4.8
Praised by couples for:
Food quality and taste
Seasoned professional
Drinks
Authentic Barbecue Served with Genuine Hospitality
Northeast Ohio
Service area
We loved Old Carolina! They were super responsive and easy to work with. We had a big crowd and they made sure dinner ran smoothly and quickly. We got sooo many compliments on our food; people loved it!
Allison F.
5.0
We are so happy we went with Old Carolina to cater our wedding! All of our guests loved the food! The whole team was very easy to work with and provided all the professionalism and service needed. The coordinator, Kelsey was absolutely amazing, super kind, organized and quick to reply. We did a buffet style and the servers were kind and dressed professionally for the event. The package we picked had a water service, coffee, plates and silverware and napkins (can upgrade to cloth). They were even able to help us with our cake cutting. For the tasty food and service we highly recommend!
Jessica G.
5.0
Brooke Guiley
DIRECTOR OF CATERING
Typically responds within 24h
AWARD WINNER (7X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Old Carolina Barbecue Company is a wedding catering service operating out of Fairlawn, OH. Since 2003, this passionate team of caterers has provided celebrations of all shapes and sizes with sensational comfort-food experiences. Offering a sumptuous selection of slow-cooked meats, classic sides, and more, they are ready to make your special day taste truly unforgettable.
Over the last two decades, Old Carolina Barbecue Company has become one of the preferred caterers at wedding venues throughout Northeast Ohio. Available for both intimate gatherings and gatherings of up to 5,000 attendees, their team is versatile, professional, and committed to exceeding every client's expectations. They use only the freshest and finest ingredients to create authentic barbecue dishes that look as good as they taste. Popular meat options include hand-pulled pork, smoked chicken, sliced brisket, and BBQ-glazed salmon, while their sides menu features coleslaw, baked beans, mashed potatoes, and more.
Old Carolina Barbecue Company is available to provide on-location catering services to weddings throughout the Northeast Ohio region. They will help you craft a catering package that fits your vision for your day and aligns with your specific needs and desires. Their standard ‘Original Barbecue’ buffet package includes two types of meat and two sides with salad or coleslaw, with a choice of cornbread, dinner rolls, or buns.
No business details yet
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Details
Cuisine
American
BBQ
Specialty
Dietary Options
Gluten Free
Vegetarian
Food & Catering
Buffet
Catering Clean Up
Catering Delivery & Setup
Family Style
Menu Tastings
Seated Meal
Servers
Awards and Affiliations
7-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2026.2025.2024.+4 more.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Meet the team
Brooke Guiley
Director of Catering
Brooke has helped hundreds of couples with their catering needs since 2016.
Reviews
4.8
out of 5.0113 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Old Carolina is praised for outstanding BBQ and crowd-pleasing sides that guests rave about. Reviewers highlight professional, responsive staff who managed planning, setup, linens, cake cutting, leftover packaging, and cleanup seamlessly. Affordable pricing and convenient add-ons (linens, rentals, coffee) make them highly recommended.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 3
Allison F
5.0
We loved Old Carolina! They were super responsive and easy to work with. We had a big crowd and they made sure dinner ran smoothly and quickly. We got sooo many compliments on our ...
food; people loved it!
Jessica G
5.0
We are so happy we went with Old Carolina to cater our wedding! All of our guests loved the food! The whole team was very easy to work with and provided all the professionalism and...
service needed. The coordinator, Kelsey was absolutely amazing, super kind, organized and quick to reply. We did a buffet style and the servers were kind and dressed professionally for the event. The package we picked had a water service, coffee, plates and silverware and napkins (can upgrade to cloth). They were even able to help us with our cake cutting. For the tasty food and service we highly recommend!
Any questions?
Hanna R
5.0
WOW. Just wow. The food was INCREDIBLE. Guests came up to me all night telling me how amazing dinner was. I don't even usually like mac & cheese... and theirs has me drooling just ...
thinking about it. 🤤 Their staff, especially Kelsey, was absolutely phenomenal. They served the head table, found and cut our cake, cleared tables, kept everyone's water filled, and took care of so many little details I never even had to think about. They also provide the linens, napkins, cups, and water pitchers!
