Diverse Catering and Event Design

We had our wedding and reception at Ridley Creek State Park, which works with eight contracted catering services. We met with a number of the vendors, but we chose Diverse Catering for their great food options and down-to-earth customer service. We never felt as though our wedding was being “project managed,” although they insured every detail was in place along the way. Our coordinator, Mike, was more like a supportive friend than point-of-contact, and he and his excellent staff made sure our guests were taken care of throughout the evening (in particular, they took wonderful care of my mom! She was delighted.) During and after the wedding, we received many compliments about the service. We chose a buffet approach with multiple cuisine options, and we heard from dozens of our guests that it was the best wedding dining experience they could remember. Our wedding was a fantastic experience, and we are grateful that we chose Diverse Catering to oversee it.

We had the pleasure of working with Mike Schmidt through Diverse Catering this past September for our wedding. Please do yourself a favor and work with him! He is a calm, down-to-earth and very pleasant individual who loves what he does and loves to make people happy. He provides service much more than just a caterer, he is like a wedding planner! He helped plan the day, helped with the procession and movement of guests, and was more than willing to step in wherever needed. Mike encouraged us to personalize the wedding and made it possible to do so.

The food Diverse Catering provides absolutely delicious. We had dozens of compliments about it after the wedding (which is unusual because nobody really remembers the food)! Mike will always answer his phone and be happy to accommodate any requests or answer any questions. He goes out of his way to make everything convenient for you! We were so happy to see that he goes above and beyond to cater to the needs of guests. The team helped the elderly get their food instead of walking up to the buffet.

Most importantly, Mike provides a sense of calm and happiness for both families in the wedding. He was out there dancing with my parents and making sure everyone had a great time! His energy is absolutely amazing and it shows that he's in the right profession. The next day, he even called to share his best wishes and thanked us.. but really- we are the ones who are full of gratitude for his great services!!!

I would absolutely recommend this caterer to any of my closest friends and family. Using a small company and working with one of the owners makes everything a little more personalized and special. Besides, Mike will make you smile every time you work with him! :)

We found Diverse Catering through the list from our venue - Ridley Creek. After researching and meeting with a few - we scheduled a tasting with Mike Schmidt.
From the beginning, the way Diverse does business was above and beyond. Mike sent us a few quotes with different menu options to work with our vision and budget. He wouldn't take a deposit or even a signed contract until after we tasted his work, a sampling of the menu we wanted. He was always very responsive with emails, and very patient with our questions. He made everything so easy! We met with him a few times at the venue for walkthroughs - these were all fantastic brainstorming sessions where the 3 of us would discuss an idea and fine tune it until the vision was crystal clear. We didn't want a cookie cutter wedding and were nervous about our atypical detail requests - but Mike was completely onboard, even supplying the firepit for smores.
I can't say enough good things about the food. As soon as our car pulled up from the church, Mike met us with a tray of delicious hors d'oeuvres that we devoured before taking photos. We had a 3 station menu - Tuscan with pastas and chicken, Moroccan with a whole salmon on display as it was served, and a grilling station with beef, chicken, and shrimp kabobs, and also a mashed potato bar. You always hear that you never get to eat during your own wedding but my husband and I were served first and we both ate our entire meal. Our guests LOVED the food! We saw people with towers of food, going up for seconds. People couldn't raving.
Not only is his food unbeatable, but Mike acted as our DOC, running the whole reception. The decor was 100% as we imagined, and the events of the night all went off without a hitch. From beginning to end, Mike had everything taken care of so we didn't have to worry about a single thing but enjoying our day. Our wedding was nothing less than perfect and we will always remember what an impact he was on implementing our dream wedding.

Not only were my husband and I thrilled with Diverse Catering & Events services at our wedding, our guests also complimented us on their food and staff. Ken, Mike & team offered us many valuable suggestions for our menu, venue set-up and schedule, down to the nitty gritty details of where our glasses would be for the toasts.

Our outdoor cocktail hour quickly had to become an indoor event due to the weather and Ken and team handled it all without even having to bother us as we got ready for our wedding.

Throughout our wedding, ken and staff checked in with us to make sure we had everything we needed and if they needed to make any changes.

