In TheirOwn Words

Actual Food catered & bartended our mid June wedding at The Cordelle, and I don't think 5 stars is enough! From the moment we saw the entire menu, we were sold. My husband and I appreciate fine dining, and often have elaborate date night dinners. Naturally, for our wedding, we just wanted it to feel like a large scale version of our dates! Actual Food delivered that vision flawlessly. Our initial tasing was fabulous, and really validated that we had made the correct choice. We went with heavy hors d'oeuvres for cocktail hour, followed by a plated dinner, with appetizers, different main course options, and a plethora of desserts! Any custom requests that we had were accommodated, like when we provided a 3 foot tall pepper mill for dinner service... the guests loved it! Luke, Autumn, and the rest of the Actual Food team helped to curate an amazing experience for us and our guests, from the moment they were greeted with welcome champagne. Thank you all so much, you're the best!

We knew to expect the best when we booked Actual Food for our wedding, but even then, the Actual Food team exceeded all our expectations. Their exceptional service made us feel truly special, like guests of honor. Our guests couldn’t stop raving — it was, hands down, the best wedding dinner they had ever had (a sentiment echoed in countless other reviews!). From start to finish, the Actual Food team helped bring our wedding dreams to life. Our guests were treated to something new with every chapter of the night — from welcome drinks to charcuterie boards to a beautiful dinner. The Actual Food team even built a stunning champagne tower which added an unforgettable touch of magic to the evening. We are deeply grateful to Luke, Autumn, and the entire Actual Food team for helping make our day extraordinary. If you're looking for a fantastic and professional caterer, take our word for it. Actual Food is the one you want!

“This was the best wedding food I’ve ever had. Do you think your caterer could do my wedding in Los Angeles? I’m still dreaming about the Brussels.” A few comments from our October 2023 wedding guests - and we couldn’t agree more!! Actual Food did an amazing job catering our wedding - not only was the food and service fantastic, but they were so helpful leading up to the big day. Extremely responsive, willing to create and flawlessly execute a custom menu, offered a food and signature cocktail tasting. We had SO much fun working with this team and would highly, highly recommend!

Luke and the Actual Food team were extraordinary. To start, Luke had a private tasting at the team's Inglewood Lounge in East Nashville. The food was incredible and what we loved learning, the food will primarily be cooked on site (versus cooked well in advance of wedding reception and brought in trucks on warming trays). We then brought my now in-laws back to see Inglewood Lounge, and Luke AGAIN gave a complementary tasting to us 4, to try appetizer options for our wedding cocktail hour. Luke and team came to my now in-laws' kitchen, as we ultimately eloped in the backyard. They adapted to our micro-wedding and cooked a phenomenal meal - spinach puffs, chicken and waffle skewers, mint and beet skewer, steak, chicken with carrot puree, southern risotto. My mouth is watering thinking about it! Looking forward to having Actual Food back for the big one year anniversary celebration, to show off their food to friends and family. (photography by Melanie Grady) Positive Responsiveness, Professionalism, Value

Actual Food was hands-down one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day!! From start to finish, they completely blew us away — not just with how good the food was (and it was incredible), but with how thoughtful, organized, and genuinely kind their entire team was! They handled every detail so smoothly that we never had to worry about a thing. And on top of our day being amazing, every single one of our guests RAVED about how this was the best wedding meal they've ever had (including us!!) HUGE thanks to Autumn, Luke, and the entire team for making our day so special. And please give a thank you to the two super sweet bartenders! We'll definitely be recommending this team to everyone we know!! - Katie and Justin

We worked with Luke and Autumn of Actual Food Nashville for our wedding last month. We are SO happy with our choice! Our first tasting was so delicious we instantly knew they were our pick. After having "food that was good for a wedding" at our tastings at different caterers, we were so happy to find food that was just GOOD. They were so easy to work with leading up to the wedding, professional and kind and prompt. Day-of, just as professional and kind and prompt. We have had multiple guests ask for their information because the food was that good! Will absolutely be using them again if we need a caterer in the future!!

