Big Delicious Planet

I really can't say enough. We worked with Chelsey from start to finish and I'm not sure I could have gotten everything together without her. BDP handled our shower and the wedding, and every single piece of food was absolutely delicious. We got so many compliments on the food, the waitstaff was great, and their timing worked out great. They have a really nice menu and when we had requests, they always came up with a tasty answer to it. I'm convinced they can handle anything. The proposal was always really clear, and I had an easy time making changes where needed. My only regret is we didn't get to eat more...

We got married in the BDP farm on 8/25/23. We are still BLOWN AWAY at how beautiful our wedding day was. We would relive our wedding day over and over again if we could! If you are considering an intimate wedding, there is no better place than BDP to host your event. I first came across BDP while browsing “small Chicago weddings” and discovered the idea of hosting our event in the farm. Logan and I are both active and Logan loves to cook (Logan’s mom is a fitness trainer) so we were hooked on having a green caterer and the farm to table nature. Choosing and supporting local vendors was a priority as well. Since our first email and conversation with Jasmine and Chelsey I knew I wanted to work with BDP. They are prompt, thorough, very genuine and kind. In fact, when I toured the venue with Chelsey in the winter despite the garden being covered and gray, I felt so taken care of that I knew we should say yes to hold our event here. Jasmine was our event coordinator and truly hand held us throughout the entire process. She spent many hours talking with us over the phone, e-mail exchanges, planning our tasting, meeting with other vendors, hosting our ceremony rehearsal, and the list goes on. While planning, Jasmine exceeded every expectation we could have ever wanted out of a venue, planner and coordinator. Jasmine is kind, authentic, to the point and so organized. We did not have planner or day of coordinator so a few times I felt overwhelmed or stressed from planning but Jasmine always gave us full confidence and calmly answered any questions we had. Somehow BDP executed nearly all of our desires from the table decor, the table design, the custom menus, and the cocktail hour floor plan, the ceremony assigned seating... I felt so at ease and supported. When I would have fear or a new idea, they gracefully gave feedback and thoughts. The food was one of a kind, all of our guests said it was the freshest and most flavorful meal they have had. How magical it is to eat in the middle of the urban farm. Logan likes to say “food is love” - BDP lives this out because of how meticulous the plates look and of course how luxurious everything tastes. BDP helped us choose 2 custom cocktails, 3 passed appetizers for cocktail hour, salad, family style entree, a dessert bar and also made our vintage wedding cake. Not only do they master drinks and food but the desserts are phenomenal. By having BDP we truly had a one stop shop for everything! Our wedding cake was DELICIOUS and the design was perfectly executed!!! Though, I think my favorite part of the afternoon was standing in the middle of the garden for the ceremony. The garden is pristinely maintained, rich in color and variety. Having family scattered throughout and right at sunset while we shared our vows was MAGIC! BDP, Heidi and the team - thank you for your passion, enthusiasm and care throughout the entire wedding process. We can’t wait to be back in the garden for an urban farm dinner!

I could not have been more happy with the job Big Delicious Planet did catering our wedding. Not only was I told by multiple guests that the meal they had was the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding, but everything was presented beautifully, the staff was fantastic in both the planning stages as well as the day of and their cocktails were excellent. I could not recommend them more highly, especially if you have a lot of vegetarian or vegan guests, which they were very accommodating for. If you’re getting married in Chicago you want to put an emphasis on going local, whether it is going to be the vegetables on your plate, or the beer you drink, I would definitely recommend Big Delicious Planet.

Big Delicious Planet catered our September wedding, and I cannot speak highly enough of them. We had an incredible menu planning and tasting with Grace, final adjustments and walkthrough with Chelsey, and a delightful team of BDP staff working day of. Everyone was on point, the food and drinks were perfect, and the warmth and energy of every single member of BDP made them such a pleasure to work with. They are amazing!

Chelsey and the entire team at BDP helped to give us the wedding of our dreams! EVERYTHING was delicious. The specialty cocktails, hors d'oeuvres , main courses, and cake-- all incredible. Our family and friends were raving. Not only that, but Chelsey went above and beyond by providing expert advise for all your logistical catering questions. She created a beautiful tablescape for us and table design, incorporating round and rectangular tables. The room looked perfect! The service that they provided was professional and all their staff was so kind. We can't speak highly enough about our experience working with BDP. I can't wait to attend one of their urban farm dinners sometime soon! A huge thank you to their entire team! -Andrea and Alan

Jasmine and the team at BDP helped us plan the most amazing and beautiful wedding menu! From signature cocktails to the farm-to-table meal, everything was impeccable. Jasmine worked with us to create tablescapes that were beyond what we could’ve envisioned - we were told several times that it looked straight out of a magazine. And it didn’t just look good, everything was absolutely delicious. They had great attention to detail and even packed up a box of macarons for us to take home since we were on the dance floor when dessert was served. Overall the process was easy and intuitive, and we highly recommend BDP!