"This was the best food I have ever had at a wedding!" said all of our guests. Everyone at Diverse Catering is very good at what they do. Ken and Mike worked with us to make sure that the food was exactly as we wanted it throughout our wedding reception. They also went beyond our expectations by helping to pace the days events make sure everything stayed on schedule. They pampered us as bride and groom throughout the day and made sure that we had everything we wanted. We can not recommend them highly enough.

We just experienced a magical event for our daughter's wedding. Prior to the wedding Ken Correll gave great attention to planning the wedding just as our daughter wanted. Always available for any concerns. Then for the actual event, Ken & his staff just took over and made the wedding like a fairy tale. Food was great & his staff were upbeat & positive. A wonderful caterer.

Mike and his team at Diverse Catering and Events catered our wedding at the Mansion at Ridley Creek in June. Not only did they do an extraordinary job, but they were also fantastic to work with. For an out of town bride, Mike made planning as easy as it could possibly be and pulled out all the stops to work flexibly with me. In addition, he managed/coordinated the rehearsal and all activities on the wedding day, allowing my husband and I (plus our families) to be able to relax and enjoy the day. His team provided fantastic food and service – I received so many compliments both during and after the wedding, even from our foodie friends. Mike’s experience, attention to detail, and suggestions were invaluable during the planning stages as well as on the wedding day.

Our entire experience with Diverse Catering was fantastic, but here are some examples of why I think they’re in a separate league to other caterers:

- Mike was incredibly responsive and accommodated my schedule. Mike was willing to provide a tasting for us on a Sunday because during my one visit to town (I live abroad) before the wedding week, that was the only day that I could do it.
- His team was able to specially create a specific hors d’oeuvre for us that wasn’t part of their standard options and was fantastic!
- On the wedding day, Mike was able to coordinate a last minute change with our musicians after I had made a mistake, so that everything went smoothly and I didn’t need to worry about anything.
- It rained right before the (outdoor) ceremony, yet Mike monitored the weather forecast, waited and his team quickly dried off the seats so we could proceed when the sun came out
- While being photographed during the cocktail hour, my husband and I were brought hors d’oeuvres and drinks so we didn’t miss out on anything
- His staff were so attentive that when a relative of mine went to leave to put a baby to sleep, they noticed and boxed up her meal for her to take without anyone saying anything
- Did I mention the food was outstanding?

I could go on and on about the fantastic experience we had with Mike and Diverse Catering. Hiring them was one of the best decisions I made for our wedding, and I would strongly recommend them.

Ken, Mike, Suzy and the rest of the Diverse Catering team did a phenomenal job catering our wedding on Sunday! The food was delicious! The service was superior! Many guests raved about both and expressed that they were extremely impressed by the professionalism and seamless execution of the entire event. As the bride, I was able to completely relax and enjoy the experience. They were so exceptional that, even when our daughter injured herself during the Best Man's speech, Mike immediately brought me some ice for her arm. He was so attentive and went above and beyond not just for the groom and me, but for every guest. I highly recommend Diverse Catering. They are experienced, knowledgeable, flexible (very easy going) and reliable. Plus, their food is excellent! You will be thrilled with their performance!

Michael Schmidt from Diverse Catering was excellent. We have already recommended him to two friends who are in the middle of wedding planning.

Diverse Catering was one of many per-approved caterers for a venue that we were pursuing, but which ultimately fell through. We were initially attracted to Diverse Catering because of their outstanding reviews and the fact that they do more than just catering. Diverse Catering will take care of rentals and even step into role of event planner. We were looking at non-traditional venues that would require everything to be brought in, and having a caterer take care of all of this responsibility was really important.

Mike was very easy to work with. We primarily emailed, but he always picked up the phone when I occasionally called. To help manage costs and give our guests more options, we went with a buffet. Mike helped work with our budget and offered some cost saving advice which we took. We found his prices to be very reasonable and significantly less than all the other center city philly caterers. The food was outstanding - all of our guests raved about the food and many went up for seconds. Our wedding coordinator said that our tasting was the best food tasting that she has ever been to.