My wife and I used Actual Food Catering for our wedding and had an exceptional experience! Their customer service at the beginning of the process set them apart from other caterers we spoke to. At the tasting, they made sure we were able to try all the options we had selected and helped us pick out (and try!) our signature drinks. On the wedding day, the food was all fantastic with the largest portions I have ever seen at a wedding. We got so many compliments on the food quality and taste. Our signature drinks were so popular and that really helped the party go all night long! At the end of the night, they sent us with to-go food and drinks that we happily enjoyed the night after. We had the best experience and would highly recommend for anyone needing catering (for their wedding or otherwise!)

We loved Actual Food as the caterer for our wedding! We chose to get Upscale Southern for our wedding as a special Nashville touch for our guests and we received so many compliments! The food was delicious and the staff were wonderful to work with. Luke was responsive and so on top of things! We even referred our friends who are getting married this summer, because they were so impressed with the food they wanted to use them as well! Thank you Actual Food!

Luke, Autumn, and the rest of the team were absolutely fantastic in the work they did to provide catering and bartending services at our wedding. Guests are still talking about the food--the focaccia! The peri peri sauce! You name it. They were so helpful about very specific dietary restrictions. Our signature drinks both got a ton of compliments from a wide variety of people. They made our dream of delicious (and not basic) wedding food come to life with so many green vegetables it was a joy. Would work with them a million times over again!

We hired Actual Food for our wedding in September 2024. Luke and his team were absolutely incredible! Luke was so kind, easy to communicate with, and helpful when choosing our meals and catering rentals. We have received so many compliments on our food from our guests and just how good it was. We had the hot chicken waffle bites, fried green tomatoes, and stuffed peppadew peppers as our appetizers and everyone raved about them! The waitstaff were incredibly kind and professional as well. I highly recommend Actual Food for your next event!

Luke and his team are amazing! Actual Food catered our wedding in August and did a fantastic job. The food ended up being one of the best parts of our wedding and something we got the most compliments on! His team was so nice and attentive to our guests. Everything came out hot, cooked perfectly, and was beautifully presented. We highly recommend!

Several guests came up to us during and after our wedding to compliment Actual Food Nashville. They didn't just say it was a delicious meal, but said "that was the best wedding food I have ever had!" The planning process was smooth, and Luke was responsive and easy to work with. The food recommendations were seasonal and spot on! The waitstaff was professional and attentive. We also used Actual Food for our bar service. The cocktails were made well, and our bartender received high compliments from all guests. I would highly recommend!

I will start off by saying that Actual Food is the most incredible food/catering company you could use for any event. Actual Food catered my wedding of roughly 122 people, and they did the most amazing job. It has been almost 2 months since the wedding, and my husband and I still have people telling us how great the food was!! Not only was their food 10000x stars... so was their service!!!!! The food tasting was so professional, and we quickly learned how accommodating they are! During the actual wedding, their staff was on top of it!!!! I would recommend this business to anyone!!!!

Actual Food was hands down the best decision we made during our wedding planning process. We got married two weekends ago and we're still having friends and family talk to us about how amazing the food was at our wedding reception. Joe and I live in New England and had our wedding in Franklin, TN. All we knew we wanted was comfort food that had a nod to my southern background and Joe's New England. SO we had lobster rolls as one of our appetizer options and southern buffet for dinner! Luke and his team were so helpful during the menu planning process and gave great suggestions when we needed some advice. The food was definitely one of the highlights of our wedding day - thank you!!

Actual food was fantastic- our guests are still talking about the short rib! Delicious food and great service all around. Thank you guys for making our day the best!

We had Actual Food cater and bartend our wedding after we fell in love with Inglewood Lounge (also highly recommend) and they knocked it out of the park. Luke was amazing and accommodating, and made the entire process of tasting and planning so much fun and stress free. They were able to develop a menu and signature cocktails that fit us perfectly. Couldn't imagine going with anyone else!

Actual Food was such an amazing, professional caterer! Every step of the way, there were on top of everything! I had so many questions while planning my own wedding, and Luke, the owner, was so helpful with every question I had. We did a tasting with them while we were checking out vendors, and they really impressed us. The food was absolutely amazing for our wedding, we had so many people who said they loved it. The bartenders were also phenomenal, very helpful, and professional. I would highly recommend to book them for your wedding or event!

