About this vendor
We are an established local catering and event management company that specializes in Classic American, Caribbean, Latin and Southern Cuisine. We can customize your menu package to reflect your food preference, theme and budget.
Details
Cuisine
- American
- Italian
- Latin American
- Southern
Dietary Options
- Vegetarian
Food & Catering
- Buffet
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Reviews
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2.6
out of 5.05 reviews
I hired Elmina catering for my wedding in September 2016 as the company was referred to me. Willyne Ross is the owner and director of the company. I learned during the planning p...
rocess that the owner does not communicate well and will not answer your emails or phone calls unless she deems it necessary. I approved her because she seemed as she was knowledgeable of her craft and events overall. I learned quickly towards my wedding date that she was ill prepared to be in the catering business. My planner, decorator, and venue were unsure of her skill set as well. To get to the point. The day of my wedding was pretty much ruined by Elmina. The food was poorly cooked and served late. Her food ended up giving my guests food poising specifically the chicken was raw inside. She arrived late on-site. She did not set up anything as requested by the venue. I contracted her for a certain amount of staff members and she was missing two staff members. She forgot where she placed the wedding cake. She cut the wedding cake before I was able to see it. The list goes on and on. She took responsibility for nothing and I ended up taking her to court this month in 2017. The judge ruled in my favor because her lack of services. I found out when filing the lawsuit that I was not the first client to sue her for lack of services. Please you all, DO NOT hire her! She is not work the trouble or the money. She is not made for this food industry. I plan to make sure no one in the DMV or anywhere in the surrounding areas hires this company. I went through hell with her and I do not want you all to go through the same!! Also, I would like to mention that, her inventory of china and dishes are old and cheap. STAY AWAY! I have spoken with numerous venues, decorators, and other caterers who know of Elmina and refuse to refer them as they have received numerous complaints as well.
Elmina Catering catered our wedding back in December and we could not have been happier with their team. Our menu was perfect down to the very tiniest of details. Our appetizers in...
cluded shrimp & grits in martini glasses, lobsters in a delicious cream sauce served in mini spoons, mini curry chicken salad sandwiches and grilled Greek chicken skewers. The main course was a steak and salmon pairing - DELICIOUS with a corn soufflé that my family orders every year anyways for Thanksgiving from them! Their corn souffle is so freakin good!!!!!! Their service was impeccable, and all 150 guests were served in a quick and timely manner. Very happy with that since Tyler & I have been to weddings in the past where we waited over an hour to eat dinner. The wait staff was friendly, kind, and very thorough at their job. They were able to mold and shape the menu to the regional cuisine that we both wanted - splash of Southern, some Asian, and a mix of Mediterranean. (I know, crazy mix but Elmina Catering made our "crazy" mix as smooth and seamless and our guests were so so thrilled with the pairings) We were even surprised by a little gift box of cookies with our names on them and two bottles of champagne.
Before I end my review, I feel I must say this:
I read some negative reviews about Elmina Catering but my experience was superb. I did not experience any of the craziness I read. I was more than satisfied with their proposal, their referrals, and reviews my husband & I researched online. My advise to new and excited brides: Elmina Catering prices are the best in the dmv area. (Not cheap but not super pricey like the others. And believe me, I researched for months before deciding on them) They are a small boutique of a catering company so you get a personal attention type of service as opposed to just being just another client.
Roberto and I had tasting trials with several area caterers who were all five-star reviewed, and we were starting to become conflicted to having "catered" food; you know, the not-q...
uite-great, somewhat bland, standard wedding fair. On the advice of our Wedding Planner, we decided to try just one more before making a decision. We couldn't have been more blown away. Everything we tasted was marvelous; full of interesting and complex flavors, a true step above the ordinary. Best of all, what we tasted at the trial, we got at the wedding. The food was wonderful and the service was top notch. They even assigned a staff member specifically to us who would be nearby throughout the evening to make sure we had everything we needed. Everyone was professional and friendly and quietly attentive. All of our guests were taken care of and we can't say enough good things about the food. Elmina Catering truly stands out.
Elmina catering turned out to be a great disappointment. I hired them to cater our wedding in July 2012 while my fiance was deployed to Afghanistan. After he suffered an injury and...
returned to the U.S. we had to cancel our wedding. Ms. Ross promised to return half of our deposit over two months ago and now will not return any of our phone calls. I would never recommend a service that does not stick to their word or is so disrespectful of wounded veterans. Very disappointing!!
She was nice at the begining.;Unless you are having a cheap and tacky wedding I would not recommend Elmina Catering. I submitted a complaint to the better business bureau you can a...
lways request it.I am still bitter about my aspects of my wedding. I had purchased a Kate Spate Knife set to cut the cake.I figured my husband and I could use it the day of our wedding...well she did not give it to her assistant so my aunt had to decorate the turkey knife with flowers. She did not put out the guest book. I have gifts missing. She did not help the photographer coordinate the pictures, she was not familiar with Catholic traditions and she knew I was having a Catholic wedding. Just for the record she also had some issues with body odor. The day of the rehearsal at the church she was stinking. I tried to ignore it and told myself that some people just have issues with that. To make matters worst when I asked for a refund she wrote me a check for about $300 that that bounced. You want to hire her be my guest, but don't say I did not warn you
Contact
609 Bonnie Meadow Lane, Fort Washington, MA | Serving All of DC, MD, & VA Areas
Elmina Catering & Event Management