathan) we were almost ready to book.
Next we sit down to talk specifics. They cooked a meal for us but before it comes out we are talking and looking at their photo albums. At some point in the conversation I mention that we have hired a wedding planner. This is where it goes downhill. Jonathan asks me how much we spent. I uncomfortably answer X dollars. He says, «you have wasted X dollars,» and starts telling me how I am doing it wrong. It turns out they do not work with wedding planners and he «would rather walk (us) out than work with a wedding planner.»
This is a huge disappointment to us. I try to ascertain whether they will work with one if they are given «the power» on the day of but instead he continues to make condescending comments and insult us. We were invited to stay for dinner but we walked out on them instead.

I can’t give enough stars!!! My husband and I had a small wedding at the Old Church in Portland with 32 guests. Jonathan was amazing! He treated our event as if it was for the president himself! They took care of everything for us, setting up tables, lighting candles, moving decorations, setting up the sound system… Absolutely amazing! We were on a tight schedule but were able to eat, dance, celebrate and clean up in plenty of time without feeling rushed! They were at the church on time and got everything set up beautifully! The food was… Out of this world! Guests are still raving about the dinner and service! His team treated us with nothing but love and kindness and became part of our family! Jonathan was there when some pictures were being taken, he smiled and complemented me like I was family! Jonathan will take charge in a good way… He knows what he is doing. Some things I suggested he added or moved around so that the overall experience would be so much better! As every bride, I had last minute changes but even then there was nothing but excitment from him to make my dream come true! I highly recommend them and will use them again for our future events! Our wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful or wonderful without him!!!

this is a duplicate review of the one I posted for Voila on SE 14^th, which is where I met Jonathan and Tamara initially. Imagine my confusion when I see it listed as SW Washington St.
The two initial reviews by Megan M and Samantha H could be off-​putting. I have a much higher opinion of Voila Catering, who worked planning the reception for my daughters wedding. Voila made it a turn key event. All I had to do was show up on time, dressed and ready for her wedding. For a big day like a wedding, that is what should happen.
Jonathon and Chef Tamara are professionals, which was evident as we planned the reception, discussed options, possibilities and costs.
I rated Voila at 4 stars instead of 5 because of costs. This is my first time both walking a daughter down the aisle, and hiring a caterer. I really don’t have anything to base my assumptions of what things SHOULD cost, so it is strictly opinion. Before you hire ANY caterer, I think its helpful to set a budget so you can at least have a measurement to judge by. I didn’t do that.
However, I am very pleased with Voila. With food preparation and rentals, and Jonathans insight, I believe our guests were pleased and enjoyed themselves. My daughter and her new husband certainly did. My wife and I were pleased that we didn’t have to spend any time insuring things went well: Voila had us covered. All we had to do was enjoy the day.

If I could put ZERO stars, I would, without a doubt. Snide, arrogant and unprofessional, and I only got as far as the emailed catering inquiry.
They sound like complete trash to me. In response to my catering inquiry for an upcoming event, here are direct quotes from their email — their entire response, no less:
«Voilà does not work with wedding planners. They do things like hire caterers from Portland to do events in Salem… duh. Oh… btw… we have been booked for that weekend for over 6 months…»
BT-​dub, a simple «no» would have sufficed. Customer service FAIL.

Actually 4.5 stars… if we could. We organized a wedding in the Oregon wine country remotely from Dallas TX. The venue and a couple of people we contacted provided a few names of caterers to consider including Voila. We spoke to 3 caterers and got proposals from 2 (including Voila). We found Jonathan and his crew to be very easy and professional to work with. They were willing to work with some basic outlines (e.g., propose a healthy, Northwestern cuisine themed meal) as well as adapt to some very special requests (e.g., change the table setting colors from a to b). Their proposal was fairly priced, maybe 15 percent less than the other proposal. We actually had made reference calls and were very comfortable going with Voila. On the wedding day, they were very well prepared and executed without a hitch. The food was delicious and nicely presented. We opted for their «family style» service, which worked out great. The drinks (non-​alcoholic) that they provided were excellent as well. Our catering was for 85 people btw. They provided food, brought their own stove/​ovens, drinks, china/​flatware & furniture. We also hired a «Day Of» wedding coordinator through Voila. Voila handled all the sub-​contractors, so we did not have to have separate negotiations with them, which simplified our lives!
We got a lot of compliments on the food. The only reason it’s 4.5 stars (instead of 5.0) is that a small amount of cash was stolen on our wedding day from the dressing room — could have been someone from his crew but could have been from any number of other vendors, the venue or possibly a guest as well. All vendors should be as easy to work with as Jonathan and his crew at Voila. You will not regret going with Voila.

Voila Catered my small, personal wedding and everything was fantastic! Jonathan and Tamara worked with me to craft a delicious organic vegetarian menu that pleased even the most die-​hard meat lovers! Everyone commented on how great the food was, and the set-​up was more beautiful than I could’ve imagined. Jonathan ran the event smoothly and unobtrusively – I was able to actually enjoy myself rather than worrying about who was doing what & when. It was easy making revisions over email and I definitely recommend them for any catering & event planning. Perfect!

Voila catered my wedding last month and also supplied the table linens and chairs for the ceremony. Worked with Jonathan and he was fantastic. He made sure we got everything we wanted and needed, plus a few special requests (including grapes for the table centerpieces).
Everyone was impressed with all of the food: amazing hors d’oeurves (though the gazpacho was a bit difficult to eat out of the shot glasses), fantastic salad, and delicious salmon, potatoes and veggies. Their lavender limeade is also wonderful!
Plus they were extremely reasonable for the quality of food and service they provided.