Annabelle C
5.0
Old Carolina was the absolute best caterer. Kelsey was extremely responsive and went above and beyond for us when our baker went rogue.
Margaret C
5.0
Easy to work with and wonderful day of food and service, with leftovers that hold up!
Isabella C
5.0
Working with Kelsey at Old Carolina was such a wonderful experience. I'm not going to talk about the food as much because I hardly ate any :( [just bride things!] but instead abou...
t how well their team handled all of my requests.
I am a Pittsburgh resident who got married in CLE so meeting most of my vendors wasn't gonna be possible. Having never met Kelsey in person, I can say she did an amazing job with communication and ensuring me that my requests would be taken care of. She even sent me a photo of the two napkin colors I was debating on so i could make sure I got what I wanted!
On set-up day, Kelsey arrived and shortly after so did the linen delivery drivers. The delivery guys were super efficient getting everything unloaded, and Kelsey stayed to help fold and set up the napkins. And I'm so thankful she did, it helped us out a lot.
Day of, some of the things I needed their team to help me with was setting up our cookie table, removing a different vendors cocktail apps, and lighting a million taper and tea light candles.
Every single one of my requests were met and without any issues. The ladies working were very nice and I heard the food was great, too.
If you're looking for reasonably priced wedding catering and like BBQ and even better communication, check out Old Carolina!!
Meghan M
5.0
What an amazing catering job old Carolina did for us! From the beginning of choosing old Carolina and sitting down with Kelsey to the ending with all of our servers, it was a very ...
wonderful and pleasant experience. The staff is amazingly professional, and went above and beyond What was expected. They did things that were not asked in order to make everything look beautiful and easy for guests to maneuver at not only the hors d’oeuvres station, but the buffet as well. The food was hot, delicious, and all of our guests raved about the food and how nice it was to do something different Than your standard buffet food at a wedding. From adding napkins and getting to me early so that I can fold, right down to the ending of the evening, where they packaged all of the leftovers. The dishes and the silverware were perfect and looked very professional so that we did not have to rent actual dinnerware! They also did an amazing cleanup job and left nothing for us to do. Thank you again old Carolina for everything you did and making this so easy for us and communicating wonderfully! You know I will be using you again!
Angela G
5.0
We had Old Carolina cater our wedding recently and it was the best decision we made!! So many guests were excited to have something different than italian or typical steak, chicken...
, veg. We got so many compliments that the food was delicious and when our MC's announced seconds multiple people stood up so fast to go get more. We worked with Brooke throughout the process and she was AMAZING she was quick to get back to me on any questions we had and just made the whole process seamless. We ended up doing our linens through Old Carolina which made the whole process easy and they had the perfect napkin color to match our wedding colors. They packaged up all of the leftovers for us and our whole wedding party got to enjoy some more BBQ for lunch the next day! I love that they also have restaurant locations so my husband and I can go for lunch/dinner anytime we want and have our wedding food again! If you are looking for a delicious fun dinner option, amazing staff & something that is in budget - you have to go with Old Carolina!!
Kaila H
5.0
Myself and my husband cannot rave more about Old Carolina! The amount of compliments we received about the food we had at our wedding were immense, and so many people asked who we ...
went with and where they're located so they could go to their restaurant! Kelsey was absolutely amazing throughout the entire wedding planning process, answering all of our questions along the way so quickly! We had such a pleasant surprise when we picked up the decor a few days after the wedding from our reception venue to find that Old Carolina in coordination with our reception venue packaged ALL of the leftovers for us to take home! If you're looking for something affordable & delicious with someone to help you plan along the way, PLEASE go with Old Carolina!
