Classé Catering

5 stars for Classe! The comments and praise of our wedding from guests are still flowing in... Much in part because of Classe (specifically Emily and her team).

From the planning to the set-up to the food to the staff's attentiveness--it was all incredible. The head maitre-d was amazing -- on top of everything we asked and quick to please. I never went to the bar once because someone was always there to fill my Prosecco...now that's service!

My husband keeps going on about how Emily went above and beyond--helping manage guests entering, stepping in to correct the band on our last name, keeping the temp down in the dance room area...we knew all those things were outside her traditional scope of work, but they made a huge impact on the success of the party!

Another huge plus was that they knew our venue (Elm Court) and were able to provide all the best recommendations.

Oh and the tasting we had at their headquarters was awesome! Not only was it great to sample all the foods but it was such a fun way to experience what they could offer.

I can't recommend them enough!

My husband and I had to throw together our December wedding in only three months due to some unforeseen circumstances. I immediately contacted Classe Catering because of their reputation of great food, and quality service. My brother and sister in law had used them to cater there recepetion, so I already knew what to expect. Not only did they have to work with a short amount of time, but also a some what limited budget but that was not an issue at all for the staff of Classe. I always received prompt answers back, and my event planner Shelly was just great to work with. The food was amazing- all my guests raved about the dinner service and professionalism of the staff. We were so lucky to have been able to have Classe cater our event and would highly recommend them!

I was truly concerned; our wedding planner had quit her job one week before our wedding and we had a brand new planner named Emily. I loved working with Brandi (the original planner) and was scared out of my mind, but I did not need to be. Emily, the food, and the organization were wonderful. I did have a charge on the final bill that I did not completely understand from the event planners portion of the company, but other than that -- wonderful. And the people working the event - the bartenders and people sent to attend to us specifically - were wonderful. We were having so much fun, we actually chose to extend the event an extra hour.

We JUST got married @ 11 North Pearl on 9.24.11 and couldn't wait to write this review! We were actually one of the 1st couples to book the venue, but knew from the start it was a good choice. Classe/Brian/Brandi were amazing to work with. Throughout the wedding planning process all of my questions, comments, and concerns were addressed ASAP. Most importantly, I never felt like they said no. As a bride, I think this is super important. I've had friends at other venues in the area who had their special requests turned down. How is that possible.....it's your wedding day!

In addition to the above, the food is delicious and the venue is gorgeous!!!! Our guests were blown away!!!

I would suggest 11 north pearl/classe to all of my friends and family in a heartbeat. I'm actually trying to figure out what party/event I can have there next!

.............sigh. I would definitely not use Classe again.

#1. They ran out of food for the wedding. Cardinal rule? Pretty embarressing for me and my guests. As good as the food can be, if people notice they cant have all the food the previous 100 guests have, its a death sentence for the gossip of your wedding after the fact.

#2. For 3 months I didnt have an email or phone call returned to me until I went to the manager.

#3. We went for a tasting and we werent served 1 thing on our tasting prelim menu. We ended up having to go back and pay for another tasting when we were only in town a week.

Overall, I hope maybe they sacrificed our service so that another bride or couple had better service - otherwise, this company is a dud.

Had a great wedding at 11 North Pearl and great food!

As a caterer myself, I was blown away by the services that they provided. The food was delicious, the staff went above and beyond to make Jer and I have a wonderful night. I will continue to recommend them and 11 North Pearl for a venue because it was absolutely breathtaking. The staff even went and got my fathers truck out of valet parking and loaded it up with the gifts and cake!

The only one thing that I would say was confusing was the decorating part, I misunderstood what was included and what wasn't. Please note that there is a separate decorating fee and decorator (who is amazing) so just make sure you ask what is and what isn't included with that!

When we contacted the vendor of our displeasure this was their email response:

Hello and thank you for following-up. Please know your accusations are of great importance to us and have been taken very seriously. In fact, I have personally discussed your wedding with numerous professionals who were working on site for _____ and _____’s wedding. The most interesting, yet confusing but unanimous response from all the staff was SHOCK - As they all testify that they were praised by numerous guests and in fact were brought into a separate room where the were individually thanked and told how happy they were with everything by _____ and ______. They then tipped the entire staff to recognize the great experience they received.



