Catering FAQ

You can book Blackberry Soul for corporate events, galas, weddings, milestone celebrations, private gatherings, and other elevated occasions. We tailor the menu and service to your guest count, style, and goals — from intimate dinners to events for 2,500+ guests.

Blackberry Soul creates custom menus with the range of an experienced culinary team, the history of a family-rooted company, and the belief that every guest deserves to feel like the meal was made for them.

Chef Rene Johnson is the founder and creative force behind Blackberry Soul Fine Catering. She has built a seasoned culinary team with classical training, global influences, and experience across a broad range of cuisines.Her cultural and family roots remain part of Blackberry Soul’s culinary story, while she and her team create custom menus shaped around each event, its guests, and the occasion.Chef Rene is the author of From My Heart to Your Table, was named the 2025 Powerful Women of the Bay Entrepreneur of the Year, and has been featured by Forbes, Business Insider, EBONY, NBC Bay Area, CBS Bay Area, and more.

Yes. Blackberry Soul Fine Catering is a Black-owned, woman-owned business founded by Chef Rene Johnson in Oakland, California. Her story of building the company from her grandmother's recipes has been featured by Business Insider, Forbes, and EBONY.

Blackberry Soul caters throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country, including Oakland, the East Bay, San Francisco, the Peninsula, Silicon Valley, Marin, Napa and Sonoma. Selective travel is available by arrangement for the right event. Instant Booking delivers to a smaller area than our custom events. If your address is outside it, request a date and we will let you know what is possible.

Blackberry Soul Fine Catering has served companies and organizations including Google, Salesforce, Uber, Airbnb, Nordstrom, the Museum of the African Diaspora, Black Girls Code, the City of San Francisco, and more.The team caters corporate lunches, executive dinners, galas, product launches, and large-scale gatherings of more than 2,500 guests across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Corporate clients choose Blackberry Soul Fine Catering for custom, chef-designed menus, fresh ingredients, substantial vegan and vegetarian options, and polished service shaped around each event. Chef Rene and her culinary team draw from classical training, global influences, and thoughtful sourcing to create menus that fit the guests and the occasion.That approach has earned repeat business from Google, Salesforce, Uber, the City of San Francisco, and other leading companies and organizations. Blackberry Soul has catered executive dinners, corporate lunches, galas, product launches, and large-scale gatherings of more than 2,500 guests, with coverage from Forbes and Business Insider.

Yes. Blackberry Soul has catered events that welcomed prominent political leaders, entertainers, artists, and athletes, including Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Cornel West, Danny Glover, Barbara Lee, Gavin Newsom, H.E.R., Tony! Toni! Toné!, Marshawn Lynch, Ledisi, and more.Blackberry Soul has also catered gatherings for Golden State Warriors families and other sports and entertainment communities.We bring the same care, professionalism, and flavor to every gathering, whether the guest list includes public figures, business leaders, community members, or family and friends.

Blackberry Soul cooks soulful flavors and California-fresh menus, with global influences and seasonal ingredients. You can also choose traditional, vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based options, shaped around the experience you want to create.

Yes. For custom and staffed events, we build the menu around your event, your guests, the season, your service style, and any dietary needs. Browse our menus to get a feel for how we cook. If you'd rather order a set menu, Instant Booking lets you choose one and pay online.

Yes. Our menus page shows examples of how we cook and is there for inspiration. Set menus with prices are on Book it now, where you can order for delivery and pay online.

Yes. You can share allergies, dietary restrictions, and menu preferences during planning, and we make every reasonable effort to accommodate the needs you share. Vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based choices are available. Our food is prepared in a kitchen that also handles tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, sesame, fish and shellfish. We are not a nut-free facility, and we cannot guarantee that any dish is free of these allergens.

Yes. If sustainability is important to your event, tell us during planning. We can discuss environmentally conscious options that fit your menu and service style.