We cannot say enough how amazing BDP was on our wedding day! Everything was delicious- from the specialty cocktails and appetizers to the family style dinner and cake and dessert bar! Guests have been talking about the meal weeks afterward, with multiple people telling us it was the best meal they've ever had at a wedding! We still dream about our wedding cake (it was SO TASTY) and are so thankful to have working with BDP. They made our wedding that much more magical!

Fantastic - For a price Several guests said the food was the best they'd ever had at a wedding. The meat, veggie, kosher, gluten-free and vegan options were all plentiful, labelled, and really yummy, so our guests with basic dietary restrictions got to eat. Everyone loved it and there were only 2 complaints: 1) We ran out of coffee ice cream really quickly (we probably should have made it clearer that over 50% of our guests would be choosing that for dessert). 2) One of our guests required a special meal (he has extreme dietary restrictions), and we discussed and confirmed it with the caterer beforehand, but his meal was never brought out so he didn't get to eat dinner. The cocktails were also incredible -- we chose their non-alcoholic BYOB package with specialty cocktails. During the event, one guest snuck in a bottle of bourbon and our bartenders just went with it and started mixing drinks, which was amazing. We also loved the chairs, linens, signage, and setup from BDP. They accommodated our unique floor plan (tables surrounding two aisles meeting in the center of the room for two brides to meet halfway while walking down the aisle), and incorporated our invitation design into all signage, making the look really cohesive. However, this vendor charges pretty steep rescheduling fees. When we rescheduled the first time (with over 6 months notice, to an open off-season/January date 18 months out) due to COVID-19, they increased our bill by around 10% to keep them (initially charged us 35% but were negotiated down). We swallowed that cost. When Omicron hit and we had to reschedule again, they dragged their heels, disagreed with rescheduling, and charged us $6000 to pick one of their few open dates still in the off-season. Because we'd already paid in full (and tipped), it was either swallow $6000 or give up above $25,000. We were trapped, and almost didn't reschedule our 1/8/22 wedding despite over a third of the guests cancelling due to positive COVID tests. As soon as we were able to find the $6000, the owner immediately changed her tune, saying rescheduling to March was the right, safe choice. BDP was the ONLY vendor to charge us rescheduling fees, and we ended up paying more than a third of the original quote in just those fees. I love supporting green, local businesses, and we were able to swallow the costs, but we spent a third more than what we'd initially been quoted. Most couples can't afford that.

It’s been almost two weeks since our wedding and I’ve been eager to review Big Delicious Planet. If you’re looking for the best catering Chicago has to offer, this is the vendor to hire. I’ve been to many weddings where the food left a lot to be desired. I’m grateful to say that was not the case at our wedding. BDP’s chefs create excellent dishes, appetizers, and desserts, all using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. They even have their own urban farm, where smaller events can be held. Everything, from our specialty mocktail/cocktail to the coffee, was top notch. Our event coordinator, Chelsea, was also amazing. We had to reschedule last November from April 2021 to November 2021 due to a surprise (!!) pregnancy. The change was easily coordinated. Due to the new baby, the last few months of planning brought on more dread than excitement. She helped me feel excited and like things were going to go smoothly, and they very much did. The whole event felt very unique and special (The Joinery and Anemone Chicago Florists helped with this as well). I ended up actually enjoying the day! Shout out to all of the servers and bartenders, who were also lovely and very professional. Thank you, BDP!

I do not recommend doing business with this company. After making the difficult decision to postpone our 2021 wedding due to the pandemic, we reached out to BDP to try to work with them to reschedule our event. Per the contract we signed, and our empathy for wedding vendors during this time, we understood that there would be a fee associated with rescheduling. After first being dismissed, that our worries about the pandemic affecting our wedding were unfounded, we were told that in order to keep a Saturday date in a prime month (like we had originally scheduled) the rescheduling fee would be an overwhelming 50% of our total cost - an additional $8,000. In addition, there would be a unilateral price increase of 12% to food and beverage costs for all 2022 dates. In order to stay anywhere near our original budget, we would have to completely replan the wedding to a weekday in the winter. We were forced to choose between losing our deposit of over $3k, or losing an additional $8k+. We can't help but feel like BDP is taking advantage of the pandemic by forcing us to forfeit what we have already paid because we can't afford to pay their unreasonable fees. Our other vendors have been grateful and understanding that we are prioritizing the safety of their staff and our guests and we have been happy to pay reasonable fees to keep up with their 2022 rates. BDP clearly does not share those values nor any respect for their clients.