After reviewing the food production schedules, event management timelines, operational packing list, food invoices, as well as the Chef and Event Manager’s reports – we have concluded the following:

· RE: Cheese –

1. The cheese was purchased fresh for the event and delivered vacuum packed in a refrigerated truck by Sysco on Wednesday morning. The shop steward received the order and had it completed put away immediately. Kaylin and Michael ordered wheels of cheese which require little to no preparation. The wheels of cheese were transported in an professional grade insulated ice chest from Colonie to Saratoga and loaded into the kitchen at the Dance Museum where the cheese wheels were transferred to the refrigerator on-site. The cheese was not even removed until the ceremony started – at that point (reported by several staff members asked individually) the cheese was quickly plattered up and moved to “stage” it closer to the cocktail area in a cooler, in air conditioned room. Not sure where you are coming from when you say the cheese was placed out an hour before the guests were served as that would mean it was brought out prior to the ceremony and that was not the case as reported by several of the on-site staff. When the cheese was placed out, it was set-up on a shaded table with a covering we provided. Please note - Food Safety is paramount, our staff is trained, certified and and our record with the NYS Health Department is flawless over the 16 years we have been in business.



· RE: Food Quality –

1. Canned Gravy, Generic Slop? You were obviously very emotional when writing this and apparently can not tell the difference between canned gravy and authentic demi-glace because Veal Demi-glace was served with the beef dish. The demi-glace was prepared by our award-winning Executive Chef Jeremy Kane – he used the same process we use every week which (also the same as process used for the tasting when Michael selected the beef). The demi-glace is made by roasting 100 lbs of veal bones with carrots, celery, onion and tomato paste, simmering it for two days and then straining it. He then completes the sauce by fortifying with port wine, reducing it by half and seasoning with salt and pepper. He has used this exact method for the past 20 years, as recommended by the Culinary Institute of America. Additionally, the beef was cooked medium and your comment that the Filet was over cooked conflicts with the fact that the Chef reports steak was done to medium and the food production report shows 7 Beef dishes were sent back to the kitchen that night to be cooked more – from medium to medium-well.

2. RE: Salty Sauce – The ginger-lime sweet soy that was glazed on the Sea Bass that Kaylin and Michael ordered for the wedding is prepared with soy sauce, sugar, ginger, water, lime and crushed pepper. No additional salt is added and this is one of our most popular sauces – which Michael also commented how delicious it was.



· RE: Coffee Service – I was not on-site but according to the Event Planner and Event Manager as well as the service team taking care of your guests: As the Cake Cutting was happening, several service staff were preparing the coffee accoutrements so that directly following the cake cutting they could begin service. As standard protocol their partners were on the floor setting the coffee cups to guests who were ready for coffee. At this time the dessert platters you provided were placed on each guest table. Two rounds of coffee were offered to those that were seated and many more to those that requested refills, as we do not pour coffee for those that are not seated. It is our policy to wait until guests are seated so as not to come back from dancing or socializing to a cold cup of coffee



You have made yourself clear about being unhappy and your perceptions were taken into consideration. Our management team has concluded that although you have expressed your opinions, they are unsubstantiated and untrue. Your message about not getting Kaylin and Michael involved we feel is not an option as we are aware that you are slandering us online and felt they should know how you have insulted and attacked our company.



Moving forward please direct all correspondence to our corporate attorney Joseph Zappone – 518.783.2600.

They were not happy we wrote them poor reviews, then called us liars. This is what I wrote.

My email response:

Leanne,

I am not going to continue correspondence with you after this point, I refuse to be called a liar when the facts are clear, the cheese was melted, the amount of time it sat in the sun isn't for certain, but the reality is, it was melted. Honestly, we weren't looking for anything other than a apology. We all know that in restaurants one thing is true, someone has a great experience they tell one person, when they have a bad experience they tell 100.

