Jay's Catering has operated in Orange County since 1967 under continuous family ownership, now in its third generation — founder Armand "Jay" Mastroianni, his daughter Linda Loaeza (named CEO in 1994), and today his grandson A.J. Barragan as COO. Of the six caterers in this guide, it has been in business the longest.
The business operates several of its own event venues, including Serra Plaza, The Casino San Clemente, Estate on Second, Hangar 21 South, The Executive Hangar, and two locations of its own pickup kitchen, Ellie's Table. It also owns and operates Grand Gimeno, a separate wedding venue in the city of Orange — Grand Gimeno is not listed as its own entry in this guide, since its own site states plainly that it is operated by "Jay's Catering Co. dba Grand Gimeno," the same legal entity under a second trading name.
Jay's publishes full per-person pricing through its 2027 Social Menu: buffet-style "Signature Menus" run $57 to $80 per person depending on cuisine, guest count (50+/100+/150+) and event length (5 to 6.5 hours); a plated dual-entrée menu runs $71 to $109 per person across the same guest tiers. An Event Captain is required at $275 flat. A three-tier bar program runs $21.50 to $34.50 per person depending on tier and event length, and an outside-cake-cutting fee of $3 per person applies if you bring your own cake. None of this is a dedicated wedding menu by name — it's the same Social Menu used for weddings and other social events.
For smaller, weekday events, Jay's also offers "Gatherings Packages" — three-hour bookings for up to 50 or 60 guests, Monday through Thursday, at four of its venues (including Grand Gimeno), with a described but unpriced discount on combined venue and catering. Its press coverage is extensive — more than a dozen placements, including eight separate features on Green Wedding Shoes and four on Junebug Weddings — and its named corporate clients include Saddleback Church, JetBlue Airways, Kaiser Permanente, Quiksilver and Hurley.
Family-owned Orange County caterer since 1967 (third generation); operates its own venues including Serra Plaza, Estate on Second and Hangar 21; Social Menu buffet tiers run $57–$80/pp, plated $71–$109/pp; no wedding-specific per-head price published separately.
They provided a Tuscan buffet for our wedding with 130 guests, along with kids' meals, full linen service, and bar service — and everything was absolutely seamless from start to finish.
We went with the Classic Buffet and selected the Pear & Walnut salad, Cabernet Braised Short Ribs, Mesquite Smoked Salmon, Pesto Tortellini, Green Beans, and Mashed potatoes — all of our guests raved about how good the food was.
The bao buns, the beef wellington and the chicken and waffles for hors d'oeuvres were a hit. For the entree, it was the veggie rotolo bolzano.
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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.
