Queen of Hearts Catering: 10 Questions with Scott Walsh

Caterers - Scott Walsh

Business: Queen of Hearts Catering
Location: Malvern, Pennsylvania PA
Experience: 26 Years
Profile: Queen of Hearts Catering
Website: queenofheartscatering.com

1. Introduction: What's your story?

I’ve been in the catering world since 1995 when I started J. Scott Catering, and it was the beginning of my love for this industry. How can you not love celebrating love with couples, families and friends every single day with great food? Over the years, as my passion for the business grew, I wanted to expand the brands I was involved with, so I purchased Queen of Hearts Catering.

Our goal for Queen of Hearts is to have it be an affordable, quality, full-service caterer in our portfolio, since this was something our area needs more of. We want to be at the forefront of new cuisine and culinary innovation as well as new event trends, all at a good price point. That’s what makes us so unique, I think.

Today, we help hundreds of couples each year plan and cater their weddings at our exclusive venues like Springton Manor Farm, as well as other venues and homes throughout the Pennsylvania area. We were also recently named a Wedding Rule Top Caterer, which was a huge honor!

2. How many weddings have you done in the past?

Definitely more than we can count—in the thousands for sure! One of our exclusive venues is the stunning Springton Manor Farm, which couples love for its historic elegance; it’s innately romantic. That makes it an extremely popular wedding venue, so we work with them every weekend in season! Since COVID, we’ve also started doing more Philadelphia-area backyard weddings, which have been a fun new venture. It’s inspired us to really get creative with our service and menu offerings—we even created a wedding menu just for backyard wedding soirees! We love celebrating love, and our couples really do become a part of our Queen of Hearts family.

3. Do you charge a bulk fee or cost per person? What are your rates like?

One of our top priorities is serving creative, delicious cuisine at rates that our clients can afford. We offer per person pricing with menu options starting at $85.00. Rates usually vary based upon the number of guests, the style of service like buffet or plated meals, alcohol packages and things like that. But budget is always our top priority, so we work with couples to design a menu they love within their price point.

4. Do you have a static menu, or can you do a custom menu? And can you take care of various allergy/dietary requests?

Variety is the spice of life, they say! And we make sure to capture that essence with our catering menus. We do offer signature catering menus designed especially for weddings, and we have a backyard wedding menu now too. But we don’t stop there—we do help many couples customize menu options that exude their personalities and taste preferences. Your wedding day is one of the only days in your life where it’s supposed to be all about you (and your partner, too), and we want to make sure the food fits the occasion. No couple is the same, so we understand not every menu will be the same, and we love that!

We also know that today, everyone has different dietary preferences and restrictions, and we make sure we’re able to cater (literally!) to everyone. Our menus all feature options that are or can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegetarian or vegan and more.

5. What are your most popular dishes?

Oh, this is a tough one! We love food, so narrowing it down is always a tricky feat. Based upon what our couples love most, I think our top three most popular dishes would have to be:
-Pan-seared crab cakes with remoulade
-Baked stuffed sun-dried tomato chicken filled with Boursin cheese, topped with fresh herbs and chicken jus
-Braised short ribs with candied onions and demi-glace

6. Do you provide linens, table settings, and accessories? If you don’t provide linens, table settings, etc., will you handle coordinating the rental?

Absolutely! We are a full-service caterer, and we understand that no flawless event can be produced without these important items. We even put all our 30+ years of expert event planning experience into our Easy Planning Guide, which we share with our couples to ensure their planning experience, from rentals to catering, is seamless. Weddings can seem like a different language to most people who aren’t involved in events every day, so our priority is to make it easy for everyone to plan their dream wedding from A to Z on a budget.

7. Will food be made on-site or brought in?

Fresh is best, so everything will be made on-site in every case possible. Our priority is always to serve piping hot plates that offer delicate flavors and beautiful plating, so doing it live at the event is always the best way to do this.

8. Are tastings available and what is involved?

Yes! We love doing group tastings as a part of our wedding catering experience; we think that’s one of the most fun parts. Our couples are invited to join us with those who are nearest and dearest to them for a private tasting of their wedding menu. We aim to make it a really fun experience for everyone, especially the couple, since they don’t always get to enjoy the food uninterrupted like guests do on the wedding day.

After the couple and their loved ones have tried a little bit of everything, we make sure everything is prepared and flavored to their liking. Usually it is, but if it’s not, we make small tweaks to ensure the menu for the big day is everything they imagined and more!

9. Who else is in your team and how many people on your staff will be at the wedding?

The moment a wedding is booked with us, the couple will be assigned a talented event coordinator who will work with them to plan their dream wedding. They will manage all the little details to ensure that the couple’s vision is brought to life and take away all the stress that can sometimes accompany wedding planning. When it comes to the actual day of the event, we staff one server per 15 people and one bartender per 50 people to ensure all guests are well attended to. Service is of the utmost importance to us, so we want to make sure every event is staffed appropriately with team members who are passionate about providing unparalleled experiences and 5-star service every time!

10. What is your cancellation and/or refund policy?

Weddings are meant to be a joyful celebration. We never want a wedding to be a stressful scenario or a financial burden, so we do our best to take cancellations and refunds on a case-by-case basis depending on the timeframe, etc.