Catering · Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Catering for Weddings and
Private Events in Santa Teresa
Nearly two decades producing events on the Nicoya Peninsula — from a dinner for twelve at a villa to a multi-day destination wedding.
Plan Your Event
The Approach
Gather Beautifully.
From intimate celebrations to destination weddings and large private events, SOMA creates dining experiences around the people, place and purpose of the occasion.
Led by Chef James Kelly and supported by an experienced team of culinary and hospitality professionals, SOMA has spent nearly two decades producing events in Santa Teresa and throughout the region.
Every menu is developed specifically for the event, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, local produce, fresh seafood and trusted producers. The goal is meticulous preparation behind the scenes and an experience that feels effortless to your guests.
- Weddings
- Private Celebrations
- Villa Events
- Corporate & Brand Events
- Retreats
- Destination Events
What We Produce
Events, Held Properly.
The scale changes. The standard doesn’t.
- 01
Destination Weddings
Welcome dinners, rehearsal dinners, the reception itself and the morning after. Menus and service flow built with your planner, and a kitchen plan that works in the venue you have actually chosen.
- 02
Private Celebrations
Birthdays, anniversaries and milestone dinners for ten to a hundred, at villas, beach houses and private properties across Santa Teresa and Mal País.
- 03
Villa & Estate Events
Catering designed around the property: what its kitchen can do, where guests will actually gather and how food should move through the space.
- 04
Corporate & Brand Events
Launches, shoots, offsites and hosted dinners, with the discretion and reliability those engagements require.
- 05
Retreats & Groups
Multi-day food programmes for wellness, surf and yoga retreats, including dietary planning across an entire group.
- 06
Long-Table Dinners
Family-style service on the beach, in the jungle or on a terrace — the format that suits Santa Teresa best.
Menus & Sourcing
Built Around the Day’s Catch.
Menus are written for the event, not chosen from a list. We start with the occasion, the guest count, the venue and your dietary requirements, then build around what is genuinely good that week.
That means seafood from fishermen James has worked with for years, produce from growers on the peninsula, and proteins selected rather than substituted. Tastings can be arranged for larger events.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-driven menus are planned as part of the main menu rather than bolted on at the end.
Beyond the Plate
What We Coordinate.
An event succeeds or fails on details that guests never see. Depending on the engagement, our team can carry as much of that as you want us to — and work alongside your planner where one is already involved.
- 01
Kitchen & Site Logistics
Assessing what a venue can support and building the production plan around it.
- 02
Staffing & Service
Experienced chefs, servers and bar staff selected for skill and for how they treat guests.
- 03
Rentals & Equipment
Tableware, glassware, linens, furniture and cooking equipment sourced locally.
- 04
Vendor Coordination
Working directly with planners, florists, photographers, musicians and venue managers.
- 05
Timing & Service Flow
A run of show for the food, so courses land when the evening is ready for them.
- 06
Discretion
Privacy as a default, and staff who understand why it matters.
How It Works
From First Note to Last Course.
Tell us the shape of it
Dates, location, guest count and the feeling you are after. A few sentences is enough to start.
A plan, in writing
Menu direction, service format, staffing and a clear proposal — including what we recommend against.
Detail and refine
Tastings where useful, dietary planning, rentals, timings and coordination with your other vendors.
Execution
Our team arrives early, works quietly and leaves the property as we found it.
Catering Questions
Weddings & Events, Answered
What planners and couples ask before booking wedding catering in Santa Teresa.
- Do you cater destination weddings in Santa Teresa and Mal País?
- Yes. SOMA has produced destination weddings and private events in Santa Teresa, Mal País and across the Nicoya Peninsula for nearly two decades, from welcome dinners through the reception and the day after.
- How far in advance should we book wedding catering in Costa Rica?
- For a wedding in the December-to-April dry season, six to twelve months ahead is realistic — the strong venues and the experienced crew are both committed early. Smaller private events can often be arranged within a few weeks.
- What size events can you cater?
- Intimate dinners of eight through weddings and brand events in the low hundreds. Beyond a certain size the constraint is the venue rather than the kitchen, which is why we scout the site before quoting.
- Do you handle staffing, rentals and vendor coordination?
- Yes. Menu development, kitchen logistics, service staff, rentals, timing, service flow and collaboration with your planner and other vendors are all part of the engagement rather than extras you assemble yourself.
- Can you cater at a venue with no commercial kitchen?
- Regularly. Many of the best settings on this coast are private estates and beaches with a countertop and a generator. We plan the menu against what the site can genuinely produce and bring in whatever it lacks.
- Which areas do you cater in?
- Santa Teresa, Mal País, the southern Nicoya Peninsula and the wider Puntarenas Province, with work elsewhere in Costa Rica taken by arrangement. See service areas
Inquire
Tell Us About the Event.
Dates, location and guest count are a good place to start — the rest we can shape together.
