Chicago’s Private Chef Allure
Private dining, premium catering, and full-service hospitality at home in Chicago
Extraordinary, tailor-made dinner parties in the exclusivity of your home, at the venue of your choosing, al fresco, or someplace more creative. Collaborate on culinary experiences of any size, from two-person anniversaries to intimate dinners and large-scale celebrations, Vendador delivers private chef services with Michelin-trained execution and a fully personalized menu.
Be a guest at your own table. Setup, service, and cleanup are handled entirely by our team.
For seated dinners, choose between an individually plated tasting menu with personal menu development from Chef, or Chef's Secret Menu, where we design a surprise culinary experience based on your preferences.
Every element of the restaurant arrives with us: a sommelier, servers, mixologists, cooking equipment, plateware, glassware, serviceware, linen napkins, and full cleanup.
Spend the evening with your guests instead of in the kitchen.
Vendador Private Dining is Chicago’s #1 Private Chef for a wide canvas of events including, but not limited to:
In-Home Culinary Experiences | multi-course tasting menus prepared in your kitchen
Secret Menu Dinners | a surprise menu designed by Chef based on your preferences
Passed Canapés | cocktail-style hors d'oeuvres service
Private Events | anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and intimate gatherings at venues
Creative Food Stations and Raw Bars | chef-attended stations and abundant displays
Wilderness Dining Experiences | destination dinners outside the city
Corporate Events | executive dinners, client entertaining, and team gatherings
Wedding Receptions | full-scale wedding catering, with an emphasis on luxury micro-weddings and wedding week events
Drop-off Buffets | pre-prepared meal service for corporate or casual settings
Ways to Collaborate
Trust our team to provide everything you need and more. We go above and beyond to create extraordinary personalized touches to your event. Your culinary experience includes, but is not limited to:
Comprehensive Setup, Cooking, and Spotless Cleanup
Personalized Menu Development
Michelin-trained Chefs, Sommeliers, Bartenders and Servers
All organic, local, high-quality produce and premium ingredients from specialty purveyors
Cookware
Plateware
Glassware
Silverware
Serviceware
Linen Napkins
Beautiful Handcrafted Menus
What We Bring to The Table
Trusted by
Reviews from Chicago Tables
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"Great food can be found in a lot of places. Great technique can be found in a lot of places. Great preparation can be found in a lot of places. Great service and attention to detail can be found in a lot of places. BUT to find a team who does all of these in elite fashion at a large scale, is a rarity beyond real comparison."
— David B.
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"Not to be dramatic, but one of the best evenings of my life as a parent to young kids was an at-home dining experience we hired Francis for. The way he cares so deeply about both the cuisine AND your experience is incredible. We laughed and talked and cried and celebrated milestones all while Francis and his team attended to everything."
— Jennifer V.
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"I've hosted about 10 events with Chef Francis and team over the last two years and they keep getting better and better. From small 4 person dinners to 100+ people events, this team is the best."
— Mike G.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Chicago
Across Chicago, twelve neighborhoods make up the heart of our work. For each one, we've included a short note on the homes and hosting style, our favorite restaurant in the neighborhood, and a venue we recommend for events outside the home.
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Greystones along Cleveland and Burling, single-family homes near the park, and rowhouses with the kind of architectural detail you can't replicate in new construction.
Favorite restaurants: Boka, Galit
Favorite venue: Cafe Brauer -
Vintage walk-ups, and single-family homes with rooftop gardens along the Southport Corridor and the streets east of Wrigley, with a hosting culture that draws on the neighborhood's upbeat social culture.
Favorite restaurant: Itoko -
Historic mansions, prewar buildings along Astor Street, and high-rise residences with lake views, hosted by Chicago families with deep roots in the city.
Favorite restaurant: Gibson's -
Victorian-era homes and historic townhouses around Wells Street, in one of Chicago's oldest and most architecturally protected neighborhoods.
