Holidays & Cultural
When someone dies, the days that follow fill up with people who come to keep the family company, and somebody has to make sure there is coffee and something to eat. Medellin Elite Catering takes that task off the family, providing food for velorios, receptions after the burial or cremation, and the nine nights of the novenario.
We serve Colombian families who want the customs done properly and international families, many of them far from home, who are arranging a farewell in Medellín for the first time. Our bilingual coordinators explain each custom gently, and we adapt to Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and non-religious services.
In our years of catering, we have found that the quietest gatherings ask the most of us. Our team works discreetly, keeps the coffee hot and the trays full, and leaves the room as tidy as it was found.
Plan your event
Our funeral catering covers the food and drink for every gathering between a death and the last night of prayers. We deliver coffee and light food to funeral homes and family homes, set up receptions after the service, and supply the novenario night by night.
The family tells us where and roughly how many, and we handle the rest: thermal dispensers, cups, trays, napkins, servers if needed, and collection afterwards. One coordinator stays in touch with one family member, so nobody has to repeat details while they are grieving.
We keep menus deliberately simple and quotes short. A family should not have to compare packages at a time like this, so we suggest what fits the number of visitors and adjust it if the day changes.
In Colombia, burial or cremation usually happens within 24 to 48 hours of a death, so the gatherings come quickly and close together. Each one has a different purpose and a different kind of food.
The velorio, or wake, is held at a funeral home's sala de velación or occasionally at home, and visitors come and go for many hours. What it needs most is a steady supply of tinto (small black coffee) and aromática (herbal infusion), with crackers, pandebono or small sandwiches. Two to three cups of coffee per visitor over an evening is a realistic estimate.
After the funeral mass and the burial or cremation, close family and friends often gather at a home or a hall. This is what English speakers call a repast, and it is the one gathering where a real meal matters, because people have often not eaten properly since the death.
The novenario is nine consecutive nights of rosary prayers, usually at the family home, beginning on the day of the funeral. Neighbors and relatives come each evening, and the family offers coffee, aromática, hot chocolate and bread afterwards; many families mark the ninth night with a slightly larger meal. Some families have us cater only the first and the ninth nights, and host the evenings in between with coffee they make themselves.
The best funeral food is familiar, easy to eat with one hand and kind to a tired stomach. We cook Antioquian classics that people expect at these gatherings, rather than anything that draws attention to itself.
For velorios and novenario nights, we supply tinto made from Antioquian coffee, aromáticas of hierbabuena, limoncillo or chamomile, agua de panela and hot chocolate. Alongside come pandebono, pandequeso, almojábanas, buñuelos and soft sandwiches, about 3 to 4 small pieces per visitor.
For the reception after the service, we suggest a light lunch: ajiaco with cream, capers and avocado, a gentle chicken sancocho, or a small buffet of chicken, rice, potatoes and salad. Our sandwich platter catering also works well for afternoon receptions where people stay only an hour.
We treat funeral orders as urgent and answer them ahead of other quotes. A coffee and bread delivery can usually reach a funeral home within 6 hours of a request sent before noon, and a staffed reception within one to two days.
To move quickly, send us five things: the address of the funeral home, church or house; the date and the time visitors start arriving; an approximate number of people; any dietary needs; and whether you want staff or a simple delivery. A rough count is fine, because we can add bread and coffee during the evening.
Families can settle by bank transfer, and relatives abroad can use a card payment link. For other fast deliveries across the city, see our catering delivery service.
Most funeral homes in Medellín allow outside coffee service in the family's room, but some run their own cafeteria and limit what can be brought in. We check the rules with the funeral home's administration before we deliver, so the family is never put in an awkward conversation.
At a parish hall (salón parroquial), the parish office usually needs to approve the reception and the times. We bring our own tables if the hall has none, set up quietly while the mass is still underway, and serve in plain dark clothing without branded uniforms.
We deliver to funeral homes and churches across the valley, including catering in Laureles and around the parishes of Envigado. When the service is at a cemetery chapel, the reception is usually held elsewhere, and we can deliver to both addresses on the same day.
Questions and answers
For coffee, aromática and bread or sandwich trays, we can usually deliver within 6 hours when the request reaches us before noon, Monday to Saturday. A staffed reception with a light buffet needs 24 to 48 hours. Requests confirmed by Saturday evening can be delivered on Sunday, although our office is closed that day.
Yes, we deliver every night of the novenario to the family home, timed to arrive about 30 minutes before the rosary begins. Each delivery includes hot coffee and aromática in thermal dispensers, bread or sandwiches for the expected number of visitors, cups and napkins, and we collect the dispensers the next day. You can change the headcount each morning by email as the number of visitors becomes clearer.
Reserve your date
Tell us through the quote form where and when the family is gathering and roughly how many people to expect, and we will answer with a simple quote as quickly as possible. If writing is easier, info@medellincatering.com reaches the same coordinator.