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

, 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

Peanuts

Shellfish

Nuts

Gluten

Pork

Sesame

Beef

Alliums

Dark wood, cushy chairs, and the sound of sizzling steaks arriving tableside. Dim the lights and turn up the jazz—we’ll handle the rest. This steakhouse classics menu, 

, boasts a delectable array of dishes for this extraordinary feast. And should you wish, our optional drinks service stands ready to craft the perfect martini as well.

Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail, which puts the “surf” in “Surf & Turf,” takes pride as the optimal steakhouse menu starter. The key to flawlessly poached shrimp? A Sustainable Simmer, or poaching in a flavorful broth, rendering them plump, pink, and brimming with flavor. And while cocktail sauce is a must, we indulge in a duel of dips by adding a punchy aioli, too.

Buttermilk Romaine Salad

The secret to dressing perfection rests not in a hidden valley but in a humble buttermilk base. Our Buttermilk Romaine Salad enrobes crisp romaine hearts, delicately shaved fennel, and vibrant chives in a dressing of buttermilk, grated parmesan, olive oil and a generous shower of pepper. This harmonious blend of savory and acidic elements adheres to our Salad Equation, a simple formula of Greens + Vegetable + Herb + Acid making salad greens pop and priming palates for the feast to follow.

Sirloin with Roasted Garlic Sauce

This steakhouse luminary shines in its simplicity and resplendent flavor. It features just five ingredients to spotlight a perfectly seasoned and crusted steak as much as its Roasted Garlic Sauce, a triumph of a Flavor Trifecta. Slowly roasted garlic imparts sweetness, charred scallions provide umami, and a bright note comes from lime.

Creamed Kale

This is not an ordinary rendition of a steakhouse creamed green; it’s a masterpiece. This Classics Redone uses robust Tuscan kale, also known as dinosaur kale, to level up conventional spinach. It is a Single Ingredient Multiple Ways: as the base of the dish wilted until tender and puréed into a luscious cheese sauce with lemon juice, mascarpone, and pecorino. Garnished with lemon zest and extra pecorino, this side is a harmonic culinary crescendo. If only the steakhouse could do it so well.

Garlic Confit Red Potatoes

Few ingredients possess the transformative power that braised sweet garlic does when applied to potatoes. Our Garlic Confit Red Potatoes is a feat of tradition in a steak and potato partnership; marrying red potato creaminess with the richness of velvety garlic confit, crème fraîche, and chives. A final flourish of freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of chives catapults these tots into divinity.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

An extravagant meal with a lavish dessert is the beacon of an evening at the steakhouse. Our exceptionally fudgy and rich brownies are imbued with chocolate in myriad forms: dark chocolate melted into the base plus dark and semisweet chocolate chopped and interwoven before baking. We relish presenting these in a brownie sundae bar, with assorted toppings for guests to craft their own decadent denouement.

You bring the jazzy playlist. We’ll handle the rest.

This Steakhouse Menu Brings the Sizzle Home 

Consider these five factors, and you’ll never stress about the last course. 

How to Pick the Perfect Dinner Party Dessert

Missing a night on the town? No FOMO here.

Every year, the autumn harvest commands our attention with its abundance of apples, squash varieties, and cruciferous veg. Make the most of the bounty and (it’s that time!) break out the Dutch oven again—or 

 do the honors. Whether you’re clinging to the last gasp of summer or commencing braising season, there’s a menu here for you.


10 Fall Dinner Party Menus For Cozy Nights In

Those first few weeks with a new baby are a blur, but nutrition need not be a blindspot. Whether you’re recovering from labor or supporting a partner who is, we’ve got dishes that can feed you and the whole family. Nutrient-packed to help heal and rebuild on a cellular level, they’re replete with easily digestible greens, energizing proteins, and healthy fats. Make them ahead and freeze before the baby comes, or let a Culinista chef make them as part of our 

, because everyone benefits from a bit of mothering.

High Protein

Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Carrot Sauce

Turkey and quinoa make these meatballs protein-rich, while dried apricots bring a welcome touch of sweetness. We serve them over a big spoonful of roasted carrot sauce, which is high in Vitamin A, an important vitamin to support the immune system.

Oats

Acclimate to your every-three-hours wake-up routine by adding a cozy, ready-to-eat bowl of oatmeal. Rolled oats get simmered in coconut milk for an ultra creamy porridge that becomes aromatic with warm spices of ginger, cardamom, allspice, and sumac. The addition of any fruit works here, but we opt for roasted pears gone jammy and sweet from cooking. The magic happens overnight, as the flavors meld together to sing in the morning. Nourishing, easily digestible, and spiced-just-right, these oats help replenish iron and promote milk production.