With that being said your response should have been as follows:

"Dear Ms. Smith, I am sorry you felt we did not meet our own high standards, which we have worked for years creating and maintaining. I can assure you that the appetizers were brought out shortly before cocktail hour, because of the extreme heat the quality may have been compromised, we will take steps in the future to assure this will not be a problem again. We know at Classe that weddings are a big deal for the bride and groom and their families and we do everything in our power to ensure that their day will be as memorable as it should be. I am sorry you felt that our glaze was sub par, our chefs work very hard creating it in house. Many people enjoy their filets cooked at different temperatures, which is evident in the fact that seven were sent back that evening to be cooked further. I am sorry if you didn't feel the coffee was brought to you in a timely manor, it is our policy that we only serve it to seated guests. We pride ourselves on exceptional service, I am sorry that you felt we fell short of our mission. We will attempt to correct these problems in our future endeavors."

Had you responded to our email in this way the online reviews would have been modified to reflect your sincere apology and understanding of our frustration.Instead you continued this idea that nothing was wrong; clearly we didn't agree. You have made us feel as though you do not care about the us, your customer, and continue to call us names. Honestly, there are many ways to redeem one's self, the emails you sent were not professional and lacked integrity. Because of my age, 25, I know many people getting married and planning events, I will let them know of the sheer lack of care you seem have and your unwillingness to admit when something was sub par. With these tough economic times I know that it is of paramount concern that each business continues to preform at 190% to ensure life long patronage. Our guest seemed happy because who would complain at a wedding about the food? I can assure you that my mother received phone calls asking who our caterer was after. I feel as though you only added me into the email originally to attempt to be underhanded and create issues with my mother. She was upset when she wrote the email, but it is because like every mother, she envisioned her only daughter's wedding day to be perfect. By you deciding to include me in this created a whole different level of disappointment with Classe. Normally businesses look at customer feed back as an opportunity to improve their business in the future, you however, used this customer feed back as an avenue to tell your clients that you didn't see anything wrong, and they must be idiots for thinking otherwise.

Although you wrote a very lengthy email to my mother you didn't address some of the issues she brought up, the gnocchi was rock hard, that was my special dish, which I did not eat, this is evident in the fact that the Martie d' took it away after only five bites. I was very hungry, we didn't get any of the appetizers, I was so looking forward to. We got a small plate delivered to our table with rock shrimp and three other things, but I am a vegetarian and couldn't really eat any thing. I ended up at Esporantos at 12:30 for some food, when you would think that after spending 7k I would be full. The constant discrepancy with the proposal prices, every day the price seemed to change, once we were told that the original contract we agreed on wasn't right because the computer added it up wrong (I felt you should have honored your original contract/proposal, and it seemed like false advertising). My mother also discussed the dirty glassware which was not of concern to you, so you were obviously aware of the situation and must have heard it before. I know there are water spots in existence in the world and have spent countless hours with a polishing cloth and vinegar solution to solve that problem. Furthermore, I understand that your glaze is made by an award winning chef, but the fingerlings from a bag, tossed in boiling water and under seasoned green beans which only partially cleaned that were thrown on a plate without love, are clearly not award winning. I know in the service industry we don't like the old adage "the customer is always right", because we know many times they are not, but you have to put on a smile and pretend. That is basically all we were asking for, an apology, nothing more, nothing less instead you created an alternate universe where none of these problems existed.

Had a beautiful wedding planned at a beautiful location everything was nice with the exception of the catering which was horrible. It is not hard to realize they must do a lot of self reviews on this site and I am sure others. When it is 96 degrees outside is it really a good idea to put out appetizers to wilt and melt in the summer sun? From bland spoiled appetizers it sadly went downhill. The toast to the bride and groom was view through cloudy glasses. When i worked in fine restaurants in my youth polishing glasses and silverware were a basic. The tomato mozzarella was edible yet uninspiring. The main course was either overcooked filet with generic canned gravy undercooked green beans with the stems still attached and potatoes. The second option was Sea Bass in some salty nonsense with a twig of bok choi. For those who chose not to eat meat they were greeted with undercooked gnocchi.Come on now how can you not get boiling water right. I would not recommend them for a preschool picnic let alone an event you would invite friends and family to. Awful, horrible, rotten, and certainly as far from phenomenal as believable is from the reviews previously on this site.

