Harvest Moon Catering

We want to thank Harvest Moon Catering for the wonderful services they provided for our recent wedding at Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery. Food was one of the most important elements of our wedding and our guests say Harvest Moon didn't disappoint. People are still talking about the pumpkin ravioli among other items! Beyond the food, their professionalism and organization is second to none. We can't imagine any other caterer pulling off family-style dining for 170 people in a unique space. That's where planner Barbara Shifflett comes in. She is fabulous! Hats off to her and her staff for making it happen. We highly recommend them for any event!

Harvest Moon provided an amazing service and everything they did from the initial tasting to taking care of the final details went beyond my expectations and I truly felt special. I had never used a catering service before and in hindsight, I can see how a caterer will make or break an event and I will say with 100% confidence that Harvest Moon will not let you down. The food displays were imaculate, innovative and highlighted the season by using fresh, local produce. Kelly, who worked with me as the event planner, was very attentive, helpful and was always available via phone or email. I know she was probably juggling a multitude of events, but I always recieved her support as if I was the only one. Cristina and the staff on site at my wedding were professional, courteous and no nonsense, but also warm and friendly. They worked together to completly transform the vineyard I had chosen into exactly what I wanted with time to spare. Cristina ran every necessary decision through me and she made sure everything was how I envisioned it to be. Everything from the set up to the tear down went smothly and I was left to simply enjoy the evening, great food and the company of friends and family. I cannot recommend them enought and if you are having an event within the service area of Harvest Moon, choose them!

Excellent service! The food was amazing and the guests raved about it. I also love that they have a contract with a cake baker (who was fabulous as well!), so that is one less thing to worry about. We did not have a wedding planner, but the caterer more or less acted as one to set up everything as we wanted in the dining area and beyond. SHe even helped me with a hair crises when my hair stylist cancelled the day before the wedding due to illness--she actually called around and found an appointment for me with one of her preferred vendors. Harvest Moon definitely helped me to enjoy the day and stay stress-free!

After many referrals and positive comments regarding Harvest Moon and then the first tasting which blew us away, we knew we were making the right choice by selecting them as our wedding caterer. We ended up increasing our original budget for catering, but we decided it was worth spending more and having the peace of mind that “all would be taken care of”. After each email to Barbara, bombarding her with a million questions, she would diligently respond with answers and explanations of how various aspects of the catering should be handled. We felt assured again and again that we were in good hands and had made the correct choice of a business with the expertise and experience of handling events with all the expected (and unexpected) variables. We had originally thought of having a very small wedding guest list and we loved that Harvest Moon was willing to provide service for our event no matter whether our event ended up being big or small. They are accustomed to doing multiple events at the same time so we were confident that our smaller event would get the same attention as any larger event.

We are still hearing from guests how much they enjoyed the food. One guest even asked if Harvest Moon had a restaurant in Charlottesville because they wanted to enjoy the food again the next time they have a reason to be in the area! The food was delicious and beautifully presented and the staff did a great job keeping guests moving in the buffet line in a steady and streamlined manner. Inviting guests table by table to the buffet and using both sides of the buffet table at the same time worked seamlessly. No queuing at all – we were so pleased with this – it was just as nice as a sit-down dinner, especially with the served salad and wine service during our dinner. The service was friendly, professional and attentive.

The crew also went the extra mile, especially during set-up, taking care of details above and beyond their role as caterers. The placement of details was perfect and so creative, just one example being the Irish/American combo flag draped over a garden bench. Fantastic idea – made for great photos! Everyone was so in charge, getting lights in the trees reconnected and on and on and on – each individual worked so hard to pull it all together.

Our vision was definitely carried out - they wowed us and we were seriously elated with the results of their efforts! Harvest Moon so contributed to the success of the wedding – we are so glad we chose them as our...

Harvest Moon was great to work with. They provide more than just food. They will help you set up decorations and make sure things run smoothly on your big day as well. We had many compliments on how tasty the food was and we were altogether quite happy with everything Harvest Moon provided.

I have been impressed with the Harvest Moon staff since our first meeting with Barbara. Everyone has been wonderful to work with. The food and signature cocktail really did contribute to our day being so special – presentation and plating were creative and the quality of the food was not your standard wedding meal. I loved everything about it. Thank you!

