Zesty Gourmet

We used Zesty for our August Wedding at the Manor at Airmont. We were introduced to the food and the family at our tasting. We loved every single thing we tasted that day – from apps, to drinks, to main meal, to dessert. The peach cobbler and chocolate chip cookies are the best I have ever had! They were very good about working with us if we wanted a specific type of meat and customizing to our needs. The day of the wedding was above and beyond what we expected. The cocktail hour effort and presentation was a décor element just sitting there. I also had multiple people come up to me and say how good their meal was. We loved having Zesty take care of us on our special day! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Zesty Gourmet catered our 135 person wedding and we absolutely loved the food and the service they provided. From the delightful time we had at our initial tasting to the food being served to our friends and family at our wedding, they went above and beyond to make sure our "tastes" were satisfied. The original menu that was in our contract was not exactly what we had in mind for our wedding since we tend to like interesting twists on classic recipes. We discovered some amazing options during our tasting and they worked very closely with us to adjust the menu to make it exactly what we wanted. Not only were we satisfied, our family and friends raved about the food at our wedding afterwords. We cannot recommend them enough! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Zesty Gourmet was amazing! I needed them last minute (2 weeks before the wedding), and they did such an amazing job in helping me get everything sorted. During the wedding, the servers were AMAZING! They were so nice & so attentive during the whole night! I would recommend them to anyone!! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

the salmon, with the Asian sauce. really great. and the peach cobbler

Reviewed on Facebook

I recommend Zesty Gourmet for any catered events that you have. Today was my first experience in catering a small event in my apartment and Zesty Gourmet came through for me proving my guests with fresh food that was beautiful in presentation as well as in taste. I know that Zesty caters to many large parties, but they were super accommodating to me and my small group and I was extremely grateful for the aesthetically pleasing hors d'oeuvres. The married couple who runs the company John and Leanne are the most genuine, generous and kindest humans you'd love to meet. Thank you for making this small party at my home super fabulous! I will use Zesty Gourmet for all future catering events! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We just experienced The Meat Shack, a pop-up restaurant featuring a 4-course meal created by the husband-and-wife duo who run Zesty Gourmet catering. From start to finish, the food, drink, and service were phenomenal. They certainly communicated their skills, their love of cooking, their love of hosting, their attention to detail, and their downright kind, down-to-earth souls tonight in the 4 hours we spent at their event. Tonight was about fresh and flavorful ingredients, melt-in-your-mouth smoked meats, the best sweet and salty combination that I've personally ever had (that being homemade mac & cheese and a sweet potato casserole), and so much more. My husband and I will definitely be looking forward to their next pop-up event, and I would highly, highly recommend their services now that I've had quite a few tastes of their work myself tonight! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Excellent service, staff and food!

Reviewed on Facebook

Highly recommend Zesty Gourmet. I had a short timeframe to plan a lunch event for over 50 people in Northern Virginia. I live out of state, so chose Zesty Gourmet based on the great reviews on Yelp. I was delighted with the assistance I received in planning--many options were made available to me, my budget and preferences were honored, and Leanne was a pleasure to work with.On the day of the event, John (chef) and Leanne arrived to a bit of chaos. The flowers arrived late and I was scrambling at the sink to trim and arrange  them. John and Leanne took care of setting up the buffet area, putting replacements in the oven and fridge, etc.  They were so organized, their setup was done in minutes.The food was delicious--I had dozens of compliments on both the menu and how delicious everything was.  I will use Zesty Gourmet again. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Leanne worked with me for a long time while I was trying to organize an office event as my first assignment in a new job.  While we didn't end up using Zesty Gourmet (that's why 4, not 5 stars), she was more than helpful and "put up" with the indecisiveness I was encountering on my end .  The food options looked wonderful and the pre-planning process was excellent.  I will be keeping Zesty Gourmet in my "rolodex". More...