Mike did more than just cater. He took care of chair rentals, helped us find a different venue when our first choice fell through, provided a cake, and helped que the bridal party as we went down the aisle. He did full set-up and break down of the ceremony space, cocktail hour, and reception hall. He also provided bartenders and helped us figure out how much alcohol and mixers to provide - we came home with almost empty bottles - his estimates were dead on.

A number of guests, including my grandmother-in-law, mentioned how attentive and courteous the staff of Diverse Catering were. Mike had his staff in and venue set-up in a few hours and were out in 1 hour. Our venue was very picky about the floors, and Mike was able to provide felt pads on the feet of the rental chairs and his staff did a full wet mop of the floors prior to leaving. I do believe Mike left the venue cleaner than when we found it. Lastly, the wedding coordinator said this was the easiest wedding she has done so far, and I think Mike and his staff played a huge role in helping the event run so smoothly.

Our food: Terres Filet (cuts like a fillet minon), Moroccan Grilled Salmon (presentation was outstanding), Gorgonzola Pasta, Poached pear with Caramelized cashews Salad, grilled vegetables, yukon gold potatoes. For the after party, we served make your own cheese stakes and philly pretzels with beer infused cheese.

We could not of ask for anything more. When I first called to plan sons wedding I had no idea what we wanted. Mike and Ken were a big help. From the ceremony to the reception Ken was very helpful. The cocktail hour was great. The hors d'oeuvres were great everybody said how delicious they were and plentiful. The dinner was wonderful even the vegetables that the bride and groom picked were great and everyone loved them. Considering we had three choices for the entree and a sit down dinner Ken was great. I can't say enough about him. Everyone received what they ordered and there was more than enough food between the cocktail hour and the dinner. The wedding was beautiful and very good. The sweet table was great to. If it wasn't for Ken I don't think the evening would of turned out so good. He was also right there if we needed anything during the entire affair from beginning till end. I can't thank them enough for everything they did for us. I am very happy that we went with them and the Holiday Inn they also helped us with reserving our block of rooms. We will never forget the night that Ken made for us. There is nothing bad we can say from the planning to the night of the wedding, Ken helped to make it a special day for us. Over all it was an amazing experience working with Ken and Mike. I would most certainly return to the Holiday Inn for future affairs.

Mike and the Diverse team were a DREAM COME TRUE on the day of our wedding and provided services extending far beyond catering. From our very first meeting, Mike was intent to incorporate all of our ideas and wishes into the day. He worked with us to create a stunning menu, provided a sit down tasting for the immediate family, coordinated with the other vendors to make sure the day ran smoothly, attended our rehearsal the night before, and managed the set up of decorations/prep on the day.

As if that’s not enough, the food and service is exquisite! Guests raved about the “family style” serving, the attentive wait staff, amazing food, and the much appreciated pre-service snack for our guests (suggested by Mike) featuring mulled (spiked :)!) cider with sweet treats from our families favorite recipes.

We are still receiving glowing compliments from our guests about the warm/ inviting atmosphere and personalization on our wedding day. I completely attribute the flawless success to Mike and the Diverse Catering team.

We will ABSOLUTELY be using Diverse Catering for future celebrations and WHOLE HEARTEDLY recommend them!

I had the please of having Mike Schmidt and Diverse Catering for our wedding. Mike was amazing to work with. He was always available for questions or concerns that I had while planning. He had great ideas for us, and the day of the wedding he was a life saver!!! He helped to plan and run everything so that it all went smoothly. His staff was great the day of wedding! Everyone was so polite and helpful. The food was delicious and he was very flexible when working with us to plan our menu. I can't praise Mike enough. I would recommend him to anyone. He is a jack of all trades when it comes to weddings!

