Reviews

Nicole Mossian
2 reviews·20 photos
a year ago
We hired Jamie to cater and coordinate our wedding, I can’t say enough good things about our experience with her. Our original wedding date was in 2020, we decided to postpone to 2021 and she was so gracious and helped us find a new date. We also hired her for day of coordinating & she went above and beyond to help us find the right vendors and to answer my hundreds of questions leading up to our day. We had never even visited our venue prior to our wedding day so we had so many worries and questions about the space, she made us feel at ease. She was professional and so calm and kind. The food was absolutely incredible, it was not only the best “wedding food” I’ve ever had but honestly one of the best meals I’ve ever had. All of our guests were impressed with chef Paul and their entire team. I highly recommend hiring Sea Stars for your event!

1
5.0/5.0
Quality of Service: 5.0 Responsiveness: 5.0 Professionalism: 5.0 Value: 5.0 Flexibility: 5.0
Karalyn said…
Working with Jamie and her team was an absolute pleasure. I was a difficult bride in the sense that I didn’t have a ton of strong opinions about what I wanted for our day. Jamie was able to work with me in narrowing down a theme and creating a vision that was perfectly personalized to us as a couple. The flowers and rentals were so gorgeous and really transformed our ceremony location and reception site. She had tons of recommendations about vendors to use in the area and was able to provide guidance to help us stick to and get the most value out of our budget. She took all of the stress out of the planning process and out of the day itself with her calm demeanor and excellent organizational skills. She was on top of every detail and the wedding weekend was planned perfectly from start to finish so I had nothing to worry about but spending time with my husband and my family and friends. She is a deeply kind, creative, calm, and friendly person who we felt honored to have included as a part of our day. Working with Jamie was definitely the best wedding related decision we made and I would highly recommend working with her!

Wedding: 10/22/2016
Services Used: Event Rentals & Photobooths, Flowers, Wedding Planning

5.0/5.0
Quality of Service: 5.0 Responsiveness: 5.0 Professionalism: 5.0 Value: 5.0 Flexibility: 5.0
Lexi said…
Hiring Jamie and Sea Stars was the best decision we made for our wedding! Jamie immediately set us at ease with her calm manner and her bounty of experience and knowledge of throwing an event in Big Sur (while we were living in LA, so planning from afar). Jamie’s personality is very calm and laid-back, which was enormously helpful to us. I know a lot of people get really stressed in wedding planning. Anytime we felt overwhelmed, Jamie’s demeanor made us instantly relax. If we asked her to help with something, she would immediately take it off her plates and out of our minds, and quietly just handle it. She was so thoughtful in her planning process, made great suggestions, totally understood our style and what we wanted the feeling of our wedding day to be like, and was incredibly efficient. The intense preparation and work Jamie and her staff put into our wedding day was truly staggering. We were at the venue the night before for a rehearsal, and when we walked in mere hours later, the entire place had transformed into the most beautiful event we could ever imagine. They all offered bright smiles throughout the day and night, made sure we ate as we were greeted by well-wishers, brought us drinks as soon as ours were empty, watched out for our family members’ comfort, and made the whole evening fun and worry-free. Sea Stars made our wedding day the most fun day of our lives and went above and beyond every step of the way! Did I mention this was all while she was planning her own wedding (and several others)? She’s an absolute superstar! Thank you so much, Jamie!

Wedding: 09/20/2014
Services Used: Catering, Event Rentals & Photobooths, Wedding Planning

Jo wrote you a Review (5.0/5.0): – 07/05/2017 9:02 pm ×
“My husband and I have worked with Jamie Jarrard’s Sea Stars Catering and Events several times over the years, on events small and large, and I truly would not ever want to work with anyone else! In her role as an event coordinator, she is a force of nature–capable, calm, wildly creative, contagiously positive, imaginative, indefatigable, patient, kind, warm, industrious, tough, and armed with a ‘little black book’ of specially sourced ingredients from amazing hard-to-access farmers, magical off-market lodging options for guests, and a wonderful group of friends and colleagues whom she is able to gather and assemble as staff to perfectly fit the tone of any given party/celebration. She can pretty much make anything happen! Any concept you envision, any dish you desire, any theme you want to conjure. Perhaps (for us) most importantly of all, she is a truly superb chef. She has prepared some of the best dishes I’ve eaten in my life. Not only is her technique impeccable, but her presentation is gorgeous, and always perfectly tailored to the vibe/theme/setting/season/spirit of any gathering. Jamie is also amazing in stressful situations. She remained patient and calm in the face of multiple crises that arose during our wedding planning (needing to change our venue just weeks before the big day; solving multiple guest-housing dilemmas on one of the busiest Big Sur weekends of the year; and springing into action to set up a tent and keep guests comfortable and happy when it started pouring rain on our wedding morning). And she did all this while carting around her tiny newborn baby. See why I call her indefatigable? I honestly can’t say enough good about this gal. She is a treasure, and working with Sea Stars is a guarantee you will have an amazing, elegant, fun, unique, heartfelt, and unforgettable event.”