Reviewed on Yelp

LeAnne and her husband and the Zesty Gourmet team provided amazing service and quality. Everyone at our wedding commented on how great the food was (especially the beef with madeira sauce and peach cobbler! ) and they truly feel like family. Throughout the whole process, LeAnne was very responsive and able to make additions based on what we wanted (bacon wrapped dates for an app!). The mangers and staff who were with us for the whole of the reception felt like guests and did everything with a smile and joy. I hope they enjoyed being there as much as we enjoyed having them. As a small, local business, they handled everything with the utmost professionalism that you'd expect from a big company. They source their food locally and the love they put into their service can truly be felt. We are so grateful for everything they provided to make our wedding day a success! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

This was a couple team, John Hamon is the chef and Leanne is the manager.  They were easy to work with and friendly from the start.  We had a wonderful tasting, tasted all things we wanted and more, and we ended up changing our menu because of it!  They worked with our budget and followed up with us starting from a month prior to the wedding.  They were very responsive whenever we needed any sort of documentation from them for the venue.  The couple themselves couldn't make the wedding after setting up because their daughter was graduating the same day, but the team they had provided were professionals and helped out sooooooo much with everything, not just the food!  Even helped set the tables once they were free and able to (that was not in our contract, my friends were to set the tables with the utensils, napkins, centerpieces, mad libs, and guest souvenirs).  Leanne also helped us get connected with rental vendors (plates, silverware, napkins, tablecloths).  We had to switch one week prior due to timeline of things not working out between rental company and the venue, and Leanne handled everything; I just had to double check the order and ok with my CC.  They really go above and beyond.And the best part was the food was great, guests commented how great the food was, especially the salmon (we had buffet style reception).  And they even accommodated to our vegan/gluten-free/vegetarian/nut-free requests as best as they could.  And they packed up the leftovers for us to take!  We ended up having a mini-after party in our hotel room, and laid out the food!  We had to-go boxes ready and our guests took some leftovers home, and we did too.  We didn't have to cook for a few days ;).Btw, they are local to Leesburg, but our wedding was in Frederick, and they didn't charge us extra or even had an ounce of negativity for trekking that far!!  Oh and we had to provide our own alcohol and Leanne provided very helpful advice about drinks and ice and such.  We really lucked out with such an awesome caterer.  I'm thinking of other ways we can possibly hire them for... definitely loved them.. still thinking about the salmon ::sigh:: More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We hired Zesty Gourmet to cater our 130 guest summer wedding after finding them online, and couldn't have been happier with them. John and Leanne were extremely pleasant to work throughout the whole process and really catered to us. They were so accommodating and open minded when it came to what we wanted. They provided us with a delicious cocktail hour spread, salads, dinner and peach cobbler for dessert, which I would highly recommend! Everything was wonderful and all of our guests really honestly enjoyed the food. Their staff was also very pleasant to work with. I would highly recommend Zesty Gourmet to anyone for any type of event and I hope to be able to use them again in the future! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We hired Zesty Gourmet for a New Year's Day party and folks still rave about the delicious food and dessert spread that we shared with them!  It was really easy planning the menu items with Leanne which really helped to reduce the stress in planning the party.  We had about 100 people attend the open house so we also hired one of their staff to keep operations running smoothly.  She was wonderful!   I would hire them over and over again!  Leanne even made a special Gluten Free dessert for me to enjoy since I couldn't eat a lot of the baked treats they prepared for our guests.  Thank You Zesty Gourmet! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I chose Zesty Gourmet to cater our wedding for many reasons, one of which was the wonderful reviews on Yelp.  Truly, on a scale of 1 to 5, Leanne and John the owners of Zesty Gourmet, deserve a One Hundred!  We decided to hold our wedding of 68 guests in our home.  This created a warm and fuzzy environment, but also a lot of headaches!  Enter Leanne and John to the rescue!  First, the food.  I can not remember attending a wedding or any other large event, where the food wasn't boring and typical, predictable fare.  But at our wedding, every single one of our guests marveled at how delicious and interesting our wedding food was - from appetizers to dinner and desserts.  My mother-in-law said with amazement that she had been to weddings where there were 2 or 3 good dishes, but never to one where absolutely everything was delicious!I am very health conscious, and Zesty Gourmet uses the freshest ingredients and also focuses on food that is both delicious and nourishing.  When we said we needed food for vegetarians and those on a gluten-free diet, Leanne and John just smiled, and said "Of course, no problem!"  This was their response to every single request that we made!  Second, the cost.  There is absolutely nothing greedy about Leanne and John - no price gouging and taking advantage of the customers that they service. Zesty Gourmet's  fees are ultra-reasonable, and they will work with you, showing the greatest of respect, to stay within your budget.  Forget condescending caterers!   I know that we could not have gotten such amazing and delicious food for our wedding anywhere else, at such a very fair and affordable price.  Thank you so much Leanne and John!Third, and most important, the service provided by these fantastic people.  As I mentioned above, I kind of panicked a couple of weeks before the wedding, wondering whatever was I thinking when I chose to host it at our home?  Leanne was beyond warm, kind and encouraging. There was no question of just how much she cared - how much she wanted me to be a guest at my own wedding, and for there to be no need for me to worry about all the details.  One out-of-town guest who regularly runs huge events for his company, commented about how the food service "ran like a well-oiled clock."  He was so impressed!  Leanne and John took care of every detail, anticipating needs that I had overlooked.  I was a guest at my own wedding, and was able to relax and enjoy it,  thanks to them!In addition, although the food was served in my kitchen at home, it felt like Leanne and John were welcoming my guests and myself into their kitchen - truly they treated us as family, and everyone felt their warmth and goodness of heart.  Leanne and John are people of the highest character and integrity. You can tell that their number one objective is to contribute to the happiness of others.  Their means of doing this is through doing what they do best - creating amazing cuisine.  So, I ask you - could it get any better?  I think not!  Fantastic, delicious food, fair and reasonable pricing, and the most caring and compassionate people you'll ever meet.  I cannot express my gratitude strongly enough for Zesty Gourmet.  My husband and I owe our joyful wedding experience to you, Leanne and John!  A million thank-you's are not enough! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Reviewed on Facebook