Mike Schmidt and Diverse Catering are simply fantastic! We were so lucky to find Mike and have him as our wedding planner and caterer for our wonderful fall wedding at Colonial Dames in Philadelphia, PA. Mike, from the moment we met him, was so easy to talk to. He clearly loves his job and is amazing at what he does! Mike was available whenever we needed him for questions, ideas, and always seemed to have the answer. Mike suggested our venue, he had all the supplies needed to make our day picture perfect. Mike helped us make the necessary decisions at the appropriate time and kept us calm and collected. He met with us at our convience to discuss the menu, linens, etc for the reception. We also had a great time at our tasting at the Holiday Inn where Diverse Catering is located. Mike was so much fun and kept us smiling through all the planning. In the weeks leading up to our wedding, Mike was always prompt with his responses to our many questions. Mike was at our rehearsal and really showed us his wonderful planning skills and kept us focused. The day of our wedding Mike and the staff of Diverse Catering went above and beyond any and all of my expectations. All of our favors, decorations and everything we brought in were set up exactly the way we wanted them. The servers and bartenders were so friendly and were so excited for us! Our guests had nothing but rave reviews of the service they provided. The food, the atmosphere, everything was perfect! My wife and I had no worries that day. Mike was always right there to keep things moving, we didn't feel rushed, we always had what we needed. Mike Schmidt and Diverse Catering made my wedding perfect!! I would reccommend him to anyone. 5 stars!! A++++ :)

Ken and Mike are fabulous. They did a cocktail hour for us and the food was great, they were extremely helpful, and just so easy to deal with leading up to the wedding.

We used Diverse to cater our wedding and could not have been happier with the results. Ken went above and beyond all expectations, with all aspects of the event. From designing a menu that had a vegetarian option for every station to helping plan and execute that layout and decor, Ken was there with numerous tips, insights and suggestions for every step.
The food itself was amazing. We have had a lot of friends, both vegetarian and meat eaters comment that it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding.
The reception was held on the roof of the Philadelphia Free Library; Ken and his staff handled the set up and decorating. They did a fantastic job, including locating vendors for the all the extra details that we wanted, such as chairs and lighting. He also surprised us with special touches from his own "prop" closet that fit in perfectly with our theme and decor. As I mentioned before, Ken went above and beyond; he got the Cotton Candy machine that was mentioned on a whim months before the event.
We strongly recommend using Ken and Diverse for your event.

I chose Mike and Diverse bc from the onset I could tell that he cared and took my wedding as more then just a paycheck. He went above and beyond offering services even the venue and other vendors stated are out of the realm of normal caterers. Diverse volunteered to be at my rehersal and acted as planners the day of. Simply put, they were my peace of mind that my wedding would go off without a hitch. I received treatment i would never imagine receiving from the most expensive and coveted caterers at such a gracious price. Not to mention mike and his staff were a pleasure the day of and guests all commented on their pleasant, sociable and fun personalities. Such a jewel that is so hard to find! I, without a seconds hesitation, recommend for any occasion you hire Diverse catering for your event!

superb food, excellent caterer

I was lucky to find Mike Schmidt's business card for Diverse Catering at my venue, and he was excellent to work with! All the guests loved him and the food--3 months later people are still saying that ours was the most beautiful wedding they've ever attended, and that Mike was incredible. Mike was utterly professional and never intrusive, just gently guiding, and we agreed on everything--he has great taste! He even stepped into the role of wedding planner and coordinator when needed, without my asking. I was not able to fit a tasting into my schedule and he assured me he was known for his food--he was right! Our only snafu was that he forgot I had already ordered a wedding cake from the awesome Papa's Pastry, so he supplied us with a second cake that we didn't need...which our guests enjoyed at the hotel the next day anyway. Otherwise Mike made sure everything went smoothly, and all his servers were particularly attentive to myself and my groom. We were even able to offer our guests 3 choices for entrees for no extra fee, and he brought a couple vegetarian meals by request as well. Mike made me feel that everything was under control at all times and I had a lot of fun working with him.

Thanks to Ken and Mike of Diverse Catering and Event Design our daughter's wedding was a classy and memorable event. Although we hired Ken as our wedding caterer, he ended up being so much more. As the nervous mother of the bride, I wasn't sure how all the pieces to my daughter's garden wedding would come together. But each time we met with Ken, and he was always available to us, I felt more comfortable that he had all aspects of my daughter's wedding well in hand. And on the day of the wedding, everything came together perfectly, from setup to finish. The food was amazing as were all of the personal touches including the attentiveness of Ken and his staff to everything going on.