Bailey W
5.0
I have to start with THE FOOD WAS CHEFS KISS! Everyone raved about how delicious it was. Not to mention, they were also very responsive and helpful throughout the entire process of...
planning everything. I loved that they gave us several options from the cloth napkins, to the cutlery. They will truly fit any vibe you’re going for. They were amazing the day of with setting up, breaking down and packing up our food for us. We truly can’t thank you enough for being a HUGE part of our special day ❤️
Pamela K
5.0
We had Old Carolina BBQ cater our wedding back in August and it was AMAZING!!! We had gotten quotes and had tastings from a few other local BBQ places and decided to go with Old Ca...
rolina because their food was amazing, the catering staff we met with was very well prepared and friendly, and the value for what they were offering was 2nd to none. We worked with Brooke and she was awesome! She answered all our questions throughout the planning process and was always following up with us. On the big day, their staff worked hard making sure things went flawlessly. We had the brisket, shredded pork, smoked chicken breasts, Mac and Cheese, mashed potatoes.. along with green beans, side salads, rolls, and corn bread. And everyone, and I mean EVERYONE at our reception was commenting on how delicious the food was. We had several gluten free guests who were thrilled to be able to enjoy the majority of the offerings. I think Old Carolina gained some new customers going forward because everyone said they were going to start going there! We highly recommend Old Carolina if you are looking at catering BBQ for your special event.
Tabitha C
5.0
The food at our wedding was absolutely perfect! From the first bite to the last, everything was delicious and beautifully presented. The catering team went above and beyond—not onl...
y was the service seamless, but they made sure my husband and I were taken care of and actually got to enjoy our meal (which every bride knows is a big deal!).
They worked so well with our venue to make sure everything flowed smoothly, and their professionalism was truly top-notch. Days after the wedding, I had multiple guests reach out just to tell me they were still talking about how amazing the food was. I’m so grateful we chose them—highly, highly recommend!
Miranda W
5.0
Braden and his team were wonderful! The food was phenomenal! Everyone had positive things to say!
Brooke was also wonderful during the planning process!
Kurt W
5.0
We got Old Carolina catered for our wedding and it was phenomenal. Excellent food - everyone loved it. We especially love their beef brisket and Mac n Cheese. The director of cater...
ing services, Brooke Guiley, was extremely helpful, with everything from initial tastings to linen selections, to managing our chair rentals. Excellent communication and high level of professionalism. Other staff and servers were great as well. We had lots of leftovers from our event which they nicely packaged, labeled, and sent home with us to enjoy the next day. I have nothing negative to say and would recommend them to anyone.
Robin C
5.0
Brooke and her team were so incredible to work with and made our special day stress free. Incredibly responsive to all of our questions and needs! We made sure to send her some pic...
s of the wedding because she felt part of it all. Can’t recommend them enough…oh yeah, and the food was reeeeally good.
Liah K
5.0
Abbey and the city BBQ team were the best.
Paige P
5.0
We booked with Old Carolina for our wedding and couldn’t be more happy that we did! They were on time, set up efficiently, and were so incredibly kind. The workers did a fantastic ...
job and I am so appreciative of everyone who came to deliver and serve. The food was absolutely delicious and something many of my friends say they’ll want to have for their future wedding as well. I recommend Old Carolina with full confidence!
Rebecca C
4.0
Working with Kelsey to plan our wedding day catering was absolutely a dream! She took the time to answer all of our questions, make substitutions for allergies and dietary restrict...
ions, and overall help us build a menu we were really excited about. Being able to work with Old Carolina to get rentals through Miller's Party Rentals was also very helpful! The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5 was because the food on the wedding day was luke warm and did not live up to the amazing food we had during our tasting (and every time we have had Old Carolina previously). That being said, we understand that when you scale up production it's a lot easier for something to go wrong. Overall I would recommend Old Carolina for yours events.
Elizabeth K
5.0
We were so impressed with the quality of the food and service at our wedding this past July with Old Carolina! Our guests absolutely loved the buffet style and the choices were per...
fect for a summer wedding. We had multiple guests come up to tell us that even the appetizers (massive chicken tenders) were the best they had at a wedding! The food was simple but delicious, and so much more affordable than other options! We will continue to recommend Old Carolina to everyone we know planning a wedding (or just looking for good barbecue), especially those on a budget!
