Bon Vivant Catering

Meeting Kim was one of my favorite parts of my wedding planning. Kim is not only extremely professional and knowledgeable, but she is a super sweet lady and so fun to talk to! She worked with us to plan the perfect meal for our wedding reception. She was very efficient and always returned calls and answered our questions. She and her staff went above and beyond our expectations and the food was delicious. I can’t wait to have her Carter our next party.

Was a guest at a luncheon for 100 catered by Bön Vivant last week. Food was delicious. Beef in the stew was tender, sauce was rich and savory. Didn’t get to try the chicken saltimboca but I heard it was moist and the sauce was flavorful.
Only thing I didn’t care for was the chunky mashed potatoes, prefer them smooth and creamy. Really liked the salad. Simple but the blueberries and pears were ripe and a sweet counterpoint to the tangy vinaigrette.
The chocolate mousse cake was yummy. White and dark chocolate mousse topped a chocolate cake base. Don’t know what the crunchy bits were, perhaps chocolate chips?
So impressed, asked the event coordinator for BVC’s contact info. Will certainly consider them for my own future catering needs.

Sent a msg through their site and I called. Kim called me back while I was at work so I called her back the next day and no response after that. No response to my message either.

Bön Vivant is the best company you can use for your catering and event planning needs hands down. Kim Bell is fabulous to work with and their food is absolutely delicious. We have used them for multiple events including our most important… our wedding. I would recommend that you do yourself a favor & let Kim make your special event a spectacular one.

Kim and her team catered our wedding on ¹⁰⁄₁₈ at the Purple Orchid Resort & Spa in Livermore.
We had a buffet dinner for 150 guests served outside. It was simply amazing! So many of our guests came to tell us that the food was delicious!
Working with Kim was great from the start. We had a multiple tastings with her and things tasted the same (aka DELICIOUS) every single time. She has a huge variety of menu choices, you’re guaranteed to find something delicious on there. Also, her prices are very reasonable and include china and flatware.
On wedding day, everything ran smoothly. She even had her staff bring my husband and I plates of hors d’oeuvres at our suite since we were signing the marriage license and taking other photos during cocktail hour. These were quickly devoured by our wedding party. But SURPRISE, there was another plate waiting for us at our sweetheart table at the reception. They also packed us an extra dinner plate for later that night. They were so thoughtful!
Kim also does desserts & we had her cater our dessert bar! There were tartlets, mousse, cookies, fruit, crème brûlée, jelly jar desserts, and beignets! We also added on some savory late night snacks, sliders (DEFINITELY GET THESE) and milkshakes & fries. I’m a little sad my husband and I missed most of the desserts, but the guests told us they were delicious.
Everything was amazing, we were in great hands with Kim & her team.
THANK YOU KIM!

Kim did our wedding just under a month ago and the food was absolutely fantastic!!! Service was amazing, food quality was amazing, super friendly! I love them!!!

One of the key elements that contributed to our wedding reception was the delicious dinner catered by Kim Bell and her company, Bön Vivant Catering. Kim was always accessible during the early planning stages with appetizer and meal suggestions. The day we met for the tasting was so helpful, as we tried many hot and cold appetizers and main courses. We had a really hard time deciding because everything was so tasty. Our final selection included mini dungeness crab cakes with meyer lemon aoli, lollypop lamb chops with lemon thyme pesto, baked crostini with pesto, feta, mozzarella and tomato fresco, and brie, pear, sage and carmelized onion flatbreads. It was so delicious. The sit down dinner included organic baby lettuce salad with spiced maple roasted nuts, gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette, filet mignon with port demi-​glacé, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus or pan seared salmon or four cheese tortellini. Each table had been set to our specifications and included marinated olives and artisan breads. Kim and her staff handled three open bars for 185 plus guests in a professional, friendly and efficient manner. Dinner was plated and served beautifully besides being absolutely delicious. Whatever we requested, Kim and her staff executed it to our utmost satisfaction. It has been a number of months since our wedding, but friends and family are still reminding us of the marvelous meal they had. Thanks Kim! –Gabrielle (bride) and Michele (mother of the bride)

Bön Vivant did an amazing job catering our wedding. The food was delicious and the service was top notch. We had a backyard wedding, so, logitstically the caterer had alot to do. They did everything and went above and beyond. We had a buffett and they served our older guests who would have a harder time going through the line. They accomadated people that had (unforeseen) special food requests and generally just made everyone feel so welcome. Everytime I saw the servers, they had a smile on their face and were always there to ask if I needed anything.
I would recomment Bön Vivant for any of your catering needs and plan on using them again whenever the need arises!

We used Bön Vivant to cater a birthday breakfast for 45 people at our home. They were outstanding. Kim and her team did exactly what she said they would do. They arrived on time, set up, cooked, served, and cleaned up very nicely. They left the kitchen in great shape. All the food was very good. Their cook-​to-​order egg station was a big hit.

