(WXYZ) — A local caterer and chef is now being sued and has a complaint filed against him with the Michigan Attorney General's Office after local brides claim that what he's promising to deliver on their wedding days is not what they receive.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
Your wedding day is supposed to be one of the most special days of your life. The hours of planning and thousands of dollars spent, all adding up to celebrating the love you share.
David Parker runs James Parker, or JP, Hospitality. He's also associated with the name Curated Hospitality online. He advertises as an event planner specializing and parties, celebrations and weddings.
“I feel taken advantage of…and it’s not how we treat people," Stacey Rackham, a new bride, said.
Rackham says what was supposed to be one of the best days of her life turned into a stressful, negative experience with her caterer, Parker.
She says she paid Parker in full for his services, like catered food and help with set-up and coordination, all before her reception in metro-Detroit on Aug. 31.
Rackham provided 7 News Detroit with a contract from August that referred to even staffing as "a private chef, service and bar team."
However, she and her wedding planner attest that despite getting some help with prep work early in the evening from one additional person who then left, it was just Parker there. She claims she didn't receive agreed-upon and paid-for late-night foods and received the wrong wedding cake, making it hard to focus on what mattered most to her on that special night.
“It’s people I haven’t seen in a long time and just so happy to see them, so it really kind of pulled us back into that moment where I was like, this is what I have to focus on," Rackham said as she choked up. "These people chose to make time for us on a holiday weekend to celebrate, so let’s focus on that."
Rackham filed an official complaint with the Michigan Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division just days after her wedding on Sept. 2. You can read the complaint below
In the complaint, she discusses the lack of staffing and that food was not prepared as contracted, resulting in "significant disruption to my event and financial loss."
Because of this, she requested a partial refund, a refund that she said never came.
She also provided us with an email conversation where Parker allegedly says that "there were no significant issues."
Parker also stated Rackham had extra guests at the time of the service, that at "no point throughout the night was anything communicated negatively," and that the cake provided was "exactly what we discussed."
Feeling helpless, Rackham says she took to social media to warn other brides.
Parker allegedly notified her that "for each day social media posts are up and visible, we will be seeking $10,000 per day in damages," and that he hopes "this karma should never impact you personally or your business."
"He responded back just really dismissively and defensively, challenging my character," Rackham said.
Rackham says she's heartbroken, and new bride Taylor Caradonna says she feels the same.
"I spent months and months planning what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives, and it was just taken from us," Caradonna said.
Caradonna filed a lawsuit in Sixth Circuit Court, suing Parker for breach of contract, emotional distress and more. The complaint states in part that David, "Utterly failed to deliver - both in substance and in basic professional decency…"
The allegations in the lawsuit state Parker was to provide catering for 80 guests, which included a grazing table, sliders and fries and more.
It also states that Parker "materially breached this agreement through nonperformance and substandard service."
Caradonna said her most special day turned into the most stressful. You can read the lawsuit below.
"We were just kind of in shock. I think it was, we were more so just embarrassed. Like, it's just an embarrassing thing," she said.
The lawsuit also alleges the happy couple ended up having to buy pizzas out of pocket to feed their hungry guests that night. It states that when confronted at the wedding, Parker acknowledged the deficiencies and said a refund or reimbursement would be provided. A refund that the lawsuit alleges never came.
We reached out to Parker to see if he had a response to the lawsuit. He said in part,
“Over the past 15 years, I have managed more than 2,000 successful events without a single client dispute. The only time my professionalism has been questioned has been within the last year — specifically by a small, interconnected group of individuals associated with lower-budget events."
Over the course of three months, through phone conversations, texts and emails, Parker denies all wrongdoing. According to the court docket, he has not yet filed a response to Taylor’s lawsuit in court.
Back in September, over the course of two weeks, we offered him the opportunity to discuss Caradonna's and Rackham's allegations against him in a sit-down interview. It was his opportunity to clear the air.
As we were reviewing our questions, two minutes after our scheduled meeting time, Parker canceled.
In his text for the canceled interview, he said in part, "There are two sides to every story and while it’s easy to hop on social media and bash someone when they are down the reality of much of this is much more complex. I appreciate the opportunity but at this moment it’s best to let this play out."
We also found out that on Sept. 4, the Oakland County Health Division sent Parker a cease and desist order for "conducting an unlicensed food service" at a real estate agency in Rochester that, according to Department Public Information Officer Bill Mullan, Parker advertised "as an event space with food."
As of Nov. 5, Mullan said Parker has not obtained the proper license needed to continue operations.
The health department told us back in September that "There are exemptions to licensure for private chefs that prepare meals within a private home kitchen and their guests. Mr. Parker has gone beyond that with his current business model and will require licensure."
These brides want their refunds, yes, but more than anything, they say they just want Parker to do better.
"I don't wish ill towards him. We're all human, we make mistakes, but I just hope that he learns from this," said Caradonna.
