private chef services and premium catering in glencoe, ILlinois
private dining in Glencoe
For when your gathering deserve more than catering.
Glencoe sits at a rare intersection where ravine-carved landscapes meet lakefront estates, and where the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Writers Theatre share a zip code with some of the most architecturally significant homes on the North Shore. This is a community that values beauty in all of its forms, and the hosts here reflect that sensibility completely.
For generous leaders balancing demanding careers with meaningful relationships, we bring a complete Michelin-caliber dining ecosystem directly to your home. Our private dining services include personalized menu curation, any and all equipment necessary, and NDA-protected staff — so you reclaim time and stay fully present without lifting a finger. For those who take their cellar seriously, our sommelier services extend to wine pairings, cellar curation, and bespoke beverage programs tailored to your collection and your guests. This is private dining in Glencoe the way it should be: effortless, exceptional, and entirely yours.
From intimate dinners in Glencoe's celebrated ravine-side homes to grand estate gatherings overlooking Lake Michigan, we offer private dining, sommelier-led wine service, licensed craft bar programs, and canapé service — a complete culinary experience that arrives at your door and disappears without a trace.
private chef services
A chef-driven journey through 5 to 12 seasonally inspired courses, plated with precision, and presented with passion and elite hospitality. Every detail is provided — curated plateware, Riedel glassware, silverware, and linen napkins — so you never need to worry about having the right amount of anything. Each menu is custom-designed for you and yours, never repeated, always unforgettable — as considered and original as the homes we have the privilege of cooking in.
From cellar curation to night-of pairings, our certified sommeliers and licensed craft bartenders bring the full beverage experience to your event. Choose from our rotating seasonal cocktail menu, a premium open bar, or three tiers of wine pairings. Every pour is intentional, every cocktail crafted.
Canapés & Grazing tables
Elegant, fresh, high level bites designed for effortless entertaining. From the drawing room to the garden, our canapé service sets the tone from the first moment guests arrive and keeps the energy alive all evening long,
buffet dining
Abundant, beautifully composed, and anything but ordinary. Our buffet presentations bring the same Michelin-caliber ingredients and plating philosophy to a format that flows naturally for open houses, cocktail receptions, and events where conversation moves as freely as the food
What Sets Us Apart for catering in Glencoe
MICHELIN-TRAINED PEDIGREE
Chef Francis Pascal trained in some of Chicago's most celebrated kitchens — Japonais by Morimoto, Momotaro, and Roister of The Alinea Group. That foundation of elite technique and exacting standards travels with us to every table we set in Glencoe
A COMPLETE FINE DINING ECOSYSTEM
We don't arrive with trays and chafing dishes. Vendador brings an entire restaurant brigade to your home — Michelin-trained chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, servers, and every piece of plateware, glassware, and linen your table requires. Nothing is missing. Nothing is left behind.
NDA-PROTECTED DISCRETION
Glencoe’s most cherished gatherings deserve complete privacy. Every member of our team operates under a non-disclosure agreement, so your guests, your conversations, and your home remain exactly that — yours.
FARM-TO-TABLE SOURCING
Chef Francis grew up in Albania with direct relationships to the people growing his food. That same philosophy drives Vendador today. We source from trusted farms and purveyors whose ingredients grace the menus of the country's top Michelin-starred restaurants.
BUILT FOR YOUR TABLE, NOT THE MASSES
Vendador is a boutique operation by design. We do not run multiple events simultaneously or hand your evening to a junior team. When you book Vendador, you get Vendador — fully present, fully committed, from the first course to the final mignardise.
“I'd give 10 stars if that was an option! Chef Francis and his team created a magical luncheon for our daughter's Confirmation celebration and we are so grateful. He customized the 5 course menu for our family while taking into consideration our daughter's favorites, as well as other family member's dietary needs like vegetarian and pescatarian. Each course was absolutely delicious! He picked the wine to compliment each course and the meal was amazing.
For me, it was especially wonderful, because I was able to relax and enjoy our guests at the party versus being in the kitchen cooking the whole time. Chef Francis is friendly, easy to work with, responsive, creative, professional and a great chef. Because I enjoy cooking, he shared a few of the recipes with me. Bonus! The party wouldn't have been such a success without him. I'm almost afraid to leave such a glowing review, because he will be booked the next time I want to have a party. Thank you Chef Francis.”
