Jewell Events Catering

This 5 star rating is for the customer service of Jewell! I’ve worked with Jillian on two occasions, one for a work cocktail party, and another for a Holiday dinner. We had to change our proposal so many times but she was super kind and understanding the whole time. She was also quick to remedy a situation when we weren’t 100% satisfied. They’re also great with returning e-​mails, if calling isn’t your preferred method of communication.

We just had our wedding this past weekend and LOVED working with Dana and the team at Jewell. Total professionals and such a pleasure to work with. Dana is a rockstar and made me feel completely comfortable throughout the wedding process. The day of the wedding, she was there and ensure my groom and I had our drinks or choice ready to go at every step. She truly made me feel like a princess.
And let’s talk about the food — we are still receiving so many compliments. Everything from apps, to salads to main entrees was amazing and flawless. A bit on the pricey side but you get what to you pay for and we are so glad we did.
Thank you, Dana and Jewell for helping make out special day so amazing, care-​free and most of all, delicious!

I can’t say enough good things about Jewell Catering. We hired them for our wedding in August 2015 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Kristin Kramer was our main contact. She was very responsive through email and our tastings were really nice and organized. She listened to every request (like having Two Brothers’ Domaine Dupage at the open bar instead of the standard Light beer) and followed through. Everything was perfect at the wedding. Our guests are still raving about the food. Because Jewell does so many weddings at different venues, they are very familiar with the layouts and prep areas for those venues, so everything ends up flowing seamlessly. They were also the only caterer willing to work within our budget, which was a huge plus.

Had an amazing catered lunch from Jewel Events Catering today. Fantastic sandwiches and fast delivery. Thanks from Team Rubicon!!!

My husband and I got married at The Murphy during Memorial Day weekend and Jewell Events was our caterer. We worked with Kristin Kramer and her staff and could not have been more pleased. She was very responsive and available to us when we needed her which is so important for a future bride and groom! Kristin had a «can do» attitude and was always energetic and positive. She also had great creative ideas for us when we needed them. Jewell could not have done a better job the day of our wedding. The room was gorgeous, the food was amazing and the staff was first class. We could not thank the staff enough for all they did for us that day. Highly recommend Jewell Events for your catering needs!

Another seamless meeting catering experience by Jewell To Go– I had the pleasure of using them again for in-​house weekend meetings. Their food is always a big hit, and they are so easy to work with.
I’m sure my small meeting orders are a pittance compared to a wedding catering event, but Jewell treats me like a top customer, and is always on point. Kudos.

Do NOT use this company for your catering needs, especially if looking for drop-​off catering services! With their drop-​off services, you can expect cheap, plastic plating the same grade as Corner Bakery or Specialtys, except at double the cost. With this, you can also be assured that not all of your purchased items will arrive, and they will do nothing to fix this. Save yourself the headache and go elsewhere!

I was referred to Jewell for my wedding catering and was blown away by the food quality! I worked with Clementine Custom Events and they immediately recommended Jewell. I was a little unsure about them as I had my hopes up for another catering company, but Jewell was the company that accommodated our budget the most. My hesitations were blown away when my husband, my mother, and I sat down with Dana at Jewell for our tasting last December.
We were set up in a formal dining room with our food choices set up so professionally — they asked our wedding colors ahead of time so they could have the linens and plate/​silver/​chair selection at the table for us. The three of us were very impressed with the food quality — miniature Chicago style hot dogs for passed appetizers, potato latke with smoked salmon, etc. All were delicious, it was hard to choose five for our event! I had spoken with Dana about my desire to have a Polish food buffet at the wedding as one of our choices, and they delivered on this 100% — my mom, born in Poland, was impressed by the stuffed cabbages and kielbasa/​sauerkraut dish, among other items on the buffet. After the tasting, we knew for sure that they were the ones we wanted to cater.
Dana worked with us to coordinate our cake delivery and alcohol drop off so that we didn’t have to worry about anything. Any little request I had, whether it was for fresh lemon/​lime juice at the bar or pre-​slicing our own cakes that we were bringing in was met with only a desire to help us.
On the day of the wedding, we did not hear anything but rave reviews about our food — especially the Polish buffet! I had at least fifteen people tell me that the stuffed cabbage was to die for — I only wish I would have asked them to pack up some to-​go for me!
They were worth our investment in every way and we would not have had such a flawless wedding without them!