Ryan W
5.0
Brooke and her team did a fantastic job catering our wedding! From the tasting to the actual wedding day, Brooke kept in contact making sure no detail was left untouched. The food ...
quality was unbelievable - we had multiple guests say it was the best wedding food they have ever tasted! Old Carolina also offered us a linen package which was an added plus and incredibly convenient! It’s the little touches like a coffee bar and delicious pasta for our vegetarian guests that really make Old Carolina a no-brainer when it comes to who you should choose to cater your wedding!
Emma S
5.0
The workers were very professional and helpful. We loved working with Brooke for food tasting and planning. She was very helpful, energetic, and kind. Guests loved the food, and we...
felt that it was a reasonable price.
Nick S
5.0
Nothing but great things to say about Old Carolina BBQ. We got quotes and tastings from a variety of caterers, and not only was Old Carolina the best tasting, but Kelsey and their ...
service throughout were amazing. Don’t underestimate the importance of working with a vendor who is responsive, honest, and accommodating. Not to mention the price was incredibly reasonable. Easy 5 stars here. Thank you Kelsey, and Old Carolina BBQ staff for an amazing experience!
Kim F
5.0
We had Old Carolina at our wedding in April 2024 and it was such a hit! The food was excellent and everyone loved getting to try all of the different BBQ sauces! Coffee was includ...
ed with the catering, the staff were amazing and also cut our cake, and we also were able to rent chairs directly through them which saved us time and money! I would highly recommend them to cater your event!
Natasha S
4.0
We wanted to go with a "non-traditional" dinner, and Old Carolina fit the bill perfectly! We got a load of rave feedback from our guests, about the change in food and how much they...
loved it. The service was fantastic, they made sure to encourage us to eat, and provided us with lots of food and ensured we had all the drinks we needed. They were very easy to coordinate with, even from across the country!
Megan N
5.0
Joseph from Old Carolina was amazing. Communication was quick and easy. He was willing to work with us and make changes to the menu depending on the guest count.
We used them for...
appetizers and our guests loved what was served. We highly recommend them.
Jenna L
5.0
Old Carolina did a great job for our wedding. Not only was the food delicious but they were extremely helpful! They arrived first thing in the morning to setup all the tables, chai...
rs, and linens despite our reception being much later in the day. They were very accommodating throughout the whole process. They also made the extras that we needed to rent very easy and took care of everything! Once the reception ended they had all the tables and chairs put away in no time. I would definitely recommend them!
Kamryn H
5.0
I would give 1,000 stars if I could! Brooke and her team made our day seamless. Every single person at our wedding came up to us and complimented the food and service. This is your...
sign to book with Brooke because you will not regret it!
Taylor H
5.0
Great experience with Joe and old Carolina! The food was amazing and it was perfect for our wedding.
Allison L
5.0
All of the guests loved the food for our wedding! Many people came up to us and said how much they enjoyed it. They were so easy and great to work with.
Kate C
5.0
We had Old Carolina Barbecue cater our wedding; if your reception is at Happy Days Lodge, they are one of the preferred caterers that you shouldn’t overlook. We couldn’t be happie...
r with the service, quality and cost! As other reviews mention when working with their catering service, Brooke was extremely helpful and responsive. She certainly alleviated a lot of the anxieties we had as the wedding day approached. We went with the buffet style, and ordered the pulled pork, pulled chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and salads. Everything was delicious! They even made accommodations for us, going above and beyond, to make the buffet go much more quickly, so we could get out on the dance floor! Afterwards, there were plenty of leftovers that OCB boxed up for us to take home. Would highly recommend them if you’re searching for a caterer in their area.
Brooke W
5.0
We used Old Carolina to cater our wedding and they did a phenomenal job! All of the servers were very nice. The Bride had some food allergies that they went out of their way to acc...
ommodate and the food was great! We did not have to worry at all about the food for our wedding day and would recommend their catering service to anyone!