Ready to Eat

Simple and energizing ingredients come together in more ways than one to yield this balanced and protein-rich dish. These quinoa-crusted patties take inspiration from falafel, but are composed of mashed chickpeas and dill. They rest upon a bed of bursting tomatoes, quinoa, and punchy arugula, before getting dressed with a green sauce that uses up the leftover arugula and dill. Employing each ingredient in more than one way is efficient and leaves no space for missed flavor or nourishment, delivering a vegan meal that will satiate and energize.

Freeze for Later

Soup for the soul doesn’t necessarily need chicken. The broth takes its flavor from a Sustainable Simmer, employing onion skins, collard green trimmings, and toasted spices. You’ll find sweet potatoes swimming in the broth, swirled with wilted collard greens and savory bites of chewy wheatberries for a minestrone-like finish. Eat now or freeze for the future; it will soothe with every spoonful and sip, warming you through and through, whenever you decide to heat it up.

Bite Sized

Whoever said chicken nuggets were just for kids didn’t know a Culinista. These quinoa-crusted chicken and sweet potato nuggets include no indecipherable ingredients and get oven-baked, not fried, until golden and crisp. A bright ranch dressing with a base of tart Greek yogurt threaded with dill and lemon zest delivers a nugget without the drive-through stomach ache.

Family Comfort Foods

Speaking of childhood favorites, our mac and cheese incorporates tenderly cooked cauliflower into a creamy, cheesy sauce for a hidden veggie that is so soft-spoken you might just miss it. We did that on purpose. This revamped classic will satisfy your most elementary of cravings with a crunchy breadcrumb topping, too.

Clean & Nourishing

This cobb-style salad exemplifies the mantra “eat the rainbow.” Neat rows of forkable bites contain roasted sweet potatoes and golden beets, poached salmon, red kale, toasted pepitas, and a tarragon vinaigrette to make it hearty and filling. It’s a full meal for when you need all the elements in one bowl.

 with The Culinistas to try these and more from our culinary library of 600+ dishes.

7 Postpartum-Friendly Dishes For Your Fourth Trimester

Stop refreshing your reservation app and kickstart your day from the comfort of home with these cozy menus. We’re playing the hits with fluffy ricotta pancakes, veggie-laden frittatas, granola butter for your toast, and a Calabrian egg salad. Round up your sleepy-eyed friends or make it a family affair: we think these spreads will please any crowd. What’s better? Only waking up to a 

. Two hour wait time—we don’t do that anymore.

Set your Alarm for these 8 Brunch Menus 

Yes, you should be having fun at your own party.

The Culinistas’ Ultimate Guide to Hosting

No place at the table for gluten? These menus are up for the challenge.

We are tired of gluten-free meals that fall flat. These menus reset the bar, relying on aromatics, spice combos, and creative substitutions so they don’t need gluten to stand on their own. Creamy dips and colorful crudités steal the show; herb-laden dressings take grain bowls to new heights, and desserts use alt flours to enhance textures. Try your hand or 

, but either way, you’re in the clear to invite your pickiest eaters and pasta-loving friends.

10 Gluten Free Menus That Everyone at the Table Will Love

Pick your next trip or reminisce about your most recent one with these menus. An expanded palate is a way to expand the mind so we collaborated with chefs whose regional expertise guided each dish. Unique ingredients, flavor combinations, and methods make themselves at home when cooked from your own kitchen, either by you or 

This is placeholder DEK copy for a menu listicle hero card.

10 Menus for Traveling the Globe Without Leaving Your Kitchen

Don’t be intimidated: this Spanish classic can be conquered at home, even without a paella pan.

How to Make Paella at Home

, but you don’t know what to cook. Our menus go beyond the classics (though there’s nothing wrong with a roast chicken, and we’ve got a menu for that). Our goal is to make a gathering memorable by making the intangible element of delicious food completely tangible. We choose food by season, region, or culture to create a cohesive menu. We know how to balance flavors as well as the pacing of the night through the dishes we select and the dining format that we suggest. Get adventurous yourself, or 

 one of these lineups. Either way, these spreads are destined to impress and leave you and your guests dreaming of one more bite.

10 Totally Unique Dinner Party Menus

We all want to be that person—you know the one—who makes pizza at home. With the right equipment, ingredients, and cooking methods (that you can modify to fit your oven), you'll be slinging pies like a pizzaiolo.