These guys were phenomenal!! We couldn't have asked for a better caterer. The prices were so reasonable and the food was awesome. All of our guests loved it! They had so many choices for hors d'oeurves, and they were great because they were so different than what you normally see at weddings. The sit down dinner was amazing. And the service was the best I've ever seen at a banquet-style event. Water was always full; your chair was pushed in and napkin re-rolled when you got up; there were never dirty dishes on the table; and they were never in the way. They also had all of the silverware, plates, glasses, linens, etc. - it was great not to have to go rent them from another vendor. The cake was also included, and we were able to meet with the baker to choose what we wanted. They did all of the set up, so I didn't have to worry about anything the day of the wedding. I can't say enough good things about them. You will not be disappointed!

Classe was phenomenal. We knew the food would be exceptional for my daughter's wedding reception, and it was, but I have never before experienced the service that we received at the reception. Every single member of the staff was incredibly professional, attentive, pleasant, courteous. I just can't say enough about the service. We had many, many compliments from our guests

Classe catered both our casual rehearsal dinner and our wedding reception, and provided tables/chairs/linens etc. for both nights. We worked with Brian Palazzolo and Emily Bruce, and could not have been happier with them. They were very helpful in accomodating all our needs, including separate set-ups for outdoor dining and indoor desert and dancing, coming up with a backup plan in case of rain, etc. Emily met with us the day before our rehearsal and went above and beyond in helping us with last minute details, and was there at our reception making sure everything went smoothly. The servers and bartenders were all pleasant and professional and the food tasted every bit as good as it did at our tasting. We were able to sit back and enjoy our big day without worrying about any of the details, and have heard nothing but rave reviews from our guests. I would highly recommend them.

Amazing is a great way to describe this caterer. We had their Chicken Marseille and eggplant parmesan, and they both tasted wonderful! Their presentation of the meal was phenomenal, and they were very flexible in planning the buffet. The lady who I worked with to plan the reception was good about returning my phone calls and emails most of the time. She also was very flexible in helping us get everything set up. They usually will set up the tables and tablecloths themselves, but we needed to have them up early, so they allowed us to pick up the tablecloths and put them up. That was a great help to us, and they also helped us get a tablecloth that we needed on short notice.
The catering staff was professionally dressed and very polite. The on-site maitre'd did an amazing job of keeping everyone happy and keeping the reception moving. I was very pleased with their work, and I would highly recommend them!

They were exceptional! They went above and beyond what I had asked for. Their service went beyond what I had paid for. I will use them time and time again!

Brian and Brandi were amazing! They worked with me to create the wedding of my dreams for a reasonable budget. They were quick in responses to emails, no matter what time of day, and helped me out with last minute changes and flower issues. The food and drink at my wedding was delicious, and everyone keeps telling me how good everything was. They will work with you to make your event unique and personal, even creating special dishes from my favorite restaurant (and it turned out even better)! The day of the wedding was executed perfectly, Brian, Liz, and all the staff were phenomenal and we can not thank them enough for a perfect day!

Classe was amazing every aspect of our wedding was perfect

I had my wedding at 11 North Pearl in December of 2010. Our families still cannot stop talking about what a great time they had, and what a beautiful facility it was! The food and cake were also big hits! Brandi and her staff took exceptional care of everything, making it a very relaxing, smooth wedding reception. If you haven't looked at this place for your wedding, please do-it was everything we thought it to be and more! Hands down one of the best places in Albany!

We absolutely loved Classe! Kathy was fantastic. She was patient, flexible and had so many wonderful ideas that made our wedding night one to remember. We had our reception at the Canfield Casino, and Classe made sure that everything ran perfectly. And it did! We didn't have to worry about a thing: Classe took care of everything. I would very highly recommend working with Classe if you are having your reception at the Canfield Casino.

We could not be happier with our Wedding planning experience with Classe. The quality of service was exceptional, all with our budget, while even providing additional services not included in the their original pricing at no extra charge. From our first phone call with Brian until the very end of our reception they provided the highest level of service we have experienced to date. Our guests are still raving about the food from the evening. The staff was particularly attentive to my (now) Husband and I the entire night, which was a major help given how busy the night can become.
The team at Classe attended to everything we needed from start to finish, while providing suggestions along the way. They even went as far as to successfully put together my centerpieces and beautifully set them up on every table, as we did not go with standard floral arrangements on each table.
I highly recommend working with Brian, Brandi & the Classe team on any event you are planning.