We said $ 3000 is the budget. They gave us a proposal for $ 9000. We repeated that the budget is $ 3000. They gave us a proposal for $ 8500. We said goodbye. They gave us a proposal for $ 7600.
Although they were kind via email, our experience with this company is that they are trying to gouge their customers for the most money possible. I am not interested in feeling like I’m a corporate negotiator when I am planning my wedding.
I do not recommend this company. Take your money to another caterer that listens to and partners with your vision.
This is my first negative review on Unilocal,so take that for what it is worth.

Amazing job from Jewell Events Catering. We used them for our wedding at the Rookery this past Saturday and can’t say enough good things about them. We worked with Dana and Jenna throughout our planning process and then primarily Dana as we got closer to the event. Both of them were great to work with from the very beginning. Super friendly, super knowledgeable about running events, and responsive to our many many questions and requests.
It was amazing to see them pull together all of our plans and make a fantastic reception. We absolutely loved how the room turned out and had an amazing time all night long. Our guests were really impressed with everything and have been raving about the night.
They have a lot of options when it comes to food and work with you on everything you could possibly want to make the night exactly what you want it to be. The food we went with was delicious too!
We found out a few days after the wedding that there were a few issues with vendors prior to the start of the reception that Dana took care of… we had no idea on the night of and everything seemed to run perfectly. She is a true professional.
We couldn’t have done it without help from Jewell. I would certainly recommend them for catering events… especially a wedding at the Rookery!

Jewell catered our wedding at Salvage One in January and everyone raved about the food. I often feel that wedding food leaves a lot to be desired because it is made in such a large quantity but it was as if they made each meal to order.
We worked with Dana who was amazing and made sure everything went seamlessly. She managed to take care of any issue that came up before I even knew anything was wrong.
I cannot say enough great things about the entire team at Jewell and would recommend them to anyone!

Kristin Kramer & Stephanie G. were absolutely amazing to work with for our wedding day. My husband and I live & work on the Near West Side were initially overwhelmed with all of the catering options just in our neighborhood! Jewell was the only catering group that was able to meet both our budget and food expectations. From our tasting experience until the last box was walked out, the catering team was absolutely incredible. We were so thankful for the extras that this group offered us, such as wine tasting their selection of wines and making sure we knew options for switching out sides for entrees and varying our bar package.
I often hear about couples being disappointed with the quality of food at the time of their actual wedding — but we actually liked the appetizers and entrees more at our reception!!! Our guests continue to comment on the quality and taste of the food and I am so thankful that we picked Jewell.
Kristen & Stephanie were life-​savers in helping me decide on so many things such as the lay out of the room or the flow of the ceremony — I was so undecided or confused about various things, and with their experience with my venue they were able to help me get it all organized for a flawless night. Thank you!

Have you ever gone to weddings and you get the typical wedding food and it’s horrible! Well, I didn’t have that problem at my wedding, because I hired Jewell catering. People couldn’t stop raving about the food! I even had a guest ask for seconds for guests that didn’t show that’s how great the food was. Everything tasted so fresh and had great flavor. Also, everything tasted like it came right out of the oven!
I had the pleasure of working with Kristen Kramer, she is wonderful! She has the bright and bubbly personality. I loved every meeting with her, because she was so positive. She is also very knowledgeable about their food as well. She was all about making this the best experience for us. She kept saying anything we want or need, please let her know. If we wanted to change anything, they would make it happen for us!
Not only was the food great, but they made our wedding cake! It was awesome! The flavor was great! The icing was too die for! It was moist and flavorful! They even offered to make another topper for our wedding anniversary!
If you are looking for great wedding food and a wonderful company. Please go to Jewell! Pick Kristin she’s amazing!