The food surpassed all expectations - we were able to serve a restaurant-quality dinner for 150 guests. Barbara, our event coordinator, helped me choose lighting, flowers, linens, set-up and with countless other details. Planning the wedding out of town it was imperative to have such an advocate.

We were thrilled with Harvest Moon! The food was incredible and people are still talking about it and I am still dreaming about it! The service is amazing and they handle every little detail from start to finish with a smile. They perfectly executed the vision that we had in our minds. Even the creative ideas we weren't sure we were expressing perfectly, they understood and offered even more suggestions perfectly aligned with what we wanted. We even had a dedicated server at the wedding who was always one step ahead of us with our needs. We were never allowed to go hungry or thirsty!

Harvest Moon was so wonderful to work with. They worked with us to create a customized menu to fit our theme and worked with all the vendors to set up timing so we didnt have to. If you are looking for a full service caterer they are your best bet! They work so hard for you so you can focus on other parts of your day. The food was INCREDIBLE. It was truly the best wedding food we have had. We also used their day of coordination service and had the pleasure of working with Kelly Mahanes. She was so wonderful. She definitely worked many hours aside from the wedding and rehearsal contacting vendors and setting up a very detailed timeline. She was so patient and provided us with great advice and ideas. Everything about this company is just wonderful!

Harvest Moon was extremely professional from the second I contacted them about my wedding to the very end of it. I highly recommend them---their food, their service, their expertise---all wonderful!

The initial experience looked like it could have been good; however, the caterer's messed up so terribly that they nearly sent the bride to the hospital!!!! The food was good, but they made intolerable mistakes and have yet to do anything to right their mistake. The caterer initially denied that the bride had even requested a gluten free buffet. This experience was completely and utterly and unacceptable. Do not trust these caterers with any special needs cases. If the caterer could do anything to rectify any of their mistake I would at least be able to give them a decent review. I had hoped that Harvest Moon would have attempted to do something to rectify their mistake.

Harvest Moon Catering was awesome to work with. The food was great, all my guests raved about it. They also procured the rentals for us (china, tables, linens, flatware, chairs etc.) They followed our set-up plan and were willing to go the extra mile, such as randomly place a heart inside a napkin at each table (whoever found the heart took home the centerpiece). Two complaints, and one was very minor, they brought the wrong color chairs, we ordered fruitwood and they brought white. It was not a big deal as the white chairs were fine, and we never double checked the rentals spreadsheet - so although I shouldn't have to doublecheck, it could have been caught. But like I said, no biggie. The other issue was for about 1.5 weeks before the event we could not get them to return our calls. So, if you are prone to panic attacks, just breathe and remember they will take care of you. The after dinner goodie bag was also a very special touch, and was a great midnight snack after we worked up an appetite:-)

"This is the best wedding food I've ever had!!" -- every guest at our wedding.

My number one goal for our reception was that the food be amazing. I've been to dozens of weddings, and just could not imagine serving my friends and family the bland chicken and salmon you get at so many of these occasions. My husband and I also have a strong commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture, and wanted to find a caterer who shared this value. We also just plain love great food. After a LOT of searching around, I came across Harvest Moon's website and immediately got in touch with Barbara, their event coordinator. She worked with us to craft a delicious, seasonal menu. At our tasting, we gave feedback on how a certain dish might be improved, and the chef went back to the kitchen to immediately create version 2. We walked out of our tasting saying it was one of the best meals we had had in ages.

Throughout the planning process, Barbara was extremely responsive to my questions. We got married at a farm that is 90 minutes from both our house in the DC area and from C-Ville, so there were a lot of logistics to be worked out. I would send Barbara emails with literally 20 questions, and she'd get back to me within hours. On the day of the wedding, the Harvest Moon staff were friendly and efficient... I guess the best thing I can say is that I hardly knew they were there, but the guests raved about them! Our dinner was buffet-style, and one of the staff kindly brought my husband and I plates with a selection of the food to make sure we ate, and at the end of the night they packed us up a to-go bag that we totally scarfed down when we got back to our B&B. This is such a warm, yet totally professional operation-- you can tell these people love their jobs and their company.

