Teatime Delicacies, Inc

Our experience with Ruth and her crew at Teatime Delicacies was beyond perfect! She served us a whole meal to sample at her own house for the taste testing. The food was wonderful then when she was cooking just for the two of us and it was wonderful at the wedding for our group of 80. Everyone raved about the food, especially the roast beef carving station and I loved the chicken with the peanut sauce. Even something as simple as salad and pasta was done deliciously. The food was even presented beautifully. The day of the wedding, she was so well prepared. She came with more linens than we had asked for (luckily, because we ended up having more table than we put on our table chart) and extra cake cutters and servers, even though we got our cake from another place. Our venue neglected to wipe down the dirty tables, but her team was quick to whip out some washcloths and warm water to clean them up. All of the servers were very professional and they even made sure to bring plates of appetizers by the family as we were getting our family photos done. For the DC area, I doubt you could find a caterer with a better work ethic, food, or...

We had a very small wedding and there were multiple instances where Ruth made comments about our wedding being "only 50 people" or "just 50 people." Our last meeting with her, she told us she doesn't usually do weddings this small, but she liked us, so she agreed. We thought she seemed confident and competent, so we hoped this attitude would simply translate into the wedding being pulled off seamlessly. Pros: (1) Nice staff (2) Quick response times (3) Great cake Cons: (1) The food was disappointing. There seemed to be very little seasoning on the potatoes, the rolls were hard, and the noodles seemed dry. I was very sad about the food. (2) The bar ran out of tonic. I went up to the bar shortly after dinner (within 2 hours of start of event) and asked for a gin and tonic and the server said "we're out." There was a market downstairs and a CVS walking distance away. The groom asked for limes and was met with the same response. (3) Simple requests were met with push-back or totally ignored (e.g. having welcome drinks downstairs, setting bar tables higher, having shots of tequila available). It felt like I constantly had to ask her for permission to do things. It was terrible and really stressful the week leading up to the wedding. (4) Ruth would ask me to contact the venue multiple times to ask questions we already had answers to. If she would like additional assurances, she should take the time to contact the venue herself. I thought this was incredibly rude on her part. (5) Ruth added additional charges the week before final payment was due for extra set-up time she requested. When she asked for this time, she did not mention charging more for service. The venue assured us that two hours is plenty for receptions of over 150, so it would definitely be enough for our 50 person reception, but in an abundance of caution, we worked with the venue to get Ruth that time. Then she unexpectedly charged us for it two weeks out. (6) She also added additional charges for linens when the contract clearly stated "All linens to be provided by caterer." (7) The coffee was set out in enormous gas station urns, not carafes. The coffee station looked like 7-11. It was so tacky. (8) I had a sangria recipe that I trusted her to execute and the results were also disappointing. She wouldn't agree to make it in the portion size I requested, but insisted on making them in pitchers. (9) Her entire staff was in the kitchen when the cake was being cut. We had to look around and someone had to go fetch them. (10) We had all vendor tips ready before the ceremony. Although some friends told me I should not tip, I went on and gave her the benefit of the doubt and thought I would just try to reach out the next day. That was a mistake. Ruth deflected all responsibility: subtly blaming me because the ceremony started late, the wedding coordinator, or implying that I was making things up because she has no idea how any of it could have happened. She thanked me for the generous tip and then said there is nothing she can do but say she is sorry. Lesson learned. If I had to do this all over again, I would have picked someone who was more open to what I wanted. In our last meeting, when we were going over the menu, I mentioned I was reevaluating the options, and she said "don't change the menu." She also vetoed me on cake decisions that night. She likes toppers on cakes; she will put a topper on the cake. And in all honesty, for all these gripes above, it would have still been worth it had her team delivered on our wedding night. But they simply did not. Looking back, working with her and whatever value we thought we were getting, was not worth it at all.

Choosing Teatime to cater our wedding was one of the best decisions we made. The money she saved us alone would be worth the rating but her flexibility and her creativity were so valuable as well. The food was amazing as was the presentation of the food - our guests raved! The cake was both beautiful and delicious! EXACTLY what we wanted! Corresponding with Ruth was easy and worry-free. Her ideas and recommendations regarding the whole reception were also great (thanks for pointing me in the direction of the linen rentals for my chair covers!). She even met with my wedding planner the week before my wedding to brainstorm about the space set-up and met the day before to begin the set-up. In a nutshell, the food was excellent, the service outstanding and my wedding day was exactly what I wanted thanks to Teatime! I have already recommended her to four other brides!

I booked Ruth at Teatime because I remembered from several years ago that she catered my sister's wedding, and the food was fantastic!!!! Ruth answered all of my questions and was very friendly and professional and went above and beyond. Everyone loved the petite ham sandwiches, the steak kabob and the chicken satay. The punch was also a favorite. And the cake was beautiful and simple. It was all exactly how we hoped!