Absolutely THE BEST catering service I have ever had.  1) First, the owners, Leanne and John are some of the nicest, most genuine people you would ever meet!  They are SO sweet and kind and all of the this love and care shows in their food.  My husband and I hired them at the last minute for our wedding and luckily, they were available for our date!  They scheduled a lovely tasting for us of food that we were interested in for our wedding day.  Everything was so delicious at the tasting, it was difficult to decide!! 2) The food is DELICIOUS! We chose the Mediterranean spread, a cheese charcuterie,  shrimp and grits, and kalbi beef skewers for appetizers.  I only had these at the tasting, but they were amazing then.  All of my guest KILLED the appetizer spread while I was taking pictures, so clearly it was great!  We had the Jamaican jerk chicken, Panko cod, sauteed green beans, roasted potatoes, and mixed greens for the dinner.  Absolutely AMAZING.  All of my guests were raving about the dishes! Everyone LOVED it! As for dessert, if you don't order anything from Zesty, do yourself a favor and just order the PEACH COBBLER! OMG! SO delicious!!! We also had the pudding cups, which were awesome!  They also provide your choice of fruit water to be served which is really nice.3) Business-wise they are amazing. Even though it's just two people who own and run the business, they are very organized and transparent about costs and what will be provided.  Leanne and John were very open to our desires and took the time to get to know us before making our menu.  And, with less than a month to prepare for our wedding, they really knocked it out of the park!Finally, I can not stop raving about Zesty Gourmet and I will definitely recommend them to others and use them again in the future! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I have used Zesty Gourmet twice in the past year for two different parties.  Both times have been wonderful.  They provided dinner for one party and lunch for the other, so we have tried a lot of different menu items and all of them have been delicious.  Leanne is very easy to work with and has always been able to provide excellent food to meet our budget.  They have been and will continue to be our go-to caterers! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Simply the best kept secret in catering!!! We used them for our child's first birthday since we had many out of town guests and wanted to spend time with the guests not the ovens. Delectable does no justice for describing this food. I sometimes wonder if the food was drugged due to the high rate of consumption and the state of euphoria on all the guests faces. The menu they offer to choose from is as close to Sophie's Choice that I have ever come. If you need a caterer and you don't choose them you get what you deserve. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Leanne and John catered the food for a birthday party of about 30 people. Their menu selection made it hard to narrow it down to about ten items. The food was wonderful and earned raves from all of our guests. Leanne was very easy to work with during the process and kept it stress-free for us. We would not hesitate to use them again or to recommend them to our friends! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I met Leanne while we were both working a wedding over the summer and I got to try the food first hand.  After that, I had Zesty gourmet cater my mother's Suprise 50th.  I picked heavy hor dourves and everyone loved them!  They have an extensive list to choose from and they deliver to you and set up.  Communication was great and they John and Leanne are such lovely people to work with. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I hired Zesty for a baby shower that was canceled four days prior due to a death in the family.  The owners readily agreed to re-schedule the delivery if/when a new date was known. Don't know if a refund was possible as it was never discussed but i do not believe so. The shower was never rescheduled so I had the food delivered to my job (1.5 months after original date)  in order to feed my coworkers.  They arrived early and the food was delicious.  My only issue was a bit communication difficulty over the holidays. I'm going to chalk it to a busy season for them. The food was reasonably priced and very good. I would recommend this company. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Yum! That pretty much sums up Zesty Gourmet. We tasted lots of different caterers and immediately fell in love with the BBQ themed items we tasted at Zesty Gourmet. Leanne and Jon are a pleasure and we really enjoyed the time they spent with us to ensure our wedding went off with no mishaps. Our guests raved about the food and are still talking about the cedar plank salmon. The service and the food we received from Zesty Gourmet was top notch and would highly recommend them. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Zesty Gourmet catered our wedding of 75 guests, and we were very pleased with the company from start to finish!We found Zesty Gourmet through Yelp, and though the company only has a few reviews we promise you their quality is top notch and worthy of the 5 stars. John and Leanne are a husband and wife catering team (John leads the cooking, Leanne manages the operations). After several disappointments with the high per person price points offered by other caterers in the DC area, we broadened our search to Loudoun County and found Zesty Gourmet.John and Leanne had us to their home for the tasting. They spent quality time with us to learn about our culinary wish list, our rental needs and our budget. There was NO cost for the tasting! (Brides in the DC area, you know this is rare!)Leanne was very responsive to all of my emails and calls. She also assisted in connecting us to a rental company, and she coordinated the ordering of most of the rental items. Both John and Leanne were on site the day of our wedding. The food was delicious! For appetizers we had shrimp and (the brides favorite) an endive with salmon and some sweet/spicy sauce. (So good!) For the main course, we had chicken breasts with peri peri sauce, roast beef with a red wine reduction sauce, roasted veggies, roasted red potatoes and a garden salad with homemade ranch dressing. All of the sauces are excellent and pack in the flavor. We also appreciated that Zesty  provided tea, lemonade and fruit-infused water for our guests. And, as an added bonus, Zesty Gourmet packed up the leftover food -some of which we took home and the rest that they were going to deliver to the homeless shelter. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We found Zesty Gourmet through an ad on craigslist, and I was immediately blown away by Leann (owner) who took the time to speak with me on the phone about how their services would work with my small budget. It was like talking to a good friend who just happened to have years and years of food experience. Then I got a chance to work with Solitaire, who manages the logistical side of the business. Solitaire was the most responsive, professional, and thoughtful person I worked with through the entire wedding planning process. She offered great input, dealt with all of my crazy e-mails, and was honest with me about every detail.