We highly recommend Ken and Diverse Catering and Event design. We couldn't have been more pleased with the attention given to all aspects of our daughter's wedding and we personally hope for more opportunities to work with him again.

Ken and Mike from Diverse Catering were a dream to work with. Every time we met with Ken leading up to the wedding we left feeling cool, collected, and in control of our plans for the big day. He listened to our ideas for food, style, and atmosphere and carried out the event with finesse, down to the smallest details. He also had wonderful suggestions for us along the way; from what kind of food to offer, to the colors of the linens (even small details for how to incorporate our "honey bee" theme into the linens by adding a black runner to the yellow table cloth to make it look a little bit like a bee!). He even surprised us by including some small details into the wedding that he knew we wanted but didn't have time to supply ourselves (ball jars for people to drink out of pre-ceremony).

The wedding day was also spectacular; Ken's staff was incredibly attentive to me and my husband, our family, and all of our guests. They were professional, and warm and approachable at the same time. I really can't say enough about how thrilled we were with the entire event. I would absolutely recommend Ken and Diverse Catering to anyone who is planning a wedding or event in the Philadelphia area.

Diverse catering did a fantastic job! Incredibly professional staff, delicious food and very easy to work with. Mike was extremely knowledgeable about event planning, not just catering. I'd highly recommend Diverse Catering and would certainly use them again.

Simply put, Ken and Company go above and beyond to make your wedding truly great. If you hire Diverse, you're getting more than just great food. Ken and staff step into the role of day-of coordinators, ensuring all the days events run smoothly. Our wedding really wouldn't have been the same without them.

These guys were amazing!!! Working with Ken was fabulous. After every random conversation I walked away feeling more confident and less worried about how the day would all work out. And boy did it work out! The food was delicious and the presentation fabulous. It was so amazing to see everything come together from the tablecloths to the buffet presentation. I would recommend working with these guys again and again.

- October 2010 Wedding at the Crane Arts Center.

A month after our wedding, and all of our friends and family are STILL talking about how delicious the food was. We picked Diverse because we'd loved their food at a friend's wedding, and they delivered for us ALL THE WAY. The food was not just tasty, but really unique--they went out of their way to craft a menu that genuinely reflected US as a couple--even going so far as to use our recipe for one of the hors d'oeurves. Each special little touch was a delightful surprise and a great way to add real personality to the food. They accommodated special dietary requests completely and happily, and provided prices that were UNBELIEVABLY competitive. We will ABSOLUTELY be using them again in the future, and will recommend them enthusiastically to all of our friends who get married down the road...mostly so we can eat their great food again!

Ken and his team were absolutely wonderful! So many other caterers I talked to were overpriced and into doing things their own way without a lot of options. Ken had great ideas to stay within our budget, our vision, and our special requests (like using local food and compostable plates). He was a wealth of information about all of the details of our wedding and basically orchestrated the day for us (ceremony included) so that we didn't have to worry about anything. I've recommended Diverse Catering to many friends since and everyone has been more than pleased!

We honestly would not have had the wedding that we did without Ken and the staff at Diverse Catering. Ken was absoluetely committed to realizing OUR vision for the wedding, not maintaining the company's image. Ken drove out to our home to meet us, met use twice at the Reception site and provided an amazing menu tasting, complete with tableclothes, china and silverware. The day of the wedding he coordinated with all the other vendors, made sure every detail was just as we asked, and personally took care of of our needs as well as the needs of two disabled guests. His entire crew were professional, personable and really well informed. The food was also terrific! One eight year old guest was overheard telling her firiends, "The food is just fabulous." It truly was. Keb worked very hard with us to make sure we had quality for our money. We can not thank Ken and the staff at Diverse Catering enough and we would higly recommend them.

I was one of the first clients for diverse back in 09. Mike & crew were amazing and truly made our wedding exactly what we envisioned.

this is the best catering you could possible have for any event! My husband and I used Ken for our wedding and as business owners (we do photography and videography) they are the ones we recommend to anyone still looking for catering. they are friendly, professional, and their food is amazing!

Great people to work with and great food. I would give them my highest 5 star endorsement.