Affordable Chef Services

Santa Cruz Caterer & Personal Chef

  • About Chef Mark
  • Rave Reviews!
  • Get an Event Quote
  • Contact Us
  • Past Events

Welcome to Affordable Chef Services!

Affordable Chef Services, Santa Cruz
Whether you're searching for a caterer for a dinner party, birthday, anniversary, wedding reception, holiday, company picnic, or other event, personal Chef Mark Gallagher of Affordable Chef Services of Santa Cruz can custom cater a menu just for you.

Our highly trained professional staff have the experience and passion to cater your special event.

Multi-course plated wine pairing dinners or buffet-style meals are available; Affordable Chef Services is also available for cooking classes and team building events.

To ensure the best culinary experience, Affordable Chef uses the highest quality meats, fish and local Santa Cruz County-grown organic produce available.

Chef Mark personally caters and designs each event menu dependent on the type of event, your desired catering price range, and any special dietary or religious needs you may have.

For an event quote, please send us your information via our Event Quote form.

For other types of inquiries, please use the Contact form or give us a call.

Seasonal Special

Winner of the 2018 WeddingWire Couples Choice Award!

Wedding Wire

Chef Gallagher was recently awarded the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® for 2018, as determined by reviews from his happy clients! The Couples’ Choice Awards recognizes Affordable Chef as being among the top 5% of wedding professionals nationwide.

Recognition for Chef Mark Gallagher

Chef Mark Gallagher's awards continue to roll in! He was voted Santa Cruz County's Best Caterer, Best Personal Chef, and Best Chef runner-up for 2014. These honors follow his 2013 awards as Best Caterer and Best Chef. Learn more about Chef Mark...

Photography Services

For photography services for your special day please visit Poppy and Pebble.

For other types of inquiries, please use the Contact form or give us a call.

Praise for Chef Mark Gallagher & Affordable Chef Services

We had many complements on the food at our wedding! Mark and his staff were attentive, easy to work with, and made our event a breeze.

The services were exactly what we asked for and what we were looking for in a caterer.

Emmy and Cian

Our wedding menu was spectacular and the staff was on time, professional and went above and beyond.

Mark was great and even saved the last delicious crab cake for me – the bride.

Despite the fact my wedding was a small event of only 24 people, I was treated as if I was planning an event of 250. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, from the planning to execution.

Sally B.

What can we say other than “First Class” – the food, the presentation, the staff…

We had been thinking about our day for over 2 years…to see our vision come to life, flawlessly, was so rewarding.

Morgan M.

The food for my son and daughter-in-law’s wedding reception buffet was amazing, the best I have ever had at hundreds of these affairs. All courses were delicious!

The service was very efficient and friendly. Big Basin State Park is a difficult venue to cater and he pulled it off beyond our expectation. I have only praise for Chef Mark!

Ron R.

The food was fantastic — everyone at the party was asking for your name!

You were so right — it was the easiest party I ever had! Thank you!

Lisa W.

We hired Affordable Chef Services for a birthday party early this month and were blown away at both the quality of food and level of professionalism.

My husband and I are foodies and were so impressed by the quality and presentation of the food. In short, everything was seamless! We’ll definitely be hiring you again!

Terri S.

I dont think there is any way to truly express how remarkable you and your staff are, how hard you all worked, or how much we appreciate all you did.

Your food was probably the best I have had at a wedding. Lawrence and I had the best wedding ever. Thanks for sending us into matrimony so nicely.

Karen

Mark and his team recently catered my daughter’s wedding reception at our home. From beginning to end his relaxed nature, excellent execution, and delicious food made for an event which was memorable and relaxed at the same time.

His experience came in handy when planning the event and he took care of everything from start to finish. My wife and I have thrown many parties over the years and this was the first time we hired help. It was well worth it!

Carl O.

It was my twin sisters’ birthday and we didn’t want to just go a restaurant. Chef Mark and and his server came to an ocean view home we’d rented, cooked for and entertained twenty of us.

The food was over the top, from the scrumptious hors d’oeuvres passed around before hand, to his 5-star dinner — all the while keeping the wine glasses full. We dined on baked rolled salmin, filet mignon, fingerling potatoes, and asparagus tips — need I say more? Treat yourself and guests to Chef Mark. … Read more

Bob D.

Mark catered my father’s memorial and I can not begin to express how much I appreciated his calm demeanor. His food was wonderful and just right for the occasion.

