Martino’s Catering & Events

I used this company for a party. The food was terrible. Don’t use them.

I am in the middle of planning my wedding and came here to review Martino’s because I really wanted to consider this company for my wedding. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to because Shellie stopped returning my emails.
I originally met her at a Bridal Bazaar, I know those things are awful. However, I don’t know anything about wedding planning in San Diego, so it was a good start. My friend went with me and when we hit Martino’s booth we were both impressed. Shellie was outstanding and my friend kept going on and on about her even after we left. I must admit I was really excited at the idea of possibly finding my caterer so easily!
All in all I had a hard time getting Shellie to give me straight answers via emails. She would repeat her questions to me and never answer any of mine. I wasn’t even sure if she did tastings because I couldn’t get her to admit she offered them. So, I thought we needed to go through her menu (as she requested) to give her the options we liked. Then we would get the proposal and an invitation for a tasting, but no. Even after all that she ignored my response completely and in the end never gave me any kind of quote.
At first I was disappointed and wanted to email her again today to see if she would respond, but now that I see all these reviews on here I know I am not being too hard on her for leaving me hanging. If she wanted my business she would have responded.

I contracted Martino’s Catering for my daughter’s wedding Nov. 1, 2008. My daughter’s fiancé died suddenly 5 months prior to the wedding. Not only would Shellie not return any money that had been paid, but one payment she charged unauthorized on my credit card. I took her to small claims court and won that amount. She appealed the claim and we went to Superior Court. Not only did I win again but I was awarded an additional $ 1500. I have yet to see a penny and my attorney said she has numerous claims against her. I looked forward to using her and her references seemed good. My advice to anyone would to be very cautious. She may do a good job at catering but she is not a good business woman. Her contract does not provide any outs for the client but I know it can be broken by law. My lawyer did it and she was also represented by a good lawyer.
We have had a rough two years and Shellie certainly didn’t help make it any easier. She acccsed me of smearing her name and this is the first negative comment I have made. I have given her more than enough time to pay me and she has made no attempt. I can’t understand how she stays in business.

Caveat Emptor, «Buyer Beware!»
If you are planning your special day/​event, please read this carefully. We thought we had done our due diligence in selecting a caterer for our wedding in September 2009; visiting numerous caterers, sampling a wide variety of menus, and asking countless questions. Unfortunately, we trusted Shellie. She assured us her personal touch to provide a seamless event. Shellie over promised and COMPLETELY under delivered.
During our first meeting/​tasting, she informed us that Martino’s Catering provides personalized service and she would be there on the wedding day to ensure the finer details are provided, such as raising the blinds, opening the glass doors to invite the guests into the banquet room for dinner service, wine poured throughout dinner, cake cutting time for cake service, etc. However, Shellie never even showed up on our wedding day.
There are no words to adequately describe our discontentment with Martino’s Catering. We’re giving this 1 star because it doesn’t allow for negative star ratings. Significant items on our SIGNED contract was not provided, which were:
— 1 food server PER table. However, only 4 food servers and 1 Captain for 8 guests dinner tables and 1 sweetheart table (Captain trying to make the best out of a bad situation, functioned as a 5^th food server).
— Freshly Baked Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread and Butter. However, bread was hard and stale.
— Pre-​plated, stacked (standing ~3 ½″ tall) Caprese Salad (Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette). However, the salad was NOT pre-​plated, missing the basil, only had a thumb size slice of mozzarella, and two flat and soggy tomato slices (it resembled nothing like our original tasting at Martino’s and pictured on website).
— Angel Hair Pasta with a Light Wine Sauce, Shallots, Garlic and Fresh Parmesan Cheese. However, pasta was missing shallots and cold.
— Pan Seared Salmon with Soy Honey Sauce. However, the salmon was NOT pan seared, it was soggy and tasted steamed with no seasoning.
— Jamaican Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa. However, the pork tenderloin was dry and leathery.
The overall lack of management resulted in many mistakes, which included: signature cocktails not tray passed (as contracted); hors d’oeuvres tray passed 10 minutes AFTER cocktail reception started; import/​domestic cheese, crackers and fruit table was set-​up 10 minutes AFTER cocktail reception started (plus, our guest found a worm in the fruit — see attached picture); blinds were not raised and glass doors not opened for guests to enter for dinner service (our guests had to enter through the side door); only one round of wine was poured for guests during dinner; and, lack of awareness of cake cutting and plating (some minutes after cake was cut, Groom had to ask food server to begin cake service).
One of the primary reasons we choose Martino’s was specifically based on what Shellie told us, as well as, the food taste and presentation. Unfortunately, the dinner was mediocre (at best) and food service was slow due to under staffing. Needless to say, Martino’s did NOT fulfill all of its commitments according to our SIGNED contract or provide the personalized service as Shellie had promised.
In addition, we gave the gratuity at the end of the event to the Captain (keep in mind, the gratuity was supposed to be for a crew of 8 food servers, captain, on site chef and bartender). I hope Shellie provided the crew of 4 food servers, captain, on site chef and bartender the FULL amount, without skimming from the top. The Captain and his crew worked extremely hard for us on our wedding day and was trying very hard to make a difficult situation work. No thanks to Shellie at Martinos! From reading other Unilocal reviews, Shellie’s team seems all too familiar with this situation.

