Catering in Vaughan

Family celebrations, at scale

Italian is the most commonly reported ethnic origin in Vaughan, about 26.5% of residents in the 2021 Census, and the city is also home to large Jewish, Russian, South Asian and Filipino communities. In practice, Vaughan family events tend to be big and multigenerational: 80 guests for a first communion lunch is not unusual, and the guest list for a milestone birthday may include three generations and a lot of cousins.

These events suit family-style service: platters set on long tables for guests to pass, followed by a second course and dessert. Family-style needs more platters and serving pieces than a buffet and more staff to clear between courses, but it keeps everyone seated together, which is often the point. Our full-service family-style dinners start from $78 per person before HST.

The spring and summer calendar

• First communions and confirmations cluster on Saturdays and Sundays in late April and May, after church. Guests arrive hungry around 1 p.m., so we set food out ready to serve rather than starting with a long cocktail hour.
• Graduation parties follow in June, often in backyards, with a younger crowd and later hours.
• Summer milestone birthdays and anniversaries fill July and August weekends; outdoor events need a heat plan for food safety and for staff.
• Engagement parties and showers run all year, often at home.

Because the communion season is short and many families book the same weekends, plan these early. See milestone celebrations for menu formats that suit 50–150 guests.

Estate homes and backyards in Kleinburg and Woodbridge

Kleinburg, parts of Woodbridge and Maple, and the nearby countryside toward King have large lots, some with pools, outdoor kitchens, cabanas and room for a tent for 150 guests. These properties are excellent venues if the logistics are planned:

• Pools and food. Keep glassware and buffet lines well away from pool decks. Acrylic serveware is the safer choice if the host wants food served by the pool.
• Outdoor kitchens. A homeowner's grill station is handy, but we still bring our own equipment and do not rely on home appliances for 150 plates.
• Long driveways and gates. We need a gate code, a turning space for a delivery vehicle, and a place for rental trucks to unload without blocking guest parking.
• Septic, wells and power. Properties at the edge of the city may be on well water and septic, which changes where we set up handwashing and how we dispose of grey water. Ask your rental company about washroom trailers for large guest counts.

For the full planning checklist, see backyard and tented events and our backyard wedding catering checklist.

Banquet halls: check the catering policy first

Vaughan and Woodbridge have many large banquet and event halls. A lot of them have their own in-house kitchens and do not allow outside caterers at all, or allow them only for specific items. Before you fall in love with a hall, ask directly whether outside catering is permitted and what fees apply. If it is not permitted, we would rather tell you now than after you have paid a deposit.

Halls that do allow outside catering, and community spaces such as church halls, follow the patterns in our community and banquet hall guide.

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Concord offices

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, around Highway 7 and Jane Street, has grown from parking lots into a cluster of office and condo towers since Line 1 of the subway reached it in 2017. Office buildings there work much like downtown: a loading area, a security desk and elevators that need to be booked for staffed events. It is a good fit for meeting and conference catering for regional teams that prefer not to travel downtown; the subway ride to Union takes about 45 minutes.

Concord and the industrial areas along Highway 7, Keele and Dufferin are full of construction, manufacturing and logistics companies. For these offices and yards we deliver practical team lunches and boxed lunches that can be taken back to a job site.

Getting to Vaughan

Highway 400 and Highway 7 are the main arteries, and the 400 northbound from the 401 is slow on Friday afternoons in summer, when cottage traffic heads north. That is exactly when many Saturday event rentals are being delivered, so we confirm rental drop-off times early. Highway 407 is faster but tolled, and we choose the route by the time of day.

Drop-off delivery is $45 with a minimum of 15 guests. Staffed events start at 40 guests, with staff at $38 per hour. See pricing.

Nearby: Richmond Hill, North York and Brampton. Services: private events, weddings, corporate catering.