What is included, how planning works, the shape of your event day — the questions couples ask most, answered in plain, warm terms.
We offer set experiences only, each with its own guest range: the Micro Event (buffet, 40–49 guests), the Charro (50–200 guests) and the Asado (75–200 guests). Apart from our private chefs, we do not book events under 40 guests. 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. All payments are non-refundable. Payments are due on their due dates. A late payment may incur a late fee, and if the balance is not paid in full 14 days before your event, we may cancel the event and all payments are forfeited. 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 your inquiry. You’ll receive our price sheet and catering estimator as soon as you inquire, and from there, one free 30-minute Zoom consult before you book, to make sure we are the right fit. Once you have booked, two more free 30-minute Zoom calls with Amy, our event planner, are included: first your contract review, then your first event design meeting. Before the design meeting, we send a short questionnaire (guest count, dietary needs, vendor meals, and more), so Amy comes to the call already knowing your event. More planning time after these calls is billed hourly, or covered by our full Event Design & Planning service.
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 you’ll receive our price sheet and catering estimator right away. Your date is held once your signed contract and 50% deposit are in. Estimates may change at any time; a final proposal holds for 14 days, then expires.
For wedding planners and clients: we prepare custom estimates from your RFP (request for proposal), reviewed with you on a scheduled Zoom meeting only. To request one, fill out our inquiry form and attach your RFP with the exact details of your event. We’ll set a Zoom to review every requested item with you.
Not quite your budget? Let’s talk. If your estimate doesn’t match your budget, tell us before you decide — give us a chance to propose something else, and we’ll rework the estimate and proposal with you.
Two weeks before your event, you confirm your final guest count and vendor meals, and we lock your catering build.
For our catered feasts — the Micro Event, the Charro and the Asado — your event includes the food, the chefs and captain, setup and breakdown, and hot delivery to the table. From there you add what you love — the Full Bar & Small Bites, dessert (included on the Micro Event), and more.
Our Vacation Chef and Retreat Chef stays work a little differently: those are booked 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.
Taxes, gratuity, travel, payment processing and any fees are shown on our price sheet, our catering estimator and your estimate. Gratuity goes straight to the team, so there is no separate tip-out to think about.
You’ll receive our price sheet and catering estimator as soon as you inquire.
We accept ACH bank transfer and card through HoneyBook; monthly installments and Affirm may be offered on your invoice. We do not accept cash, checks, Apple Pay, Venmo, Zelle or cryptocurrency. We also keep a card on file, which we charge for last-minute additional costs and labor.
Our event times are set:
2:00 PM · Crew arrives & sets up
5:00 PM · Cocktail hour
6:00 PM · Dinner
7:00 PM · Dessert
8:00 PM · Service ends
10:00 PM · Crew departs
That is 3 hours of service: 1 hour of cocktails, 1 hour of dinner, 1 hour of dessert. Dinner and dessert times are fixed.
Want a welcome party or a longer cocktail hour? Extra cocktail hours may be added before 5:00 PM (up to 3 hours in all; small bites can be added, passed or on a small bites station). Extra bar hours may be added after 8:00 PM.
Our work covers the whole day, not just the three hours of service:
Our chefs shop and prep at our kitchen
Our loaders pack, load the truck and drive to your venue
Servers arrive with the chefs and the truck for an 8-hour day: 3 hours of setup, 3 hours of service (1 hour of cocktails, 1 hour of dinner, 1 hour of dessert), 2 hours of cleanup and pack-up
The whole crew cleans up, packs up and loads the truck
Our loaders drive back, unload and unpack the equipment, and our chefs unpack the kitchen
Each station you add comes with its own crew member to set it up, keep it running and break it down.
Your server team is set by your service style and guest count.
The bar, the Hydration Station and stations add their own crew.
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 cocktail hour.
To protect that rhythm, every catered event carries a 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 deposit is refunded. Any extra time beyond what the deposit covers is billed to your card on file.
The Full Bar & Small Bites is our one bar package on the Micro Event, the Charro and the Asado: licensed bartenders, the Hydration Station, and three chef-made small bites, chosen from all the small bites we offer, including our Panza al Pastor (caramelized al pastor pork belly) on the Charro, passed by our crew through your cocktail hour. It is an add-on, and Wine Table Service (wine and sparkling poured tableside) can be added to it. All alcohol is purchased separately by you under New Mexico law, and our licensed crew serves it safely. We help curate your wine and alcohol, then place the order and delivery with Total Wine, our wine purveyor, delivered to your venue with your ice. All you do is call them with your credit card, and we will have the order ready.
The bar includes three hours, runs from your cocktail hour through dessert, and closes at 8:00 PM, as does Wine Table Service. Extra bar hours may be added after 8:00 PM. Bar glassware and compostable cups come through Event Design. Event Design is sold separately. Ask us.
On the Micro Event, the Full Bar & Small Bites and Wine Table Service are add-ons.
Every event is worked start to finish by our own team — chefs, captain, 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.
Rentals come from our own Net Zero Ranch collection of tableware, glassware and linens for up to 50 guests, and from our partner Summit Rentals for larger events.
Tables, chairs, linens and glassware are all part of Event Design. Event Design is sold separately. Ask us. Our partner Summit Rentals’ damage waiver, delivery and pickup to your venue, and tax are quoted on your estimate. Added tables and chairs may call for extra crew.
Our crew already handles 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, Santa Fe and Taos, so travel is set by your area and guest count, covering every crew member’s drive time, fuel and lodging near the venue. Our kitchen-only prep chef works in our Santa Fe kitchen and does not travel. On Taos events, all servers and bartenders are Taos locals, with no travel charge.
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.
Our crew carries hot food and equipment all day, so we need stair-free access (or an elevator) between the kitchen or loading area and every service area.
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.
You’ll receive our price sheet and catering estimator as soon as you inquire.
Inquire about your date