When considering other catering companies, we never saw the openness that we saw with Zesty Gourmet. We even had a company that tacked on an extra $1000 in the contract for no identifiable reason. With Zesty Gourmet, we were invited into Leann and John's home for a tasting and were always treated with love and respect.

When it came down to the wedding day, they gave us exactly what we hoped for and more. Not only did we get the amazing menu we planned on for a cocktail reception, but they actually surprised us by adding the "Lolichops" (lamb chops) because they knew how much we had loved them during the tasting. The result was a wonderful cocktail party with more than enough food and great bar tending service for basically half the cost of what we found anywhere else. After the wedding, Solitaire even reached out to me about some items they had found at the end of the night to make sure they got returned.

Our wedding day was really special, and Zesty Gourmet helped us throw a fun and unforgettable party. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a catering company for an event, Zesty Gourmet truly goes above and beyond.

(P.S. - We are eating cupcakes as we write this. Ask about getting cake through Arielle Homan, she provided a delicious set up for the cake/cupcakes!) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

For Claudia's Bridal shower the food was fantastic, the amount was just right (only a few left overs and all of the guests loved the food.

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Awesome vendor and food tasted amazing!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Love the food. Absolutely the best. Made with great quality and lots of love and passion for cooking!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I visit Camden, Maine very summer and found a wonderful new addition this past summer. The exterior of this little gem of a store beckons you to enter with its brightly colored doors and characters inviting you in. Inside there is an entire wall of hot sauces! We love hot and spicy foods and you will find it inside The Zesty Gourmet. They have so many items, it is an adventure more than shopping. We picked up about 8 hot sauces, some interesting hazelnut coffee jelly, a fresh baguette with some delectable basil pesto (these were all out for sampling.) The owner was behind the counter and she was very sweet and helpful with my questions. Do not miss this little gem when you visit Camden! More...

Reviewed on Insider Pages