This team was great, they were able to supply me with all that I need for the big day. From the tent and tables to all the food and drinks. I didn't have to worry about a thing! You can't go wrong with Classe!

Our wedding was fantastic! Classe did a wonderful job with everything. The food was fantastic and the room looked amazing. I have to say that Aimee (she runs Event Productions making the flower arrangements, decor, ect) SHE IS AMAZING!!! The flowers were beautiful and the centerpieces were perfect. The service was great at the reception. They checked in with us every few minutes to see make sure we were happy and content. I would definitely recommend Classe!

I stumbled upon 11 North Pearl and Classe Catering in summer 2009 and after hours upon hours of internet searching, it was CLEAR to me that this would be our best choice. My husband and I spent time traveling around New York state talking with wedding planners at other facilities and they refused to accommodate simple requests, yet Brian and Brandi made them a beautiful and unique reality! A month later my guests and bridal party are STILL calling and texting us with compliments about the wedding. The food was an excellent value and I love that Brian understands what really makes good food amazing. Brian and Brandi were so accommodating and even welcomed us with open arms when we asked to switch the ceremony inside due to inclement weather. The ceremony took place more perfectly than I could imagine as if it had been my plan from day one. My guests, party, my husband, and I are still enamored at the beauty of 11 North Pearl and how Classe worked so hard to match our theme for the day. I never felt as if we were just some other clients; I felt as if we were working with friends. The other wedding professionals present (photographer, DJ, Officiant) all commented that they have never been treated so well as a wedding professional anywhere else. I recommend 11 North Pearl and Classe Catering to any bride and groom looking for an elegant, unique, and flawless event!

Classe Catering was amazing!! They were so professional, and the staff members made sure everything was perfect for us. Our wedding was amazing, and it was all thanks to Classe. The food was absolutely awesome, and our wedding guests could not stop talking about how great it was!! I would HIGHLY recommend Classe for any event. You won't regret it!! I would like to give the biggest thanks to all of the Classe staff at the Queen Elizabeth and Sir Lancelot wedding. You guys are the best, and we will DEFINITELY be using your services for future events!!!! Thank youu :)

I worked with Brian and Brandi at Classe Catering for my reception. They were a referral from the venue that I was booked with as one of the two vendors recommended to work with.

Even though they were from outside of the Berkshire area, they were an amazing company to work with regarding quality of product and staff customer service at the reception.

From our first meeting with Brian, MANY emails and adjustments (by me!) coming out an hour away for a walk through of the venue, to the reception;it was outstanding!

The food was complimented on by our guests (from all over the country) and the staff at the reception was so attentive and professional many of our guests also complimented us on that!

That night they were behind the scenes working to repair the issue that we (the groom and I) had forgotten to purchase the hard cider for our toast.

They went above and beyond that night to get to a package store to find the right brand of hard cider (from a little town in Massachusetts) and get it back in time to serve for the first toast!

When I found out about this the next day I was almost in tears as to how thankful I was to have worked with such an amazing team that Brian put together that weekend.

I will always highly recommend Classe Catering for any events that are in the Berkshires.

The groom and I even ate that evening...knowing what an amazing menu Brian had put together..and we didn't want to miss out!

All of the compliments we received that evening were on the venue (Elm Court Estate) and Classe Catering...because the food and professionalism was outstanding!

Thank you to Brian, Brandi and Team Classe for a night we will never forget.

We had a lovely experience with Classe Catering for our Memorial Day weekend wedding. Many of our guests said the food was the best they ever had at a wedding. The passed appetizers were delicious and plentiful and the entrees themselves were awesome. My husband and I had the pork chops which were so tasty!
Kim was super flexible with us, especially considering that we had the wedding at a venue that doesn't normally do big events and were in charge of our own alcohol.
Overll, Classe was great, helpful, and so delicious!

Food awesome, service awesome.... just simply awesome..... Their venue 11 North Pearl is gorgeous!