Hannah B
5.0
We were so happy that we chose Old Carolina for our caterer. From the beginning, Brook was incredibly kind and easy to work with. She made sure everything went smoothly on our big ...
day. They handled all of our linen, seating, and outdoor party game rentals as well. The food was wonderful and we had enough leftovers to feed a small army. We were also pleased with the price and quality of the food. Would highly recommend!
Ashley M
5.0
everyone of my guests complimented the food, Brooke was so sweet and helpful. she really cares about making it such a special day. the servers were amazing as well and so so friend...
ly !
Emily C
5.0
Everyone said Old Carolina was the best wedding food they ever had. The staff stayed all night to help with everything. They brought so much food and were super accommodating for ...
those with dietary restrictions. Definitely recommend the pulled pork and the cornbread!
Maddie B
5.0
Brooke and the whole Old Carolina staff were INCREDIBLE to work with! The food was delicious and super affordable! Brooke worked with us to customize our menu and was super helpful...
to our guests with dietary restrictions. It was so convenient to have Old Carolina also handle our linens and a few extra rentals we needed. I highly highly recommend Old Carolina for wedding catering and cannot say enough good things about them!
Cora D
5.0
The food was great, I had so many people compliment the food choice. But more importantly to me, the service was Amazing! They checked in with me all night with any needs and did a...
n Amazing job providing the Linens which looked soo good, and then cleaned up at the end which was so much help!
Sarah M
5.0
Old Carolina was the PERFECT choice for our wedding caterer. Brook was so great to work with, and she made everything so easy!! We were able to customize our menu to perfectly fit...
what we wanted, and the staff and food were excellent!!
Skye L
5.0
Brooke and her team worked with us through three reschedules and a million other changes! The communication, value, all inclusive package, flexibility, and day of execution were sp...
ot on. The food and service on our wedding day were wonderful and we received a ton of compliments from guests (and the leftovers were appreciated by those that attended the after party;) ). The fact that they not only provide great food and service, but also linens, flatware, coffee and water service (and more!) made my planning even easier.
You will not be disappointed!
Brittany Z
5.0
The food was absolutely delicious! We worked with Brooke and she was amazing and so helpful. My guests loved the food. I definitely recommend the Mac N Cheese!
We got so many comp...
liments on the food. Their vegetarian pasta is also amazing, so that is not a worry for the guests who do not eat meat.
Katarina (Kiki) Z
5.0
After experiencing Old Carolina's food and meeting Brooke at a bridal show we knew that we wanted Old Carolina to cater our wedding. The food is amazing and Brooke is such a genuin...
e and down to earth person that we knew that we were making the right decision. It was very important to us to not only have great food at our wedding but to also work with great people. We definitely had that with Old Carolina. Brooke went above and beyond for us by driving quite a ways, since we live farther Northeast, to meet at an Old Carolina closer to us for our wedding food tasting. She also made us feel comfortable and cared about. Brooke is seriously the best!
We also had to navigate through the pandemic and with rescheduling our wedding from May to July and during this time Old Carolina and Brooke were there for us and were ready to accommodate us and our new wedding date. Brooke even said that whatever date we picked they would make work even if it meant needing to hire more people. It took so much worry and stress away from us and we were so thankful for that!
The food on the day of the wedding was amazing! We heard so many great things about the food from our guests and we were so happy that we had leftovers. So good! The staff on the day of the wedding were also amazing and the nicest people! They made sure that everything was perfect and that everyone was taken care of. Thank you for making us feel so special!
We cannot wait to have Old Carolina catering again!
Thank you!
Katarina & Eric
07.25.2020
Camille S
5.0
Old Carolina was an awesome caterer for our small (75 guest) fall wedding. Old Carolina packages and pricing are incredibly reasonable and our guests loved all the options they had...
to choose from. We had a couple of meat options, as well as a vegetarian option with sides, cornbread, salad, water and iced tea. Not to mention, the four delicious sauces that Old Carolina is known for. The staff the day of the wedding was friendly and attentive to guest's needs. As a special shout-out, Brooke Guiley was a pleasure to work with to sort out all of the details to make the day run smoothly. I would recommend Old Carolina and Brooke to anyone who looking for delicious food at a great price and excellent customer service.