Though I’ve never dealt with Jewell on the logistics side, seeing the many favorable reviews on here is on par with my experiences attending events where Jewell provided the catering. My taste buds have always been pleasantly surprised, and I find the offerings — food and drink — to be of high quality and not institutional or mass-​produced fare. Last week I had attended the library’s reception to kick off One Book, One Chicago. This year’s selection is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which I mention because all of the passed appetizers lined up with the theme of superheroes– even the grilled cheese triangles, spinach puffs, and bacon-​wrapped dates had inventive names that tied in with the book, and were plated on trays bearing artwork from the cover. There were little brownie bites in the shape of Batman’s logo at the end. The level of detail also extended to the catering staff, as the guy working the bar was wearing a superhero mask and a superman t-​shirt under his jacket.
Before that event, I’d attended another library reception, catered by Jewell, that tied in with the 100 Years of Wrigley book. The appetizers featured mini versions of traditional stadium fare — bitty ice cream cones, hot dogs/​burgers, cones of popcorn, all in shrunken down form. It was absolutely adorable and put everyone in the mood of being at the ballpark.
Everything about this outfit speaks to a high level of professionalism and pride in creating customized and inventive experiences, even for routine events where wine and cheese trays are more often the norm. I look forward to attending more events catered by Jewell and would definitely recommend this company to anyone looking to coordinate an event where a higher level of culinary excellence is required.

Wow wow wow! I CANNOT say enough good things about the staff at Jewell. Jenna and Abby lead the team and were just exceptional.
The story. Our wedding had a major hiccup. On my way to the ceremony, I get a call from the reception venue and am told that they had double booked and didn’t realize it until the day of. That is a whole other story for a whole other time. However, what ended up happening was that our wedding got moved to a different venue two blocks away. Jewell called in so many extra people to make the change happen. Even the owner pitched in and went and picked up our additional lighting. Just wow– that he would even do that. Our new venue was set up for another wedding that was happening the next day. In the course of just a couple of hours, the team at Jewell tore down that wedding and built up ours. They were literally running around to get everything together until the last minute. And they totally pulled it off. Our wedding at our new venue was beautiful and wonderful. Everyone commented how lovely it was. Jewell is totally the company that made it happen. If we had gone with another catering company, I don’t know if they would have been able to do what Jewell did. It was such a disaster and Jewell saved the day.
Everyone loved the food. it was delicious. The short ribs in the basket was an all star favorite, as was the cous cous in the peppers. The service staff were friendly and wonderful. They took such good care of everyone. I feel like I should be raving more about the food. But truly what I will remember for the rest of my life is how Jewell saved my wedding day from total disaster.
Not that anyone could anticipate something like this happening. But if you choose Jewell for your caterer, you will not be disappointed. They are absolutely the best!

Wow! Words cannot express the gratitude I have for Jewell catering, and specifically for event coordinators Kristin Kramer and Morgan Schemel. I worked with Jewell for my July 2014 wedding, and while I anticipated it would be difficult to plan/​coordinate a wedding in Chicago, as I live in NYC, Jewell put all my anxieties to rest. Not only was the entire team at Jewell extremely responsive to any emails/​calls I made, thy provided clarity and guidance when I needed it, while making sure my vision for our wedding and reception was never lost.
The food was spectacular. We asked for a Jamaican themed menu, and dear lord did they deliver!!! First course was a summer salad with fried plantain strips and fresh fruits, entrée was a choice of jerked chicken on a bed of plantain purée, pineapple glazed cod on a bed of plantain purée or vegetable and tofu curry over coconut rice! All three were absolutely delicious. Dessert was a fantastically light and moist marble cake with a salted caramel filling, and our signature drink was a Jamaican rum punch!!! I’m salivating just thinking about it all! Additionally, as I did not go with a wedding planner or day-​of coordinator, Kristin took it upon herself to oversee set up and take down of the ceremony and reception and review timeline with myself and the DJ! Jewell/​Kristin also allowed me to drop off all ceremony decorations (aisle runner, table numbers, table décor, cake set, etc) the week of the wedding, so they could take it all over to venue and set it up for me! I really don’t think it gets any better than that!
Overall, Jewell really made my wedding such an easy, relaxing and fun experience for myself, my hubby, our families and all the guests! I can’t count how many times guests commented on the set-​up, the décor, the food, the feel, and the ease of the day. The team was amazing throughout this entire process, and I always felt at ease working with them and confident I was in good hands with Jewell.

