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

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

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Pears with Currants

The Big Green Salad

King Crab Legs with Basil Butter ($)

Brussels & Pancetta

Calabrian Cauliflower

Parsley Pesto Broc & Beans

Mediterranean Squid

Ginger Cranberry Sugar Cookies

Black Bass with Roasted Pepper & Fennel ($)

Blood Orange Cake

Berry Bowl

Braised Kale Stracciatella

Scallop Toast ($)

Cod & Clam Cioppino (Special Occasion)

Artichoke & Mushroom Salad

Big Brood

Tuna Tapenade

Farm Fresh Lettuces with Herbs

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Coffee Hazelnut Trifle ($)

White Wine Steamed Clams

Stone Crab Claws with Aioli ($)

Brussels Sprout Caesar

Green Beans with Olives

Chard Dumplings in Tomato Purée

Marinated Anchovy Crostini

Lemony Pasta Fagioli

Winter Vegetable Cobb

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

So-Cal Citrus

Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Arugula & Pickled Shallots

Olive Oil Poached Halibut ($)

Fettuccine alle Vongole

Sweet Pea Hummus & Crudités

Sicily Spritz

Shrimp & Zucchini Linguine

Farro al Limone

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini

Bagna Cauda & Crudités 

Shaved Celery Salad

Radishes & Rocket

Pistachio & Pine Nut Cookies ($)

Mediterranean Whitefish Spread

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Sautéed Shrimp with Tomatoes & Spinach

Zucchini Nuggets

Spicy Broccoli Rabe & Bok Choy

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.

, 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

Beer, sure, but we’re here to feast. This festive menu spotlights Germany’s beloved crispy, crunchy things (potato pancakes, schnitzel) plus all the cabbage.

Oktoberfest

Fall Plated

Sangria Bar

Latke Party

Yom Kippur Break(the)Fast

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

Classic Cocktail Hour

Thanksgiving Sides

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

Getting out of bed is reason enough for a party. This Brunch & Bubbles menu cheers you on with Savory Dutch Babies, Apple Crumble Parfaits, and a glass of something bubbly.

Fall Luncheon

Elegant Holiday Cocktails

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

Winter Digestif & Desserts

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

Endless Summer 

Rosh Hashanah

Christmas

Plated Classics

Pizza Party

Early fall’s long-awaited produce needs little more than seasoning and slow cooking, and this spread puts the season’s best front and center.

Fall Gluten Free

Quintessential Culinistas Fall

This client-favorite menu is nothing but the hits: Bagels & Lox and Mushroom Potato Hash for those who skew savory, and Banana French Toast and Fruit Salad for the sweeties. 

Big Brunch

Tequila Bar

Cinq à Sept

Surf & Turf

Have a night at the cantina, with dishes like Chicken Tortilla Soup and Esquites, and your choice of tacos: we like carnitas, fish, or both. 

Taqueria en Casa 

Thanksgiving 

Italian Trattoria 

Scallop Toast

To Start

Zuppa di Pesce

Cod & Clam Cioppino

King Crab Legs with Basil Butter

Olive Oil Poached Halibut

Black Bass with Roasted Pepper & Fennel

Stone Crab Claws

Family Style Dinner

Citrus with Basil

Pistachio & Pine Nut Cookies

Coffee Hazelnut Trifle

Dessert

For some, Christmas Eve is synonymous with an epic night of seafood. We’re starting with snacks like Marinated Anchovy Crostini and Tuna Tapenade to whet our appetites, then diving into bowls of Cod & Clam Cioppino. Dare we say, this one is a catch.

Feast of the 7 Fishes

To Start

White Wine Steamed Clams

Scallop Toast

Mediterranean Whitefish Spread

Family Style Dinner

Artichoke & Mushroom Salad

Zuppa di Pesce

King Crab Legs with Basil Butter

Green Beans with Olives

Calabrian Cauliflower

Shrimp & Zucchini Linguine

Dessert

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Drinks

Martini Bar

Sicily Spritz

Hosting made easy with a Culinista chef.

Choose your Menu

Share the Details

Sit Back and Relax

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.