Preferred Vendors

Preferred Vendors for Events

Most of these vendors would be happy to support an event at either the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach or the ENC Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in Modjeska Canyon. There may be some that are more local to Newport Beach who may not be able to provide services in Modjeska Canyon. Please be VERY CLEAR about your rental location when communicating with our preferred vendors.

Caterers

White House Catering

Master Chef Maurice Brazier, a Commandeur de l’Ordre National (the French equivalent of knighthood)  has proven, through accumulated experience, his ability to deliver amazing cuisine for any event, be it an intimate family gathering or an elaborate State Dinner. He has served kings and presidents. Now he can serve you. Their service staff, trained in the art of fine-dining and led by a group of experienced event managers, have not only received numerous awards from  organizations such as the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association and Wedding Wire, but, more importantly, they have received the continuing praise from the brides, grooms, hosts and guests they have served.

Soho Taco

Soho Taco was founded in 2009 with a single mission: to provide cherished memories to the community. When you organize an event or throw a party, it makes memories that can last a lifetime. Soho makes tacos to be part of that experience, assuring that your gathering is the stuff of legend. With high-quality ingredients, clean-yet-sophisticated recipes, and the cutting edge of culinary training, they want to be your taco of choice anytime you have something worth celebrating.

TK Burgers Truck

A local and ENC favorite, and not just because of their totally cool truck. The owners are locals and put a lot of pride into their food and service. We love the burgers, but also the grilled chicken, Ahi tuna and veggie sandwiches. They also have a sound system you can hook your iPod up to.

Jay’s Catering

Jay’s is a full service catering company serving corporate and social events throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties. Menu versatility is their specialty, providing a wide range of menus including American, International and Ethnic options. Everything they serve is freshly prepared from scratch in their kitchen.  They even bake their own breads and gourmet desserts!

24 Carrots Catering

24 Carrots offers unbelievably delicious food, personalized service, and a genuine passion for helping people make unforgettable memories together. They’re not a big conglomerate that churns out cookie-cutter parties. And they’re not a small mom-and-pop shop that lacks the resources to ensure your event runs smoothly. 24 Carrots is right in the middle – the sweet spot that provides you with the utmost personal attention and unlimited possibilities for your one-of-a-kind occasion.

Produce Catering + Creative

(949) 629-7195‬

Produce Catering + Creative is a full-service caterer specializing in private dinners, weddings, and corporate events. Owner, Chef Kiel, has a strong passion for food, and sees it as a way to bring family and friends together. His eclectic list of gourmet meals are made with fresh, high-quality ingredients providing mouthwatering flavors. Chef Kiel and his catering team can accommodate various reception styles, including plated dinner, buffet stations, and family style displays. Produce Catering also offers assistance with planning, design and rentals.

Plums Cafe & Catering

Plums started as a catering company and continue to innovate their catering services in addition to their cafe.  Plums Catering’s services, menu, cocktails and wine pairings are always high quality, consistent and beautifully executed.  Their full-service team brings reliability and 25-plus years of catering service and dining experience to your table.

Sundried Tomato Catering

Full Service, Corporate, Delivery & Pick Up Catering in Southern California. With over 20 years of catering experience, they can cater just about anything, anywhere. Choose from pre-designed Signature Menus or they’ll work with you to create a customized menu. Action stations, buffets, plated, tray-passed appetizers… if you can dream it we they create it.

Saltwater Catering

Featuring the creative cuisine of veteran Executive Chef Louis Manginelli, Saltwater Catering Inc. offers a dynamic and innovative force in the highly competitive catering arena. Each member of the organization understands how to achieve success by delicately blending all components of cuisine, ambience, service and décor to create truly memorable experiences. Saltwater Catering engineers all facets of your event, from the design and production of innovative cuisine to the arrangement of specialty entertainment, event décor, floral arrangements, unique invitation design, event photography, location scouting and more. We have the resources to provide services anywhere you choose to entertain throughout Southern California and the United States.

Richard Jones Pit BBQ Catering has been serving some of the best Texas BBQ in California for over 31 years! They slow smoke all our delicious meats with low heat and traditional hard wood for that one of a kind BBQ taste!

Restaurants & Specialty Foods

Voted best seafood in Orange County! Located on Lido Peninsula, on the bay in Newport Beach, at the historic former site of The Sea Shanty & Delaney’s. The iconic original location is outfitted in classic nautical style and sits right over the water. The perfect location to enjoy pristine quality seafood, sustainably caught, prepared classically or with a modern twist. If you’re lucky, you may even see the Bluewater kitchen staff hauling in a harpooned Swordfish from our very own harpoon boat, Pilikia. 

Kean Coffee

The perfect coffee solution for your event.  Kean Coffee is craft roasting the finest coffees from around the globe on-site, many organic and fair-trade. This enables them to serve their coffee so fresh, most days it has been roasted within hours of the moment it reaches your cup.

The Pizza Bakery

A stone’s throw from the ENC and a favorite of the local high school crowd. Great pizza and salad. The slices are huge so have them double cut for birthday parties.

Mi Casa

MI Casa’s OC Cal-Mex Mexican food includes simple classics like  crispy tacos overflowing with lettuce and cheese, cheese enchiladas, and burritos with re-fried beans and Spanish rice. They also offer scrumptious healthy options like our fresh romaine Fiesta Salad and grilled Mahi Tacos that are covered in tropical salsa and served with delicious sautéed vegetables that are sure to impress your taste buds!

