Frequently Asked Questions

+ What is your style of cuisine?

We use fresh, local, seasonal ingredients to create a custom menu that best reflects your event and your guests. Our specialties include New American, Asian fusion, Latin fusion, California and “Santa Monican” fare.

+ Do you have a minimum party size or budget?

No. We have catered everything from dinner parties for two to a week-long conference serving more than 3,500 meals. For social and private events, we recommend a minimum food budget of $1,000. Our corporate clients are not subject to a minimum.

+ Do you offer services other than food?

Yes. As your creative marketing agency that speaks in food, we want to make sure your event meets your vision. We offer several additional services including:

Event staffing
Bar/beverage service
Equipment rental including tables, chairs, flatware, glassware, plates, etc.
Valet parking
Security
Decorations
Event production
Venue acquisition
And more

+ What areas do you serve?

We cover a wide area in Greater Los Angeles from here on the Westside to downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley. We also cover all of Los Angeles County, north to Ventura County, and south to Orange County. That said, as you travel, so will we. Whether a conference in Palm Springs or a retreat in the Caribbean, Vucacious has the team in place to cater events around the globe.

+ How much notice do you need for a catering order?

For most events, the range of booking is two weeks to one year in advance. However, we’ve also catered an event for 200 with one day’s notice. If you need last-minute catering, call us at 310-853-8005 to see whether we can help you.

+ What type of events do you cater?

We specialize in corporate events, providing catering solutions for business meetings, cocktail hours, town halls, company retreats, holiday parties, brand activations, open houses and more. In addition, we cater adult birthday parties, children’s birthday parties, bat/bar mitzvahs, family celebrations, private parties, fundraisers, baby showers, bridal showers, and weddings. We are experienced in catering at a wide variety of venues including corporate offices, event venues, private homes, and Air BnBs.

+ Do you serve organic food?

Yes. About 80% of our produce comes from the Santa Monica Farmers Market and we buy from organic meat purveyors. In addition, the disposable plates, eating utensils, and cups that we use are all compostable.

+ Do you offer tastings?

Yes, we do offer tastings though they are not complimentary. Tastings for weddings are optional and subject to a fee for food costs and labor. We recommend looking at our gallery and reading our reviews on Yelp in order to get a good sense of our quality.

A good place to get a complimentary taste of our food is at the Main Street Santa Monica Farmers Market every second Sunday in 2018. Chef Kim is the Chef-in-Residence for the city of Santa Monica and does a monthly cooking demonstration using the fresh ingredients straight from the market. Demonstrations are at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon.

+ Does our event space need to have a kitchen?

No. We can cook without a kitchen on-site. By preparing your dishes in our kitchen and using techniques like hot holding, we can still offer you a wide variety of dishes. Your guests won’t know the difference.

+ Do you offer vegan or vegetarian fare?

Yes. We can build a custom menu for you that can be either partially or fully vegan or vegetarian. During our first phone call or contact, we make sure to ask whether some of your guests are vegan or vegetarian. And because we build custom menus, we can do vegan or vegetarian dishes in a wide variety of cuisines.

+ Can you accommodate food allergies? For example, can you make my food nut-free or gluten-free?

Yes, we can definitely make your food nut-free or gluten-free. Because we cook or bake all our food from scratch, we control the ingredients and will exclude the specific allergen. And as a special consideration for your guests, we can also create signs for each dish to indicate whether it does not contain nuts or gluten or any other allergen.

Yes. Depending on your vision for your event, we can help you find one that will accommodate your specific needs.

+ Can you provide Kosher catering?

While our kitchen and equipment are not Kosher certified, we are able to provide “Kosher style” catering to our clients. We are well-versed in all laws of Kashrut and can accommodate some of them through ingredient selection, preparation, and/or boxed meals from a Kosher supplier. We are happy to help you determine the best solution for your event.

+ What does the name Vucacious mean?

Here at Vucacious, we provide much more than just delicious food. Since no one word defines our offerings, founder Chef Kim Vu created that word herself. “Vucacious” embodies all of the words that create the personalized excellence in hospitality and taste that Chef Kim Vu deems most important — Vucacious Catering is delicious, gracious, audacious, and voracious.

+ Where is your kitchen?

We are at 1828B Lincoln Blvd. in the heart of Santa Monica.

+ What is the 20% service charge on my estimate?

The service charge is NOT a gratuity. For custom caterers like Vucacious, a service charge is a custom production fee. It covers the labor of custom ingredient acquisition, the pre-event production labor (since all our food is made from scratch or fresh baked), transportation, and more. It also helps offset the costs of new minimum wage laws.

+ Is gratuity included?

No. Gratuity is never expected but always appreciated.