Simply Gourmet

Mike, thank you for saving our wedding! Our initial wedding venue fell apart when the owner became flaky. Panicked, we shopped around and found Locust Grove and Simply Gourmet run by Mike (both in Poughkeepsie). By the time we met Mike for a tasting at his restaurant Blue Stone Bistro, we had two months left. But it was meant to be— the delicious food hooked us– mostly local, with superb NY cheeses and veggies. The raspberry salad, steak, salmon… luscious. And listening to Mike, we knew that we could trust and count on him to help guide us. We knew immediately that we wanted to work with him as our new wedding planner and caterer.
Mike listened deeply to understand what we really cared about. Always patient, cool and wise, Mike made us feel reassured and confident. He responded promptly to any and all inquiries and individualized little details to fit our budget. He created a menu for all diets. As a teacher, I wanted the kids at the wedding to have a special corner table with games, an idea that my family mocked and Mike embraced (and set up for me). It ended up being such a hit! Mike even helped us find our dream bakery for a wedding cake (On-​A-​Stick, Fishkill). Mike dreamed up an idea for our place settings and then did it himself. Thank goodness he was so easy-​going because we were clueless.
The wedding day was insane. An hour before and I was not ready at all. But Mike catered our wedding day, so it was wonderful. Mike and his staff took care of everything and kept an overview on every detail. They were extremely professional and attentive, and they took care of me all throughout the evening. The guests raved about the scrumptious food, especially the pecan-​crusted salmon and appetizers. My uncle, a former caterer, and my picky father who only cares about food were very happy. But my husband and I were happiest to be able to work with someone as professional, impeccable, and wonderful as Mike. I highly recommend his catering company– he made our wedding a dream. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!

Simply Gourmet catered our wedding a little over a year ago and I can’t say enough about the amazing job Mike and his crew did.
We first met Mike at our tasting and he was extremely pleasant and professional, just a fun guy to work with. We told him what we wanted as our theme (Italian, Autumn, that kind of stuff) and he came up with some great suggestions to start. His butternut squash soup and mushroom risotto in particular ended up being fantastic. But the best part was when we told Mike that we wanted to incorporate a couple of authentic Korean dishes into the cocktail hour (my husband and I are Korean-​American). He said he had never made Korean food for something on this scale before, but he would give it a try. So we brought a small bowl of Budae Jigae (a Korean soup/​stew) from NYC and gave it to him. A week later we went back to Simply Gourmet and he had us try his version. My husband tried a spoonful and then gave me the bowl. A few minutes later Mike and my husband looked at me and started laughing. I had inhaled the entire thing and forgot to give my husband another bite because it was so good. (FYI: I am incredibly picky about my Korean food) Mike had used the batch we gave him and replicated the dish to a T. And what Mike had never made before ended up being one of the best dishes at the wedding.
As if that wasn’t enough, Mike and his staff also provided post-​wedding late night drunk food (chicken fingers, mac and cheese) and brunch the following morning (sausage, eggs, pancakes). Even basic dishes like that were delicious. And he did all of this at a reasonable price that included rentals.
Mike was easy to get in touch with, accommodating throughout the entire process, and the most down-​to-​earth chef we met. If you need someone to cater your event, this is your guy.

A healthy alternative to fast food.

My husband and I have a Halloween bash every year andit is very important that we enjoy the party just as much as our guest do. Also important as with everyone that we have great food and service. As we found with our first chioce it is difficult to get both. Until we found Simply Gourmet. Mike is a pleasure to work with, he listens to what you want and comes up with his own great ideas as well. They also did my daughters graduation party, which was a huge hit. We have no desire to even think of using anyone else for a party. They are the perfect choice for a large or small event. The staff that comes to our house. (Ryan, Margret) we love them to death and only hear great things about them from our guest. We cant recommend them enough. and believe me we are picky. No complaints here. Promise, you wont be sorry!

Mike the owner was great to work with, we had my daughters wedding reception at our home. The planning phase with Mike was easy and the menu choices were plentiful. On the actual day everything went without a hitch. The chef and server were outstanding. They were always doing what was needed — like collecting dirty dishes, etc — never needed to be asked to do something as they were already on it. Everyone commented on how delicious the food was. I would definitely use them again and recommend for any event.