Our May wedding was in a private home in Carlsbad with the objective of steering away from tradition and impart as much personalization as possible. Shellie played a key role in making that happen. First, she coordinated a great layout for our space and took care of our rentals, linens and flowers. Her attention to detail was phenomenal. She even let us use some of her decorations and gorgeous glass container for our signature cocktail! She also provided many decorating suggestions. Now let’s talk food. I’m STILL hearing from my friends & family how awesome the food was. We opted to give our out-​of-​town guests some SoCal flava and had 3 themed stations… along with a killer raw bar and passed hors d’oeuvres. Giving Shellie full creative reign was a VERY good decision. She even went so far as to personalize the stations with our favorite condiments and added one of my recipes to the menu. I’ve sampled a lot of her food… but I’m still dreaming of those shrimp stuffed piquillo peppers, lamb chops and tri tip. Which reminds me, when I found out that she purchases her tri tip at my favorite local butcher (which is pretty pricey), I was floored at the level of quality and at very reasonable prices.
One final note, we talked to a number of caterers prior to choosing Shellie and were kind of put off by them incorporating the gratuity into the cost – even though it’s standard. Shellie didn’t…which showed us she was that confident she was going to deliver a high-​quality service without demanding it up front. And she sure did!!!

Shellie and her team at Martino’s catered our April 2009 wedding at the ZLAC Rowing Club. I cannot say enough fantastic things about Martino’s. They came highly recommended by two friends who hired them for their weddings. Shellie and her staff were professional, courteous, attentive and most of all the food was fantastic. Martino’s was the first and only tasting we attended — we booked them before we left that afternoon.
My wife hired Shellie to provide a day-​of coordinator, for the cupcakes and flowers (bouquet, boutonnieres, and décor) and was thrilled with the results. Shellie went above and beyond with all of those things as well. Most people think it’s a shame that cake doesn’t get eaten at a wedding — ours was GONE. Not even leftovers for us that night! Karen, our day-​of coordinator was on top of details we didn’t even think of.
Martino’s goes WAY above and beyond to ensure that every event is perfect. Our friends and family still talk about how wonderful everything turned out. My wife and I would both recommend Martino’s to cater any event.

