Hiring a Private Chef for the First Time: What to Expect
The first time someone hires me, the nerves are almost never about the food. People trust the food. What they are worried about is everything around it. Will they ruin my marble countertops? Am I supposed to help? What do I do with myself while a chef is working in my house? Do they bring their own pots and pans?
So let me put the most common fears to rest, because the honest answer to nearly all of them is that you do nothing, and that is the whole point.
By Joy Lane
Will my kitchen be wrecked?
Absolutely not. We bring our own setup, work strictly clean, with the meticulous training of Michelin kitchen expectations. We work in flow, quietly, and contained through the evening, and when the last course is done we put everything back the way we found it. The standard I hold my team to is simple. Your kitchen should look untouched, better than we arrived, when you wake the next morning, as if the meal happened by magic. The cleanup is ours, start to finish. You’re welcome to read more about what we bring in our FAQs.
Do I need to prep or shop for anything?
No. The sourcing, the shopping, the chopping, all of it is handled before I arrive or in your kitchen on the night. You provide the room and the people. If there is ever something I need from you ahead of time, you will know it weeks out, never the day of.
What am I supposed to do during dinner?
This is my favorite question, because the answer is the entire reason people hire a private chef. You sit down, have a glass of wine. and you stay seated. From the moment we arrive, you’re free. Some hosts love to hover at the counter, learn and watch the courses come together, and they are welcome to. Most slip into their own party and let the food find them. Both are right.
How does the menu get decided?
Together, before the night, in a real conversation. I want to know who is coming, what they love, what they cannot eat, and what the evening is really about. Out of that I build a personalized menu for your table and no one else's. You are never picking from a fixed list of menus.
The Vendador Table at Home
If it is your first time, it should feel like a gift you gave yourself, not a project you took on. Email , call 630-864-9349, or reserve your experience, and I will walk you through the rest.
Chef Francis Pascal, founder of Vendador