I call Jamie my Fairy-God-Caterer. She went way beyond the duties of a caterer in every way imaginable. I can honestly say that my wedding last weekend in Big Sur would not have been as lovely or gone as seamlessly without her. She was beyond amazing and helped in all of the following ways:

1) Catering – The food was magnificent. She prepared a custom all-vegetarian menu that our guests (many were big meat eaters!) raved about. Everything was so fresh, well-prepared, and she used the highest quality ingredients. You can tell she is a culinary artist, has impeccable taste, and knows what works.

2) Drinks – She created unique ‘his and hers’ drinks that were spot-on to me and my husband’s tastes. They really upped the special factor at the bar. Furthermore, she provided us with guidelines of how much of each beverage (including wines and beers) she would suggest we purchase since we were bringing all the alcohol. I would have had no idea how much to buy if not for her.

3) Cake and desserts – We opted for Jamie to make our cake rather than go with an outside bakery. This was a great decision! She made a dreamy devil’s food cake with white buttercream icing and toffee topping. She coordinated with our florist to decorate it in line with our overall floral/greenery motif. It was decadent and beautiful. I overheard a guest say it was the best wedding cake they ever had. She also prepared an amazing dessert bar and smores set-up to make use of the bonfire we had after dinner.

4) Rentals – We used her other company, Stardust Rentals, to set the tables and establish the mood for our wedding decor. All I did was make a Pinterest board with what I liked and she hand-selected items from her inventory that were PERFECT. Our design aesthetic for the wedding was off the beaten path and we weren’t sure if anyone would get what we were wanting. However, by simply looking at a Pinterest board, she nailed it. Furthermore, what she did not have for us, she coordinated with another rental company to fill in the gaps and put together that inventory for us. It was a godsend. I would have been totally lost without her.

5) Staff – Her staff was lovely and professional. There were quite a few of them there to help cook, serve, bartend, etc. but it did not feel overwhelming or crowded at our small venue. They reminded me of the wonderful little mice in Cinderella, quietly working efficiently and tirelessly to make our wedding amazing. They also helped SO much with clean-up after the ceremony, leaving a lot less for us to do the morning after.

6) Referrals – Given that I live in Los Angeles and was having the wedding in Big Sur, I felt at a loss of where to start with who to hire for a destination wedding. Jamie is in the know! She set me up with an AMAZING florist (Lolo at Burst + Bloom in Carmel), gave us tips about the venue (she had catered there before and gave us a heads-up about the location and things we would need), and gave me our shuttle driver’s contact info.

7) Miscellaneous – Jamie helped coordinate our timeline for the day (which was super helpful regarding the photography timeline as well). She provided us with everything we needed and all the information one would want to have for a destination wedding. The day of the ceremony I realized we didn’t have two highchairs. She brought her son’s highchair and borrowed one from a local restaurant. It was so kind. Last but not least, her personality is amazing. I am quite the type-A perfectionist and my energy is pretty intense. Jamie is obviously a perfectionist by the quality of her work; however, it comes with the most calming and nurturing energy. She alleviated my stress throughout the process. It was beyond helpful. By the end of the wedding, I found myself wishing we lived closer to one another because she is someone you would want in your life on a daily basis.

I cannot recommend this beautiful person, inside and out, enough. Perfection.

I’m not sure I could say enough to emulate the experience that Jamie and her team at Sea Stars created for our wedding day. We began the process of planning with her over 6 months before the wedding and she guided my husband and I through every decision, every step of the way. Jamie truly went above and beyond in the planning process. Although we chose Sea Stars originally for catering, we also ended up using her vintage rentals company for some of the decor, serve wear and the bar service.

Jamie also stepped in and coordinated all of our necessary event rentals, such as tables, chairs and flatware through a local rental company. We were also given the opportunity to get all of our guest favors, an assortment of authentic thunderbird blankets, through Jamie which made this process so simple and smooth. We had never organized an event like this and were even more out of our element since we were from out of the area and didn’t know any of the available vendors, so Jamie really took over and helped us define exactly what we would need for comfort and an overall perfect wedding day.

