Testimonials
"My husband and I had a destination wedding in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica in November of 2019. Not being in the area, we had to trust our wedding planner and gut on who to go with for catering. After looking at Chef Gilad's amazing/talented menu we decided to go with him. We are SO GLAD we did! Everything came out during cocktail hour and the reception like a well oiled machine. The food could not have been better. My husband and I had the steak, and it was one of the best steaks I've ever had. We had multiple people come up to us during the wedding to say it was hands down the best food they have ever had at a wedding. The appetizers and main courses were fantastic and plated so well.
A few nights later our family went to an acclaimed 5 star restaurant for dinner, everyone at dinner had attended the wedding and a few people made comments on how their dishes tasted similar to Chef Gilad's but not as good! It's been 5 months and my mom still mentions that she randomly craves the fish dish she had at our wedding. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Chef Gilad and his team to anyone looking for an amazing dining experience."
-Kendra & Jason
"Hiring Rising Tide was one of the best decisions we made while planning our wedding in Costa Rica. Beginning with an initial Skype conversation to share ideas and discuss menu options, Gilad was a true professional and a pleasure to work with. He listened to our ideas and preferences and responded with suggestions far better than we could have come up with on our own. His training and years of experience were obvious even in the planning stages, so as our wedding date approached we felt confident that the cocktail hour and dinner would be successful--nice to have one less thing to worry about...
We had high expectations, and Gilad and his team exceeded them in every way. Our guests were raving about the cocktail hour apps--especially the ceviche shots and patacones--before we even sat down for dinner, so now they had high expectations. No one was disappointed. After a unique and delicious grilled heart of palm salad, our entrees--seared queen sea bass and coffee-rubbed pork ribs--were beautifully plated and served hot (a rare occurrence in our wedding-going experience). We heard several comments along the lines of "this is the best wedding food I've had" and "wow." Gilad and team kept the streak alive with an unreal desert--banana flambe with coconut bread pudding--and a late-night breakfast burrito bar to keep the party going. It was a truly incredible experience from start to finish.
Back in the U.S. a few weeks after our wedding, a friend said to us: "I still think about those ribs. You have to find out what was in that rub. Seriously, I need that rub." We're not sure if Gilad should give away his secrets, but if he writes a cookbook we know of at least a couple of buyers..."
-Asher & Tessa
"Gilad,
Greg and I just wanted to say thank you! The food was absolutely amazing and our guests continued to rave about both the appetizers and the dinner for the entire weekend! The pulled pork and tomatillo bites, patacones, ribs, and yucca puree were huge hits! Not only was it delicious, but the presentation and timing were perfect!
We also wanted to thank you for all of your efforts regarding the beer. You went above and beyond to try to get craft beer at the wedding and we want you to know that we truly appreciate it.
We would happily recommend you to anyone hosting an event in Costa Rica. You exceeded all of our expectations and we can't thank you enough!
Muchas gracias!"
-Chelsea & Greg
"If you are thinking about hiring Gilad to cook for you, one meal or many, do it. My family recently celebrated a big anniversary with a week in Costa Rica, and though we are do-it-yourself New Englanders, we splurged and hired Gilad to provide the ten of us with breakfasts, appetizers and dinner each day. Best decision we made, and an incredible part of our trip.
Imagine this - you come back from the beach, or the zipline, or a hot game of tennis, and find a couple of platters of cocktail snacks waiting for you - a blend of skillfully executed favorites, like Gilad's killer guacamole, as well as surprising new combinations of local foods and flavors. When you sit down to dinner, you find the freshest of local ingredients, prepared in new ways, or taken to new levels (if you eat pork, do not, under any circumstances, miss Gilad's coffee-rubbed, slow-roasted pork ribs). If you have any room (and you'll want to make sure that you do), you can savor the unlikely but delicious combination of intense chocolate brownie and pineapple jam.
Not only is Gilad an amazing chef - he is both a total professional and a friendly and engaging guy. The arrangements for our week were straightforward, clear and smooth, with Gilad going out of his way to find things we wanted (like special pastries from a bakery that was hours from our rental house, or the freshest organic salad greens available - and this at the very height of the dry season). He managed a wide variety of tastes, tolerances and diets, while making our meals feel seamlessly family-style. We ate beautifully, and I can safely say that beginning and ending the day with Gilad's cooking set the tone for a fantastic vacation."
-Amy S.
"Gilad Chudler recently took over as our high season executive chef and demonstrated a great deal of energy and patience working with our staff, a group of cooks with varying skill levels. With the task of introducing new recipes and cooking techniques, while prepping for events, Gilad was in a position to be "teaching on demand" His warm and intelligent personality engaged both the back of house - to get on board quickly and learn! - and the front of house when mingling with our guests. In months, our staff has improved in all areas, from the organization required to prep and event through the daily operation and in using tested, standard recipes. Our guests have taken note and you can see the improvement in the quality of food in beverage scores in our guests surveys."
-Sarah P.
Owner, Hotel Sugar Beach, Villa San Igancio
"Chef Gilad, hank you so much for such amazing food on our wedding day! I had the pleasure of tasting everything that came out and I was so happy. All of our guests kept raving about their meals and how wedding food is never good and our food was delicious! Even my super picky Aunt was loving the ribs so you should feel really good about the whole thing! Thanks for helping us look good."
-Vanessa & Josh
"Thank you, Gilad, for making our wedding day so memorable!"
-Molly & Gideon
"Gilad surpassed all of our wildest dreams, the food was incredible"
-Nicolas & Jodi
“Gilad, Fernando, and the Rising Tide team set the bar for catering. From our plated formal wedding menu, to the best taco bar we’ve ever had, our expectations were exceeded with every meal they provided. Jen and I would recommend Gilad to anyone and everyone looking for authentic, memorable, and delicious Costa Rican catering!”
-Jen & Matt
We used Rising Tide as our caterer for both our rehearsal & wedding dinners and they were outstanding! Gilad was a pleasure to work with; he and his team executed both events flawlessly. He was even kind enough to jump on a call with us months before to discuss our plans and customize our menu which we really appreciated (especially given we booked our wedding completely sight unseen from the states!) We chose a taco bar for the rehearsal dinner which was super fun! And let me tell you these were not your average tacos...gourmet all the way! We heard multiple people mumble between bites, "these are the best tacos I've ever had." The wedding dinner was more formal and equally as delicious; all of our guests still rave about the food. We 100% recommend booking Rising Tide for your event!
Thanks!! :)