private chef services and premium catering in Kohler, Wisconsin
private dining in Kohler
For when your gathering deserve more than catering.
Kohler operates on its own terms. This is not a suburb or a lakefront escape — it is a destination that people fly in for, plan around, and talk about long after they leave. The Midwest's only AAA Five Diamond resort sits at its center. Whistling Straits, the links-style course sculpted along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, has hosted three PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center draws a serious cultural crowd. And the private homes and rental estates surrounding Destination Kohler have become the setting for some of the most intentional group entertaining in the region. People come to Kohler to be fully present — and they entertain the same way.
For generous leaders balancing demanding careers with meaningful relationships, we bring a complete Michelin-trained dining ecosystem directly to your home. Our private dining services include personalized menu curation, complete restaurant infrastructure, 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 Kohler the way it should be: effortless, exceptional, and entirely yours.
From intimate dinners in private estate rentals near Whistling Straits to landmark group celebrations along the Lake Michigan corridor, 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 — worthy of the Kohler retreats that have hosted generations of Midwest's finest.
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 Kohler
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 Kohler.
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
Kohler draws people who value privacy as much as excellence. 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.
“Chef Francis and his team are amazing! We hosted an end of summer dinner party in Wisconsin with friends and they made the evening into something special. They put so much thought and detail into every dish and it was one of my favorite nights this year.
Also as the host, you are so stress free and just enjoying the evening! They completely take care of everything, leaving the house almost better than when they arrived.
My husband and I are thinking we’ll make it an annual thing! 10/10 would do it again.”
- Ashley L., executive client in Kohler, Wisconsin
why we love cooking in Kohler
Kohler attracts a specific kind of person. They have played the great courses. They have stayed at the great resorts. They know what Five Diamond service feels like and they expect it everywhere — including the dinner table at the house they rented for the weekend. When they gather a group here, it is never accidental. The golf trip that becomes a tradition. The corporate retreat where the real conversations happen over dinner, not in the boardroom. The milestone birthday that deserves something better than a restaurant reservation.
The homes around Destination Kohler were built for exactly this. Large kitchens, generous dining rooms, outdoor spaces that open to the Wisconsin landscape. What they need is a culinary team that arrives with everything — the food, the infrastructure, the service — and executes at a level that matches the deliberateness of the trip itself. That is what Vendador does.
We have cooked Friday night dinners for golf groups that set the tone for an entire weekend. Pre-round breakfasts that became the thing everyone remembered most. Saturday evening tasting menus for twelve in a rental estate where nobody wanted the night to end. Corporate evenings where the intimacy of a private home did more for the relationship than three days of meetings ever could.
These are not events. They are the reason people come back to Kohler every year. 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.