CROSSWINDS CAFE - A Catering Review - Raleigh, NC

Big Daddy recently celebrated a milestone birthday. I could not let that happen without throwing him an over-the-top birthday party for his over-the-hill age. I’m a party master and I knew what I wanted and how I wanted it.

Big Daddy has a thing for airplanes and he is quite the aviation expert. One of our favorite places is the General Aviation Terminal at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. It’s a great spot to watch airplanes and people and they have a neat little restaurant called the Crosswinds Café where you can grab a quick meal. The menu isn’t extensive but the atmosphere is picture perfect.

The space is available to rent for anything, from a small gathering to a wedding of 500. The prices for space rental were extremely reasonable and I booked the date for a party of fifty people without hesitation.

And here is where things got really interesting for me. I am very particular about my food and even more obsessed about food that I’m serving to guests. When renting the General Aviation Terminal you have to use their caterer. Crosswinds Café is the exclusive caterer and they do have a beer and wine permit. And this made me nervous as hell. I wasn’t wanting French fries and burgers or a breakfast biscuit. I wanted a down home Southern meal for my down home Southern guy. A menu with all his favorites. And having only had fries and a burger at Crosswinds Café I honestly didn’t have the confidence that they were up to the task. I scoured the internet for reviews and comments that would alleviate my concerns and came up empty. Then I really got nervous. How could no one, anywhere, not have something to say about them, good or bad? What had I gotten myself into?

I scheduled an appointment with Alice, their catering manager. Our meeting was short and sweet because I knew exactly what I wanted. I’d studied their catering menu with a fine tooth comb and could have easily quoted it to her with no problems. After going through my list Alice promised a price quote and contract and assured me I had nothing to worry about. But I worried anyway and my worry level skyrocketed off the charts when two weeks later I hadn’t heard anything back from Alice or the event space. I was only a few very short weeks away from my event and I didn’t know if I was going to have food or what that food was going to ultimately cost.

Reaching out to anyone who would answer a phone call or email, I’m sure they thought I was a mad woman! But Alice and I reconnected and she was genuinely apologetic. Apparently I’d gotten lost in the shuffle of paperwork and then somehow missed the email message she had sent to me. Within minutes of reconnecting I had that proposal in hand and Alice and I were cooking with some major grease. It was clear by everyone’s reaction that this happenstance was a fluke and was in no way a reflection of their customer service. I debated whether or not to mention it at all but then decided that to fully expound on how good they are I had to mention how they handled this minor bump in the flow. Because it was handled so exquisitely that every concern I had was instantly alleviated. Alice was such a sheer delight, a consummate professional and she felt like a trusted family friend!

A few short days before the party my guest list blew up and my final count to Alice and her staff included an extra twenty people. Alice was delightful in helping me best handle the extras that I suddenly found myself needing. So good at what she does I barely blinked when I had to write that second check!

The day of the event I was a nervous wreck. I was still on edge about the food being good. Arriving early to decorate the space and insure the set up was exactly what I wanted, I was introduced to the chef, another woman named Alice! And Alice Number Two is a master in the food services game! I’d selected a menu of Fried Chicken (of course!), Fried Catfish Fillets, macaroni and cheese, turnip greens, a side salad, dinner rolls and sweet tea. To say that this woman can cook, is putting it mildly. THIS WOMAN CAN COOK!

The chicken and the fish were fried to perfection. The batter was tasty with just the right amount of crunch and flake. The chicken was melt in your mouth moist and the fish was absolute perfection. The macaroni and cheese tasted like down home country. The cheddar cheese oozed around the perfect al dente macaroni. It was creamy goodness with just the right hint of cheddar cheese flavor. And the greens, cooked with ham hocks (optional) could not have been better. Family and friends are still talking about how darn good the food was!

I’ve hired a number of catering companies over the years from as far north as Connecticut, as far south as Florida and even a few in London and Bermuda. By far, Crosswinds Café has risen to the top of my best and most favorite list. Everyone associated with them exceeded my expectations. The two Alices were both sheer delights to work with and I would hands down use them again and again and I still don’t even know if they cater outside that venue; a question I keep forgetting to call and ask!

I would whole-heartedly recommend Crosswinds Café and will most assuredly use them again myself for my next catered event. Big Daddy’s party could not have been better. From concept to execution, Crosswinds Café and the GAT were instrumental in helping my vision come to light. I absolutely adore them for going above and beyond to make that happen. They all have my sincerest gratitude.