FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A few practical details about recurring private chef service and private events.
Private Chef Service
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Recurring private chef service is designed to take dinner off your plate before putting dinner on it.
Each evening includes a three-course dinner—appetizer, entrée and dessert—along with menu planning, ingredient sourcing, grocery shopping, preparation, in-home cooking and complete kitchen cleanup.
I arrive with my own cookware, knives and primary cooking equipment. After dinner, I clean my workspace and rinse and load your dinnerware into the dishwasher.
There are no separate grocery bills, shopping fees, preparation charges or cleanup fees.
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Recurring private chef dinners begin at $350 per evening for up to two adults.
Additional adults and guests are $75 per person. Children under 16 who are part of the household are included at no additional charge. Guests age 16 and older are considered adults for pricing purposes.
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Yes.
Ingredients are included in your nightly rate. You will not receive grocery receipts or separate charges for shopping.
One price. Full hospitality.
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Your dinners are created specifically for your household rather than selected from a standard rotating menu.
Each Sunday, you’ll receive the upcoming menu for review. If something doesn’t sound right, we change it.
Over time, the process becomes even more personal as I learn what your family loves, which flavors you return to, what the kids will actually eat and when you’re ready to try something new.
The longer I cook for your household, the less you should have to tell me.
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Dietary preferences and restrictions—including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free—can be accommodated.
Allergies and more significant dietary requirements are discussed individually so we can determine how they can be safely accommodated in your home kitchen.
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Children under 16 who are part of the household are included at no additional charge.
When appropriate, dishes can be adapted for younger diners while keeping everyone around the same table rather than creating an entirely separate children’s menu.
Family dinner should still feel like family dinner.
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Absolutely.
Additional adults and guests are $75 per person. Just let me know in advance so I can plan the menu and quantities accordingly.
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No.
I bring my own cookware, knives and primary cooking equipment. Before service begins, we’ll talk through your kitchen and the space I’ll be working in so I know what to expect when I arrive.
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Your household reserves a recurring evening—or evenings—on my weekly calendar. You’re not booking dinner from week to week; your evening is already set aside for your family.
Some households reserve one evening each week. Others reserve two.
Private chef service is offered approximately 42 weeks each year. Planned time away is communicated well in advance and is never billed.
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Private chef service is billed monthly in advance, with invoices sent on the first of each month for that month’s scheduled dinners.
Before your monthly schedule is finalized, simply let me know about vacations, travel or other dates when you won’t need service. Those evenings are removed from your schedule and are not billed.
Once the month has been finalized and invoiced, non-emergency cancellations receive a 50% service credit toward the following month.
Life happens. Emergencies and unexpected circumstances will always be handled personally and reasonably.
Private events
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Private dining experiences are designed primarily for intimate gatherings of approximately 10–20 guests.
The goal is not simply to feed a room. It is to create a dinner where the food, service and experience can receive the attention they deserve.
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Private dining experiences begin at $175 per guest.
Final pricing depends on the menu, ingredients, number of courses, staffing and overall scope of the evening. Every event is designed individually rather than selected from a package.
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There is no standard private-event menu.
Your evening might be a relaxed multi-course dinner shared around the table, a more traditional coursed meal or an elaborate tasting menu that unfolds throughout the evening. I’ve created everything from intimate family-style dinners to twelve-course tasting menus.
We’ll begin with the occasion, the people you’re gathering and what you want the evening to feel like. From there, I’ll create the menu.
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Yes.
More elaborate dinners may include additional culinary support, and professional service staff can be arranged when the occasion calls for it.
The level of support is built around the evening you’re creating rather than added from a standard package.
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Start by sending an inquiry with a few details about your gathering.
We’ll talk about the occasion, your guests and what you want the evening to feel like. From there, I’ll create a proposed menu for your review. We’ll make any adjustments together until the dinner feels right.
Once the menu is approved, a 50% deposit confirms your event and reserves the date. The remaining balance is due 48 hours before your event.
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Cancellations made at least 14 days before your event receive a full refund of the deposit.
For cancellations made within 14 days but more than 48 hours before the event, any event-specific expenses already incurred will be deducted from the refunded deposit.
Within 48 hours of the event, the 50% deposit becomes non-refundable.
With more than 48 hours’ notice, your deposit can be transferred once to another mutually available date. Rescheduling within 48 hours is treated as a cancellation and requires a new booking.
If something unexpected happens, call me. We’ll handle it like people.
General
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My home base is the greater Portland metro area, including Portland, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Vancouver.
But dinner doesn’t always have to happen close to home.
If you’re planning a weekend at the coast, gathering friends at a mountain house, renting an Airbnb for a special occasion or imagining something farther away, let’s talk about it. I’m happy to travel when the experience makes sense.
I’ve traveled across the country to cook for clients before, and I’m always open to doing it again.
Have table, will travel.
STILL HAVE A QUESTION?
Let's talk about it.
Private chef service is personal by nature, and not every question fits neatly into an FAQ.
If there’s something you’d like to know about recurring service, a private dinner or an idea you’re considering, send me a note.
We’ll talk about it.