Please enjoy $100 off gatherings of 12 people or more. Discount automatically applied. 

Gatherings

Meal Prep

A Season or Long Term

Cooking Classes

Chef Services Overview

Our booking policy is flexible, so don't worry if these details change. Our chef services are available in 

, though many Culinista® chefs are happy to travel. For services outside of these areas, 

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal.

Our optional drinks service includes up to 2 drinks plus waitstaff who will arrive 1 hour before guests and provide 4 hours of service. Additional time will be billed at $60/hour. The Culinistas will provide ice and non-alcoholic ingredients. The host is responsible for providing alcohol.

Dairy

Eggs

Fish

Shellfish

Nuts

Gluten

Pork

Sesame

Beef

Alliums

Gail Simmons

Top Chef

Dana Cowin

Food & Wine

Gwyneth Parltrow

Goop

Low Carb

Low Sugar

High Protein

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Low Fat

High Fat

Think & Drink

Negroni Bar

Pears with Currants

Ricotta Pancakes

The Sides ($)

G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé

Leafy Greens with Radishes

Pot Roast

Table Biscuits

Brussels & Pancetta

Brown Butter Pecan Blondies

Berries & Whip

Beet Hummus & Crudités

Sautéed Greens

Vinegar Braised Chicken

Goddess Salad with Bacon

Balsamic Green Beans

Bagel Board ($)

Mushroom Potato Hash

Braised Short Ribs

Banana French Toast

Mushroom Arugula Frittata

Quinoa & Crispy Bacon

Baby Kale Salad

Braised Lamb with Carrots

Berry Bowl

Braised Kale Stracciatella

Spinach Feta Scones

Scallop Toast ($)

Aioli Shrimp Cocktail  ($)

Simmer Down

Call Her Ginger

Farm Fresh Lettuces with Herbs

Apple Pear Crisp with Ice Cream

Coffee Cake

Bagels & Lox ($)

Power Green Mini Frittatas

Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

Creamed Kale 

Milk Braised Veal 

Mushroom Pâté Cracker

Lemony Pasta Fagioli

Winter Vegetable Cobb

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Calabrian Egg Salad

Beets & Sweets Gratin

Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Arugula & Pickled Shallots

Cranberry Buttermilk Scones

Work Wife

Sweet Pea Hummus & Crudités

Purely Shirley

Sicily Spritz

Green Juice

Garlic Confit Red Potatoes

Hasselback Butternut Squash

Tinned Fish Board ($)

Salmon Salmagundi ($)

Mushroom Bourguignon

Cassoulet Blanc

Shaved Celery Salad

Scarlet Sangria

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding ($)

Solstice Fruit Salad

Sweet Potato Rosti & Eggs

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Zucchini Nuggets

G & T Bar

Mimosa Bar

Gatherings start at $500 (based on guest count) plus groceries, sales tax and a $15 travel reimbursement. We automatically add 20% chef gratuity to all gatherings (i.e. $100 for $500 base rate).

Our chef services are available in the NYC metro area, the Hamptons, LA, and the D.C. metro area, though many Culinista® chefs are happy to travel. For services outside of these areas, 

Yes! Your Culinista chef will plate and serve your meal. If your gathering requires additional waitstaff, we’ll staff a reliable server from our trusted network.

, telling us the details of your gathering and your preferred menu, and we’ll match you with the ideal Culinista chef. Your Culinista chef will arrive with groceries and handle the prep, cooking, serving, and clean up while you enjoy time with your guests.

If your gathering requires an extra set of hands, we’ll staff a reliable server or bartender from our Culinista network. We do not coordinate rentals or decor but can connect you with vetted vendors if you need additional support.

Certain ingredients in these dishes may make them more costly—and increase your total grocery bill—so we wanted to let you know. 