Our "big" wedding was pushed to 2021 due to Covid We planned our mini-mony (19 people) in less than a month. Chelsey was extremely helpful through the entire process! The menu was on point, the custom cocktail and mood board for the decor created a very personalized and special feeling to the day. I am very detailed oriented and particular and I did not see the venue until about 15 minutes before I walked down the aisle and I was never concerned about everything meeting my expectations! Everything for our event was absolutely perfect! The table was beautifully decorated according to our color palette, guests were appropriately spaced to meet the Covid requirements, everyone always had a drink in their hand and the staff was incredible! The BDP team was attentive but not overbearing, extremely personable and engaging with us and the guests. Everyone loved them!! I am a foodie and love to dine out and the food was amazing! No one left hungry and we had a couple of picky eaters. Having the entree duo really helped to make sure that everyone had an entree that they liked and most of us had two that we loved;) The customized drink and wine selections were excellent as well! We also had the team make a wedding cake and my only regret is that I didn't get to enjoy more of it! We had plenty of cake to take home but everything else was sooo good that I didn't have a lot of room left:) We also added jars of BDP honey and jam for our guest to take home. The honey is so yummy and I am not really a honey fan on its own....it is unlike any other honey that I have ever had (not too sweet) and our guests gave it rave reviews as well! We will buying more if it is available. Even though we still have our "big" wedding next year, if our intimate celebration at BDP planet was the only one, I would be completely satisfied! Our event was intimate, personal, unique and truly memorable. We would recommend BDP, the team and venue to anyone! Even though we now live primarily outside of Chicago, we can't wait to return to BDP!

We held an intimate wedding with close family at Big Delicious Planet and the team went above and beyond to make this day special for us. They did all the decor and brought our vision to life. Grace worked with us from the beginning and was accessible and embraced our ideas to make the event fun. Her attention to detail brought the event together. And of course at an urban farm, the food is AMAZING. Well prepared, staged, and tasted delicious. Would absolutely recommend BDP as a catering vendor and venue for weddings. Thank you BDP!

Seriously loved! We booked BDP for our wedding on 11/2/19 at Greenhouse Loft. The food was incredible, all of our guests complimented us. We did Mexican style and a bunch of mini deserts. The tasting we did with them was great and they took all our feedback and incorporated it - adding spices, creating signature drinks, etc. We worked with Grace, she was amazing! So organized and responsive. She was so on top of everything each step of the way and on the day of - from the timeline for the day to the set up. She worked with us to figure out which signs we would provide and which ones BDP would. On the day of everything looked beautiful - for the things that I specified it was set up exactly as I asked. And there were a few things that BDP arranged/set up that I didn’t really give direction for and BDP made it look incredible. Grace/BDP coordinated so much between all the vendors and made everything go so smoothly. They also worked really well/closely with Greenhouse Loft. Highly recommend!

Do you want your guests to leave raving about the food? Choose Big Delicious Planet. Excellent food was a big priority for us as a couple, and BDP delivered. We chose a non-traditional menu of family-style tacos and even had guacamole on the tables when our guests entered the reception venue. We cared a lot about providing vegetarian options that were just as delicious as the meat options, and BDP nailed that as well. (Their corn and fingerling potatoes option as well as their grilled veggies were to die for, and these are not normal favorites of mine! (Legit, I wish I knew how to make veggies as well BDP.) We were impressed with the food during our tasting, and executed to scale (we had 130 guests) the food was just as delicious as the tasting. All the individuals we coordinated with at BDP, from Christen to Chelsey, were prompt with replies and detail-oriented. We felt in good hands with the team! I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again for any future events. We also felt that the price was incredibly fair, especially given the quality of the food. SO many guests complimented the food after the fact, and I'm so glad we went with BDP.