Classe Catering did the sit down dinner and cocktail hour for our wedding of 130 people. They were great to work with and provide full service, from table decor to custom drinks and whatever stations you want. I really liked working with Classe and the food at our wedding was great! We didn't have to worry about a thing. Classe is the only quality caterer in the area that is so equipt to work with different budgets.

The only potential complaint I have about Classe is that they are sometimes are slow to respond to emails.

From our very first phone call, Classe Catering was impressive. That impressiveness only grew deeper as time passed and our daughters wedding approached. The day of the wedding (at the War Memorial and Canfield Casino)their service surpassed impressive and moved to "grand" and "magnificent." The bride, groom, family and friends all commented on their astounding service. We felt like royalty. As the Mother-of-the Bride (living 2500 miles away) I can't thank you enough Classe for melting my stress away and adding such class to a wonderfully memorable day!

Our wedding was at 11 North Pearl on April 30th and it was better than we’d hoped. When we started looking at venues, we checked out all the traditional locations (e.g. hotels, country clubs) along with 11 North Pearl. We decided to go with Classe and 11 North Pearl because it fit our style more than the other locations and we’d heard great things about Classe. We chose to do a cocktail style reception and stations to keep it from being traditional. To say that the evening was a success would be an understatement.
Brandi and Brian were FANTASTIC and made the event one that our friends and family are still talking about. The venue itself is really dramatic – the high ceilings, the marble and decorations done by Aimee (Classe’s designer) were stunning. She also did our flowers, which were so elegant and unique. After going to the tasting, we were confident that the food would be exceptional, but we had no idea how amazing the staff would be! There was never a time that my husband and I (or any of our bridal party) was left wanting. Our Maitre d’, Jonathan, introduced himself and was there to keep the drinks and food flowing smoothly. Freddie was our guy for anticipating our needs before we even knew we had them! He even made sure we ate (which is sometimes challenging when you’re the bride or groom). All of the staff made us feel like the world revolved around us for that night. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding. Our friends and family are still talking about how great the wedding was and some said that it was the best one they’d ever attended.
My husband and I both HIGHLY recommend both Classe Catering and 11 North Pearl. They are competitively priced and you get a so much more unique experience than you do other places. Thanks again, Brandi and Brian! ---Michelle and Andrew Cooper

At times, I found working with Classe a little bit more stressful than I would have liked, but in the end, our reception was wonderful. There was a stretch of time where communications were tough, and I also felt that sometimes we were told one thing and then later told we would be charged for it. All-in-all, it was fine and a few minor things were missing that we had been promised, but the night of the wedding they were incredibly attentive and were there with whatever we needed through-out the night. The food was also incredible and the staff that was working was polite - our guests even commented on how nice the staff was. Just make sure to ask a lot of questions and write the answers down -

I NEVER write reviews, but upon returning from our honeymoon, I immediately had to thank Brian and his entire staff for all that they did to make our wedding perfect. I have attached most of my thank you here and make one note to ALL brides and those helping them plan - if you want something, ASK. It might be possible to do and all vendors should work to give you options. I thought that I HAD to have pre-selected meals, but after working with Classe all my guests had the experience of selecting their dinner item night of - I loved this option and was so glad that Brian and his crew worked with me to make it happen. Okay, an excerpt from the thank you.....

I am at a loss for words to properly thank Classe for the incredible job the ENTIRE staff did to make our wedding in March 2010 at the Canfield Casino truly perfect. Brian and his team are EXCELLENT without a doubt.

We have had so many compliments on the food (even months after the wedding....!) - from the moment our guests entered the Casino, Classe set the stage for an incredible gathering. It was everything that I imagined and more. In addition to the outstanding food, the service was of and beyond in every way. They completely delivered on the promise to provide a first-rate experience and all details that I had asked for (and more) were executed flawlessly. The staff was attentive and discrete - if I needed anything (or my husband) at any moment, they were there and provided a quality of service and professionalism that was absolutely first-rate.

I also have to mention how much I LOVED the decorations and the layout of the space. Classe was wonderful to spend so much time with me going over details (and more details) and it was GREAT to have the caterer and the design specialist (Aimee) work together to complete the already beautiful Casino space into something even more memorable and personalized.

