Premium French catering for pickup in Sarasota & Lakewood Ranch · Limited local delivery available
Pickup in Sarasota & Lakewood Ranch · Local delivery available
C'est La Vie Catering is the catering service of C'est La Vie, the French bakery and bistro opened in Downtown Sarasota in 1997 by Géraldine and Christophe Coutelle. We prepare authentic French catering — viennoiseries, mini sandwiches, savory bites, platters, salads, pastries, cakes, French meals and French wines — for pickup in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, with limited local delivery.
Yes. C'est La Vie Catering is run by C'est La Vie Sarasota, the French bakery and bistro at 1553 Main Street in Downtown Sarasota, which also has a location at 9118 Town Center Parkway in Lakewood Ranch. Catering orders are prepared with the same French savoir-faire and can be picked up at either location.
Géraldine and Christophe Coutelle left Paris and opened C'est La Vie in Downtown Sarasota in 1997. In 2016, Condé Nast Traveler highlighted C'est La Vie for its crêpes and fresh croissants.
Everything is handmade in our in-house kitchen in Sarasota, using slow fermentation, French butter and seasonal local produce. Viennoiseries are baked fresh every morning.
C'est La Vie has two locations: Downtown Sarasota at 1553 Main Street, Sarasota, FL 34236, phone (941) 906-9575; and Lakewood Ranch at 9118 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202, phone (941) 961-0111. Both locations offer catering pickup and welcome catering enquiries.
Call Downtown Sarasota at (941) 906-9575 (catering contact: Christophe, (941) 320-3176) or Lakewood Ranch at (941) 961-0111 (catering contact: Aurélie, (941) 424-7523), or email c.estlaviesrq@gmail.com.
The catering menu includes platters and salads, mini sandwiches and savory bites, cocktail desserts, boutique pastries and celebration cakes, French meals to go, viennoiseries and French breads. Guest favorites include mini croissant sandwiches ($4.75 each), navettes ($4.25 each), the gourmet cheese and charcuterie platter ($79, serves 8–10), whole quiches ($54, serves about 8) and mini viennoiseries ($2 each).
Mini baguette sandwiches (from $4.25), mini croissant sandwiches ($4.75), navettes ($4.25), mini croque monsieur ($3.30), mini bouchées à la reine ($5.50), mini quiches ($2), savory verrines ($4.80), mini skewers ($4.50), French canapés ($3.50), mini tartines ($3.50), rolled savory crêpes (from $12), savory loaves ($18) and the pain surprise party loaf ($60, serves 30). Most bites have a 12-piece minimum.
Platters serve 8–10 guests: gourmet cheese and charcuterie ($79), charcuterie ($75), smoked salmon ($80) and cheese ($75). Salad platters serve 10–12 guests: Caesar ($59), Automne ($66), Crétoise, Caprese and Taboulé ($70), and Nantaise, Niçoise and Vegetarian ($75).
Yes. Choose macarons and assorted mini French pastries ($2.20 each), mini cannelés, mini madeleines, rolled dessert crêpes, fruit skewers and yogurt verrines, plus boutique pastries such as éclairs, fruit tarts, Paris-Brest, Saint-Honoré, Opéra and Fraisier, many available as whole cakes for up to 50 guests. Custom wedding, birthday, baby shower and holiday cakes are available on request.
Yes. French Meals To Go serve 6 guests each: beef bourguignon, coq au vin, chicken basquaise, lamb tajine, hachis parmentier, fish gratin, and traditional or vegetarian lasagna. Prices are given on request.
Yes. Viennoiseries baked every morning include croissants ($4), chocolate and apricot croissants ($4.50), almond croissants ($6), raisin and chocolate chip rolls ($5) and more. Daily French breads include white and old-fashioned baguettes, farmer, walnut, olive, rye, wholewheat, campaillou, ciabatta and quinoa loaves, from $4.
Yes. C'est La Vie's Chef's Suggestions are pre-balanced, fully customizable menus, each with a 12-guest minimum: French Breakfast from $13 per guest, Open House & French Touch from $14, French Apéritif from $23, French Office Lunch from $29, French Brunch from $31 and French Cocktail Reception (cocktail dînatoire, ideal for 20+ guests) from $42 per guest.
For morning meetings, the French Breakfast (from $13 per guest, 4–5 items per guest) offers viennoiseries, savory bites, fruit and French sweets, with beverages as add-ons. For lunch, the French Office Lunch (from $29 per guest, 6–7 items per guest) includes artisan mini sandwiches, a seasonal salad and French pastries, with optional wine pairing.
Yes. The Open House & French Touch package, from $14 per guest (about 3 items per guest, 12-guest minimum), offers easy-to-eat French bites, mini sandwiches and pastries designed for guests to mingle at open houses and walkthrough receptions.
Yes. C'est La Vie offers a short selection of French wines chosen to pair with the menu, from $39 per bottle: Sainte Croix Rosé (Provence), Côtes-du-Rhône, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru and Taittinger Brut Champagne ($69). A Prestige Collection includes Ruinart Blanc de Blancs ($145) and Gevrey-Chambertin ($115), and exceptional bottles such as Château d'Yquem are available on request.
Start from a Chef's Suggestion or build your own selection from the Catering Menu on cestlaviecatering.com, then send it to our team. We confirm every detail with you personally by phone before your event.
Please order at least 72 hours before your event.
Chef's Suggestions require a minimum of 12 guests. On the à la carte menu, most bites and mini sandwiches have a 12-piece minimum; platters, cakes, breads and viennoiseries can be ordered from one piece.
Pickup is available at both locations: Downtown Sarasota (1553 Main Street) and Lakewood Ranch (9118 Town Center Parkway). Limited local delivery is available in the Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch area; contact us to confirm delivery for your address.
Orders are confirmed with full payment by credit card over the phone.
Cancellation is free up to 72 business hours before your event.
Yes. Every Chef's Suggestion is fully customizable, and customization is available on request for any order.
Yes, dietary requests are reviewed individually. Vegetarian items are marked on the menu, and several tarts are made without milk, including the lemon, lemon meringue, fruit, pistachio-apricot, amandine and pear almond tarts.
C'est La Vie caters business breakfasts, executive meetings and office lunches, client receptions, open houses, baby showers, graduations, birthdays, weddings, family celebrations and home receptions in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch.