private chef services and premium catering in Lake Forest, ILlinois
private dining in Lake Forest
For when your gathering deserve more than catering.
There is a certain confidence to Lake Forest that sets it apart from every other community on the North Shore. It is a place that has always known exactly what it is — estates designed by architects like Howard Van Doren Shaw and David Adler, a downtown that has barely changed in a century, and a relationship with the land that feels more English countryside than Chicago suburb. The people who choose to build their lives here tend to know exactly what they want.
For generous leaders balancing demanding careers with meaningful relationships, we bring a complete fine 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 Lake Forest the way it should be: effortless, exceptional, and entirely yours.
From intimate dinners in Lake Forest's landmark estate dining rooms to sweeping lakefront celebrations on private grounds, 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 — designed for the kind of evening that Lake Forest homes were built to host.
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 lake forest
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 Lake Forest.
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
The privacy of Lake Forest's most important gatherings is something we take seriously. 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.
“You need to hire Chef Francis to host your next event. He is simply the best! We've worked with his team to host several events in our home. Birthday dinners, to bridal showers, to Father's Day cocktails. Every event has been exceptionally unique, and incredibly delicious. Each course gets better and better.
It's hard to describe how amazing it is to experience an intimate world class meal, prepared by a true artist, with the company of friends in the comfort of your own home! Plus the kitchen is spotless afterwards. He really takes the pressure off of entertaining, allowing us to spend time enjoying the night with our guests.
Francis is prompt, easy to work with, and a damn fun guy to be around. He really takes service and hospitality to a new level. Can't wait to have him back for another event. I highly recommend Vendador!”
- Stephen H., client in Lake Forest
why we love cooking in Lake Forest
Lake Forest was built by people who thought in generations. The estates along Lake Road were commissioned by the presidents of banks, the founders of companies, the architects of Chicago's skyline — families who wanted a home worthy of everything they had built, set far enough from the city to breathe, close enough to return by morning. That ethos never left. The homes here are still generational. The entertaining still has weight.
The hosts in Lake Forest are unhurried in the best possible way. They plan their gatherings with intention — the right guest list, the right setting, the right moment. They have formal dining rooms with original millwork that seat twenty, summer terraces above the lake designed for exactly this kind of evening, and wine cellars that have been curated over decades. They are not looking for a caterer. They are looking for a culinary partner who understands the difference.
Vendador has had the privilege of serving Lake Forest's most meaningful occasions — landmark anniversary dinners in estate dining rooms that have hosted three generations of the same family, rehearsal dinners on lakefront lawns as the sun sets over the water, corporate evenings in private libraries where the food sets the tone for everything that follows, holiday celebrations that fill every wing of a home that was designed to be filled, and intimate milestone dinners where every course tells a story.
These are not events. They are the evenings Lake Forest families pass down. 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.