Catering Services Step Up Their Game

Yes, the 1 percent can afford to hire legions of lackeys to see to their every whim—but sometimes the other 99 percent also need to be catered to.

Trendwatchers, take note: A slew of boutique catering companies has arrived on the scene to take the shopping, food prep and washing up out of our harried hands.

Not only does this New York transplant have a great name, it also offers such a great deal that we thought we’d misread the price. Here’s how it works: You supply the kitchen and guests, they supply the chef, ingredients, disposable dishware and cleanup, for $25—per person, that is.

Hello? Your own chef, and it’s cheaper than going out to eat, if you can score a reservation.

A glance at Kitchensurfing’s website shows a pretty picture of a sample meal—a glistening miso-marinated chicken, crisp scallion pancakes and sake-braised bok choy.

They offer same-day service, Monday through Friday, for two to six people. For more information, visit kitchensurfing.com/hamptons.

Swifty’s, the Upper East Side eatery for swells who dine, has launched a Hamptons catering arm. While Swifty’s Events has catered to the likes of Manhattan retail nobility—from Bergdorf Goodman to Harry Winston—this will be its inaugural season on the East End.

Café society regulars, and those unfamiliar with the café society hangout, will be able to sample its de-lovely goodies, including spiced crab cakes with papaya chutney, tiny potato cakes with caviar and crème fraîche, their many hors d’oeuvres with puff pastries galore—and, of course, their famous “Millionaires Bacon.”

Prices vary. For more information, visit swiftysnyc.com/catering.

First, there was South Fork and Spoon, a grocery delivery service for Hamptonites tired of playing bumper carts at Citarella. Enter the spin-off, Hamptons Aristocrat, run by catering veteran Lexi Stolz and chef Louisa Young. The new company goes a step further, delivering meals to your home made from locally sourced, seasonally available ingredients.

Prepared in the Stony Brook Southampton kitchen, dishes change weekly. Main entrées include seared tuna with forbidden rice and grilled rib eye with grilled asparagus, while the sides menu features Mediterranean couscous and thyme biscuits. They promise that your meals will arrive only two hours after your order. (In summer traffic? Just sayin’.)

Menu items range from $30 to $380, with a minimum of four purchases per order. For more information, visit hamptonsaristocrat.com.

If you’ve had enough of being catered to hand and foot at home, Madeline Picnic Co. has launched its second season providing “farm-to-fork” picnics for your foray to the beach, or patch of grass under a tree. The menu features globally inspired salads, gourmet sandwiches and signature “Madeleine cakes”—yes, Proust’s tasty aides-memoires.

With their hyper-local focus, they source produce from area purveyors, including Carissa's Breads in Southampton, Bhumi Farms in Amagansett, Mecox Bay Dairy in Sagaponack and Good Water Farms in Bridgehampton. Ants not included.

Packages range from $45 for two to $135 for six. Larger accommodations available. For more information, visit madelinepicnic.co.

Not only have fitness guru Tracy Anderson and her famous client, Gwyneth Paltrow, opened another exercise studio—this one in East Hampton—they also plan to launch a health-oriented catering service with their third partner, Maria Baum.

3 Green Hearts will provide organic, allergen-free items—no gluten, soy, dairy, eggs or nuts—including juices and smoothies, pastas, quinoa salads, grilled salmon and kale ravioli, and take-out will be available from Ms. Anderson’s East Hampton and Water Mill studios.

What party is complete without a dose of hooch? The New York-based alcohol delivery app, Thirstie, is now available in the Hamptons—offering beer, wine or spirits delivered within the hour, along with cocktail recipes that fit with your order. The tap of an icon sends a message to a local retailer who will make the delivery, and check ID to make sure you’re of drinking age.

For more information, visit thirstie.com.