Now, lets get to the food…the highlight of her services! Jamie and her team prepared the most decadent dining experience for us and our guests. My husband, a chef himself, was incredibly impressed by her flavor palettes and pairing of ingredients, as well as the wonderful environment and aroma that was created when they prepared all of the ingredients and dishes from scratch right there in our kitchen. We had been smelling these delicious scents all day and finally when it was time to sit down for dinner, everyones mouths were watering. Throughout the planning process, we were very aware of cost and very mindful of our budget. We kept the count for dinner very accurate as it evolved, yet Jamie happily made more than enough for everyone to be completely satisfied. She even helped us throw in a last minute appetizer to keep our guests happy during a big delay in the wedding timeline. Her serving staff was incredibly efficient and well mannered and the bartender kept everyone happy throughout the festivities.

We were 100% thrilled with everything she offered us and her execution of our big day. To say that Jamie was simply our caterer would be a lie, she really acted as our coordinator and if it weren’t for her, I don’t know that we would have seen our vision and dream come to life that day. Thank you Jamie and Sea Stars! We couldn’t imagine our wedding day with anyone else.

We used Sea Stars to cater our small wedding in Big Sur this summer and it was everything we had hoped for. I come from a family with quite discerning palates and Jamie wowed them all. It was really important to both my husband and me that our wedding be a reflection of our lifestyle and values, and a big piece of that was having a world-class menu of local, seasonal, and organic foods. From prosciutto wrapped figs stuffed with Big Sur bleu cheese to a salad adorned with edible flowers from her garden, Jamie put together a feast for our taste buds and our eyes. She also prepared our tres leches wedding cake with dulce de leche sauce and people couldn’t stop raving.

Jamie also was a great fit for our personalities and planning style. Our entire approach to our tiny wedding (just immediate family) was super relaxed and laid back, and it was important to us to work with someone flexible and friendly. Jamie was more than accommodating and blended right in with our family, which was great for such an intimate wedding. It was also the extra little touches that really made everything memorable, like how Jamie brought over a big basket of flowers from her garden the morning of the wedding that I added to my flower crown and bouquet. It all felt so personal and meaningful, and we really wouldn’t have changed a thing about our wedding day.

Working with Jamie and her team was an absolute pleasure. I was a difficult bride in the sense that I didn’t have a ton of strong opinions about what I wanted for our day. Jamie was able to work with me in narrowing down a theme and creating a vision that was perfectly personalized to us as a couple. The flowers and rentals were so gorgeous and really transformed our ceremony location and reception site. She had tons of recommendations about vendors to use in the area and was able to provide guidance to help us stick to and get the most value out of our budget. She took all of the stress out of the planning process and out of the day itself with her calm demeanor and excellent organizational skills.

She was on top of every detail and the wedding weekend was planned perfectly from start to finish so I had nothing to worry about but spending time with my husband and my family and friends. She is a deeply kind, creative, calm, and friendly person who we felt honored to have included as a part of our day. Working with Jamie was definitely the best wedding related decision we made and I would highly recommend working with her!

Jamie was an integral part of our big day, working both as our wedding coordinator and our caterer. Jamie is cool, calm, and can make a five-star dinner in the middle of the woods. Her food is thoughtful, beautiful, and specific to the time and place, and all of our friends and family were full of compliments.

We met Jamie over a year before our wedding date and she took us to a rare, beautiful venue that we wouldn’t have found otherwise. Jamie and her wonderful team were with us every step of the way, helping overcome all of the curve balls that get thrown at every wedding effort, and we’re happy to have had her support and knowledge. We highly recommend Jamie and wish for everyone to have as special of a day as we did.

Jamie and her crew at Sea Stars made our wedding day a complete dream come true. I will try and put into words just how amazing our experience was.

To start; Jamie helped us plan the event.
She was extremely knowledgable about the area and the venue we chose. She was full of amazing ideas and receptive to our requests and visions. She thought of absolutely everything that we could have needed and helped us through the process. We had never planned an event like this and we were absolutely lost when it came to wedding planning. Jamie was a great sounding board and was easy to get a hold of and a great communicator. She was also very organized and did a great job walking us through everything.

I had so many ideas and had a difficult time communicating exactly what we wanted, but Jamie was able to turn my hodgepodge of ideas into a beautiful event. Every detail was perfect. She was able to bring my vision to life and also offer great advice.