Sheila B
5.0
Yum!! We worked with Brooke from Old Carolina BBQ and she was incredible. We ended up picking a new venue within a month or so before our big day and she took the time to meet us t...
here to help decide on set up and what would work best. She was so easy to work with and very helpful!! The food spoke for itself! All of our guests loved it and many went back up for seconds. Luckily, there was some leftover for us to take home! Oh and the pricing was VERY reasonable for what you get!! Go to a tasting and if bbq is what you have in mind then you’ll be choosing Old Carolina!!
Nikki S
5.0
Great staff and great food served at my wedding. Catering manager was helpful throughout the process and allowed for customization of different catering options. Staff arrived ahea...
d of time to setup and was helpful in setting out additional items not included in the catering package (cocktail napkins, utensils for cake, plates for cake, apps, etc). Would highly recommend for a wedding or any event.
Amber T
5.0
We had so many compliments on our food by guests. My husband and I are big foodies so one of the major priorities for us was to have really good food at the wedding and Old Carolin...
a went above and beyond! One guest was a South Carolina native who RAVED about how this is the best barbecue he's had since living in Ohio, talk about a compliment! There was a management change from Brooke to Deb during our planning but even that was handled seamlessly. The caterers were great and even cut our cake for us last minute when I forgot to plan who would do that ahead of time. I would recommend Old Carolina to anyone in NE Ohio, they have the most competitive prices and best wedding food out there!
Julie G
5.0
Excellent food and service. Everyone was great!
Brianna L
5.0
First, the food was amazing. Second, the staff was incredibly professional and moved so quickly. Deb was wonderful to work with and communicated everything that we needed to know a...
nd made sure we were on the same page the entire time. She personally delivered our plates and gave helpful advice to help our day look perfect and go smoothly. Barbecue may not be conventional but it was a huge hit. The prices are wonderful and you can pick and choose everything that you want or don't want. I would recommend OCBC to anyone and everyone.
Christina K
5.0
We literally could not be happier that we went with Old Carolina!!!! Everyone I spoke with from this company did literally everything within their power to make our wedding perfect...
. They were so unbelievably nice and professional and went out of their way to provide my venue with the necessary paperwork needed to become an approved vendor at this location. They even drove out 45 minutes one way just to get there which I appreciate like they would not believe. The food was absolutely perfect and we got so many compliments!! And it was so affordable. $20 per person for a buffet and it was only that high because we added on extra sides and desserts. The other approved caterers wanted $5,000 for less food and one serving! I cannot contain my excitement, hence the exclamation marks, because you need to have them cater. Literally no complaints. Please please consider this company for literally any catering you need.
Lindsey B
5.0
Old Carolina was the perfect selection for our barn wedding. Not only is their food amazing, the linens, plates, silverware, etc are all taken care of by the catering. The staff ...
was super helpful and friendly the day of our event. I would definitely recommend using them when looking for barbecue for your wedding!
Hannah S
5.0
We LOVE Old Carolina Barbecue! We had them as our caterer for our August 17th wedding and had nothing but rave reviews from our guests. Everyone was so pleased that it was "non-tra...
ditional" wedding food. Their catering truly is one of the most affordable companies around and you will be hard-pressed to find better food for any cheaper. Only downside during the whole experience was that our account had 3 different catering managers over the course of our planning process. All were wonderful but it made as if there was a lot of turnover in staffing. Be prepared to leave with LOTS of leftovers!
Taylor A
5.0
OCB was my wedding caterer and they were amazing! All of our guests were saying it was the best wedding food they ever had. My venue was very DIY so I loved that I could get a pack...
age that included linens, plates, napkins, silverware, water, etc. Deb made planning so easy and the serving staff was wonderful and helpful. Highly recommend for weddings!
Service area & Contact info
Northeast Ohio
Typically included in the starting cost
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Old Carolina Barbecue & Catering Co.
Brooke Guiley
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Director of Catering
Typically responds within 24h
Wedding vendors in North Canton
Old Carolina Barbecue & Catering Co.
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