What is included, how planning works, the shape of your event day — the questions couples ask most, answered in plain, warm terms.
Booking is first-come, first-served. We take just 18 events a year. Events run April 1 through January 5, and booking and planning continue all year. Dates open a year ahead, and most are spoken for by March — so if you have a date in mind, reach out early.
A signed contract and 50% deposit reserve your date and get your planning underway. Final payment is due 14 days before your event. We do not hold dates for estimates. Prices may change at any time and are not guaranteed until your contract is signed and your deposit is paid.
It starts with one free 30-minute Zoom consult before you book — our inquiry call, to make sure we are the right fit. It works best after you build your event in our free catering calculator. Once you have booked, two more 30-minute Zoom planning calls are included: a planning meeting with our event planner and coordinator, and a final review to confirm and lock every detail.
Want us to plan and design the whole celebration? That is our Event Design & Planning service. See everything it covers on our Event Design & Planning page.
Inquire, and we will send you our price sheet and free catering calculator. Build your event there — your experience, guest count, menu, and every add-on, with the price updating as you go. When it feels right, tap “Send my selections to Net Zero Ranch to receive a proposal & payment link,” and we will send your proposal, contract, and payment link through HoneyBook. We do not prepare custom estimates. Proposals hold for 14 days, then expire.
One week before your event, we will do a final review together to confirm every detail and lock your catering build.
For our catered feasts — the Charro and the Asado — your base price carries the food, the chefs and captains, setup and breakdown, and hot delivery to the table. From there you add what you love — the Full Bar, dessert, fresh florals, and more — each shown as its own clear line.
Our Vacation Chef and Retreat Chef stays work a little differently: those are priced by the day for the chef and their cooking, and food costs are not included and are billed to you separately. A landfill and recycling haul and composting are add-ons on every event.
A few things always appear on their own lines, so nothing is ever buried:
Our catering calculator shows your crew, their hours, and each of these lines live as you build, and the price sheet lays out every rate.
Payment runs through HoneyBook — all major debit and credit cards and ACH bank transfers. Each method carries its own small processing fee, shown as its own line. (We are not set up for cash or checks.)
Standard service is three easy hours:
6 PM · Bar & appetizers
7 PM · Dinner
8 PM · Dessert
9 PM · Service winds down
10 PM · Kitchen packed up
That is the food service. Want the night to run longer? Late-night hours are a simple add-on.
Everything is cooked on site as it is served — or, for the Charro, smoked by our local smokehouse partner and brought in hot (never Sterno).
Because the food is cooked to the clock, dinner is at its very best when the evening keeps its rhythm. Our warm suggestion: schedule photos earlier in the day, and keep toasts to the bar-and-appetizer hour.
To protect that rhythm, every catered event carries a $500 fully refundable delay deposit (our Vacation and Retreat Chef stays do not). If your guests delay the dinner start time — long photos, speeches, late arrivals — it covers our hourly crew for the extra time. If dinner starts on time, the full $500 is refunded. Any extra time beyond what the deposit covers is billed to your card on file.
The bar comes two ways: the DIY self-serve bar and the Full Bar are both add-ons, and the Wine Table (wine and sparkling poured tableside) can be added to either. Either way, you pay for the alcohol and its delivery directly — we never sell or bill for alcohol.
The DIY bar closes at 9 PM, the Full Bar at midnight, and the Wine Table at the end of the dessert course; late-night bar service is a simple add-on.
Every event is worked start to finish by our own team — chefs, captains, and crew who already know one another’s rhythm. Managing your other vendors and the day’s timeline is part of Full-Service Planning & Design.
All rentals come through our partner Summit Rentals. Summit gives us 15% off, and we pass the full 15% on to you.
Gold flatware and clear glass champagne flutes come only with our tableware rental. Our partner Summit Rentals’ damage waiver, delivery and pickup to your venue, and tax are quoted on your proposal. Added tables and chairs may call for extra crew.
Our pricing already covers the labor of clearing, scraping, stacking, and prepping rentals for pickup.
Our kitchen and chefs are based in Santa Fe, and our experienced crew and captain live in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, so travel is set by your area and guest count, covering every crew member’s drive time, fuel and lodging near the venue. Our prep chefs work in our Santa Fe kitchen and do not travel.
Hosting at a vacation rental or Airbnb? We just ask for written consent from the property owner, confirming they are happy to host the event and to have us cook and serve on site.
It is best to estimate a little conservatively at booking. You can always add guests later — we will simply invoice the extra food, service, crew travel, gratuity, and tax that come with them. Counts cannot come down after booking, since our ranchers’ orders and the team’s schedules are set in advance. Your final count is confirmed two weeks out.
Weather is part of how we design your event — tenting or a covered fallback where the setting calls for it, coordinated directly with your venue. Outdoor structures come as an add-on, sourced and coordinated through our rentals.
Field, backyard, or open mesa — add it on, and we will bring the tents, structures, lighting, power, and full working setup. Our standard is a 20-by-20-foot wind- and rainproof tent with sides, lighting, power, a hot-water sink, and a dry floor.
Net Zero Ranch carries full general liability and automobile insurance, and every event is worked by our own licensed, food-safe team.
We ask just one thing in return — that our team be met with the same warmth and respect they extend to you.
Inquire and we will send our menus, price sheet, and free catering calculator for your date.
Request menu & pricing