Country Garden Caterers has operated in Santa Ana for more than 50 years, founded by Barbara DesRochers-Lyons in the mid-1970s; she passed away in 2022, and the business continues under her three children. It operates its own historic event venue — a reimagined 1920s former Automobile Club of Southern California building at 719 N Main St, Santa Ana, with capacity for up to 175 guests — and is the exclusive catering partner at the Heritage Museum of Orange County. Beyond those two, it lists a 15-property "Venue Collection" across Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
Its Special Events & Catering Menu prices entrées from $25.95 to $34.95 per person (Prime Rib Au Jus is its highest-priced entrée), each served buffet or sit-down style, with a 100-guest minimum. A wedding-cake add-on is priced at $6.25 per person, and four dessert packages run $5.75 to $7.75 per person. Bar packages (50-guest minimum, 5-hour maximum) run $21.95 to $23.95 for a Beer, Wine & Soda package, with a full-bar add-on at $9 to $10. Staffing is billed per event rather than hourly — $325 for a Lead Server, $295 for a Server or Bartender, $195 for a Chef, based on a 2-hour service window. Hosting a wedding at its own facility adds a $495 surcharge on top of the venue rental, which itself runs $450 to $1,000 depending on day of week and month.
A $1,000 non-refundable deposit plus a 30% balance reserves a date, with the deposit forfeited and 30% of the estimated cost due on cancellation (the full amount if cancelled within 21 days of the event). Country Garden carries the deepest, longest-dated awards history of the six caterers in this guide: 11 years of WeddingWire's Bride's Choice award (2009–2020, missing 2013), three Knot "Best of Weddings" wins (2012, 2017, 2019), three Wedding Spot "Best of Venues" wins (2016–2018), and seven years of the Orange County Department of Health's Award of Excellence (2010–2020) — one of only two caterers in this guide with a published health-department credential.
Santa Ana caterer for 50+ years, operating its own historic venue (up to 175 guests) and exclusive caterer at the Heritage Museum of Orange County; priced event menu $25.95–$34.95/pp, wedding cake at $6.25/pp; the deepest award history in this guide, including 7 years of an OC Dept. of Health Award of Excellence.
Country Garden Caterers has an amazing menu with so many choices, at first we were having a hard time deciding, but then my wife saw something on the menu and it made it so much easier. They had a Whole Pig...We decided on Tri Tip and a whole pig as our main course. For the sides we had the garlic mashed potatoes that we had heard so much about. The food was perfect.
What an amazing experience we had for our wedding this past June 17th. Kim, Efren, Joel and the entire staff made our wedding day as memorable as we could have asked. From the ceremony to reception they helped us put on an amazing memorable day. We received rave reviews on the food service from our entire guests.
Country Garden provided outstanding service and excellent food for my daughter's wedding. The presentation was delicious and they were wonderful to work with. Thank you Andy and Team for creating such a beautiful experience for our family and guests!
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Michele Leocadio creates restaurant content for Elev8ed Table. We decide who's featured on merit alone and never sell placement or ranking. Figures above are read from each business's own published materials and dated when the source is old.