Prior to cooking, toasting grains helps to intensify its flavor

Boost Your Grains

All cooked in one vessel, efficient with minimal clean up

One Pot Wonder

Nut + herb + citrus + olive oil, all you need for a perfect pesto

Pesto Equation

All great dishes start with an aromatic base to develop flavor

Build A Foundation

A dish that alchemizes three bold and distinct flavors to hit sweet, sour, savory, salty, and bitter notes

Trifecta

Creating delicious flavor combinations using both cooked and fresh ingredients

Pizza Topping Equation

Herbs that thread flavor throughout a recipe and garnish

Infusing Oil

Browning your protein (crisping the exterior while softening the interior) will help to intensify its flavor

Char Goes Far

Using a sharp ingredient to cut the richness from heavier ingredients

Balancing Act

Large format & straightforward recipes that are ideal for crowds

Party Meal

Layering different types of the same fruit or vegetable to your dish for an extra level of complexity

Tomayto Tomahto

Using natural sweeteners in place of processed and refined sugar

Sweetness Substitute

The unexpected pairing of something sweet to a protein complements the dish

Sweet Ingredient + Savory Protein

Marinate for Flavor

Classics Redone

Creative use of soaked nuts, puréed veggies or dried fruit as your thickener to develop the right consistency

Alternative Thickeners

Use leftover herbs or vegetable scraps to strengthen the flavor in a dish and reduce food waste

Infused Broth

Using onion powder to enhance the onion flavor helps to save cooking time

Onion Powder Power

Using a multitude of soft stem herbs helps to brighten your dressings & marinades

All the Herbs

You’re here to cook, not do math. But knowing a few simple equations—like the 1:1:1 meatball ratio and the fruit salad formula—is the secret to kitchen freedom, and there’s no final exam.


Formula

Flavor keys include techniques from across the culinary spectrum (think: infusing, searing, marinating, pickling) but they all share the same goal: to maximize every ingredient’s flavor, every time you cook. 

Flavor

We’ll help you be efficient in the kitchen by strategizing prep, cook, and rest times, as well as cleaning along the way. 

Timing

A good meal is a feast for all the senses. Consider how you pair colors, textures, shapes, and sizes, and your guests will be impressed even before they take a bite.

Style

Our goal is that healthy cooking and consistent gathering around the table is a sustainable part of your life. That means supporting sustainable food systems and creating recipes that eliminate waste in your kitchen.

Sustainability

A generous attitude is the secret ingredient in any gathering. These keys ensure the mood is right, everyone feels comfortable, and the gathering is seamless. 

Hosting

Health starts with pure, unprocessed ingredients: fresh vegetables, whole grains, wild and grass-fed proteins.  We incorporate clean ingredients where you'd expect and also where you wouldn't expect, like using oats or nuts to create flours and blending veggies into sauces.

Health

Cleaning won’t feel like a chore if your recipes are structured efficiently (ours are), you clean as you cook, and you send your guests home with leftovers.

Less Mess

Quintessential Culinistas Spring 

Sangria Bar

East Coast Seafood Specials

Spring Greens 

A French-ish spread featuring forkable and finger-friendly bites. Pairs perfectly with our Negroni Bar.

Apero & Apps

Bring home the warming flavors and aromas of Moroccan cuisine with this robust menu of favorites, like Spiced Lamb with Couscous and Eggplant & Cauliflower Tagine. 

Moroccan Feast

When you can’t sail the French Riviera, this menu is the next best thing, featuring a tomato-laden Provence Flatbread and Grilled Sardines.  

Fête Française

Our favorite spring dishes unite! Mushroom & Potato Skewers with Basil Yogurt, Mini Dutch Babies, and Goddess Salad with Bacon, just to name a few. 

Spring Brunch

Gazpacho is one of the world’s most refreshing foods. This menu pairs it with satisfying sides like Romesco Toast and Chimichurri Chicken. 

The Lunch Set

Cancel that reservation; the steak, and its beloved sides, are getting cooked up in-house.

Steakhouse Classics

Greece’s most popular dishes, made in your kitchen. Crispy-topped Spanakopita is always a hit, and Fig Frozen Yogurt with Baklava Brittle is nothing short of decadence. 

Opa! Taverna

Jewish Classics

Spritz O'Clock

Spring Farmstand

Winter Digestif & Desserts

Backyard BBQ

Passover 

Inspired by Chinese-American favorites, this menu is an umami-rich feast with some ‘nista twists. Think Beef & Broccolini and Spinach & Garlic Cauli Rice.

Dynasty Dinner 

Paella is the ultimate dish to gather around, and this menu lets it shine. When it comes to drinks, we simply can’t recommend our Scarlet Sangria enough. 

Paella Night

Spring Lasagna

Get ready for verdant, crisp lettuces and green beans in our Dill Yogurt Dressed Greens, and first-of-the-season berries in a jammy Berry Crisp. 