Stewart Dietz Catering

When our son and his fiancée decided to get married in Winthrop, Washington we asked around for a caterer. Stew Dietz’s name kept coming up with rave reviews. Stew did not disappoint! When you have an important celebration you want to offer your family and guests the best meal possible. The food was important to us. Stew catered a bar b que for 130 the night before the wedding that was served buffet style and then on Saturday night she prepared a sit down dinner for the same number. Saturday night’s dinner was most elegant and Stew provided servers and bar tenders. The wedding was at Spring Creek ranch which did not provide kitchen facilities so Stew was operating out of her own kitchen set up and tent. What came out of that tent/​kitchen was amazing. The dinners both nights were fantastic. Stew specializes in local foods and everything was fresh and perfectly prepared — beef brisket, pulled pork, grilled salmon. Wedding guests from all over the country commented on how delicious the food was. Not only did Stewart Dietz Catering come through on the meals but Stew was instrumental in helping the bride and me with the planning. She was always available, patient and listened. I cannot recommend Stew Dietz Catering enough. She is truly one of the gems of the beautiful Methow Valley.

We contacted Stewart Dietz Catering to cater an engagement party that we hosted last May at our home. Stew was amazing. She is more than a caterer, she is able to see and advise on the whole event. In our initial meeting she listened to what we were envisioning and helped us through the whole process. Stew has a wealth of knowledge not only in catering but in what works best when hosting an event in the Methow Valley.
Stew was thoughtful to make sure no detail was left forgotten. Something that really stood out was the quality of ingredients she chose. We wanted to stay as local as possible and use the freshest ingredients. With those guidelines and guests dietary restrictions Stew went above and beyond by creating a gluten free dish for our bride and developed a flavorful seasonal menu that everyone loved.
I would highly recommend Stewart Dietz Catering for any event you have, it was a pleasure to work with Stew and her professional staff.

Bottom line summary– The food was delicious and working with Stew was a joy!
Though this review is belated, that reflects only my distraction and procrastination as a reviewer. Stew Dietz catered and assisted with planning my husband’s and my wedding at the Mazama Ranch House on Aug 10, 2013. This 5 star review is very much deserved; we would give her 6 stars if we could. As our one-​year anniversary approaches, I am reminded of what a wonderful event we had and I have to thank Stew for all of her hard work.
When we first met Stew she was not available, but that fact that her schedule changed was likely the single most fortunate thing that made our wedding the raging success that it was. First off, she served as a coordinator, helping to arrange all of the equipment rentals (tables, chairs, tents, even our sound system). When we decided the week before the event that we needed more shade and different glassware for the bar, she hired another tent and more glasses. Beyond that she was organized, reminding us of the other things that we needed to consider: the day’s timeline, what to stock at the bar, flowers, etc. She had good suggestions — like Lost River Winery in Winthrop.
Stew worked with us to design a menu that reflected the summer bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Though the kitchen facilities at the Ranch House are nearly non-​existent, she prepared a delicious meal. We suggested foods that we liked and then she crafted a menu using local and seasonal ingredients. The appetizers were beautiful and passed around to keep everyone happy after the ceremony. My husband preferred not to have a buffet, and so she arranged to serve things family style on platters to the guests, which worked wonderfully. The main dinner consisted of green salad with nectarines, bluebird faro salad with her homemade pickled beets, a delicious pork tenderloin with homemade chutney, sockeye salmon with herb-​lemon butter cooked perfectly, green beans with heirloom tomatoes. She made delicious apple and berry pies that we served alongside the wedding cake our friend had lovingly crafted for us.
Our friends raved that the meal rivaled any restaurant in Seattle. Other friends said that it felt like they were at a lovely summer dinner party at our house. (I take this as a complement because we could have never pulled this off.) But I think that this complement is fitting, because Stew and all of her staff were warm, smiling and a pleasure to have at our event. Our friends enjoyed chatting with the bartender and our guests’ kids loved playing with the local students she arranged to help babysit after dinner.
Our wedding was a magical weekend and Stew’s dedication to her work, talent and kindheartedness helped to create that magic. If you are planning a wedding or other event in the Methow Valley, you would be very luck to work with Stew Dietz.
Rafael & Ashley (Seattle, WA)
Thank you to EA Weymuller for the photographs I have shared.

Our guests are still telling us how wonderful the food was at our wedding! Stew was great to work with in catering our reception. We were interested in using not only local talent but as much fresh, seasonal, local food as possible. The quality of the ingredients and the skill of the preparations created a synergy of flavor and nourishing goodness that was so satisfying.
She worked patiently with us to create a lovely menu that reflected the season and the region. Toward the end of finalizing the menu, I found myself saying to her, «just do what you think is best, I trust your judgment» which is a huge relief when managing so many details of a wedding. She did not disappoint. For example, she choose to make a plum chutney for the salmon that just blew people’s socks off and to serve a warm squash soup sip for the appetizer instead of a cold one since the evening was chilly. Our guests raved about the green salad and the wonderful dressing on it which sounds so simple, but you can taste the difference between a good dressing and an exquisite dressing and this was the latter. The salmon and beef were cooked to perfection and the emmer salad was fabulous. We love kale so she made sure we had some featured in the emmer salad further personalizing the dinner for us. She baked pies for the dessert table that were fabulous. Our guests loved how the food was presented and carried out on beautiful platters. I know Stew and her staff must’ve worked so hard to pull off such a beautiful meal for us but I never got the sense from them that they were rushed or stressed. They looked like it was their greatest pleasure to be serving us at our wedding.
I agree with another review in that Stew is more than a caterer. She could also bill herself as a wedding coordinator. She thinks of all the details that might get missed as far as timing of the sunset, the temperature of the evening, length of time for people to go through the buffet, glassware for cocktails… etc. She and her staff set up our tables and they looked beautiful and were just as I had envisioned. Everything was seamless. Another huge benefit of working with Stew is that besides being organized and detail oriented she is easy to communicate with, responds quickly to emails, was available for phone conversations and for meetings when we were over in the Methow.
Stew’s passion for good food is evident when you talk with her about possible menus and it really shines when you taste her creations. If you choose Stew to cater your event, this will be one area you can mark of your worry list as she will make sure it is fabulous.

When my husband and I started planning our wedding in the Methow Valley, we knew no one in town, had a few links from the internet and the first vendor we had made an appointment with missed our meeting. It was looking like our dream day was going to be very challenging to pull off. Then… Stew walked in the door. We’d heard through asking locals around town that Stew was the best and boy were they right. We could not have pulled off our wedding day without her. The food was amazing, delicious and beautifully presented! She worked with us the entire way, from helping us plan a menu, walking us through the details of how the day would go, suggesting how to set up the tables, and so many more things always understanding and respecting the kind of wedding we wanted to have. She was always honest, and I never had any doubt we weren’t a priority for her.
We are so grateful to Stew and give her the highest recommendation. If you are fortunate enough to be having an event in the Methow Valley, call Stew for your catering.

Stew catered our wedding — rehearsal dinner, reception, and brunch– and she was phenomenal. Not only was the food local and delicious, the whole experience of working with her was a joy. We would definitely recommend her!