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

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

Summer Preview

In Season

Favorites

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Calamari, Corn & Couscous

Sea Bass with Charred Cucumber ($)

BBQ Ribs ($)

Brown Butter Pecan Blondies

Tomato Salad

Mushroom & Potato Skewers with Basil Yogurt Dip

Charred Eggplant Dip & Cucumbers

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Squash with Herbs

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Berry Crisp

Kale Pesto Penne

BBQ Chicken

Burger Bar

Herb Butter Corn on the Cob

Charred Peppers

Spicy Guacamole with Corn Chips & Crudités

Brats with Garlic-Parsley Relish

Big Party Lobster Rolls ($)

Buttermilk Romaine Salad

Caprese Skewer

Spinach Salad with Grilled Apricots

Clambake Potato Salad ($)

Corn & Kale Salad

Burrata Bar ($)

Watermelon & Strawberry Parfait

Grilled Asparagus & Capers

Crab & Corn Dip ($)

California Dip & Crudités 

Grilled Stone Fruit with Sorbet

Smoky Salmon with Summer Squash

Honeydew & Kiwi

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.

Less Mess

Amalfi Al Fresco

Ultimate Clambake

One Evening in Bangkok

Apero & Apps

Italian Spritz

Farm to Plate

Moroccan Feast

Indian Rasoi

Gazpacho Lunch

Steakhouse Classics

Opa! Taverna

Sandwich Stand

To Start

Lobster Rolls

BBQ Ribs

Family Style

Dessert

Backyard BBQ

Dynasty Dinner

Paella Night

Paillard Party

Summer Crop Celebration

Plated Classics

Pizza Party

Big Brunch

Coastal Grill

Taqueria en Casa

Tapas & Tequila

Quintessential Culinista Summer

Brunch & Bubbles

Italian Trattoria

Country Club

Never stress about dinner again.

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal. Our vetted private chefs are available for in-home:

Brunch, cocktail hour, dinner party, or barbecue? We’re here to help. 

Give us your kitchen for a couple hours, and we’ll leave you with meals for the week.

Weekly Meal Prep

Need a chef for the summer, a short trip, or a forever position? We’ll get you staffed.

Seasonal & Long Term Services

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal. We connect you with vetted private chefs for in-home meal prep, gatherings, and seasonal and long term needs. Explore our services. 

Explore our library of seasonal, international, and year-round favorites. 

Homepage menus

Menus for Gathering

Curbed

Bloomberg

Forbes

Marquee

See what’s new for this week's meal prep.

Homepage Dish Group

Press

Featured In:

Fan Mail

Learn the Culinista keys to cooking and hosting @

Let’s cook together

Homepage

Hosting made easy with a Culinista chef.

Select a menu, then customize it to fit your preferences and needs. See sample menus below.

Choose your Menu

Tell us your vision—date, guest count, location, occasion—and we’ll match you with the ideal Culinista chef. 

Share the Details

Your Culinista chef will arrive with groceries and handle the prep, cooking, serving, and clean up while you enjoy time with your guests.

Sit Back and Relax

How It Works

Ready to gather?

Late Summer Preview

Our Menus

All Culinista chefs come highly referred and must pass a background check and a cooking interview.

Thoroughly Vetted

Culinista chefs have graduated from top culinary schools and worked in the best restaurants.

Professionally Trained

We handpick the best chefs for you based on their skills and your needs.

Perfectly Paired

Culinista® Chefs

Always Make a Seating Chart

Take Time to Toast

Follow the 30/60/90 Rule

You’re Never Too Old For Games

Party Like a Culinista

Gatherings FAQ

"[Our chef] did an awesome job and was so incredibly efficient. I was totally impressed with his speed, skill and knowledge, and of course he was super friendly and easygoing. Plus, the food is all AMAZING! My daughter gobbled up the zucchini nuggets and turkey bolognese for dinner, we had salmon and broccoli salad, with a little of the lentil and quinoa salad too, and it was delicious. Such a luxury to have all this fresh, beautiful food in the fridge for the week and none of the stress of having had to shop for and cook it on a busy Monday.”

"I believe magic happens when we eat together. Which is why I fell in love with The Culinistas. You can imagine after having been spoiled by decades of eating out for work, I definitely want a break in the cooking schedule from time to time. The recipes are clean, uncomplicated and still interesting."

“I rely on The Culinistas to streamline an integral part of my family’s lives. We’ve had many an engaging conversation, lively discourse and spirited dialogue over Turkey Bolognese, at the dinner table, and I’m convinced we’re better humans because of it.”