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FEATURING CUISINE FROM OUR 4 RESTAURANTS

Event Planning

Catering

Welcome to Z catering!

We appreciate you choosing us to be a part of your special event.  With over 40 years of combined experience, rest assured our culinary team will provide you with excellent food, great service and memories to last a lifetime.


We are passionate about creating incredible events, and working with our clients to personalize their experiences.  Our expert team of servers, bartenders, event staff and chefs will seamlessly together to ensure that every detail of your event is perfect, from start to finish.


We at Z Catering are honored that you have chosen us to cater an important event in your life.  We are a creative, excited, and optimistic team, always ready to take on new adventures and challenges. 


We can't wait to meet you and get started!


Sincerely,


James Chen

President, Z Catering


Menus

Z Catering sources cuisine from all four of our unique restaurants.  Our menus are the best for what our restaurant group has to offer.  From classic favorites like steak, seafood, and pasta, to more unique options like BBQ, tacos, and sushi, our creative cuisine can be crafted to fit any event. 

View Our Menus

Meet Our Team

James Chen

President, Zen Restaurant Group

Chen owns four Connecticut restaurants — La Figata in Granby, @ The Barn in Granby, Han Asian Cuisine in Granby, and Table 570 in Simsbury. Chen also owns Z catering serving the Connecticut area.





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    Chen owns four Connecticut restaurants — La Figata in Granby, @ The Barn in Granby, Han Asian Cuisine in Granby, and Table 570 in Simsbury. Chen also owns Z catering serving the Connecticut area.


    Chen is known for his prowess with Asian restaurants. His Han Asian cuisine has been a Granby staple for sushi and other Japanese, Chinese and Thai specialties, and in late 2016, he revamped his Simsbury eatery Green Tea to become Table 570, an upscale Asian fusion destination. 


    For nearly five years, Chen has been successfully experimenting with new ideas in the center of Granby: @The Barn, an elegantly designed contemporary American restaurant, came along in the fall of 2015; and La Figata, with a wood-fired Italian menu of pizzas, pastas and red-sauce classics, which opened in 2018.

Stefan Rarus

Executive Chef

Chef Stefan began cooking as a child, helping his mother to cook meals on the weekend, or to help prepare food for family gatherings. His love for cooking led him to begin his culinary career at 17, working for a local pizzeria. In 2001, Stefan made his way to the Saybrook Fish House as a line cook, continuing to learn and grow as a chef. 

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    His next stop was the USS Chowder Pot in Branford, CT, where he continued to gain experience working with seafood.


    In 2007 Chef Stefan decided to begin his more refined culinary studies by enrolling in the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, New York. During his studies, Chef Stefan secured an internship with world renowned Union Square Hospitality Group, working at Blue Smoke and Jazz Standards. It was here where he learned the art of smoking food and BBQ and was able to gain experience in the realm of catering within Blue Smoke’s new catering department.


    In 2009, Chef Stefan came back to Connecticut and began working at Basta Trattoria. In 2010, Middletown’s Esca came calling, and he was promoted to Sous Chef there just a year after working on the grill station. Chef Stefan then accepted the Head Chef position at Taino Smokehouse, where he furthered his experience in BBQ, smoking, and catering. In 2017, Chef Stefan returned to Esca as the Head Chef. In 2021, Chef Stefan connected with the team at Z Catering, teaming up to spearhead their growing catering business. With his years of experience in the kitchen, Chef Stefan and the Z Catering team will ensure that you receive a professional and personalized catering experience from start to finish.

Dan Fortin

Executive Chef

Executive Chef Dan Fortin began his culinary studies at the University of Southern New Hampshire.  Upon graduation in 1995, he landed the position of Sous Chef in Ann Howard's kitchen at Apricots in Farmington, CT.  After serving there for three years, Dan decided to seek adventure in U.S. Virgin Islands. 

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    During his four-year stay in the Caribbean, Dan served as Chef de Cuisine for the award-winning Stone Terrace and the classic island favorite, the Lime Inn.


    In 2001, he traveled back to the states and settled in Boston as a Sous Chef, serving up the trend-setting French-Indian cuisine of Mantra, under the direction of Chef Thomas John.


    In 2003, Dan joined Trumbull Kitchen, working beside Chef/Owner, Christopher Torla.  In July 2004, he joined the Goodwin Hotel as Executive Chef, with the culinary vision of sharing his cuisine with the public.


    In 2006, Dan combined his fine-dinning background and hotel catering experience to serve up cutting-edge cuisine for weddings, corporate events, and wine dinners for Marquee Events and Catering.  During his tenure there, he assisted in opening The Back Porch Restaurant in Old Saybrook, CT.


    In 2009, Dan joined the Infinity Music Hall and Bistro team to start up a restaurant in both Norfolk and Hartford, CT.  Here, his vision and talents in preparing progressive American cuisine made Infinity Bistro a destination restaurant. 


    In 2015, Dan teamed up with James Chen, opening several award-winning restaurants in the Granby, CT area.  With 23 years of experience, Chef Dan will ensure an expert, personalized catering experience no matter the event. 


Joe Bucholz

Executive Chef

For executive Chef Joe Bucholz, his love of the culinary world began early on in life in his Grandmother's kitchen.  Whether it was baking Pignoli cookies during the holidays, making soup on Mondays, or just cooking up some sauce from scratch, Chef Bucholz felt right at home in the kitchen.

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    Fostering this love of food, Chef Joe enrolled and completed schooling at The Center for Culinary Arts in Cromwell, CT. Upon graduating in 2000, he found himself at The Tuscany Grill in Middletown, CT as their Sous Chef, specializing in Italian Cuisine. After a successful few years at Tuscany, Chef Joe transitioned to Baci Grill and Banquet facility, as their Executive Chef, taking the opportunity to expanding his knowledge into the catering world.


    Chef Joe then made his way to the Max Restaurant Group, taking the position of Sous Chef at Max a Mia in Avon, CT. After a number of years with the Max Restaurant Group, the chef returned to his hometown of Middletown, CT, taking over as the Executive Chef of the then newly opened ESCA Restaurant and Wine Bar. He wore multiple hats during his time with the company, including executive, banquet, and pastry chef. Chef Joe remained with the company for 9 years until he

    ultimately relocated to the Farmington Valley Area.


    In 2018, Chef Joe connected with James and Sandy Chen of Zen Restaurant Group. He joined forces on the opening of Farmers Kitchen,

    and most recently La Figata, where he remains the Executive Chef. Chef Joe is no stranger to the kitchen, delicious food, creativity, or hard work. He and Z Catering are eager to collaborate with you to create the event of your dreams.

Venues

Z Catering is a wedding and events caterer, with full-service event planning, staffing, mobile bar, and food truck.  We feature 4 private dinning locations in our 4 restaurants.  In addition, we offer off site catering at your location.

Explore Our Venues

Weddings

From start to finish, our event planning staff will ensure that your wedding day is everything you dreamed of.



See Wedding Menus

Special Events

We specialize in planning and executing the following special events:

  • Weddings
  • Birthday Parties
  • Retirement Parties
  • Reunions
  • Bridal Showers
  • Rehearsal Dinners
  • Baby Showers
  • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
  • Sweet 16s
  • Quinceaneras
  • Corporate Luncheons
  • Corporate Meetings
  • Seminars/Conferences
  • Custom Events
Inquire

Get Started

Z Catering is ready to cater your next event.


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