Hands down one of the best elements of our wedding. Our contact, Les, was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. He listened to exactly what it was we were looking for, and made adaptations as we changed our mind along the way. We always felt he was in control and had a clear vision.
Les and his team arrived day-​of and got to work immediately. The tables were set flawlessly and the service from start to finish was perfect. I cannot tell you how many compliments I received on both the food and beverage and overall service. I look forward to utilizing Jewell Events (and Les!) for future celebrations.

Ordered from the Jewell To Go menu for a work event for 80 attendees.
I initially called Jewell Events and spoke to someone who got my basic info and asked me questions about the event and what kind of menu I was looking for. I told her my preferences and what issues I had with the last catering company that I used. She assured me that she would have someone follow up with a phone call. A few days passed and no call, so I called back to find out what was up. The person I talked to told me that someone would e-​mail me a proposal. They did later that day, which was fine. The menu they sent me was great, loved just about everything on it. Except there was one thing– one item proposal was green beans and another item was haricot verts— which basically is green beans, just in French. Why propose two side dishes that are the same veggie? If all this company does is catering, why make such a simple mistake as this?
What really annoyed me is that I said multiple times, over the phone and in e-​mails that our event starts at 6 PM and I was annoyed that the last catering company said that they would have the food ready to go by 6, but did not, therefore delaying the start time of the corporate meeting. My contact at Jewell Events assured me that they would have a butler arrive at 4:30 PM to start setting up so that the food would be ready to go by 5:30, so people could eat before the meeting starts.
Well, I arrived a few minutes before 5:30 the day of the meeting and the guy was just starting to unload his cart of food. I ended up having to help him set up the food, as he was taking his time and was searching through bags for the proper utensils. If I’m paying $ 180 for a butler to be present and set up, I don’t think that I should have to help set up just to get things going on time, especially when I have other things to take care of, like figuring out why the audio isn’t working. So obviously, the guy didn’t get there at the time at the contact I was working with told me he would get there, and this catering company was no different from the one I worked with previously, which was Paramount Events, who blamed the delay on traffic (BTW this is Chicago, plan for the traffic). Anyway, food was not ready until a few minutes before 6:00 PM, so that delayed the start of the meeting about 10 minutes. Not okay. Guess I’ll continue searching for a catering company that will do things as I request for the next staff meeting.
Well, at least the food was decent. And the cream puffs were divine— make sure you order those if you DO go with Jewell.

FOOD POISONING!
3 people at a work event got TERRIBLE food poisoning after eating catered box lunches from here (Turkey Club and Stacked Italian). They all came down with it at same time ~24 hrs after eating box lunch. I was so severely ill I spent the night in the ER, doctor said this was definitely food poisoning due to the severity of our illnesses. DO NOT EAT THIS FOOD.

I was looking into using the Columbus Park Refectory for my wedding and Jewell Events Catering is one of their approved caterers. I called them up to get an idea of their prices and culinary capabilities. I worked with Jenna and Dana who were fully present and available for phone conversations and followed up with friendly emails.
Jewell Events Catering was the only caterer to provide me with a cost estimate up front before I signed a contract with the Columbus Park Refectory. This was extremely important because (as I discovered) caterers make up the bulk of wedding costs. It would have been tragic for us if we signed a contract with the refectory only to later discover that we couldn’t afford a caterer!
Anyway, Dana and Jenna were real gems with whom to work. They were patient with me, forever pleasant, and clear in their explanations. If I remember correctly, they put together two quotes: the first was everything we wanted but soared above our budget and the next one was within our budget but reflected the bathos of our dreams to reality.
I learned that event caterers do a lot. They bring chairs, tables, linens, place settings, decorations, food, and employees. They deliver EVERYTHING and then they clean it all up. Dana and Jenna would provide me with detailed time-​lines for orchestration and tuxedoed ushers to help herd our guests from the ceremony to cocktail hour, to the reception. No wonder they’re pricey!
And God bless them for letting me know how much they’d cost before we signed anything with the refectory! This whole decision process took months and I am genuinely appreciative of their professionalism and kindness to me.