As far as catering goes, it was probably one of the best meals we have ever had. She accommodated all of our requests and also went above and beyond in so many ways. Her food was heavenly. Our guests are still talking about how much they enjoyed the food. Everything was so fresh and beautifully prepared.

I think the best compliment we’ve received about the whole wedding came from my husbands grandfather who said, “this is the best wedding I’ve ever been to.” This is a huge compliment because he has been to hundreds of wedding because he was in the wedding industry for years. I think that this is reflective of just how amazing Jamie and Sea Stars are.

I can say that if you are lucky enough to have Jamie plan or cater your wedding it will be a dream.

Jamie catered our wedding reception, which was held at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur in the fall of this past year. From the very first correspondence I had with Jamie I felt completely at ease. We discussed what my husband and I wanted for our wedding and she proceeded to fulfill every wish we had with grace and competence. Her attention to detail was astounding and she seemed to always know exactly what to do as each situation arose.

We planned the dinner menu together from her endless list of delicious local and organic options, including a very special wedding cake which she created with custom care. She created a magical atmosphere through her delicious food and drink that our guests raved about for weeks afterwards, including delicious cocktails made from fresh and local ingredients made specially to suit our tastes. If there was any part of the event planning that was beyond her scope she delegated tasks to an extraordinary list of local vendors whom she knows and trusts.

Jamie’s personal staff as well were all friendly, accommodating and generally went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure our wedding was spectacular. I cannot more highly recommend Jamie and Sea Stars for their incredible services.

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Jamie, who recently catered our small wedding in Big Sur. Jamie guided us through the process of selecting a menu that reflected our tastes and that was sourced from ingredients local to the region. All of our guests (which included several discerning palates) raved about the food throughout the dinner and in the days following. Not only was the presentation beautiful, but the meal was extraordinary. The fish was grilled to perfection and the roasted vegetables were delicious. Dessert was fabulous too. But, especially appreciated was the individual attention to planning the details as we asked, and the professionalism of each person on the Sea Stars team. We could not have been happier to have Jamie and Sea Stars cater our wedding!

Jamie is wonderful. We’ve used her Sea Star Catering services for both professional & personal events – and the word “WOW” would not be enough to describe those experiences. One needs to add to the words, the smell and taste of her culinary creations to fully appreciate the passion Jamie puts in food. Opt for her choices of local, seasonal and organic produce and you’ll be left with an emotional delight. We’ve eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, but didn’t think we could have one right in our back garden. Thank you Jamie!

Jamie and Sea Stars played a huge part in a successful party we threw to celebrate a recent momentous birthday. There were so many yummy things on her menu to choose from that it was difficult to narrow down our favorites. We had someone in our party with an allergy to garlic and Jamie had no trouble accommodating this dietary restriction. THE FOOD WAS INCREDIBLE! Our friends are still talking about the food six months later – and with good reason.

This was the first time I’d worked with a caterer and Jamie couldn’t have made it easier or more pleasant. I give Sea Stars the highest rating possible and hope to work with them again in the not too distant future.

We took 2 couples to a private home in Big Sur to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday. We were all very close and the selection of a chef with a great demeanor and a great fit was important to make the evening perfect. Jamie was all that and more. She was well prepared with all of the pre-dinner set up and appetizers as we arrived from our day back from Carmel. The fresh ricotta was creatively accented with lavender salt and rosemary blossoms. The bacon wrapped grilled figs were very fun and went over great with the group.

I am a major salad snob and her creativity in the mixture of stone fruits, fennel and the peach balsamic dressing was excellent. She shopped for fresh whole local wild caught salmon and it was deliciously prepared with olive tapenade and infused on the bed of herbs. Accented by the lentils mixed with fried capers and roasted pepitas was the perfect compliment.

Lastly, you can’t have a birthday without cake and she came through with gluten free almond cupcakes with fresh cherries and also chocolate fudge cupcakes with salt and caramel to satisfy the chocolate lovers.

Jamie’s work was the perfect blend of high caliber presentation and excellent tasting food that left everyone satisfied. She fits in great, is fun and knows when to jump into the mix and when to be in the background- I highly recommend her and will definitely use her again when we are back in Big Sur.

Jamie was the only option for us. We researched others in Monterey and Big Sur and Jamie’s menu choices and her ability to invent epicurean yet simple & locally sourced dishes were unmatched. Her connections to the local superstars combined with her management of a top-notch staff provided us with a wedding that surpassed our expectations.

Everyone that attended our wedding continues to compliment our menu. We are overjoyed that Jaimie was at the helm.