Used BDP for our wedding at Salvage One on 9/29/18 and couldn't be more pleased with their services! The food was UNBELIEVABLE. Multiple guests tracked my husband and me down during the reception to rave about the food - the best they had ever had at a wedding! To boot, they are always willing to meet in person and/or will respond quickly to Emails and phone calls. Prior to going with BDP, we had multiple tastings with other groups, and it was no competition! Plus, they grow a good portion of their veggies in their urban garden on the property, which you can tour during your tasting. Look no further than BDP for your wedding! I can't wait to check out the Canteen and their hosted "pop-up" farm dinners throughout the year :)

They say you should enjoy the process of wedding planning, and I can definitely say that working with Big Delicious Planet made our planning a breeze. We were instantly sold on the food from BDP which is unlike any other wedding catering I have seen. We were excited to deviate from the tired protein + potato plated meal my husband and I have had so many times before. Choosing a caterer is undoubtedly a daunting step, for us it accounted for the largest percentage of our costs, but the quality of ingredients and service, combined with Grace and Christen's responsiveness reassured us that we made the right choice. I am sure we will be coming by the canteen to continue enjoying their food!

I don’t even know where to begin, so I will start off by saying, if you are looking for someone to caterer your wedding or event, you should stop looking and book BDP NOW. I got married 7/28/2018 and booked BDP to caterer our wedding back in February 2017. We got married at Salvage One, and they only work with a small list of caterers for their weddings. I honestly think my eyes went directly to BDP, so we contacted them before contacting anyone else. My husband is a chef, so I kind of let him take the reigns on this one. He was blown away by not only the food, but the philosophy BDP stands by, and I couldn’t agree more. We worked with Chelsey throughout the planning process, and to be honest, she was more like a coordinator than anything. I, like most brides, have never been through this process before, and did not have a wedding planner to guide me. Chelsey was amazing to work with while planning, and an angel for me on the actual day of. I did not need to worry about ANYTHING, she and her team had it all covered. By all covered, I mean EVERYTHING. They took care of all the signage, table numbers, decorations, specialty cocktails, extra rentals, you name it. I think at one point, I remembered I had a small box of little decorations (programs/favors/etc) to have my bridesmaids put out the day of my wedding, and before I even realized it, Chelsey and her team already had it all set out. I didn’t get a chance to chat with the staff (a lot), but the moments I had just felt genuinely nice, and thats something I will always remember. I’m not sure how many people hear on their wedding day, and the days/weeks after by almost ALL of their guest, how amazing the food was. I think most people don’t expect to really enjoy food at weddings (which is so sad), and people are still talking about their gouda Mac and cheese and fried chicken with in house made honey to this day. I believe our wedding would not have run as smoothly as it did, had we not booked with BDP. I will continue to recommend BDP to all my bride clients, friends, and family for weddings and events in the future.

OMG I LOVE BDP! BDP catered our wedding and we were SO happy with everything! We worked with Christen and she's a total ace - organized, nice, super responsive to email...oh and she is an insanely talented calligrapher who did all of our signs! The food - oh my god. So delicious. We had a cocktail style - mini bite wedding reception. The table presentations were great, and everything was super tasty. Our guests were raving! Can't recommend this caterer enough - they don't nickle and dime for stupid things like fork price, as you see with other caterers in Chicago. Willing to work with your budget, great staff - and best of all - everything is locally supplied or grown! Book BDP!!!

We were sold when we heard they employ cats! There is an on-site garden where they grow their own herbs, fruits and vegetables, and the cats help to scare away unwanted critters. They are also woman owned. Awesome! We were fortunate enough to work with Grace, while planning our wedding. She was great! organized, efficient, fun, and totally got my vision. She seemed just as excited as I did about our ideas and details. I appreciated that! Grace also responded to all my emails promptly and patiently. I am a pastry chef by trade, so I was very passionate about having great food and dessert! BDP crushed it! Our cocktail- style buffet was beautifully displayed and delicious. Everyone, including my chef guests, loved the food. All the signage was a unique element also done by BDP. Everyone we encountered from the Chefs, cooks, bartenders, and servers seemed happy to be a part of our day! It meant a lot. Maybe, I'm a little biased, but I thought our wedding was beautiful! 😉 Big Delicious Planet played a huge roll in that!

We used Big Delicious Planet Catering for our May wedding at Salvage One, and we couldn't be happier. Everyone we worked with on the BDP team was amazing (Grace for our tasting and contract, and Chelsey for our event coordination) - they are responsive, professional, and accommodating, and fun to work with, and that extends to their employees who provided table service and bar-tending services the night of. Guests raved about the food and cocktails, and we continue to get compliments on the food and details of the presentation (e.g., fresh honey and little hot sauce bottles for our fried chicken). We're still talking about the mini desserts table, the chocolate bark is out of this world. On top of the delicious food, they also coordinated seamlessly with our vendors, allowed for us to provide our own alcohol (which is a huge money saver), and provided custom signage and menus at no extra charge. BDP made things incredibly easy for us the entire way. And it's a sustainable, women-owned business, with many of their ingredients coming directly from their urban farm. What more could you ask for? We would highly recommend BDP to any bride and groom looking for delicious food and an amazing catering experience for their big day.

