Private Event Catering
Birthdays, anniversaries, and dinner parties across the Bay Area, planned individually around your guests, your space, and the occasion.
Moments that matter.
Caterman provides party catering in San Jose and across the Bay Area, from a small dinner at home to a milestone birthday in a rented hall. Every private event is planned individually around your guests, your space, and the occasion, and there is no standard package to squeeze it into.
Private event catering at Caterman comes from our own kitchen at 403B Reynolds Circle in San Jose, where around 80% of what we serve is made from scratch. Menus are developed in house by our executive chef, Maria Rita Gun, who has over 20 years in professional catering.
The team that plans your party is the team that runs it. We arrive set up and ready, serve your guests, clear down, and leave your kitchen as we found it, so you can spend the evening with the people you invited.
Birthdays & Milestones
Landmark birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations, with food that makes the occasion feel like one.
Dinner Parties at Home
Restaurant-quality plates served in your own space, with our team handling prep, service, and cleanup.
Intimate Gatherings
Smaller guest lists, considered menus, and attentive service for the gatherings that matter most.
Party catering in San Jose, planned around your event
Catering for private events starts with a conversation about who is coming and where. You tell us the date, the headcount, the location, and the occasion, and our chef proposes a menu and a service style that suit all four. A long table at home calls for different food than a standing reception at a venue, and we plan for that from the first draft.
The party catering San Jose hosts book with us covers the whole event: menu planning, cooking, delivery, setup, service on the day, and cleanup. Around 80% of the menu is made from scratch in our San Jose kitchen, so the food on the table is food we cooked.
We have served the Bay Area for over 20 years. Private parties get the same kitchen, the same chef, and the same standards as our corporate and wedding work.
Birthday party catering for every age
Birthday party catering runs from a first birthday in the backyard to a milestone birthday with a full dinner. We match the menu to the guests, including children, and to any dietary or religious requirements in the room.
For younger crowds and mixed ages, a Build-Your-Own Taco Bar, a Slider Trio, or Mac & Cheese keeps things easy. For a milestone dinner, plated courses such as Braised Short Rib with soft polenta or Pan-Seared Salmon with salsa verde give the evening a sense of occasion.
Our birthday party catering Bay Area guide covers menus and service styles in more detail. Bring the cake from your own baker and our team handles cake service: cutting, plating, and serving.
Anniversary catering and anniversary party catering
Anniversary catering is one of the occasions we cater most. A couple marking a landmark year often wants something close to a wedding dinner, with plated courses, toasts, and a dessert table. A smaller anniversary might be a long lunch at home with family.
Anniversary party catering can be plated, buffet, family-style, or stations. Family-style suits relatives who want to pass dishes down the table. Stations suit a larger party where guests move around and talk.
Our notes on milestone celebration catering cover anniversaries, big birthdays, and other landmark dates.
Engagement party catering
Engagement party catering is usually a standing reception built around canapés, grazing boards, and a bar, with the focus on two families meeting each other. Burrata & Heirloom Tomato Skewers, Fig & Prosciutto Crostini, Mini Crab Cakes, and an Artisan Cheese Board all work well passed or displayed.
Our bartenders run the full bar setup with drinks you supply. We do not sell alcohol, so you choose and buy the wine, beer, and spirits, and our team serves them through the evening.
If the engagement leads to a wedding, our wedding catering team plans that separately, starting with a tasting with the chef.
Retirement party catering at home or at a venue
Retirement party catering often sits between private and corporate: a family dinner at home, or a reception for colleagues at a venue. We plan both the same way, around the person being celebrated and the guests who will be there.
A retirement reception suits canapés and grazing boards, with coffee and dessert to finish. A retirement dinner at home suits plated courses or family-style mains such as Herb-Roasted Free-Range Chicken or Roast lamb shoulder with salsa verde.
Our retirement party planning guide walks through planning one step by step.
Graduation party catering and family gatherings
Graduation party catering tends to mean larger numbers, mixed ages, and guests arriving through the afternoon. Buffet and station service work well here, with dishes such as Carne Asada, Street Corn Esquites, the Mediterranean Mezze, and an Assorted Cookie & Brownie Platter.
Family gatherings follow a similar pattern. Tell us roughly how many guests you expect and describe the space, and we size the menu and the service to both.
For a graduation party catering enquiry, it helps to say whether guests will eat at tables or on their feet. That one detail shapes the menu, the serving equipment, and the number of staff.
Baby shower catering and bar and bat mitzvah catering
Baby shower catering usually centers on a daytime menu of salads, grazing boards, finger food, and a dessert table. Iced Tea & Lemonade, an Infused Water Station, or a Tea & Coffee Service sits alongside. Our baby shower catering guide has menu ideas and planning notes.
Bar and bat mitzvah catering covers a family celebration with guests of every age, often a full meal followed by a party. We build the menu around the family's dietary and religious requirements and plan service around the running order of the day.
Our page on bar and bat mitzvah catering explains how we approach these events with families.
Celebration of life catering
Celebration of life catering is planned quietly and on the family's schedule. We cater receptions after services and celebrations of life at home or at a venue, and take the food off the family's hands entirely.