I used Martino’s Catering for my April 2009 wedding. Wow! What an amazing job Shellie and her staff did. The food was some of the best food I’ve ever had in my life… and my husband and I really appreciate good food.
We wanted a Spanish flare to the food, I had no idea it would be so amazing — Everyone was blown away! People are still raving about the food. Shellie and her staff far surpassed our expectations.
Throughout the planning process Shellie was always available and had really creative ideas. She was nothing but a pleasure to work with. I can’t imagine using anyone else as the caterer.
Here is our menu:
Cocktail Hour: assortment and salsas, chips and guacamole station with fresh fruit and imported and domestic cheeses and crackers
Tray passed:
*Smoked beef and goat cheese empanadas
* Citrus ceviche
* Brie and pear with chutney quesadillas — we soooo good!
Dinner:
*Corn & Flour tortillas
*Mixed greens with artichokes and chilies with balsamic vinaigrette
*Spinach Salad with roasted peppers and chipotle dressing
* Vegetable skewers
*Shitake Mushroom enchiladas with ancho chile cream sauce — yum
*Poblano’s Chiles with cheese and shrimp with roasted red bell peper cream sauce
* Filet mignon with three chili butter sauce — this was a HUGE hit!!!
Dessert: Assorted sorbets and cream brulee with trio of berries
Shellie, Thank you so much for being so great at what you do. You helped make our day special and made all our guest very happy!

I don’t know where to start. This has been the worst experience I have ever had with a caterer. I use a catering service for my business often, and I now and understand basic health guidelines, basic business integrity, and basic customer service skill sets. Shellie has NONE of the above… Seriously. Her Chefs where wiping their sweat off their forehead and I event had several guests refuse to touch their food as they observed sweat drops falling from the chefs head into the plate. He, the chef, did not even think twice about it.
Based on this experience, I asked Shellie calmly to kindly make it right and speak to the guests that were upset. She refused and denied all accountability. I had to run to Ralph’s and pick up some Panda Express to give to these poor guests. Obviously I was overwhelmed with disgust and total humiliation!
PLEASE, anyone considering this company, take head to all the warnings that have been posted previously on this board. There are many catering companies that do provide outstanding service, follow health guidelines and operate with a great deal of integrity.

food: 7
service: 2
drinks: 2
design/​ambiance: 8
crowd: n/​a
wait/​parking/​reservations: n/​a
Just thought I should add this edit 5÷20÷09: We had no intention of tipping less than 18% as the other mystery Unilocalers have stated. We were simply complaining about the surprise charge that was not authorized nor discussed. I think tipping before receiving something is releasing someone of accountability for their service. Also, if you will notice the only person with a picture, friends or any relevant reviews on Unilocal is Shelly’s sister. Hahaha. Make sure you check your sources!
The owner Shelly has some good ideas and an extensive collection of linens, but she is lacking in integrity. For our wedding appetizers we had chicken satay, spring rolls and stuffed mushrooms. The satay was not good, but the spring rolls served on top of wheat grass were quite nice and the mushrooms were ok. When we sampled the food at Martino’s office the food was great. I mentioned that the salsa was too cold on the Sea Bass with Mango salsa, I don’t know if she made the adjustment for the wedding day service. The Tofu with orange mustard glaze on spinach was very original and was the most flavorful option, but it was drastically different when served at the wedding (raw tofu and a different sauce, I think the same sauce as the beef). The teriyaki fillet was what I chose for my wedding meal and it was tender and tasty, but it was missing the Trio of potatoes as specified in the agreement. The first red flag that Shelly would say something and do another was when she charged our credit card for gratuity after we had agreed to wait until the wedding day to determine the gratuity. We saw the charges and confronted her. She said that if we charged it back she would not serve our wedding dinner (basically extortion). As much as that bothered us we could not make any changes because we had already given a deposit and it was too close to our wedding date to make a change. The night of the wedding the bar tenders ran out of vodka and wine (that we supplied) causing my brother in law to have to miss part of the celebration so that he could get some more. It was all a waste of time because they miraculously found them soon after he left. I think they were stashing my booze for their after hour party. Some people did not get any bread, many trays were dropped during the service and the food took a long time to come out. When my wife posted her experience on
Shelly threatened us with a law suit. If you are going to use Martino’s use cash or checks and buyer beware. She will sell you one thing and deliver another.

