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 

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.

Gail Simmons

Top Chef

Dana Cowin

Food & Wine

Gwyneth Parltrow

Goop

International

Upcoming

In Season

Favorites

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Pork Milanese

Pears with Currants

Cabbage & Raisin Slaw

The Big Green Salad

Flourless Chocolate Cake ($)

Smoked Salmon Carpaccio

Couscous & Apples

Potato Salad

Horseradish Baked Salmon (Special Occasion) ($)

Pomegranate Salmon

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Mashed Potatoes ($)

Brisket & Mushrooms  in Red Wine ($)

Savory Carrot Kugel

Cinnamon Apple Kugel ($)

Rosewater Apples & Apricots

Beet Hummus & Crudités

Sautéed Greens

Currant & Hazelnut Brussels Sprouts

Date Crumble Bar

Tomato Baked Feta & Baguette

Classic Cutlets

Chicken Noodle Soup

Honey Apple Cake with Spiced Whip ($)

Apple Cranberry Cake with Spiced Cream

Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Charcuterie & Cheese Board ($)

Delicata Squash & Farro

Braised Lamb with Carrots

Pork & Purple Cabbage

Lemon Ricotta Crostini

Watercress Potato Flatbread

Spicy Shrimp Cocktail

Aioli Shrimp Cocktail  ($)

Steak Tartare

Salmon Rillettes

Fungi Flatbread

Pesto Pizza

Lamb Chops ($)

Devils On Horseback

Marinated Olives & Spiced Nuts

Apple Pear Crisp with Ice Cream

Brats with Garlic-Parsley Relish

Sea Bass with Leeks & Spinach ($)

Avocado Toast

Seared Polenta & Mushrooms 

White Bean Hummus & Crudités

Pumpkin Bran Bread

Pistachio Roasted Carrots

Whole Roast Chicken

Latkes & Applesauce

Matzo Ball Soup

Green Matzo Ball Soup

Butternut Squash Schnitzel 

Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream ($)

Prosciutto & Melon Skewers

Shishito Pepper Skewer

Cucumber & Tuna Skewers

Smoked Trout Petals

Buttered Radishes

Caviar Chip ($)

Roe on Fingerling Potato

Marinated Anchovy Crostini

Chicken Liver Mousse & Jam

Parsnips & Potatoes with Bacon

Esalen Kale

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Brussels Sprout & Apple Salad

Dill Yogurt Dressed Greens

Arugula & Pickled Shallots

Roasted Carrots & Turnips

Sweet Potato Hummus & Cruditès

Charred Cabbage Gratin

California Dip & Crudités 

Swordfish & Crushed Olives

Deviled Trout with Mustard Greens

Black Forest Cookies ($)

Mediterranean Whitefish Spread

Roasted Broccoli & Dates

Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Crudités & Sourdough

Leisure Time

Fall & Winter Sangria Bar

G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne

Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs

Big Brood

Hivemind

Apple Toddy

Purely Shirley

Scarlet Sangria

Martini Bar

Bubbles Bar

Spritz 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.

We work with trusted local partners in each of our service areas who will be happy to recommend wines based on your menu and coordinate delivery to your home. Feel free to reach out to the below businesses—let them know we sent you!

, 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.

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.

Apero & Apps

Passed

Steak Tartare

Spicy Shrimp Cocktail

Lemon Ricotta Crostini

Stationary

Charcuterie & Cheese Board

California Dip & Crudités

Watercress Potato Flatbread

Drinks

Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs

Hosting made easy with a Culinista chef.

Choose your Menu

Share the Details

Sit Back and Relax

Our menus are vibrant, seasonal, and infinitely customizable.

Culinista chefs hail from top restaurants around the country. They help celebrate our culinary methods and approach to hospitality.

Party Like a Culinista

Our services also include chefs for weekly meal prep, cooking classes, and seasonal & long term needs.