What our clients are saying...

"I have been running events and parties in Santa Barbara for twenty years. I can honestly say that Rachel's food is fabulous, in both taste and presentation. Each guest raved about the food being the best they ever had. Her food is scrumptious! She is organized, dependable and great natured. My guests always end up watching her in amazement and chatting with her in the kitchen. Rachel will deliver a meal to remember." Valerie Williams

"Rachel and the Main Course California team did a fantastic job for my wedding. I gave her a food concept and a style of service that I wanted. She hit the nail on the head! The food was delicious and the presentation of the small plates was spectacular. The specialty drinks served at the bar were also great. My guests really enjoyed the food; and the staff was friendly and accommodating." Tabitha

"I just wanted to thank you all again for making our wedding one of the best days of our lives. It was beyond all our expectations...the food was so incredibly memorable..." - Andy Marcus, Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs Fox Media, Los Angeles

"...Food was fantastic! Service - excellent - nothing but great comments from all the guests." Christine Garvey, Director - Habitat for Humanity, Santa Barbara

"Thank you so much for all your assistance... you were a true pleasure to work with! Throughout this entire process I kept having the feeling I was forgetting something - then I realized that you were doing it! I appreciate the fact that you followed up with me; and that was really huge! The food was great...the bacon wrapped chorizo was everyones favorite!" Kathy Aschoff, Operations Manager, Jaguar Land Rover Ventura

Ask the Chef...

Do you ever find yourself in the kitchen, wishing you could just pick up the phone and call the Food Network directly with your cooking and baking questions? Maybe you're wondering if you can use salted butter in a recipe that calls for unsalted? Maybe you don't have any buttermilk, but you vaguely remember that there's something else you can use instead? Maybe you keep burning cookies even though your oven thermometer says all is well in your oven? Some of you might call Mom, some may hop on the internet and ask Google what to do. Well, we've got a few talented chefs with lots of years of experience kickin' around at Main Course, and we'd love to answer some of your burning kitchen-related questions. Leave a comment here...and we'll try to get you an answer within a day or two. Happy cooking!

Main Course Does Cakes

Cake, originally uploaded by Main Course California.

Buttercream icings, sweet yellow cake, dense flourless chocolate cake, rich red velvet, pumpkin cheesecake, thick cream cheese icing....when it comes to our cake offerings, we could go on and on.

This is a cake we did for a wedding in May...and yes, it is covered in a thick layer of chocolate shavings and finished with fresh flowers. To see more of our cakes, here's a Flickr slideshow of some our favorite cake photos.

Yet another of our favorite farmer friends...

Fresh picked, sweet as candy strawberries. Vibrant leafy greens just pulled from the ground. These are just some of the fresh foods we get from our farmer friend, Dave Pommer of Santa Paula. We utilize a lot of his produce in our bistro, but also in our catered events.

And, boy, did we have fun when Dave's daughter got married in May on his farm in Santa Paula. We know that you know that we love working with local food - so having all the bounty of Dave's farm at our fingertips made us feel like a kid in a candy store. The end result? A menu in which 95 percent of the fruits and veggies came from the father-of-the-bride's farm, where the wedding was being held. How cool is that?

Here's some of what was on the menu for the day:

Jennifer’s Salad

French mixed greens, strawberries, candied nuts & parmesan tossed in balsamic-citrus vinaigrette

Red & Gold Beet Salad

with tangerines, arugula & shallot vinaigrette

Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts

with citrus-avocado relish

Grilled Tri Tip

with fresh grated horseradish sauce & smoky blueberry bbq sauce

Pommes de Terre Truffade

Wafer thin layers of yukon potatoes baked with gruyere cheese, herbs

& finished with white truffle oil

Grilled Heirloom Carrots & Leeks

with garlic, herbs & just a hint of honey