I’m reaching the age where myself and most of my friends are getting married. I have attended more than a few weddings catered by Rocky Mountain Catering. I’ve always been blown away by how awesome the staff is and how I’ve always heard great comments from their queer clients. When I reached out to Robin Berhost [GM] about doing an article, she was overjoyed. ‘We always treat everyone with respect and listen, truly listen to the betrothed. There’s always more to learn and it’s a process we enjoy!’ says Robin.
Rocky Mountain Catering’s Interview
GayDenver: How would you describe Rocky Mountain Catering?
Rocky Mountain Catering: We are a premiere catering company with award-winning food and service. We can handle any event from 25 to 2500. We love doing weddings but that isn’t all we offer. We work with many businesses and nonprofits around the state catering galas, dinners, fundraisers, and private residence parties.
GayDenver: What difference can a caterer make in a wedding or event? Why is it so important and generally recommended?
Rocky Mountain Catering: A caterer can make a world of difference in the best possible way. It takes a massive amount of planning to create an event. Having professionals help in the planning and execution saves you time and headaches. During the event itself, it’s much nicer to be able to participate fully in the event, rather than managing it.
GayDenver: Let’s talk about food! Your menu is extensive, with some amazingly unique options.
Rocky Mountain Catering: What food you serve at an event is an important decision. It’s always one of the major elements that people will remember from the event. We take our culinary responsibilities very seriously. We have many packaged menu options available on our website that can be mixed and matched easily. Our team of chefs is well-trained and versatile.
GayDenver: What are your favorite dishes?
Rocky Mountain Catering: Ooof, it’s really hard to pick! The Luther Burger is a crowd-pleaser and one of my personal favorites. It’s just so flavorful…a little sweet and a little savory. It’s by far one of our most popular appetizers.
For a favorite entree, I choose the Madeira Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip Puree. The ribs are slow-roasted for a day, so the meat just falls off the bone. The parsnip puree just adds the perfect harmony to balance the strong flavors. I could live off that!
My favorite side would be the Goat Cheese Rosemary Mashed Potatoes. The goat cheese thickens the potatoes up and adds so much richness, while the rosemary offsets everything perfectly.
Editor's Picks
GayDenver: How is the food prepared?
Rocky Mountain Catering: It depends on the event, we have many options to suit any distance, venue, or menu. We consider how the dishes will taste above all else, and find ways to ensure that the execution is as perfect as what you had at your tasting. We assemble as much as we can on site and our wonderful team of chefs sometimes come along to prepare menu items at the event. We come fully prepared to ensure a perfect meal for every guest.
GayDenver: How does someone go about hiring you? How far in advance do I need to book your services?
Rocky Mountain Catering: We ask that you contact us as soon as you can! Even if you are unsure about some of the details, we can start planning while the rest comes together.
GayDenver: Where do you typically work?
Rocky Mountain Catering: We have been in business for over 11 years and have created great relationships with the Colorado venue community and are on several preferred caterer lists including Spruce Mountain, Castle Pines, the Botanic Gardens, and Moss Denver, to name a few.
GayDenver: How do you accommodate queer weddings?
Rocky Mountain Catering: We love queer weddings; they are always so much fun. Our consultation and planning process is very thorough. We talk about what’s important to you and walk the couple through the whole process step by step. Through this process, we get to know what pronouns to use, and we know the different ways that your wedding will be unique to you.
GayDenver: Do you assist with event planning and coordination?
Rocky Mountain Catering: To a degree, yes. We aren’t wedding planners per se, your event coordinator will help build a plan for the event so the ceremony, food, snacks, and clean-up happen on time. We handle all of the food, set up, and break down. Your wedding planner will help you navigate photographers and other vendors, and ensure that guests and wedding parties are ready and available when they need to be. Our event designers/coordinators do a stellar job and will assist with whatever they can but to ensure the greatest success, we keep to the food service foundations of events.
GayDenver: We have to mention your awards!
Rocky Mountain Catering: We’ve won several awards from the Weddingwire and the Knot. We won the Couple’s Choice Award from 2014 to 2020. We recently received the Couple’s Choice Award for 2022 as well! What’s amazing about the Awards from Weddingwire is the winner is picked from over 1 million reviews. It’s so great to know that we are making so many people happy.
We’ve also won many awards from the Knot. We’ve been inducted into their Hall of Fame, to which only the top 5% of wedding vendors get awarded. We’ve taken home the Best of Weddings from them as well for 2022, and 2017 through 2019.
GayDenver: Can you tell us about one of your favorite queer weddings and what made it so amazing?
Rocky Mountain Catering: My favorite queer wedding was in October of 2022 for Ryan and Nick. It was fun to see their vision come to life with a downtown location and an elegant rustic vibe. It all came together perfectly! They served a plated meal that included the Madeira short rib I spoke about earlier. The florals were beautiful and the ceremony was a definite tear-jerker,
GayDenver: Is your staff queer affirming?
Rocky Mountain Catering: Our staff is queer-accepting and we are working our way to queer-affirming. We are learning more and more about what it means to support the LGBTQ culture in a deeper and more meaningful way. We treat everyone with respect and have always led with that as our compass. We are constantly growing and learning more!
Author: Jeff Wilson
Jeff is one of the owners of GayDenver and one of its writers. He is a Denver transplant who loves the city and the proximity of the mountains. He is happily married to his husband and loves hiking with his furbaby Thayella.