Standing reception
Cheese Reception
Assorted gourmet cheese platters, dips, breads, fruit, and small bites for mingling before or instead of a seated meal.
Berkeley, the East Bay, and Bay Area events
Mediterranean kosher catering for weddings, retreats, and private events.
Seasonal California ingredients, Israeli and Mediterranean roots, and calm, experienced service for intimate meals and gatherings up to 200 guests.
5-star review profile
Praised for fresh food, clear pricing, and responsive service.
Dietary fluency
Kosher-focused menus with vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free options.
Events for 2 to 200
Backyard dinners, weddings, retreats, receptions, breakfasts, and community meals.
Catering
Food that feels abundant, thoughtful, and easy to host around.
Eli's Gourmet Cooking brings California-Mediterranean food to celebrations, retreats, and gatherings where guests need to feel genuinely cared for. The food is colorful, vegetable-forward, and built around seasonal produce, olive oil, herbs, fish, dairy, grains, and generous platters.
The practical promise is just as important: clear communication, reliable execution, and menus that accommodate dietary needs without making the meal feel compromised.
Weddings & Events
Choose the gathering shape, then build the menu around it.
Eli's recent events fall into five useful planning categories. Highlighting them this way helps hosts recognize their own occasion faster than a long undifferentiated gallery.
Celebrations
Buffet Meal
Generous platters, salads, savories, fish, and sweets for weddings, fundraisers, mitzvahs, rehearsal dinners, and community meals.
Retreats & programs
Early Breakfast
Nourishing food for multi-hour or multi-day programs where energy and dietary clarity matter.
Private dinners
Garden Dinner
Family-style abundance for meaningful evenings, milestone gatherings, and relaxed backyard celebrations.
Private gatherings
Summer Lunch
Bright, seasonal menus for guests who want food that feels festive without getting heavy.
About Eli
A scientist's precision, a cook's generosity.
Founder and chef Eli Gilad, Ph.D. came to catering after a long career as a biology research scientist. His Mediterranean culinary roots emphasize vegetables, fruits, fish, olive oil, and the pleasure of feeding people well.
Eli describes his cooking through the same habits that made him a good scientist: detailed knowledge, careful ingredient selection, openness to different perspectives, and consistent methodology. The result is dependable food that hosts can trust and guests remember.
"On top of having great food, Eli was straightforward about his pricing, which was such a breath of fresh air."
Contact
Tell Eli what you are planning.
Share the event date, guest count, location, and dietary needs. Eli will follow up directly.