I am so sorry to hear that someone else has had a similarly extremely negative experience with Martino’s. We used them for our summer 2008 wedding.
I’ve posted a similar review on another website and got harassing emails from Shellie, threatening to sue me too! Keep that in mind if you ever sign a contract with her: SHE IS SUE HAPPY and will take you or threaten to take you to court if you dare to question her or are not happy with the service she provided.
Below is a short summary of our experience and why I’ve given Martino’s such a bad review.
Small negativities
1. Guest’s were never served water and if they wanted water they had to request it numerous times.
2. Only 4 pieces of bread (rosemary– which she brags about in any tasting) was provided for an 8 or 10 person table. The basket was never refilled and if guest requested more, it wasn’t provided until after the entire meal was served.
3. I witnessed three different times when Martino’s staff dropped entire trays of food or glasses on the floor making a huge mess. My coordinator saw three additional times!
4. Shellie Martin, the owner of Martino’s Catering indicated that our entire 128 guests would be served dinner in less than 20min. This did not happen. It took over an HOUR to serve everyone. The first table was cleared before the last table was even served their food!
Medium negativities
1. I was mortified and embarrassed when the vegetarian option was served to me. During the tasting, the tofu was seared in sesame oil and had an orange glaze sauce. When served at our wedding the tofu was cold and slimy (!!) and had no sauce. It tasted terrible. Or as one gf put it «it was like eating hospital food»
2. In the contract, the Filet Mignon was to be served with asparagus and trio of potatoes. The potatoes were not served.
3. The four kid’s meals (mac-​n-​cheese) were «upgraded» to the adult meal without authorization on the day-​of. What child do you know who eats filet, seabass or tofu!?! She then charged us the adult meal price instead of the kids price. (note: only after disputing it with my CC did she acknowledge her mistake and provide a credit)
Major Negativity
1. The Friday before our wedding, I happened to look at a credit card that I rarely use. There was a $ 5401 charge from Martino’s Catering. I knew nothing of this charge, had not been informed by Shellie or in any way give my authorization for this charge. I called Shellie thinking there had been some mistake and she would clear things up quickly. Boy, was I wrong! What ensued was an unprofessional and horrible conversation. I asked her to provide me documentation of any kind authorizing this charge or at the very least justify the charges. She was not able to do either. When I told her I was going to dispute the charge with my CC company she said «If you dispute these charges I will not be able to provide services for your wedding. Is that the route you want to go?» (!!!) This was a week before our wedding and she was providing linens, bar service and all food aspects.
Once I got off the phone I started looking through the contract, every email, all payments and anything associated with Martino’s. What I eventually discovered was the $ 5401 included about $ 2800 in legitimate charges. The remaining amount was wrong in two counts
1.) I’d made a payment of $ 4000 several months prior and Martino’s had documented it as $ 3000
2.) the remaining amount was a tip. Gratuity was NOT part of the original contract and we’d had numerous conversations with Shellie reiterating the fact that we’d decide the DAY-​OF the amount of tip we wanted to leave.
In short, Martino’s Catering charged my credit card without authorization, tried to overcharge me by $ 1000, and guarantee a tip for themselves. When I questioned Shellie Martin, the owner, she threatened to not provide service; it felt like she was blackmailing me.
To summarize, if you feel you absolutely must use Martino Catering, I would NEVER allow them to have a credit card on file and only deal with them from a financial stand point with cash or money order. But, based upon our experience I would strongly recommend not using them to begin with.
note: I’ll probably receive several threatening emails or my husband will get a phone call from Shellie after posting this but I guess that’s the price I pay for being able to speak my mind and warn you of this terrible company.

Thought I’d write an update and give you the conclusion of this story.
So Shelly decided to sue my boss. Unfortunately, in the end, the credit card company decided to give Shelly the money after my boss tried to fight it, and Shelly got double what the cost of the catering would have ended up costing us in the first place (hardship fee). The credit card company thought retaining Martino’s business meant more than their credit card holder.
She will threaten to make your life miserable if you leave a bad review as well as call you names to belittle you to try and intimidate. I’m so embarrassed that I recommended her.
But hopefully with all these negative reviews, and people speaking out, we can prevent others from going through what we have already had to go through, and to shed light on what type of business person Shelly really is.
Ask yourself, for your special event, is it worth taking the risk?