Favorite restaurant: Petite Edith -
High-rise condominiums, converted lofts, and penthouses with skyline views, hosted by clients whose calendars rarely allow for the in-the-kitchen attention an evening deserves. We’re here for you.
Favorite restaurants: Obélix, Indienne
Favorite venue: The Driehaus Museum -
Loft conversions in former meatpacking warehouses, single-family homes on Aberdeen and Carpenter, and modern townhouses in Fulton Market.
Favorite restaurants: The Loyalist, Creepies
Favorite venues: The Publishing House, Loft Lucia -
Historic mansions along canopied Hoyne and Pierce, three-flats, and converted lofts, in a neighborhood with a long and active hosting culture.
Favorite restaurant: Schwa -
A fun neighborhood of converted industrial spaces, frame houses, and renovated workers' cottages along tree-lined streets, where dinners tend to feel relaxed even when the meal is serious.
Favorite restaurant: Le Bouchon
Favorite venue: Charcoal Factory Loft -
Historic boulevards, gorgeous two-flats, and single-family homes along the boulevard with a hosting culture rooted in the neighborhood's creative and design-aware community. Pack a picnic.
Favorite restaurant: Lula Café
Favorite venue: Greenhouse Loft -
High-rise residences along the lakefront and Mag Mile, where building service entrances, doormen, and elevator coordination are part of every evening.
Favorite restaurant: The Purple Pig -
Lofted condominiums, brownstone rows, and high-rise residences along the lakefront, in a neighborhood that has built a distinct identity from the rest of downtown.
Favorite restaurant: Apolonia
Favorite venue: Chicago Illuminating Company -
A neighborhood of historic mansions and university-adjacent homes, where the hosting culture runs intellectually serious rather than performative.
Favorite restaurant (in the whole city!): Virtue
Favorite venue: Promontory Point
FAQs for vendador private dining
Do you work in condos and high-rise buildings?
Yes. We regularly cook in high-rises across the Gold Coast, Streeterville, River North, and South Loop. We're familiar with service entrances, freight elevator coordination, doorman protocols, and building insurance requirements. We can provide certificates of insurance to your building management when needed.
Do you accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions?
Yes. We routinely build menus around allergies (including the major eight), kosher and halal observance, vegetarian and vegan preferences, and medical dietary requirements like Celiac. We ask for these details when finalizing your menu so that every guest is served thoughtfully.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. Our entire team, including chefs, sommeliers, and service staff, signs NDAs as a standard part of their employment. We can sign event-specific NDAs at your request. Discretion is part of how we work, not an add-on.
My building has a small kitchen. Can you still do a multi-course dinner?
Yes. Our team is trained to execute Michelin-level menus in residential kitchens of any size, including pied-à-terre kitchens with limited counter space, single-oven setups, with minimal prep area. We bring our own cooking equipment, knives, and small wares. We ask all clients to send photos of their kitchen and dining space prior to arriving so we can prepare.
What's included in the per-person price?
Personalized menu development with Chef, all ingredients sourced from specialty purveyors, cooking equipment, plateware, glassware, silverware, linen napkins, professional service staff, setup, and full cleanup. Sommelier service and bar staff are available as add-ons.
What about parking and load-in?
We coordinate parking and load-in directly with you ahead of the event. For high-rises, we use service entrances and freight elevators. For single-family homes, we typically request one spot in your garage if accessible for load in and out and/or guest parking passes for outside your home if on a permitted street.
How far in advance should I book?
Typical Vendador booking lead time is 4 weeks for standard events, 6-8+ weeks for large multi-course tasting menus, with shorter turnaround possible based on availability. 6-8 months in advance for weddings, but less for elopement dinners and micro-weddings. If your event is inflexible on date, we recommend you reach out as soon as possible. Vendador accepts event bookings within 12 months.
What is your minimum?
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 reflective of corporate lunches and catering packages. Learn more about corporate catering.