On top of all of that he was prepared in case we had more people than we planned! We did and he handled it with class and with out a glitch. This was a very emotional event, and Mark was over-the-top perfect!

The food was also amazing…I’m still craving the meatballs, and those little artichoke crostini.

Katy K.

Thanks again for the wonderful job you did at our wedding. The food was fabulous, and you and your crew clearly worked hard to ensure that everyone was happy and well fed.

Plus, all the help setting up and cleaning up was much appreciated! In particular, we are especially grateful for your willingness to cook a family dish without hesitation or complaint.

You helped us create a personalized wedding that reflected who we are, which is exactly what we wanted.

Rosemary

All I can say is you are 100% professional, smooth, and tons of fun to work with. Every element of our beverage and food service was smooth and relaxed.

I love how you had bamboo skewers to hold up the cake in an emergency, the disposable paper are that we forgot to bring for desserts, and that lighter for the candles…. You and your crew handled each “crisis” with ease, grace, and humor.

AND YOU SURE CAN COOK!

Joan O.

Thanks so much for the wonderful food and your general happy, chill, competent way of working. You made the party great!

Karen

At our first meeting, Chef Mark gave my fiancé and I a sample of his delicious food (crabcakes). He offered a lot of experienced advice on the colors, table layout, and timeline of the wedding. He was so helpful in the preparation coming up to the wedding.

The day of the wedding, everything went so smoothly. Many guests complimented us on the delicious food, and how it was displayed.

If you are planning a wedding by yourself, and seem daunted by it…hire Mark!

Billy S.

We hired Chef Mark to cater our wedding and were very happy with the results. We were nervous at first because his prices were lower than everyone else we looked at, but we rolled the dice.

Chef Mark was great at answering all our questions and guiding us through the hectic final stages of wedding planning.

Chef Mark’s staff was excellent through out the entire event and the food was excellent. We received nothing but compliments and our guests had a blast!

Cece and Andrew

The food for our wedding at the Bargetto Winery was a hit, and the service from you and your staff was of very high quality.

Thank you for your amazing efforts & execution to help make our day truly perfect!

Katie F.

You are truly a pro! Our wedding was fun, relaxed and a most memorable experience. Thanks to you and your staff for delicious food, great service and a lovely set-up in our friends’ garden.

We knew from our meetings with you that we could count on you for an outstanding wedding.

Cathy and John

Affordable Chef Services was fantastic to work with! Not only was their food delicious, but they were happy to help me with some unexpected issues that came up during my prep.

The servers were friendly, the food was fantastic and all my guests were very pleased! Thank you Chef Gallagher and staff!

Liseth G.

My family planned a birthday dinner for my mom’s 80th birthday…the service and the people were beyond expectation.

The food was exceptional and everyone was truly impressed with the menu. Chef Mark checked in on our party through out the night to make sure everything is in order and see if we needed anything.

I’d recommend Affordable Chef Services to anyone that wants a fine dining dinner party.

Aiken

I hired Chef Mark to cater a candlelight dinner for my girl. He paid attention to every detail.

Needless to say she was in wonderland, and I was shocked and impressed at the same time.

If you want a special evening, give him a call!

T. Way

Receive a free quote for your special event!

Start here

In-Season Specials

Cocktail Hour

  • 🍴 Pastry wrapped brie with baguettes/
  • 🍴 Cajun meatballs
  • 🍴 Artichoke and pepper crisps
  • 🍴 Black olive tapenade with balsamic reduction
  • 🍴 Bruschetta spoons
  • 🍴 Caprese
  • 🍴 Ceviche spoons.

Large 12ft Grazing Table

🍴 With assorted fruits, veggies, cheeses, dips , breads and crackers.

Buffet Double Sided

  • 🍴 Organic field greens salad with tomato, cucumbers, sesame ginger vin and feta
  • 🍴 Oven baked organic chicken breast with a tarragon cream sauce
  • 🍴 Herb rubbed tri tip with a rosemary demi-glace
  • 🍴 Roasted organic veggie lasagna with bechamel
  • 🍴 Wild rice pilaf with roasted veg
  • 🍴 Roasted fingerling potatoes
  • 🍴 Marinated asparagus spears
  • 🍴 Dinner rolls and butter.

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Contact Chef Mark Gallagher:
(831) 325-6924

Serving Santa Cruz County

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