Qfire Catering is San Diego's premium wood-fired BBQ, wedding, corporate and private party caterer — chef-led by Terry Matthews of Food Network's BBQ Brawl. 2,500+ events. 4.9★.
Qfire Catering is a full-service San Diego County catering company operating the website TheBBQDaddy.com. Founded in 2011 by Food Network chef Terry Matthews, we specialize in wood-fired BBQ catering, wedding catering, corporate catering and the live-fire Steakhouse Experience across San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, Coronado, Poway. Wood-fired pricing starts at $16.99 per guest. Every quote returns within 4 hours.
Final pricing adjusts for state taxes and an only 10% gratuity. Looking for premium steak and seafood instead? See San Diego steakhouse catering from $84 per guest.
Wood-fired reception dinners across San Diego County.
Learn moreOffice lunches, executive dinners, holiday parties.
Learn moreBackyard, birthday and milestone BBQ catering.
Learn moreLive-fire ribeye and filet, from $84 per guest.
Learn moreBrisket, tri-tip, ribs — from $16.99 per guest.
Learn moreWe cater weddings, corporate events and private parties across all of San Diego County.
Qfire is chef-led by Terry Matthews, a Food Network veteran (BBQ Brawl with Bobby Flay, Cutthroat Kitchen champion), and we cater from full mobile wood-fired kitchens purpose-built for San Diego events.
Our San Diego BBQ menu spans wood-fired brisket, tri-tip, cedar-plank salmon, mesquite chicken and pulled pork, alongside the full Steakhouse Experience for premium receptions. Every event is executed by chef-attended staff — no drop-off, no chafing-dish shortcuts.
We know the region's venues cold: The Crossings, Estancia La Jolla, Cape Rey, Lot 8, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Bernardo Inn, private Del Mar bluff estates and Coronado waterfront homes.
Coastal-permit ready. Del Mar, La Jolla, Encinitas and Coronado each have their own beach-and-bluff catering rules. We pull permits, carry the COI language every venue asks for, and stage grills to comply with fire-marshal setbacks. Your planner will not need to babysit us.
Weather-adaptive. San Diego's marine layer, June gloom and Santa Ana wind days each require a different cook plan. Our wood-fired rigs run under tents, in wind and through coastal fog without losing sear temperature. Backup covered mobile grills roll on every job.
Venue knowledge that saves you calls. We know the county's venues cold and handle coastal permits, tight load-in windows and generator-only power setups without a callback — from North County estates to downtown and the Coronado waterfront.
Real 4.9★ track record. 400+ reviews across multiple review platforms. See them on our reviews page — every one is real, none are curated.
"Terry and his crew helped to make our special day magical. We did a food tasting a few weeks prior to the ceremony, and we were instantly sold! The food portions were more than plentiful!! There was enough food left over from the food tasting to share with our friends. On the day of the ceremony, his staff arrived on time, and they were so professional and friendly. The food was amazing, we heard about it from our guests all night long."
"These guys were absolute rock stars at our wedding! We had to reschedule our wedding due to COVID-19, and they were so compassionate and easy to work with when making plans to change. The day of, they showed up early, set up, and provided a meal that was better than we could have imagined. The baked potato bar was so impressive! They were such professionals. By the time my husband and I picked our heads up from grace, Terry was sliding our plates in front of us. The pulled chicken was so flavorful and juicy, and the brisket was a crowd favorite!"
"Terry's BBQ is a crowd pleaser and the way to go! All of our wedding guests are still talking about the BBQ from the wedding and how to get it! Not to mention, Terry's provides a great personal presence and energy to events. People said he could have easily been the MC! Terry was so fun and flexible to work with. He truly cares about how to make the guests happy and holds his employees to high standards that he plans ahead to fulfill. We hope to have his bbq every year on our anniversary, it is so dang delicious!"
"We had BBQ Daddy for an 85 person wedding shower that was a nice event. Terry BBQ'd tenderloin, rib eye steaks, and salmon along with 2 cold and 2 hot appys (the bacon wrapped scallops were to die for). It was really a great event. The food was awesome and so was the staff. Terry was SUPER easy to deal with and had great communication throughout."
"Best 50th Birthday Dinner EVER! HUGE shoutout to Chef Terry and his amazing assistant, Leslie! We hired them to cater my 50th birthday, and they literally brought the steakhouse to my backyard. Seriously, he brought his own grill! When Chef Terry says, 'We bring the steakhouse to you,' you better believe him. Every New York Strip, chicken, and salmon was grilled perfectly to temperature. What a FEAST!"
"Terry cooked up a feast for my bachelor party and delivered it right to our backyard of the Airbnb. Food was amazing!!! We got the brisket, the BBQ chicken, mac n cheese, broccoli, and baked beans. The brisket was cooked perfectly and was more fatty pieces (which is great for me cuz that's my preference)."
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