Chicago’s Private Chef Allure | Vendador Private Dining
Personal chef services, 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.
private chef services
From intimate tasting menus for ten in a formal dining room to estate gatherings for eighty under a tented yard, we bring 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.
Tasting Menus
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.
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 by experts.
Elegant, high level bites designed for entertaining. From the dock, to the beach, 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 philosophy to a format that flows naturally for open houses, cocktail receptions, and events where conversation moves as freely as the food.
Not sure which format fits your event? Tell us what you're planning. We'll build something just for you.
What Sets The Vendador Table Apart
Most catering companies operate on volume. The same menus, similar setups, the same service for every event, multiple events a day.
Vendador was built on the opposite principle. Every detail of your experience, from the menu to the team to the service flow, is shaped around your table specifically. And by a small, in-house hospitality team.
Our mission is to be an intentional culinary partner through every season and every stage of life, the team you call for every reason worth gathering people around a table.
Here is what makes that possible.
-
Chef Francis trained at Japonais by Morimoto, joined the opening team at Momotaro, and was Sous Chef at Roister of the Alinea Group. That pedigree shows up the night of your event in three places: the technique on each plate, the speed of execution that lets every course leave the kitchen at the right moment, and the discipline that lets a small team work cleanly in a residential kitchen with limited space. That training carries through every team member because we never source from staffing agencies.
-
Every staff member who walks into your home has signed an NDA before the booking is confirmed. We protect the privacy of you and your guests, and will even bring a tray of food down to the Secret Service team. Our core team is small and consistent, so repeat clients work with people who already know their home.
-
What arrives with Vendador is the operating infrastructure of a restaurant, scaled to your space. Cookware, plateware, Riedel glassware, silverware, serviceware, linen napkins, and the cleaning tools to put your kitchen back together arrive with our team. Before the event, we ask for photos of your kitchen and dining space so the team prepares the right setup, whether your home has a fully outfitted chef's kitchen with a wine room or a galley with a single oven. We protect your surfaces and leave the space exactly as we found it.
-
Every menu starts from scratch. The arc of the evening, the people at your table, the dietary realities of the group, the season we are cooking in, the spirit of the gathering, all of these feed into the development. Two anniversary dinners booked back-to-back will look nothing alike. The process begins with a consultation with Chef Francis. From there, a draft menu lands in your inbox, and we revise together until the menu reads the way you want it to read. The final version is printed on handcrafted menus for the night. We do not use sample menus or catering packages.
-
The beverage program is part of the evening, not an afterthought. Three wine pairing tiers are available for tasting menus, or our sommelier can build a custom pairing around your existing cellar. For evenings that lean toward cocktails, our award-winning bartenders design seasonal cocktail programs and zero-proof options, set up a full licensed bar in your space, and break it down at the end. The team includes certified sommeliers and licensed bartenders, never third-party staff.
Read more about our fully licensed beverage program.
-
Since 2021, Vendador has grown to more than 400 clients and 280 five-star Google reviews, entirely through word-of-mouth. The hosts who hire us almost always come to us through a neighbor whose home we already cook in. If you are reading this page, it is likely because someone you know already hosts us. That referral chain is the marketing channel we care about most.
How it Works
Every Vendador evening follows the same process. Six steps, from the first conversation to the relationship that follows.
1.
The Consultation
Every booking starts with a 10-minute phone call with Chef Francis. We learn the occasion, the people at your table, the date, and the core memories you want the evening to create. No two consultations are the same, because no two evenings are the same.
2.
The Proposal
Within 48 hours of the consultation, Chef Francis sends a personalized menu proposal shaped around the evening you described. There are no standard packages to sift through and no hidden line items.
3.
Menu Refinement
We refine the menu together until every course is right. The menu locks before the proposal is signed, so what we deliver on the night is exactly what you approved.
4.
5.
Confirmation
A 25% deposit confirms your event on the calendar. From there, our team stays in touch as the date approaches and reconfirms every detail with you a week before service. The preparation work is ours.
The Event
The team arrives around two hours ahead of your guests. We bring everything the evening needs, so you never have to worry about whether you have enough of anything. You are a guest at your own party.
6.
The After Party
The best part of this work is what happens after. Some of our clients have become close friends. Many call us back for the next anniversary, the next birthday, the next holiday. We hold preferred dates for returning clients, and the same team you met the first time is the team that returns.
What We Bring to
The Table
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
Trusted by
Reviews from Chicago Tables
-
"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.
-
"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.
-
"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.
-
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. Beverages, 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 $2,000 and tasting menu experiences begin at $365 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.