We recently had Actual Foods cater our wedding. The food was delicious. The team at Actual Foods is easy to work with both in creating a seasonal menu and making adjustments along the way. ALL of the staff and the bartender who worked the wedding were incredibly helpful and kind. We received a ton of positive comments from our guests about the service. Would definitely use them again for any future events.

We had a house party for about 50 people. These guys are incredible. The food was amazing and the setup was beautiful. Big thanks to Luke and Dan! This was the first party we've had where there was no food left over. I can't wait for the next one.

Food was one of the top priorities for our wedding and Actual Food delivered such exceptional service for our big day. From the beginning, we worked with Luke to provide a selection of our likes and dislikes and they were able to craft together an example menu for our fall wedding. From there, we were able to make changes to a few things based on what we liked and what we thought would serve our guests best. When a menu was set, we went in for a tasting of a few selections from the menu. Everything was delicious and gave us confidence that our guests would be satisfied on the big day. During cocktail hour, Actual Food provided bartending service for us as well as the passed appetizers and meat and cheese table. The passed appetizers were a hit, especially the hot chicken and waffle and fried green tomato and pimento cheese. For dinner, guests raved about the Piri Piri chicken, the sirloin and chimichurri sauce, sides, salad, and the rosemary biscuits. We had so many guests tell us how good the food was and how the selection was incredible for a wedding. Not only was the food tasty, but the service was great too. The staff made sure the tables were cleared, water glasses were filled, and were there to serve guests as they went through the buffet line. They even were able to cut our cake to serve to guests after our cake cutting. We highly recommend Actual Food for your big day!

Actual Food catered our wedding in October 2022 (150 guest count). The food was amazing and didn't taste like your typical "wedding food". The menu was creative and the team was incredible to work with. We have had several people tell us that it was some of the best food they've had at a wedding. We would definitely recommend!

Actual Food Nashville catered our wedding and it was perfect! So many guests couldn't stop talking about how delicious the food was. My husband and I are both vegetarian and we wanted to have brunch food for the wedding. Luke put together a unique and incredibly tasty menu that exceeded expectations. His staff the day of was super helpful and made sure everything ran smoothly. I highly recommend Actual Food Nashville. Positive Responsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Absolutely LOVE working with Actual Food as a wedding planner. Their team knows their stuff, and the food is always incredible! Autumn & Luke are so communicative and thorough on the front end and on event day. Love recommending this team to our couples!

A reoccurring theme in these reviews is how wonderful the food and service is from Actual Food Nashville. I will be repeating these sentiments! Every single guest at our daughters wedding said to me that this was the best wedding food they had ever had. They asked for cards for their own events, and continue to rave about each dish. We had the hanger steak, Brussel sprouts, grilled veggies, Mac-n-cheese, salad and rolls. Freakin' awesome!!! I am hoping to attend or have another event to have some of their food. Thank you again - you made the food a integral part of the fond memories of this special day.

We LOVED our experience with Actual Food. They were so professional from start to finish! Our food and cocktails were such a hit at our wedding. We highly recommend this caterer for any special event!

Actual Food was the perfect caterer for my wedding! I wanted something different than the usual chicken dishes, and they delivered! We had mediterranean meatballs, poached salmon, a mac and cheese bar, and late night grilled cheeses! They also did our bartending and created our signature drinks. We had so many comments on how delicious the food and drinks were. They were so flexible with our wedding reschedule (due to covid) and were absolutely professional and fun to work with. Highly recommend!

Actual Food is absolutely incredible for all of your catering needs. As a wedding planner, I am always grateful to work alongside this staff! Their food is so delicious and I look forward to working with them at many more events! Their staff has been so incredible and gone above and beyond to ensure each event goes smoothly.