I could not have asked for a better Wedding Buffet! I felt like we were at a Five Star Restaurant. The sample tasting between my husband and I was a perfect match to the event day. I received many compliments on how wonderful the food was. The staff was professional and Kim, the caterer, is a wonderful well trained person! Thank you for a wonderful meal. I wish I could have a plate right now!

We could not have been happier with Kim and her catering of our wedding. Her food was THE BEST, like what you would get at a high end resturant, not your typical wedding fare. Our guests raved about the food, and her pricing met our modest (small by wedding standards) budget. Not only were Kim and her staff on time and accommodating of our special dietary and setting requests, they actually saved our wedding dinner by having more than enough food for all of the guests. An ethnic restaurant was supposed to bring in trays of ethnic food to supplement Bön Vivant’s selection, and the ethnic food did not show up. Thanks to Kim’s selection which provided both vegetarians and non-​vegetarians with plenty of food, the ethnic restaurant’s food was really not missed.

We used Kim & Bön Vivant for our October 2011 wedding. Kim was very nice and professional. She tried to help us along the way with any issues we had on our end, including scaling back our menu. But, there were a few blips along the way which on the day of our wedding I didn’t let bother me but feel that other brides should know.
First, I was told that her and the servers were about 45mins late to set everything up, which stressed out my florist with setting up the centerpiece’s. She forgot 2 table settings for my husbands best man & his daughter — she repaired the situation quickly thankfully. When we finally did sit down to eat they prepared our plates for us, which was a good variety of everything but my food was cold. Despite the food being cold, it tasted pretty good. We didn’t have plates at our dessert table so when it was time for my husband & I to cut the cake we had nothing to set our cake on. Which we ended up improvising and using a napkin, no big deal. They didn’t end up slicing our cake for guests so no one really ate any of the cake due to that reason. Like I said, Kim is very nice and I tried to not worry about these things on my wedding day but in retrospect I wished a few things would have been different. I do appreciate all of Kim’s hard work and how nice she is. I would use her company again for a smaller scale event but probably not a wedding.

Where do I start?
We booked Kim for our Sept. 2011 wedding. She was friendly and responsive from the very beginning! We met with her to do a tasting and all of the food she prepared for us (there was A LOT) was amazing and we loved all of it. She gave us the rest to take home and we knew as we left that she had to be our caterer!
We changed our menu about twelve thousand times. Did Kim even bat an eye at this? No. She was accommodating and easy to work with. Our budget was not huge and she was very mindful of this. She gave us great options to cut down on costs.
The day of the wedding — the food was perfect. I am still hearing about how good our food was and that it was not «typical wedding food.» I, of course, barely ate any of it during the wedding, but Kim and her team packed up a to go box for us which we promptly ate when we got to the hotel.
Kim and Bön Vivant were our best vendor we chose for our wedding. Getting food catered can be expensive but she really made it worth every penny.

Kim is amazing!!! Bön Vivant and Kim did the catering for both our rehearsal dinner and our wedding and it was delicious.
We tried one caterer the whole time while planning for our wedding and knew that we made the right choice with Kim. The food is delicious and got so many compliments from our friends and family that it was the best food they’ve ever had at a wedding — and we agree! Kim is organized, professional, excellent communicator and a tremendous cook. We absolutely loved her and her food is just to die for. She works with your budget but doesn’t skimp on quality. She arrives on time, sets up and cleans up seemlessly.
I would tell everyone to use Kim and Bön Vivant for any catering needs they have whether they be wedding, parties, anniversaries or corporate events — you won’t be sorry!
Thanks Kim!

My wedding was 2 weekends ago and I used Bön Vivant as my caterer. Kim Bell and her crew did a wonderful job and I have been told the food was great at our wedding. We didn’t have much time to eat, but I know the food tasted great!
The appetizers were delicious and my guests loved that they were passed around by wait staff rather than at an appetizer table
My husband and I wanted to do an ice cream sundae bar instead of the traditional cake. Kim was able to accommodate that request for a very affordable cost. She was even willing to fulfill some of our toppings requests. Many people at my wedding have commented on how good the ice cream was and what a cool idea it was.
I would have given 5 stars, but I was a bit disappointed with the small plate of appetizers given to the wedding party. I don’t think there was even enough for everyone to get 1 appetizer. Also, Kim had told me she would have plated meals set aside for me and my husband for after the wedding. When we got to our room, there was no food for us. Luckily, we weren’t too hungry, but I was a bit disappointed that we were told it would be there and it wasn’t.
Overall, Bön Vivant is a wonderful catering company. Kim is great and personable. When I went to a tasting at her place, I was completely impressed with her professionalism and variety of foods. I will definitely recommend Bön Vivant!

