Chef Anthony Barr — Culinary Director, Above & Beyond Catering
Chef Anthony Barr has led the kitchen at Above & Beyond Catering since the company was founded in San Francisco in 2005. Over two decades of executing events — corporate luncheons, client receptions, company celebrations, weddings, and special events of every kind — he has built a culinary identity rooted in one consistent philosophy: take the best of what the Bay Area grows and make it more interesting.
His approach centers on international flavor influences — drawing from the diverse culinary traditions that define San Francisco’s food culture — fused with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. The result is menus that feel current, Bay Area-specific, and genuinely considered. Not generic. Not templated. Built for the event and the guest.
For corporate clients, that translates to food that reflects well on the company hosting the event. For couples planning their wedding day, it means a menu they’re proud to serve. Chef Anthony’s standard is the same either way: every order should feel like someone thought carefully about it — because they did.
Above & Beyond’s reputation for consistency and timeliness is, in part, a reflection of how Chef Anthony runs a kitchen. Events are planned to deliver on time, every time. That’s not a marketing line — it’s how Above & Beyond has retained clients and earned referrals for twenty years in one of the most competitive catering markets in the country.
Above & Beyond Catering — San Francisco, Since 2005
Above & Beyond Catering was founded in San Francisco in 2005 with a straightforward premise: great food, professional service, and reliable execution shouldn’t require complex coordination. Corporate clients, wedding couples, and event hosts in the Bay Area deserve a catering partner they can count on — one that shows up on time, delivers exactly what was promised, and makes the ordering process easy.
That premise hasn’t changed. Over twenty years and thousands of events, Above & Beyond has built its reputation on consistency — the kind that brings clients back and generates referrals. Our corporate clients book us for team lunches one month and client dinners the next because the experience is predictable in the best possible way: great food, no surprises, no coordination headaches.
The San Francisco catering market is competitive. We’ve stayed in it for two decades by doing the fundamentals better than most: fresh menus built on locally sourced ingredients, Chef Anthony’s distinctive culinary identity, and a service model designed to make professional catering feel effortless — whether that’s a drop-off lunch for twenty or a staffed reception for two hundred.
Locally Sourced. Seasonally Driven. Chef-Made.
Every Above & Beyond menu starts with what’s actually in season in the Bay Area — not what’s available in bulk from a warehouse. Chef Anthony builds menus around California’s agricultural calendar, sourcing from Bay Area producers and leaning on the same fresh, local ingredients that make Northern California one of the great food regions in the world.
That means avocados and citrus when they’re at their peak. Stone fruit in summer. Root vegetables and winter produce in the colder months. The menu changes because the food changes — and that’s the point.
The international flavor dimension comes from San Francisco itself. This city’s food culture is one of the most diverse in the country, and Chef Anthony draws on that cultural richness in every menu — whether it’s a Japanese-influenced grain bowl for a corporate lunch, a Latin-inspired station for a reception, or a Mediterranean spread for a wedding dinner. The sourcing is local. The influences are global. The result is food that tastes like San Francisco.
For corporate clients, this approach means menus that feel current and intentional — not the same chicken-and-salad rotation that every other caterer offers. For wedding couples, it means a menu that reflects their city and their taste. For all Above & Beyond clients, it means the food is actually good — not just adequate.
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