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, including Oakland and San Francisco, and also serves New York events. If you’re planning something outside those areas, reach out with the details and we’ll let you know what’s 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.

Blackberry Soul Fine Catering catered Google SoulFest at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, serving approximately 800 guests. Chef Rene Johnson and her team handled the catering for the full event and created an enhanced VIP experience within it, with additional attention to cuisine, beverages, and décor. You can read the Google client’s feedback on our Testimonials page.

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 discretion to every gathering, whether the guest list includes public figures, business leaders, community members, or family and friends.

Blackberry Soul’s food blends Southern soul food roots with global influences and fresh, seasonal California ingredients. You can also choose traditional, vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based options, shaped around the experience you want to create.

Yes. We build every menu around your event, your guests, the season, your service style, and any dietary needs. You can browse our menus section to get a feel for how we cook, then we build your custom menu from there.

Yes. Our menus are there to show you how we cook, not to limit your choices. Browse them for inspiration, then we'll build a custom menu around your event.

Yes. You can share allergies, dietary restrictions, and menu preferences during the planning process, and we’ll build options that work for your guests. Vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based choices are available.

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. Tell us what you are picturing, and we will walk you through the options that fit your event.

Yes, for select events. Drop-off is our simpler format, and it does not include staffing, setup, rentals, or on-site service unless you request and we confirm those 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. Fuller event service includes proper presentation and on-site setup, while drop-off catering arrives with disposable trays and utensils unless you ask for something else. 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 our catering quote form. 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.

Start by completing our catering quote form with 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 the required deposit. You can continue refining eligible menu and service details within the timelines communicated during the planning process.Your proposal and catering agreement will explain the payment schedule, remaining balance, and terms for your event.

We require a deposit to reserve your date, with the remaining balance due before the event. You can continue refining eligible menu and service details after booking within the timelines communicated during planning.We will explain the deposit, payment schedule, remaining balance, and other payment terms before you commit.

We understand that plans shift, and we will always do our best to work with you. The specific change and cancellation terms live in your catering agreement, and we walk you through them before anything is signed.

Tell us about your event through our catering quote form, and we will take it from there.