Blackberry Soul offers select drop-off catering and staffed event service. Depending on your event, we can provide setup, service staff, rentals, bartending support, live stations, and teardown.Some dishes taste and feel different when a cook prepares or finishes them in the room. For example, Blackberry Soul has created an interactive shrimp-and-grits station where guests selected their protein and sauce while the culinary team finished each serving for them.Live stations require dedicated staff, equipment, preparation space, and service time. Staffing, rentals, linens, dinnerware, bartending support, live stations, and other added services are available by request and quoted separately. For Instant Booking deliveries in Oakland and nearby East Bay, chafing dishes, linens and place settings can also be added online. Tell us what you are picturing, and we will walk you through the options that fit your event.

Yes. Instant Booking delivers across the greater Bay Area. We deliver and set up the food. Standard warming setup, serving utensils, dish labels and compostable plates, napkins and cutlery are included, and there is nothing to return. Order online and pay at checkout. For deliveries in Oakland and nearby East Bay, you can also add chafing dishes, linens and place settings online, and we pick them up after your event. Staff who stay to serve, and rentals for other areas, go through Request a Date and are quoted separately.

Yes. We regularly cater outdoor events throughout the Bay Area. We'll help you think through equipment, weather, venue logistics, and setup so your guests can simply enjoy the event.

It depends on the event. Chef Rene sets the culinary standard for Blackberry Soul and serves as executive chef for the events she takes on personally. For other events, we build the kitchen team around what your menu and service require, drawing from chefs the company knows and trusts. When a newer chef joins the kitchen, an experienced culinary lead provides oversight.If having Chef Rene lead your event matters to you, tell us early, and we will let you know what is possible.

That depends on the format you choose. With drop-off, we deliver and set up the food. Standard warming setup, serving utensils, dish labels and compostable plates, napkins and cutlery are included, and there is nothing to return. No one stays on site to serve. With staffed service, our team stays to set up, serve your guests and clear, and you can add rentals, linens and dinnerware. We confirm all of this with you before your event so nothing is a surprise.

We cater events of many different sizes. Tell us your guest count and we'll let you know whether your event fits our current minimums and service options.

For galas, corporate events, and anything that needs staff or rentals, reach out as early as you can so we can hold your date and plan with care. Smaller requests are sometimes possible on shorter notice, depending on availability. When you inquire, we will tell you honestly what your timing allows.

Start by telling us about your event through Request a Date. Share your date, location, guest count, service style, and any menu or dietary needs, and our team will review the details and follow up with next steps. The earlier you reach out, the more options you have for planning.

For a set menu delivered, book and pay online with Instant Booking. For a custom or staffed event, start with Request a Date and tell us what you know about your event. You do not need to have every detail figured out.Our team will review your inquiry, confirm availability, and help you shape your menu and service plan. Your date is reserved once we receive your 50% deposit. You can keep refining eligible menu and service details after that. Your final guest count and balance are due 11 days before the event.Your proposal and catering agreement will explain the payment schedule, remaining balance, and terms for your event.

It depends on how you book.Instant Booking: you pay the full order total online at checkout.Custom and staffed events (Request a Date): a 50% deposit reserves your date. After that, you can keep refining eligible menu and service details. Your final guest count and remaining balance are due 11 days before the event. Your proposal lays out the full payment schedule before you commit.

We understand that plans shift, and we will always do our best to work with you. Instant Booking: cancel within 1 hour of ordering for a refund of your order total, less the card processing fee. After that, cancel more than 30 days before your event for a refund of half your order total. At 30 days or less, Instant Booking orders are not refundable. We process refunds within 5 business days of your cancellation. Custom and staffed events: eligible menu and service details can change after your deposit, and your final guest count is due 11 days before the event. Cancellation terms for custom events and weddings are in your proposal and catering agreement, and we walk you through them before anything is signed.

Order a set menu with Instant Booking, or tell us about your event through Request a Date, and we will take it from there.