Creative Catering

Approved venues

Some of the venues we work at and are approved to cater at:

• Marshall House
• Red Cross Building
• Artillery Barracks
• O.E. Howard House
• Fort Vancouver Regional Library
• The Black Pearl Washougal, WA
• Water Resource Education Center
• Lacamas Lake Lodge, Camas
• Firstenberg Center
• Clark College Tech Center
• Brickstone Ballroom
• AERO CLUB Banquet Room
• AWPPW Union Hall, Camas
• Clark County Event Center
• Homewood Suites by HIlton
• Springhill Suites, by Marriott (Tech Center, Vancouver)
• Residence Inn by Marriott
• Phoenix INN, Vancouver
• Marshal/Luepke Center
• Pearson Air Museum
• Pomeroy Farm, Lucia Falls
• The Academy
• Lucy’s garden, Ridgefield

Catering Policies

• Minimum 48 hour notice preferred. A 30% deposit required for all larger events.
• Final count on number of guests for event due 3 days prior to event, after which count may increase but NOT decrease by more than 10% (for custom events).
• Delivery and setup pricing based upon each individual event with a 10% catering charge.
• *Only Basic menus include plates & utensils, all other menus have those items available for rental or as an add on upon consultation.
• Leftover Food- When catering your event we usually have more food than we expect to serve. Due to the extended room temperatures and holding conditions, the Health Department does not allow us to release most leftover food to you or your guests after the event. However, our experienced catering staff will determine the health safety of all leftover food and determine whether it can be left. (This is usually the case).
• Insurance and License- We are fully licensed and insured for all off-premise-catering events. We are licensed to sell beer, wine, and champagne. We can make arrangements for a full service bar. Say Ciao Catering follows all laws with respect to food and beverage purchase and consumption. We will not serve alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21 or to persons we believe to be intoxicated.
• Payments – We accept AMEX, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, company and personal checks and cash. All corporate accounts are welcome.
• Taxes- All applicable state and local taxes will be imposed and paid by the client. Food, beverage, rental and staffing and catering charges are subject to 8.4% Washington Sales Tax. Tax exempt groups are asked to submit a copy of their tax-exempt certificates when booking an event.
• Gratuities- The addition of a gratuity for service personnel is left to the client’s discretion.

*All prices subject to change due to market fluctuations.

Wedding Catering

Say Ciao! Creative Catering is experienced in all sizes of weddings and can make your celebration everything you desire and deserve!

Good wedding catering menus tend to have a little bit of everything. They need some personality, some luxury and something that marries the entire thing together. These aren’t restaurant menus, but carefully crafted selections that highlight the very best parts of the occasion and its meaning; food is life!

At Say Ciao! Creative Catering we take a painstaking approach to the design of our wedding menus. Every detail must suit the occasion, and that means we look for diversity in presentation, style and color alongside the basics such as flavor and region. Whatever your vision for the day, we can augment it with our years of experience in pulling off beautiful events!

Join us!

Tips for hiring a caterer

A well-planned party seems to run flawlessly. Drinks flow, food is served and cleared away, and there never seems to be any mess! Creating a smooth-running event is more than just arriving with food and drink –there is a fair bit of science behind a fabulous party! When a caterer asks you a lot of questions before giving you a full estimate, it is because they are trying to determine all the variables in the “party equation.” This way, they can determine the perfect menu and amount of items needed to send to your party to make your event a success!

Finding a Caterer:

The ideal way to find a caterer is through personal recommendation. Ask friends, family and colleagues who they’ve used. Also, If you like the catering services at the office, ask if they will do other private events. If your party is large, using an Event Planner may be the logical way to get a handle on things.

Its a good idea to find a caterer that is familiar with the venue you’ve booked. They can be a great help in explaining the particular logistics of the space. This is vital to insuring your event is successful on all levels. The venue you’ve chosen may have a preferred caterers list which is a good place to start your search.

Lastly, pick a caterer that shops where you shop. If you have a favorite butcher or cheese shop, ask if there are catering companies that buy from them. In the end, you cant make great food with out great ingredients.

Budget:

This might seem daunting, but it is the most important first step in creating your menu. Have some sort of budget in mind before approaching your caterer. Menus come in all price ranges and knowing your budget will help your caterer fit a menu to your event.

Buffet vs. Plated Dinner:

A buffet or food stations are typically less expensive than a sit down dinner, but this depends on the menu choices and the level of service required. Food can be served cold, hot in chafing dishes or prepared on site by station Chefs.

Sit-down dinners require having Chefs on site to prepare and plate your meal as well as additional staff to serve all of your guests at the same time. The food for plated meals requires one or more ovens on site to ensure that all of the food is served hot and in a timely manner

Cocktail Reception:

Cocktail receptions are perfect for any occasion, at any time of the day. Bite sized hors d’oeuvres and elegant platters can bridge the gap between meals or be substantial enough to be your main meal, including breakfast!

Estimate 2 – 3 bites per person before dinner, 5– 8 bites for an early afternoon event and 7 – 14 bites in lieu of a traditional dinner.

Event Planning:

What do you expect from your caterer? Do you just want to have food delivered to you or do you require help in planning your annual summer soirée or perfect wedding? Be very clear what your expectations are and what you may need assistance with.

Tastings:

Most caterers offer “tastings” for large staffed events. Once you have confirmed the booking of your event with a deposit, most caterers will not charge for this service. If you are just shopping around you should expect to pay.

Additional charges

Say Ciao! is a full service caterer and can handle coordination of all facets of your event; rentals, staffing, alcoholic beverages are all handled by our capable and skilled team.

These are examples of additional costs that might apply and may vary from function to function.

Other costs might apply as well and a 10% catering fee will be added to the final bill. Gratuities not included.