Catering By Design, and Catering By Design Pantry

Kathy and Jeff guided my husband and I through the wedding planning process and helped to curate our own unique menu. Guests are still raving about how amazing the food was months later. I know I’m biased, but my wedding food was the best meal I’ve ever had at a wedding! Kathy is prompt in her replies to emails and the pricing is straight forward. They showed up early and their staff was professional and kind. Everything was phenomenal and we couldn’t have asked for anything more!

Catering By Design catered our office event today.
2 things - we've had many events catered by other companies in the past; and, I'm a foodie... Their food was fantastic! I can honestly say this is, hands-down, possibly some of the very best food that Rochester overall has to offer. Fresh ingredients, made from scratch, with no skimping by using sub-par ingredients or substitutions. The menu was a taco bar, which historically for me at least, has always been merely 'meh' - but they took it next level. The food was your standard offerings, but the flavors and freshness were outstanding.
I will most DEFINITELY be visiting their brick and mortar, and HIGHLY recommend them!

I forgot to push send on my Easter order. I showed up to pick up my meal at the time.I planned on doing it. The staff there couldn't have been more gracious. I left with enough to make a lovely Easter dinner. They never made me feel silly for making this mistake and did everything they could to make me feel valued and cared about. I have ordered from here several times and I'm alwayes very happy with my meal. I can't recommend them enough, they are excellent in all areas!

Tried catering by design to take home meals instead of going out for St.Patrick’s Day. There was nothing on this plate that wasn’t extremely tasteful and obviously made from scratch. Will definitely be using them again on those busy nights where a nice meal is desired but going out to eat seems like too much work.

Definitely recommend!

Our friends always rave about how amazing the food is! I’ve used them twice, once for our wedding and another for a small dinner party, and I’ll definitely call in them again in the future. Taking the time and stress out of food shopping, prepping, cooking out of the equation means I get to enjoy the evening with my guests while being fully present.

I can’t begin to describe how amazing Kathy & Jeff are. They stuck with us after our wedding was delayed from COVID in March 2020 all the way until we were finally able to celebrate our big say in July 2021. They are truly incredible people, have a tremendous business in Rochester, and you should definitely stop by their location to pick up some of their tasty ready to heat meals! Their food is the highest quality and Jeff is truly a master chef! 10/10 would recommend Catering By Design to family and friends!

We used Catering By Design for our wedding this past weekend and my goodness we were blown away by how great the food was! We had multiple guests compliment the food and say it was the best wedding food they’ve ever had! We have to agree! It was so great to have wonderful food on our big day! Jeff and Kathy are absolutely amazing to work with too, they communicated with us every step of the process and delivered on everything they promised. We 100% recommend anyone needing a caterer to use Catering By Design!!

Catering by Design has become our "go to" place for take out. Though we live in the Twin Cities, we drive to Rochester periodically to stock up on their frozen pantry items to keep in our home freezer. Everything is take and bake...and we find that everything goes straight from the freezer to the oven...to the table perfectly. Their soups heat up in the microwave oven so well, too--perfect for cold weather. They have a wide variety of always-available items...and every week they also have specials for that week (be sure to sign up for their weekly email to see what they are).
They use only high quality ingredients--so we're never worried about additives...and they have vegetarian and gluten-free options, too. Our favorites are their meatballs, stuffed cabbage rolls, lasagna, mac & cheese...and of course, their cookies...! The staff is friendly and helpful...and the owners, Kathy and Jeff, are hands-on professionals who love helping their customers pick just the right items the feed small families and large groups. They also do professional catering for events of all sizes...and will happily work with customers to plan and provide the perfect meal for every occasion. Very highly recommended.

Kathy and Jeff catered my friend's event today. The food was amazing. I cannot recommend them highly enough. My friend's said they were so helpful and kind.

The chicken salad sandwich was incredible! The homemade bread was unique and delicious! The marinated tofu salad was also great! We are hoping to order from their curbside menu (we tasted it from a catered event).

I've been a customer since March/April 2020. I was crazy sleep deprived with my newborn and cooking was put on the back burner 😆 When I couldn't find the time or motivation to cook, I'd pick up a meal here. The couple who owns have always been so kind. I picked up an order on Mother's Day with my newborn in tow. Kathy was the first person who had wished me a Happy Mother's Day. Meals are delicious and generous. I usually get the meals intended for 2 people and they easily feed my toddler and I with leftovers, or us and a third person. The lemon Romano salad dressing is so delicious. Pot roast is equally yummy. The only meal I didn't care for was the corned beef and cabbage, but everything else has been on point. Definitely a little hidden gem.

Catering by Design is the perfect choice to cater your venue or for at home meals with their “pantry” foods or weekly menu.
The food is always delicious, the staff is friendly and professional and the owners Jeff and Kathy are wonderful people!!
You just can’t go wrong if you choose Catering by Design. ❤

12/21/2020 I also love their Mulligatawny soup. It was frozen because I missed it when they made it, but it was still great. Just a little lemon just tops it off nicely.

I love their ginger carrot soup. There are tons of choices for single people with busy lifestyles. The service has always been great there too.

Catering by Design in Rochester, MN recently catered our 55th class reunion. The food was awesome and presented in a professional yet friendly manner. Kathy was so helpful & patient in making arrangements. If you’re looking to cater an event, I highly recommend Catering by Design in Rochester, MN; you’ll be glad you did!

I love catering by design, they have great flavors and variety of meals. My company used to order from here once each week, but due to a problem with one of our employees, we can no longer order from here. I am very sad about it, I used to really look forward to these meals each week! I will have to try and pick up some for myself sometime.

Great food! They catered our son's wedding a few years ago. Jeff and Kathy were professional and accommodating. And they have catered meals for my employer a number of times. Excellent to with with!

Absolutely love their food! Every meal I’ve had from catering by design has always been delicious. Their cookies are outstanding and you have to try their lemon Romano salad dressing, it’s so tasty!

Catering by Design is a special place for quality food to enjoy at home for a single person. Trust Jeff and Kathy. Share your ideas and preferences. I became their customer early at their storefront location. This is a business to patronize with confidence. Fresh or frozen..everything is delicious!

Catering by Design! Beautiful tasty food, wonderful service. My family event today was perfect. Thank you so much!!!!

Jeff and Kathy provided catering for our daughter’s wedding. They were so flexible and easy to work with and the guests raved about the food. I highly recommend Catering By Design for events and also for their take home meals.