- Michele R., client in Glencoe
why we love cooking in glencoe
Glencoe is not like anywhere else on the North Shore. It’s landscape carves through the woods to the lake and give the village a wildness that no amount of manicured lawn can replicate. It has the Botanic Garden, 385 acres of curated natural beauty that draws the world to its doorstep. And it has the Writers Theatre, one of the most celebrated intimate theater companies in America, tucked right into the heart of downtown. Glencoe attracts people who want all of it — the beauty, the culture, the quiet, the lake — and who have built homes worthy of every one of those things.
The hosts here are curious, cultured, and deeply intentional about how they live and who they gather with. They are the families who host post-theater dinners that go long into the evening, who open their homes for garden parties after a day at the Botanic, who mark their children's milestones with celebrations that feel as carefully considered as everything else they do.
Vendador has had the privilege of serving Glencoe's most meaningful occasions — alfresco dinner parties on limestone terraces, intimate birthday celebrations in Frank Lloyd Wright–influenced dining rooms, summer garden gatherings that spill from the kitchen to the lawn, corporate evenings where the food becomes the conversation, and holiday celebrations in homes that were built to be filled with people.
These are not events. They are the evenings Glencoe families talk about for years. And we are honored to be the ones in the kitchen when they happen
FAQs for vendador private dining
What is the smallest and largest event size you do?
We design culinary experiences for groups of 2 to 200. Our flexibility is dependent on the style of dining and we are open to discussions about events larger than 200 guests. Our culinary support goes beyond individually plated fine dining experiences, and Chef Francis loves to get creative to personalize your event with canapé service, happy hours, food stations, grazing tables, buffets, open bar, seasonal cocktails, and more.
do you accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions?
Yes, we are happy accommodate all allergies and dietary restrictions. We love to design menus based on your preferences. We require all clients to ask their guests about allergies and dietary restrictions so we can personalize menus for certain dietary needs.
What does the day-of timeline look like?
We will arrive approximately 2 hours before your guests to set up. We prepare all elements of your meal from scratch at our commercial kitchen space, and cook everything in your home. We have cooked in all kinds of kitchens, and bring everything we need to execute your menu out of your home. Once we arrive, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the feeling of being a guest at your own party. After the event concludes, we work efficiently to pack up and clean, leaving your kitchen more spotless than when we arrived.
do you bring plateware and silverware?
We provide all the plateware, silverware, glassware, serviceware, cooking equipment, and linen napkins for your dining experience. Our goal is that you never have to lift a finger, and part of that means providing enough dishes and flatware for every course. We love working with our inventory of hand selected ceramics and high quality stemware. For specific plate styles outside of our collection, we can arrange rentals from a local company on your bej for a procurement fee.
do you only do formal dinners?
Your options for enjoying high quality cuisine are not limited to a sit down dinner! We provide food for all occasions and styles of dining are flexible based on the needs of your event. We offer elevated buffet service, food stations, raw bars, and passed canapés for events of all sizes, including corporate lunches. We also offer wine and cocktail classes or cooking demos as an add-on experience before your meal. If you have something special in mind, reach out! We love to make it happen.
Do you teach cooking classes?
In lieu of cooking classes, we offer cooking demonstrations as an add-on to your dining experience. We are happy to demo the techniques and process to the dish of your choice, whether that be how to make fresh pasta, how to cook the perfect steak, how to pipe and roll agnolotti, how to shuck oysters, etc. If there is something you’ve always wanted to see the process of, ask during your consultation! Sharing our knowledge is a vital part of Vendador.
do you bring DECOR for the table?
Though we do not personally provide decor and styling for events, we often collaborate with local florists and event stylists. We have a trusted network of vendors who we would be happy to connect with on your behalf to design your table or pick up simple floral arrangements.
what is the cost of a Private chef experience?
Our commitment to excellence extends beyond the plate, encompassing a comprehensive and personalized luxury event service. We operate with an event minimum of $1500 and tasting menu experiences begin at $325 per person.
Since no two events are alike, the final price is curated jointly through a consultation.
These prices are for private dining experiences and are not relevant for corporate lunches and catering packages..You can learn more about corporate catering here.