Harvest Moon contracts with a cake baker/designer who worked with us both on the recipe (my husband's peach-cobbler-inspired cake) and design-- it turned out so gorgeous!

And all of this was for prices that were much lower than some of the "rubber chicken" type caterers I looked up in the DC area! I highly, highly recommend Harvest Moon Catering.

Harvest Moon did a great job catering our wedding!! We worked with Barbara to plan our menu. She was very responsive and considerate of our budget. She answered tons of questions and tweaked lots of little details to make the meal perfect for our wedding. On the day of the wedding, the food tasted great! I had guests tell me it was the best wedding food they'd ever tasted. Another thing we loved about Harvest Moon is that presentation of the food was really remarkable. We were completely happy with Harvest Moon and would whole-heartedly recommend them as caterers.

Working with Carrie was fabulous- we could not have asked for a better catering coordinator. The food was very good, though one of the side dishes was not nearly as good on the night of the wedding as it had been during the tasting. I would definitely recommend Harvest Moon, because they are easy to work with, have a very professional, friendly staff and have good food.

Harvest Moon did a fantastic job for our wedding! The food was absolutely delicious--everyone was raving about it at the reception,and continues to do so a month later. The bar was fully stocked, and the staff took care of everything so smoothly that I barely even knew they were there. Plus, by working with Harvest Moon, you are entitled to some wedding coordination help with room decor, and they set up everything for you with the local Charlottesville party rental company, if required. I cannot recommend Mark and Barbara at Harvest Moon enough!

Harvest Moon catering provided high quality services at a more reasonable rate than many other Charlottesville caterers that I researched. Harvest Moon was very flexible and willing to work with the menu and budget that we proposed. Their food was delicious and we got many compliments on it. Harvest Moon staff made our every idea come true, and most of the time had suggestions that made the day even better! They thought of and took care of everything, right down to the basket of leftovers for my husband and I to take back to our hotel room that night. We would not change anything about their services. Staff members were always extremely professional and helpful, and did everything possible to make our day perfect. Harvest Moon also strives to use local and organic food, and donates leftovers to community members in need whenever possible. They are a conscientious and responsible organization. I highly recommend this company.

WOW! That is all we can say!! These folks are awesome....professional, caring, efficient, classy. Barbara knew her stuff and got things done for us. The bartenders, servers were super. We LOVED our cake and the food the chef cooked. The chance to meet her and taste everything before hand was a great experience. 100% reccommend!!

The staff were exceptionally friendly and extremely helpful. They worked with us every step of the way to create an awesome experience for the entire wedding. The food was amazing and they provided a lot of variety from the beginning. I would definetly recommend Harvest Moon to cater any event.

I had looked into a few caterers around time, and when we met with Marlena, we knew that Harvest Moon was the one. Marlena is more than a contact for the caterer, she is an wedding coordinator. She worked countless hours with me, crafting the menu and the table setting designs and brainstorming ideas with us. Harvest Moon also took care of the tent rentals, and the week of the wedding, Marlena contacted all the vendors to make sure everyone was on the same page, and she organized the rehearsal, which I know can be an area of confusion. Harvest Moon is very much a laid-back business. We had spent many, many hours working with us before even asking for a deposit. We had a lot of creative freedom to create the menu and event that we wanted, and the food came out wonderfully. People are still asking us who our wedding caterers were because it was so good. Another good thing was that they worked with our budget very well, and didn't try to introduce any secret charges. Many caterers will charge a large corking fee or other high charge for using your own alcohol -- for example, we got married at a vineyard and had to use the vineyard's wine -- but Harvest Moon did not charge us a corking fee. They only charged us for the beer per person. My husband and I did most of the planning for the wedding ourselves, and it was such a relief to know that on the day of the wedding, we knew Marlena was on top of EVERYTHING. The only hitch the whole day was that the men's toilet broke in the winery, and that was out of her control. Every little detail she and Harvest Moon had down perfectly. For a semi-formal outdoor event, Harvest Moon did a spectacular job.