I am so incredibly happy with our perfect wedding and again, I cannot thank Classe enough. Having worked events for the past 10 years, I know that what Classe provide was nothing short of the best. It was hard to step back and just let go of everything when the big day arrived, but Classe made it easy to do so on many levels. Importantly, they worked with my budget - and reworked items to leave in and take out to make what we wanted for our wedding possible. I am so incredibly pleased - amazing!!!

Classe Catering has the best catering service I have ever had. The staff was polite and the food was great.

We had our ceremony & reception at 11 North Pearl. We could not have been happier with Classe catering! Brian and his staff were so attentive and ensured that everything flowed seamlessly. The venue was awesome and the food delicious. If we could do it again, we would not change a thing. Brian was available to discuss all aspects of the wedding at anytime through the planning process. He also had some great ideas to help guide us. What a great time!

11 North Pearl in Albany NY made my wedding day magical. The Classe Catering team went above and beyond our wishes. Their passion and experience combined make for a perfect wedding venue all around. Not to mention the amazing food served was talked about for weeks:)..If we were to do it all again tomorrow, we wouldnt change a thing.

Mr. and Mrs. Sanzen, married November 28 2009, 11 North Pearl Albany NY

Classe catering seemed wonderful at first, at our first meetings with them they had wonderful ideas and really made us excited about our upcoming wedding and all the things that can be done. However, after giving the deposit and signing the contract it became hard to get a hold of them, they kept making changes in the contract and they became almost impossible to get a hold of, I had to send multiple emails at times just to get any answer. On the actual day the decor was sloppy and thrown together, many things were forgotten and the whole thing was disorganized. I feel they promised something great and did not deliver, Beware Brides, you are in for a lot of wasted time and promises with this company!

In my profession I work with a lot of caterers so I've experienced good and bad. I can safely say that Classe Catering is AWESOME! We had a tough venue and Classe worked with us to make everything work. On the night of our wedding I didn't have to worry about a thing- they set up and served everything exactly as I had asked for. The personal service and attention to detail, as well as reasonable pricing is the best value in the Capital Region.

Brian is absolutely amazing...ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL BANQUET FOOD! Book Classe Catering for your event today!

Overall I thought my wedding was perfect, and the food was great. but I did ahve some communication issues with Classe. I am not from the area, so I had to do things over the phone and via email... maybe that contributed, but there were things that were not as we had discussed... which was rather disappointing.

Classe Catering is the first and only place to go for your wedding. They have fabulous service, everyone is nice and easy to talk to and always willing to listen to your suggestions. Their prices are reasonable and everything turned out just the way I wanted it.

Everything about Classe Catering was great. Kathy King was our contact and she helped us plan a great menu. She allowed us to be very creative with our menu and was very accommodating. The price per head was also very affordable. The food was amazing and we're still receiving compliments about it. The company staff were amazing as well. Everyone paid close attention to all the details we had wanted.

Highly recommended catering company. :)

From the very beginning I worked with Kim at Classe Catering, not Brian. Despite all the lovely things said about Brian, I am VERY happy that we got to work with Kim! She was genuinely interested in the "feel" we wanted for our reception and did not discourage us when we wanted to do some things on our own. She helped us achieve our dream wedding while adding some perfect suggestions. We never felt pressured to add things we didn't want (I was worried about that initially). I recommend Classe Catering and encourage you to ask for Kim if you give them a call. She will make you feel comfortable from the first phone call.

Brian and Classe were amazing. The food was AWESOME and I really couldn't have been happier with how my wedding turned out. Brian helped us come up with a really creative menu and was there whenever I needed to ask him something. They also had great value for money.

A company I used to work for used Classe Catering for our lunch catering so I knew when we started to plan the wedding that I would want to use them. We only hired them for reception ceremony but the decorations were set up just the way we wanted, the Crossing of Colonie had worked with them before so they had a great relationship with them so it wasnt a hassle to get licensing information. Servers were great at greeting my guests and taking drink orders. There was only one snag that came along and it was with the bartenders attitude towards my guest - he was very rude and made the guests scared to take advantage of the 2 hours of open bar which we paid for. Once this was addressed with the supervisor the issue was immediatly fixed and back to having a great time. There could also have been a little bit larger of a food selection for the amount paid. Other then that our guests still talk about our wedding and how much fun they all had. Thanks Classe I recommend your services to everyone!!