I loved working with Ruth and her team. She catered our wedding and our rehearsal dinner, and also provided our wedding cake. Prior to the wedding, she was very easy to get in contact with, and always quick to reply to my many emails. We met with her in her home to make decisions regarding the menus, and she was warm and welcoming every time we saw her. Ruth is so personable, and really put me at ease with our catering decisions. She complied with my every request, and made suggestions to cut costs. Perfect! The food was delicious, and her staff was professional and easy to work with. Michelle was in charge of our rehearsal dinner, and she was absolutely wonderful. I never had an empty glass the whole night, and she was on-time, efficient, and so sweet. During the wedding, my husband and I were approached multiple times asking if we needed anything to eat or drink, which was great. Ruth coordinated our cake-cutting so that we could get some great pictures, as well. Overall, I was absolutely thrilled with her services, and would highly recommend her to...

Teatime catered the rehearsal dinner for our son and our daughter's wedding in 2009. Ruth and her staff are just top notch. We could not have asked for a more professional, yet friendly staff. The food was great as was the selection. I would highly recommend Teatime for any event you need catered.

After searching high and low in the Northern Virginia area for catering that was both affordable and delicious, my fiance and I were excited to find Teatime Delicacies, which exceeded all of our expectations. The food was delicious and we received numerous compliments on it from our guests, and it was by far the best value we found in the area. Ruth was an absolute pleasure to work with, and knew a lot of helpful information about our venue that was very useful throughout the planning process. On top of everything, Ruth provided a DELICIOUS wedding cake for free - it was moist, flavor packed, and also quite beautiful. By allowing us to purchase our own alcohol, Ruth saved us a lot of money, and her staff did a great job. I would absolutely recommend Ruth to any bride.

Ruth and her staff were absolutely wonderful. The only small complaint I have is that I thought they packed up a little early, but I know that was due to the time constraints of the venue. Regardless, their service was exceptional and I recommend them to any bride who loves great food at a value!

Ruth makes delicious food you actually want to eat, at half the cost of any other caterer we looked at. You're not going to see her on one of those over-the-top TLC programs, but for our informal garden wedding on a tight budget, it was exactly what we dreamed of. I started out a little skeptical, because our tasting was held in her suburban home, at her dining room table. However, the food was good, the price was excellent, and she was extremely competent. She also rolled with our off-beat requests. For sentimental reasons, I wanted my mom to make our cake. Though Ruth usually includes her own delicious-looking cakes as part of the catering package, she agreed to transport and set up the one my mom made. She decorated it with rose petals, and my mom's cake wound up looking entirely professional (though credit is due to my mom as well). Ruth also set up our centerpieces and party favors exactly as we requested, and she transported and served the alcohol we purchased on our own. Ruth is flexible and great at keeping in touch, and she also knows everything about what works and doesn't at wedding receptions. She spent a whole morning walking through the venue with my mom and answering all her questions-- one other reviewer mentioned Ruth's frank attitude, which my mom and I also appreciated. She's very helpful and understanding when a couple is looking to keep costs to a minimum, which is a refreshing attitude in the era of the $28,000 average American wedding. We were grateful to have the benefit of Ruth's knowledge as well as her service, and we wholeheartedly recommend Teatime to other couples.

We wanted an afternoon garden reception on our church lawn and from the very start of the process Ruth was honest, helpful, accessible and flexible. In the lead-up Ruth was available to answer our questions about food, honest about ways to save money, recommended reliable vendors and even visited our reception site and gave us some advice on logistics (where to set things up, timing, etc.). When the wedding planning process first started we felt overwhelmed and unsure. Meeting with Ruth gave us confidence (and relief) that a big part of the reception was under control. It’s difficult to even begin to describe how wonderful Ruth and her team made our wedding day. For starters, we arrived significantly late and really stressed. Ruth immediately asked what we needed done and her staff did it. In addition to the basic set up of food and drink, the Teatime staff decorated our tables, prepared the extra drink and food we supplied and Ruth even brought some of the whimsy that was so important to our Alice in Wonderland-themed afternoon tea reception (Ruth has a fantastic collection of white rabbits!). Ruth brought a staff of 10 with her and they were so helpful, attentive and friendly. 250 guests is a lot to serve, but the Teatime Delicacies staff were totally on the ball and bustled around on a hot June day with smiles on their faces. One of the staff, (Bob?) earned post wedding praise from our guests for his attitude and service. The regular menu was delicious but the cake was wonderful. Ruth made exactly the cake I wanted and decorated it with matching ribbon and fresh daisies to coordinate with our wedding. She let us pick different kinds of cake for the layers, which was really cool. (We ended up going with lemon butter w/raspberry filling and carrot cake w/cream cheese). It was so delicious. I don’t know why people waste their time with fondant cakes. Ruth made us a beautiful cake that was absolutely delicious. After the reception, the Teatime staff stayed another 2 hours and helped break everything down and clean up – and they were still smiling and friendly even though all the guests had departed. Bottom line: Ruth knows her stuff. The food was wonderful, the service outstanding, the helpfulness of the whole team was beyond expectations and the cake was amazing. We feel so lucky and blessed that we had Teatime Delicacies on our wedding day!

