What actually happens when you hire a private chef

If you have never hired a private chef, the whole thing can feel like a mystery. Do you cook alongside them? Do you have to entertain them? What if your kitchen is too small? Most of the hesitation comes from not knowing how the night actually runs. So here it is, plainly.

It starts with a conversation

Before anything is booked, you tell the chef what the evening is for. An anniversary, a birthday, a dinner to impress a client, or just a Friday you did not feel like cooking. You share the number of guests, any allergies or diets at the table, and the kind of food you love. From that, the chef writes a menu built for you. Nothing off a set list.

The chef handles the shopping and prep

Once the menu is set, the chef sources the ingredients and does the preparation. You do not shop, you do not chop, you do not stress about timing. Your only job is to set the date and show up.

On the night, your kitchen becomes the chef’s

The chef arrives with what they need and takes over the kitchen. Courses are cooked fresh and plated to order, then carried out and served at your table, paced like a restaurant. You stay seated with your guests the entire time. There is no awkward hovering and no expectation that you help.

Then the kitchen is left spotless

This is the part people love most. When the last course is done, the chef cleans the kitchen. You wake up to no dishes, no pots, no mess. You got the dinner and none of the aftermath.

What you provide

Very little. Your kitchen and dining table, the drinks you want to serve, and the guest list. That is the whole ask. The chef brings the food, the technique, and the service.

If that sounds like the kind of evening you want, tell Chef Josh about it. He reads every message himself.