Menus for these gatherings tend to be simple and familiar: platters, salads, and warm dishes that are easy to eat standing up, with coffee and tea service. Our team sets up, serves, and clears so the family can be with their guests.
Our page on memorial and celebration of life catering explains how we plan these with families.
Dinner party catering at home
Dinner party catering brings restaurant-quality plates into your own dining room. Our team preps in your kitchen, serves each course, clears between courses, and leaves the kitchen as we found it.
A typical menu might start with passed canapés, move to a salad such as Beet & Citrus or Kale Caesar, then a main such as Miso-Glazed Cod or Wild Mushroom Risotto, and finish with a Flourless Chocolate Torte or Matcha Panna Cotta.
For more on planning one, read our guide to private dinner party catering in San Jose and our notes on what a full-service team handles at an at-home celebration.
Small party catering and intimate gatherings
Small party catering gets the same kitchen, the same chef, and the same care as a large event. We cater intimate gatherings through to larger parties, and a small dinner is planned as individually as a large reception.
For a small group, family-style service works well: shared platters of Herb-Roasted Free-Range Chicken, Roasted Seasonal Vegetables, and Garlic Mashed Potato passed down the table. Tell us the guest count in your enquiry and our chef proposes a menu to match.
Private party catering menus and dietary needs
Private party catering menus are built from our catering menu, which covers Breakfast & Morning Table, Canapés & Hors d'Oeuvres, Grazing Boards & Platters, Salads & Garden, Mains, Sides, Desserts & Sweets, Tea & Coffee Service, Cold & Soft Beverages, and Late Night & Snacks. Our kitchen will also cook a dish, a family recipe, or a cuisine that is not on the page if you tell us what you have in mind.
Our kitchen is halal-capable and every dish can be prepared halal. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options run through the menu, and each dish carries a Contains: line listing its allergens. Share dietary restrictions and allergies before you order so the chef can plan around them.
Our guide to dietary-friendly event catering covers planning for mixed dietary needs at a single event.
Service styles, equipment, cake, and bar
Catering for private events can be plated, buffet, family-style, or stations, with dessert tables and bar service where they suit the event. We recommend the style that fits your space, your timeline, and how you want guests to eat.
If you need tables, chairs, plates, glassware, chafing dishes, or decor, equipment and decor rental is available alongside the catering or on its own.
We do not bake cakes. Bring one from your own baker and we cut, plate, and serve it. We do not sell alcohol either: you supply the drinks and our bartenders run the full bar setup.
Private event catering across San Jose and the Bay Area
We cater private events across San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Oakland, and the wider Bay Area. Hosts in San Francisco get the same service, menus, and team as San Jose. See catering in San Francisco for more.
The party catering Bay Area hosts book with us is cooked in the same San Jose kitchen, whichever city the party is in. If your address is outside these areas, request a quote with the location and we will confirm coverage.
How to book party catering in San Jose
Send your date, headcount, location, and the type of event through our catering quote form. We come back with a tailored proposal, and you can adjust the menu and service from there.
Once you have a date, get in touch and we will confirm availability. You can also call the kitchen on (408) 441 8719 to talk it through.
Private Event Catering Enquiry
Whatever you're celebrating, from birthdays and anniversaries to dinner parties and family gatherings, we'll bring food that fits the occasion. Tell us what you have in mind.
Questions
What kinds of private events do you cater?
Birthdays, milestone birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, dinner parties at home, family gatherings, engagement and retirement parties, baby showers, bar and bat mitzvahs, and celebrations of life across the Bay Area.
Do you offer party catering in San Jose at private homes?
Yes. We cater dinner parties and gatherings in private homes across San Jose, arriving set up and ready and leaving your kitchen as we found it.
Do you cater small parties?
Yes. Small party catering gets the same kitchen and the same care as larger events. Tell us your guest count and we tailor the menu and service to it.
Is there a standard private party package?
No. Every private event is planned individually around the occasion, the space, and the guests, so the proposal you receive is written for your party.
Do you provide the birthday or celebration cake?
We do not bake or supply the cake itself, but we are happy to handle cake service. Bring in a cake from your own baker and we will take care of the cutting, plating, and serving.
Do you provide alcohol and bar service?
We provide the bartenders and full bar setup, but we do not sell or supply the alcohol. You provide the drinks and our team serves them throughout your event.
Can every dish be prepared halal?
Yes. Our kitchen is halal-capable and every dish can be prepared halal, alongside vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Share any dietary restrictions and allergies before you order.
Do you cater anniversary and engagement parties?
Yes. Anniversary party catering and engagement party catering are some of the occasions we cater most, from a long table at home to a standing reception at a venue.
Do you cater retirement and graduation parties?
Yes. We cater retirement dinners and receptions, and graduation parties at home or at a venue, sized to your guest count.
Do you cater celebrations of life?
Yes. We cater receptions after services and celebrations of life at home or at a venue, planned around the family's schedule.
Which parts of the Bay Area do you cater parties in?
San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Oakland, and the wider Bay Area. For other addresses, request a quote and we will confirm coverage.
How do I get a quote?
Send your date, headcount, location, and event type through the quote form and we come back with a tailored proposal.
More questions? Read the full FAQ or see client reviews.