Bön Vivant Catering & Event Productions just took care of our wedding. They did such a fab job. Kim Bell and her team at Bön Vivant are terrific. If you want a five star experience with a caterer in the Bay Area, you should definitely consider her services.
Kim is a real gem too. When we showed up at her café for our tasting and just had a ball sitting and talking with her and eating all of her fabulous food, we could barely resist booking her right then and there. We couldn’t have been happier with the night of the wedding either. Our food (prime rib, smoked applewood bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, and spinach ravioli… mmmmmmm… grgrgrgr… this is making me hungry) was awesome.
The only regret we have about our dinner is that we were too busy to share a glass of wine with the chef herself!

Bön Vivant was our caterer for our wedding on July 18^th at the Purple Orchid Inn & Spa. Bön Vivant was one of two caterer options there, and we chose to go with Kim after meeting and tasting with her on two separate occasions. Kim really impressed us at her tastings and provided us with quality champagne and wine. It was apparent that she really put a lot of effort into pleasing her clients and gave us a wide variety of options to choose from all at a good price. We chose the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, sweet potato mashed potatoes, penne pasta with veggies, and a spring salad. Kim and her staff were awesome and made sure we always had full glasses of wine and champagne during dinner. We would fully recommend KIm!

I should preface this review by saying that I’m a loyal, frequent client of BonVivant!
BonVivant and its Executive Chef and Owner, Kim Bell has a reputation for perfection and believe me everyone that works at BV is meticulous about getting each event just right. The menu selection is varied and everything is picked seasonally. Nothing, not even a potato chip is processed. EVERYTHING is fresh ingredients only. BV is accommodating to work with and they can ALWAYS work within most budgets. The team will handle not only your menu & beverage and five star catering, but can add on everything from rentals, to florals to DJ’s to tenting to lighting to valet… you name it they will manage it for you! It is a great Service from A to Z that puts on some truly memorable and unique events.
Kim Bell — my favorite Chef and Human Being on Earth! She is the sweetest and most «on-​it» Chef and/​or event producer around! :) Arrange a tasting, fall in foodie love and have your guests in awe. She is savvy to the Livermore Wine Country Venue’s and Bay Area. You will be not only the talk of the town you will be the Event of the Year.

I cannot be any happier… i used to think of catered food as mass produced food out of containers. Not here, They really do cook the food right, and pay attention to detail. Its like every plate is a home cooked meal!
my friends and family complemented me a lot but i couldnt take the credit. If you want good food, great service and reasonable price, I would suggest Bön Vivant in a heartbeat.

For our wedding my wife and I had the choice of 3 caterers, I’m glad Bön Vivant was on their list because otherwise we would have never found them. The reason why we chose them is because of the variety of options they had to choose from on the buffet menu at very reasonable price.
We decided to go with the buffet because our guest list was pretty diverse too. We had a wide range of ages newborns to people in their 80’s, we had vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, and T-Rex’s, and also a good mix of people with both western and asian backgrounds.
Since I was traveling on the day there were doing their tasting, I trusted everything to my wife (who’s a vegetarian) and my mother and sister who are not. They came back with a good idea on the menu we wanted.
For the appetizer we got Mini Beef Wellingtons, Brie Cheese Puffs, and a good mix of both vegetarian and sausage stuffed mushrooms, and for the buffet we got a carving station of Ham & Turkey, Prawns, Tortellini Al Fredo, Grilled Summer Vegetables, Roasted Potatoes, Organic Green Salad, and freshly baked rolls with marinated olives and a fruit platter. Also included in the price was the price for all the china, silverware, and linens plus coffee and tea afterwards and cake cutting.
The day of the event arrived and they were there setting up and cooking. Everything was done on time and in a professional manner. I was able to sample a bit of the appetizers as one of their staff was handing them and this was the first time I ate their food and it was outstanding. They even set aside some special vegetarian appetizer for my wife. The food was all nicely prepared and very professional. Again nothing but high marks. Several of our guests said how great the food was. The vegetarians said there were plenty of food for them to choose from, the children that were there had a special plate of chicken nuggets made for them, and the two vegans also had special dishes made for them. The staff definitely went above and beyond for this.
If I had one complaint, I wished the food stayed open about 30 minutes longer as I had several people who wanted to go back for 2^nd and 3rds. That was the only complaint that I heard.
We also did pay a little extra to have their event manager (Catherine) also be our wedding coordinator. She alone was worth the contacting Bön Vivant for. Without her, our wedding would have been a disorganized mess. She kept a cool head and knew exactly how/​when/​where everything was going. She was outstanding and made my wife and mine wedding that much easier.
Overall, I don’t think it gets any better than Bön Vivant and this is coming from someone who does some Event Planning in my Profession. If you have a wedding or have a need for a caterer, I can say enough positive things about Bön Vivant and they earned themselves a Perfect 5 Star Rating.