We used Big Delicious Planet for our October 2017 wedding, and couldn't have asked for a better caterer! We received compliments all night (& after) on how the delicious the food was (still dreaming of those rosemary smashed potatoes and salmon!). Grace was so easy to work with and was a perfect partner in managing all the details of the reception. Her and her team went above and beyond to help set-up the space and ensure everything was ready in time. They also provided complimentary calligraphy --- which was SO stunning! Of the very few issues that arose during the reception, all of them were very quickly resolved by BDP. Thank you Grace + the BDP team! You rocked it!

We loved having Big Delicious Planet cater our wedding. From start to finish they were always quick to respond, answer our questions, and adjust the proposal. They offered advice and suggestions and even made our menus and welcome signs which was an added bonus! Not only were they our caterer, but they also helped a lot with timeline. I won't lie and tell you it was inexpensive, but most of the costs came from servers and rentals. And honestly, we got quotes from 5 caterers in Chicago and BDP was on the lower end. Food wise, we got SO MANY compliments. We had family members coming up to us and tell us that they never ate salmon, but couldn't get enough of it at our wedding. My sister-in-law told me she would trade any meal for more of the butternut squash ravioli (I agree with her). We had Binny's bring in the alcohol (which saved a lot of money) and then had BDP man the bar. Around 10:00pm we ran out of whiskey and BDP went out and purchased more for us so that we wouldn't have to worry about it, which was such a relief. The entire evening was so smooth. We worked with Grace when we signed and then Chelsey was our day of person and both ladies were wonderful. Plus, we felt good supporting a Chicago urban farm and having as green of a wedding as we could. We cannot recommend Big Delicious Planet enough.

From start to finish, our experience with BDP wedding catering above and beyond what we imagined. They are more than just delicious food (although we received multiple praises for the best wedding food our guests had ever had!) BDP cares about the entire event and makes sure it goes off without a hitch. The experienced wedding coordinators thought of every detail and allowed me and my fiance to work through ideas and decide on something that would work for all of us. I was so happy with our wedding, from the menu to the signature cocktail and the personalized signs, it felt like us and we are so grateful for Big Delicious Planet in making our dream wedding come true. It goes to show you can have wonderful catering and do good for the environment as well.

Christen was wonderful to work with - she was very pleasant and professional and had great suggestions. The chef during our tasting was very accommodating of changes we wanted to make to the standard menu. We had a jamon iberico served during our cocktail hour and reception, which is a bit unusual, and the staff did a great job. Christen did a great job with the finer details. The food was fantastic! We had the Mediterranean station and the urban farm station during our reception. The line at the Mediterranean station was neverending! We got great compliments from our guests during the night about how much they loved the food.

I could go on and on about how amazing Big Delicious Planet (BDP) and Christen and the whole team is, but I'll keep this simple by saying BDP was my FAVORITE WEDDING VENDOR HANDS DOWN. From start to finish Christen was friendly, responsive (always got responses within a day), and amazingly helpful in determining what foods to select for the tasting, final decisions and fun ideas for the wedding (e.g. cake pops and champagne were served during the ceremony which was a HUGE hit)! Christen also worked within our budget and never tried to upsell us. Christen was so helpful she even offered to let us borrow and write in her professional handwriting on chalkboard signs throughout our venue (welcome sign, menu sign, etc). BDP is used to working with our venue (Salvage One - my second favorite wedding vendor!) so that made delivery and final walkthrough at Salvage One much easier given the caterer was comfortable and knowledgeable working there. And did I mention the food was INCREDIBLE? Guests never comment on food cause it's never that good at weddings, but our wedding was an exception and we had many guests tell us the food was great/the best they've had at a wedding. BOTTOM LINE - Best caterer is Big Delicious Planet; work with Christen and her team and you will NOT be disappointed. They are AMAZING - both in service and quality, and they're very reasonably priced. CHOOSE BDP!

BDP catered our 180 person wedding with mostly organic or farm to table food. They are pretty expensive but had great customer service and the food choices were great.

Heidi and her team designed an event to match out tastes and personalities. We had a great vegetarian wedding and got to taste everything before the ceremony. They were quite accomodating and flexible.