Shirley’s Bagels

Shirley’s has been the leader in Orange County making only the freshest bagels in the original boil and bake method. They use all natural ingredients with no oils, fats, preservatives or colorants. Our bakers have over 25 years of combined experience. Shirley’s Bagels is dedicated to provide the freshest highest quality bagels available in the market. They strive to bring the absolute highest quality product and service to their customers for a fair price.

Other Services

About Town Bartenders

This is the most professional, friendly and knowledgeable bartending service we’ve used.  You can pick from a variety of packages for your event from “Beer, Wine & Soda”, “Well”, “Premium”, “Top Shelf” and “Non-Hosted”.  For an instant online quote, go to their website and click on the “Quick & Easy Online Proposal” option.

Brewery X

Need beer or seltzer for your party? Look no further than Brewery X, an independent craft brewery based in Anaheim on the La Palma Beer Trail. Known for their clean, high-quality beers, refreshing seltzers, and unmatched hospitality, Brewery X is more than just a brewery—they’re part of our community. Brewery X has been a generous supporter of the Environmental Nature Center, donating extensively to help us further our mission. By choosing Brewery X for your event, you’re not only serving top-notch beverages—you’re also supporting a business that gives back locally in a big way.

Levendi Wine

Need wine for your celebration? Levendi Wine, a family-owned boutique winery in Napa Valley, has you covered. Specializing in premium Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Levendi is known for expressive, high-quality wines rooted in centuries of Greek tradition. More than just a winery, Levendi embodies the spirit of levendi—to celebrate life’s memorable moments. Levendi has been a generous supporter of the Environmental Nature Center, helping us continue our mission. By choosing Levendi for your event, you’re not only pouring exceptional wine—you’re also supporting a business that gives back to the community.

Hi-Time Wine Cellars

Hi-Time Wine Cellars is a family-owned retail store founded in 1957. Their 24,000 square feet of retail space showcases a huge selection of rare wines, hard to find spirits, beers, cigars and much more. They have the largest temperature controlled underground wine cellar west of the Mississippi River.

Mariano Alvarez Lifestyle Family & Events Photography

Need a photographer who captures the real moments? Look no further than Mariano Alvarez, a lifestyle, portrait, and street photographer known for catching the beauty in unscripted life. Mariano’s relaxed, natural style focuses on authentic human connection, preserving the genuine atmosphere of your event without intrusion. More than just photos, his work is about creating true memories—spontaneous, emotional, and beautifully real. Mariano has been a generous supporter of the Environmental Nature Center, sharing his talents to help us further our mission. By choosing Mariano Alvarez for your event, you’re not only getting stunning photography—you’re also supporting a creative professional who gives back to the community.

Ecstatic Dance OC

Ecstatic Dance OC is a community-powered, silent disco dance experience where movement becomes a form of healing, meditation, and self-expression. Set in a safe, substance-free, and non-verbal environment, participants wear wireless headphones and dance freely to curated music designed to support emotional release, joy, and connection. Ecstatic Dance OC offers more than just a dance floor—it’s a sacred space for personal transformation, authentic presence, and deep community.

Billy Pinkerton yoga, breathwork, sound healing, and meditation

Website

The Deep Space Experience with Billy offers transformative wellness sessions that can be added to your facility rental at the ENC or Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. Billy specializes in a unique blend of sound healing, yoga, breathwork, and meditation to create immersive experiences that promote deep relaxation, emotional release, and inner clarity. His sessions—featuring instruments like gongs, handpan, didgeridoo, and crystal bowls—are perfect for enhancing retreats, gatherings, or wellness events. Whether you’re interested in a sound bath, breathwork session, or a full-body reset through movement and meditation, Billy will work with you to customize an experience that supports your group’s goals. To learn more or schedule a session, call or text 626-260-0199.

Sweetwater Creek Band 

The Sweetwater Creek Band is a group of local Orange County musicians who play fiddle, Irish bouzouki, mandolin, accordion, guitar, banjo and baroque recorders. Each member also sings, alternating between lead and harmony vocals. From diverse backgrounds and training, this unique group enjoys interweaving various nationalities of folk music such as Irish, Scottish, Cajun, and Swedish, with traditional Bluegrass and gospel tunes. They have played at coffee houses, farmers markets, street fairs, contra-dances, libraries, and art festivals throughout Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties, and have had audiences of all ages singing, clapping, and dancing to this timeless, family-friendly music!

Velvet Bow String Duo

From diverse backgrounds and training, multi-instrumentalists Dan Elliott (cello) and Susan Lachner (violin) blend classical and folk music in a delightful and elegant way. Their musical sound adds a special touch to any wedding, garden party, or cultural event, and has engaged listeners of all ages.

Susan Lacher & SideNote Keys/Bass

SoundWave Productions

SoundWave Productions is a full-service DJ entertainment company. They’re versatile, adaptable and do much more than show up and play music.  They walk you through every reception detail and create a timeline of events, suggest helpful tips, and choose fun songs and creative ideas to make your event stand apart from the rest.

Sustainable Parties (party supply rental)