Brian at Classe was fabulous. He was flexible and straightforward about costs and arrangements. His price was on par with most caterers, but his selection of foods, linens, etc. surpassed others in the area. He was wonderful to work with. I would most definately recommend working with him, and plan to work with him in the future.

The food was great, the staff at the reception were professional and worked very hard. However, our planner/coordinator was not as responsive as we would have liked and kept changing our contract with increasing last minute expenses.There was a lot of confusion about pricing and materials that were difficult for her to explain. Our original budget increased by 40%. To top it off, she was a no-show on the day of our wedding!

I was VERY disappointed with Classe Catering. It was like pulling teeth to get a contract in writing. We had to constantly hassle our event planner with Classe to call us back, to get the information we requested, and to pull things together. In the end, our food ended up being great, and our guests really enjoyed the food, but it was one of the scariest moments to be two weeks away from our wedding and not have a CONTRACT!

When we first met with Brian, the owner of Classe Catering, he assured us he would be there for the day of the wedding to make sure that everything went well. Once we pared down our original estimate of $18,000 to a $13,000 package, all of a sudden we were pawned off to another employee to be our contact person. This other employee had a poor attitude, especially on the day of the wedding. Had it not been for a friend of mine hovering over him, he would have not used several of the decorations I had made for the day, including the table numbers that took me almost 2 weeks to make. He yelled at the staff, making both them and my guest uncomfortable. The set up was still taking place as we were about to walk down the asile (ceremony and reception were at the same place) because the week before the wedding when they called to firm up the details, the owner was working from a time we had given him originally, but changed with the new employee about 6 months before the wedding. Since they were in a rush, they neglected several details they assured me would be taken care of, much to my dismay.
Prior to the wedding date, we were invited to a "tasting," (but only after I contacted them several times) to try the food, but when we showed up, they had no record of us responding, even though I sent an email as requested to hold our spot on that day.
They often took several days to a week to return calls.
On the plus side, the food was great and they do have a lot of options. If you want, they will get you everything from the tent (which they did for me), to the flowers, to the favors.

Classe Catering has a great presentation but the follow-through left something to be desired. They put all their effort into the taste-testing, which was very impressive, but I felt that the actual day was not as good. The portion sizes were much smaller than discussed, they were under-staffed, the cake was never butlered as discussed, and they were late to the event! A bunch of caterers running around trying to set up at the last minute while the guests are at the cocktail hour is not what we wanted!! I was pleased with the bar service but would have liked more continuity from the discussed plans to the day-of presentation.

Classe catering did a very nice job with our wedding. No pun intended, but they really did "cater" to our requests. We didn't feel like it was just another cookie cutter event for them. We were able to select excellent dishes as opposed to chicken and filet. The presentation of the food was wonderful and the staff was all very friendly and professional. The only note to mention is that with the cake, be extremely specific with what you want/don't want. And check with them about your seating chart ahead of time...we didn't and had tables moved around that had we discussed earlier we could have made sure everyone was where we wanted.

There are no words to describe the fabulous job Brian and his staff at Classe Catering did for our wedding reception! They are a full-service organization. For our Hawaiian theme they offered everything: amazing succulent food, high-touch assistance and coordination, tents/equipment rentals, decorations, florist...everything!! Brian was so responsive and flexible. They worked entirely within our budget and positively stretched themselves to go all-out and make our wedding seem like it costs much more than it did. They gave us lots of free-bees, and helped incorporate the theme throughout. They offer a tasting (free for 2 people and low cost to add others). I feel so lucky that we chose Classe to work with. They are very professional, and equipped to handle any request you throw at them. Highly recommend!

Brian and his crew are exceptional! 5 STARS!

Kathy King is awesome

Wonderful professionals. Highly recommend them!

Creative and fabulous events. Brian and his staff are wonderful to work with and can handle anything from an intimate dinner party to your next gala of 600 -
Laurie
The Appel Inn & A Gracious Gathering