who we are

Goat Group Catering is James Beard Award Winning Chef Stephanie Izard’s full service catering experience.

Stephanie's first restaurant, Girl & the Goat, has always been a place for families to gather and share great food around a table. With this in mind, we wanted to bring the full Girl & the Goat experience to guests outside of the restaurant. We plan and produce a range of event styles that bring the flavors of Girl & the Goat, Little Goat Diner, Duck Duck Goat, and Cabra Cevicheria to homes and venues across the Chicagoland area.

Offering drop off and full service event catering, Goat Group Catering features the signature Stephanie Izard global influence along with the chef-driven identity that has made the Goat Restaurants Chicago favorites.

From corporate lunches and dinners, to social receptions, weddings and in home dinner parties, we can take you and your guests on a truly unique culinary adventure! We are your partner in every detail of custom events, and a visionary counterpart leading you through an extraordinary, hospitable experience.

meet the team

Stephanie Izard

chef / owner

Stephanie Izard, James Beard “Best Chef: Great Lakes” recipient 2013, and 2011 Food & Wine “Best New Chef,” is the Executive Chef/Partner of four Chicago restaurants, Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra along with the forthcoming Girl & the Goat LA. Izard was also awarded with the coveted title of “Iron Chef” after winning Season 1 of Food Network’s Iron Chef Gauntlet.
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A 2011 James Beard “Best New Restaurant” nominee, Girl & the Goat has been praised by high-profile publications such as Saveur, New York Times, Food & Wine, Better Homes and Gardens and others. Little Goat, Stephanie’s highly successful follow-up to Girl & the Goat, encompasses a diner, coffee shop, bakery and bar. In March 2016, Stephanie opened her third restaurant, a Chinese concept called Duck Duck Goat in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. More recently, in March 2019, Stephanie showcases Peruvian-inspired cuisine at Cabra Cevicheria.

Patrick Macellaio

director of catering

patrick@goatgroupcatering.com

A South Side Chicago native, Patrick Macellaio has been around food and hospitality his entire life. From his early days growing up in an Italian-Irish household and kicking off his career in 2007 managing a family owned Irish pub, to beginning working at the Goat Restaurants in 2013, and helping to build and launch Goat Group Catering in 2015, Patrick’s experience in service and hospitality is vast and unmatched. Throughout his time with Goat Group Catering Patrick has built hundreds of strong, personal client relationships and executed thousands of events such as weddings, corporate functions, luxurious and intimate in home dinners, and even in restaurant events and dinners.

Patrick has been recognized on Michigan Avenue Magazine’s July 2019 “The List” as one of Chicago’s top influential and must-know personalities and is a part of the Victory Gardens Theatre’s honorary host committee. When Patrick is not working, he enjoys spending time exploring the culture and cuisine Chicago has to offer. Patrick’s favorite menu item at the Goat restaurants is Girl & the Goat’s seasonal summer halibut set, with a miso-marcona almond butter, blueberry nuoc mam, asparagus and pickled beech mushrooms.

Demi Panayotou

Culinary Events Director

Nate Meads

Executive Pastry Chef

clients and testimonials

We are honored to have worked with some of the best in the business...
who we now call friends.

"We just wanted to say "thank you" for an incredible evening last weekend - we were blown away (and our guests were) with the food and your outstanding staff. Every staff member that we interacted with went above and beyond to make sure that we/our guests were taken care of. The food was top-notch; it was an incredibly unique experience for a wedding - we couldn't have done it without you and Goat Group! Thank you for all that you did to make this day a reality... ."

Olivia and Scott Fry

"Thank you to Lejla Zeyadich , Catering Sales Manager and staff. Just wanted to let you know how pleased our law firm was with our first catering order with Goat Group! Customer Service - outstanding! Delivery - outstanding! Responsiveness - Outstanding! Presentation - outstanding! Packaging - outstanding! Food Quality - outstanding! Unique offerings - outstanding! Thanks very much, we will be ordering again soon."

Lenore Murphy - Husch Blackwell LLP

"It has been a pleasure working with Patrick and the rest of the Goat Group Catering team. They provide an event experience that is modern, elegant and fun. And the food is delicious! I know my event will be best in class thanks to this group. I would recommend Goat Group Catering to anyone hosting an event."

Melissa Powell - Steelcase

"Goat Group Catering is one of the best catering providers in the Chicagoland area and my favorite catering company to work with. I have used them more than a handful of times for evening functions for client-facing events, each exceeding my expectations. The food offerings are seasonal and of the best quality. Patrick M, Director of Events, is such a great partner to work with. He is detailed, resourceful and accommodating to every ask/need. Day-of event, he is always fully present and attentive ensuring a most successful event!"

Lori Cajimat - Charles Schwab

"For our Wonderful Weekends festival, our goal was to celebrate some of Chicago's favorite businesses, so we invited local favorite Goat Group Catering to cater it. The tacos were out of this world, and enjoyed by thousands of guests throughout the weekend."

Michael Bolognino - Google

"I can't begin to say enough good things about Goat Group Catering. From the preparation of the event (a surprise birthday party in our home for my husband) through the event itself. Flawless! The food was nothing short of amazing (which is what we expected), the signature drinks were delicious and the staff superb! The kitchen was cleaner after they left than before! There was not one person at the party who didn't say "best party ever!" Thank you for you attention to detail and making my hubby feel extra special! I would highly recommend! 5 stars is insufficient for the most memorable and spectacular birthday ever! Thanks a million!"

Maria E.

"We recently used Girl and the Goat to cater our wedding and [we] wanted to let you know how amazing it was. Of course the food was a hit (people are still talking about it) but the staff was professional, friendly, and overall top notch. Patrick was so great to work with and he was there the day of, which made me feel so confident that it would go exactly as planned, which it did. Thank you for making a special day even better. Thank you again!!!!"

Lexie and Steve Addison

"I don't write many reviews, but I was moved by our experience with Girl and the Goat Catering. We had passed appetizers, a main course station and cookies/brownies with mini-strawberry pies for dessert... and there was plenty of food. Also, they provided a bartender with ice and mixers. This event was essentially Girl and the Goat transporting its (amazing) kitchen to our own kitchen, where seemingly they made everything from scratch. The food was incredible and significantly better than any other caterer we have encountered. We have used a couple of other Chicago caterers in the past, one of which we would rate the "gold standard," but Goat Group Catering has achieved "platinum status" with us!

G.H.

about us