Actual Food was absolutely amazing! Because of last year’s COVID-19 variant, my fiancé and I had to relocate our Los Angeles based wedding to Nashville, TN for our August 2022 wedding. We did a few food tastings but when we went to Actual Food it was amazing. First, their food tasting is unique and different and the vibe of their lounge/facility sets the tone. The food is fresh and working with Luke and Autumn Zimmerman was a great experience. They were responsive, helped review our alcohol order, allowed us to make changes to our menu and gave great suggestions. Also, I heard great reviews from guests regarding the appetizers and the food (brussels sprouts were a fave!) But more importantly, what guests told us was that the service was amazing! They had great reviews about how the staff were present as well as the bartending staff. We did three specialty drinks that day and I was told that each bartender was assigned to make a particular drink, which helped to ensure there were no wait lines at the bar. I am very happy with our service and the food that was provided to ourselves and our guests on that special day.

Actual Food catered our daughter's wedding in Sewanee, TN and the food was incredible - all delicious, fresh options, perfectly cooked and presented. Couldn't have imagined they could feed so many so well - it was the best catered meal we could have imagined. Thank you!!

We hired Actual Foods for our wedding and we cannot say enough good things! They were so awesome to work with - so professional, friendly and patient even with two delays due to COVID - and the food was absolutely delicious. Our guests were raving about the food all night. If you're considering hiring Actual Foods, do it!

Five stars for sure for Actual Food Nashville!! We used them for our son's rehearsal dinner in Nashville a week ago and had to coordinate the whole event from out of town since I don't live there. Luke was amazing to work with from start to finish, the food was delicious and servers were outstanding at the event. We got so many compliments about the food from the 50+ people at our event! I'm so pleased to have found Actual Food Nashville and would HIGHLY recommend them for any event! Positive Responsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

I am so glad that we made the decision to have Actual Food caterer our wedding. The food was creative and spot on. I've even had numerous people contact me to compliment the kale salad, beets, and farro - everyone wants the recipes. And goodness, that never happens with wedding food. Thank you Dan and Co. for creating an awesome meal!

I am a wedding planner and 100% back Luke and the Actual Food team. They were always somehow 1-2 steps ahead of me making sure clients were well taken care of. So thankful for them and their truly delicious food!

Actual Food catered our wedding and absolutely killed it! We didn't have a planner which put them in the position of having to figure some things out for themselves and they went above and beyond! Got so many compliments on the food and they were super flexible with dietary restrictions.

Actual Food catered our wedding and we could not recommend them enough! We still get compliments on how amazing the food was! The staff was so friendly and so professional!! The food was PHENOMENAL!! Thank you actual food for catering our wedding!! Love the Schmidt’s

I've been working with Actual Food for a few years for corporate events. They are so great to work with and their food is phenomenal. I enjoy working with them so much that I've even used them for personal catering needs. 10/10 recommend.

Actual Food did an amazing job catering our wedding! I told them what price I wanted to stick to and they were very helpful picking out a menu with that cost in mind. They were always quick to respond and the food was amazing.

PROS: -- staff was super flexible and responsive -- food was delicious (people RAVED about the mac 'n cheese and the chicken/waffle bites) -- food was unique compared to typical wedding fare -- affordable CON: -- food was cold (to be fair, we had an outdoor buffet in 60F weather) OVERALL: book them now.

Luke and his team did an outstanding job for our company holiday party. Rave reviews from our team on the food, and the service was top notch.

I've now worked two weddings that Actual Food has catered. I eat catered wedding food on a nearly weekly basis, but these folks absolutely knocked my socks off. It's unreal.

I use Actual Food for lots of work events, and they are fantastic! The food is wonderful and they are so easy to work with. I would highly recommend!

Actual Food does an incredible job of catering delicious and healthy foods to all sizes of crowds!

Wonderful food and exceptional service! The team was professional, attentive, and a pleasure to work with from start to finish. Highly recommend!

Actual Foods is a favorite of mine when it comes to catering in Nashville! Their food is delicious and the attention to detail the team has is incredible. No detail is too small and I always know I can count on them to meet client expectations!

We had such a wonderful experience working with this catering team! The food was delicious, the presentation was beautiful, and the staff was professional, friendly, and attentive throughout the event. They were a pleasure to work with and helped make the day feel seamless. We highly recommend them!

Actual Food is such a pleasure to work with, Autumn is amazing!! As a wedding planner, I really appreciate how easy their team is to work alongside on wedding days. They’re professional, responsive, and always take great care of our couples and their guests. And, of course, the food is always so delicious!