Ruth's catering was excellent long before the wedding and reception. She sat down and talked to us about what she could provide, let us taste the food from the beginning, and worked with us. Her pricing was the best we'd seen and we liked her frank attitude. Before the wedding, Ruth and her staff were efficient and professional in setting everything up. Everything went off perfectly and our guests cannot stop raving about what a great time they had. The food was excellent, the cake beautiful, and the staff responded to all manner of requests quickly. Oh, and let's not forget the mini crab cakes... they were awesome! I highly recommend Teatime Delicacies for any catering event!

Ruth came up with a wonderful menu which suited our guests needs and even created something new based on the groom's request. The food was delicious. We opted for mini desserts instead of the cake and we barely saw them because they were eaten so quickly. Everything was very yummy. Ruth was a delight to work with and was well-organized. Teatime Delicacies is highly recommended.

Ruth and the Teatime Staff were amazing for our wedding on May 6th! The food, service and our cake was amazing. Ruth and her staff were very hands on and I was able to talk to them between me and my husband doing our thing during the day. They made sure we got our food first, had our cake cutting done properly and that we had our top tier saved for us and wrapped up. Our free cake was AMAZING and I can't wait to dig into it for our first month anniversary! Ruth was easy to work with and created our dream cake with such skill. The reviews on our food was wonderful and we could not have asked for a better service for our day; no stress, no problems and no worries! Thank you Ruth and Team for making our special day extra tasty and without worry! We will recommend you to others!

Using Tea Time to cater our wedding was a great decision; the price can't be beat, the food and cake were tasty, and Ruth and her staff were all wonderful to work with (Michelle was actually present to manage our event, and did a great job). Ruth was extremely responsive to all of our e-mails and questions, and we were never worried that something would go wrong, because Tea Time was so organized about everything. Another bonus to using Tea Time was that during the planning process, Ruth was very honest and helpful about ways to save money (providing our own alcohol, using a different rental company for chairs). The only thing we noticed during the event that might have bothered a more detail-oriented bride and groom was that the skirts for the buffet tables were maroon. We just assumed they'd be white or off-white, so if something like that matters to you, just double-check before the event. It didn't bother us, though. Ultimately, Tea Time was fabulous, and I wish we could get married again because our cake was so pretty and delicious, so I'd like another!

I have worked with and for Ruth for 10 years now so of course, we had to have Teatime Delicacies cater our wedding. We had a less than ideal situation being that the Groom lived two hours away from the wedding area and the bride (myself) was living and studying in London, not getting home until 10 days prior to the wedding. Ruth was very accommodating and flexible with our situation. For the cost-conscious couple, Teatime Delicacies is an incredible deal and great value for the money. The national avg for weddings is 20k and DC is over 2x the national avg. Our budget was less than the national average, but set in DC and Ruth's services allowed us to stay in budget all the while still maintaining a classy and high quality reception. The food is excellent and Ruth's wedding cakes are beautiful and honestly the best I have ever tasted - so moist and flavorful, unlike other wedding cakes that are dry and sometimes stale. We have gotten numerous compliments on the food and wedding cake in the weeks since the event. Many thanks to Ruth and Teatime Delicacies for making our reception an event to remember!

Teatime Delicacies was amazing! The food was absolutely perfect for our reception and the staff came and found me through out the night to ensure I got plenty of my favorites. And the cake was spectacular! I sent in a picture and it turned out better than I could have dreamed. The artistry, professionalism, and assistance exceeded all my expectations!

We couldn't have picked a better caterer for our wedding! Ruth was flexible and so helpful throughout the entire planning process. She gave us a great tasting, and we knew we had to book her on the spot. The food was delicious, the service was great, and our wedding cake was beautiful and tasty (she doesn't do fondant cakes, but in my opinion, that's a good thing). We had our wedding at Old Town Hall, which allowed us to buy and bring in our own alcohol. Ruth offered to take it off our hands a few days before the event so that it would get there with the rest of the food. Our wedding reception was a success thanks to Teatime!

Awesome food and service buy all members of the staff. Ruth (the owner) let us go to her home and enjoy a tasting prior to making any food decisions because my husband has a rare onion allergy so she was very accomodating. During the photography session one of the staff brought the wedding party appetizers since I was diabetic. The bartender was great and remembered what everyone was drinking since it was a small wedding of less than 50 people. Best part was the wedding cake. Ruth threw in a customized wedding cake of our choice and design even down to the flavors and it was the best free cake ever!

Ruth and her staff were very flexible and patient. They know just what they are doing and go out of their way to make your day special. The cost and tastefulness of the food cannot be beaten. I'd hire them again any chance I get!

Ruth was wonderful to work with! After being at two other events she catered we hired her to cater an Open House wedding celebration for my son and daughter in law. She provided expert guidance on menu selection, beverage amounts and set up. She was responsive throughout the planning process, on time and totally prepared. Her staging was ideal for the fall season and beautifully prepared. The food was delicious and many guests asked for her contact information so the secret is out! Hiring Ruth has given me a new perspective on hosting a party. Every time I tried to check with her to see if she needed anything she shooed me back to my guests. Now, that's the way to host a party!!