To learn the keys to homemade pizza directly from a Culinista chef, 

Equipment

This is not a “winging it” endeavor. You need the right equipment. Some of it is specifically for pizza; some things you probably already have at home. You can absolutely make your own dough, but there’s no shame in using store-bought or pizzeria-bought dough.

Kitchen Scale

Stand Mixer

For the Dough (optional)

Pizza Stone

Baking Sheet

Cook Surface Options

Pizza Peel

Pizza Cutter

Suggested Tools

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

Sauce

Must-have Ingredients:

Cheese

Cornmeal

Toppings

Optional Ingredients:

Step By Step

Preheat the oven

Roll out the dough

Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings

Cook the pizza

Rest the pizza

Step by Step

The beauty of homemade pizza is you can make multiple small pies, learning as you go. It’s also a wonderfully interactive experience: every guest can make a pie with their toppings of choice. And if you’re craving a more in-depth lesson on how to make pizza at home, 

You’ll be slinging pies like a pizzaiolo in no time.

How to Make Pizza in the Oven

Caramelized, juicy, and perfectly tender every time

How to Sear Steak Like a Chef

This Italian dinner party menu will conjure rolling hills lined with cypress trees, terracotta roofs parallel to cobblestone streets, overflowing carafes of table wine (but better, because it’s from your reserve), pizza, pasta and more pasta. 

, it’s brimming with dishes found in local bars, traditional trattorias, and includes some Classics Redone because it’s YOUR dinner after all.

Roman Pizzette

Meet pizzette, the fast-casual snack of Rome that is the ideal kickoff dish at your Italian dinner party because it is flavorful, three ingredients, easy to prep in advance, light enough not to ruin one’s appetite for the meal, but will absorb a G&T. Our pizzettes are 2-3 bites each of tomato-sauced, marinated artichokes on a mini dough round. We use a Single Ingredient Multiple Ways by mixing the seasoned artichoke brine into tomato paste for a quick, perfectly seasoned sauce, and we use the tart hearts as a topping. With flaky dough, it is a Flavor Trifecta. We love sliced mozzarella bocconcini, anchovies, and cubed pancetta as extra toppers if you want to prepare a variety.

Arugula & Pickled Shallots

Our insalata mista is a billowing bowl of crisp greens adorned with jewel-toned shallots that, in between bites of hearty pasta and piccata, cleanses the palate by offering an acidic punch. The shallots are Quick Pickled in red wine vinegar and sweetened with honey and the mista? Peppery arugula and sharp radicchio offset with sweetness. A meal like this needs a salad, so keep it simple with this one.


Veal Piccata

Often found on restaurant menus in Italy as Scaloppine di Vitello, Veal Piccata consists of thinly sliced, pounded, and lightly breaded pieces of veal. These cutlets get gently sautéed in olive oil, rendering a golden-brown finished product with locked-in juices—an unbeatable combination that guarantees a tender cutlet every time. White wine, lemon juice, and capers get added post-sauté, then reduced until thickened and spooned on top of the veal.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Bucatini all'Amatriciana is a full-of-flavor Italian classic, both simple and fun to eat. The sauce is tomato-based and made with guanciale, a cured pork cheek, that adds a smoky flavor. Just like the base of many prized Italian dishes, onion and roasted garlic start the dish with an Aromatic Foundation. And while Bucatini all’Amatriciana is finished with freshly grated parmesan, the rind of the cheese is first cut away and simmered in the sauce to impart its super savory flavor profile throughout. No rules on how much cheese to add on top; the limit does not exist!

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini

Cacio e Pepe is a classic dish from the Lazio region of Italy (the same as Bucatini all'Amatriciana); this preparation riffs on the classic. We roast crowns of broccolini until tender and slightly crisped, then toss them with citrus, pecorino, toasted pine nuts, cracked pink peppercorns, and freshly ground black pepper. We make our cacio e pepe sauce green by using broc stems puréed with lemon juice, olive oil, and pecorino.

Coffee Hazelnut Trifle

The finale dish for this ultimate Italian dinner party is a combination of two beloved Italian sweets: Tiramisu and Maritozzi. For this Classics Redone, thick slices of brioche are toasted until golden then combined with an espresso syrup made from sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso. The espresso-soaked brioche is then layered with mocha mascarpone (a combination of mascarpone cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, and more espresso) and a simple whipped cream. The three components are layered in a trifle dish, dusted with cocoa powder, and garnished with deeply toasted hazelnuts.

Ready to throw a dreamy Italian dinner party? Read our 

 for all the tips, tricks, and strategies you'll need. 


When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, mangiamo!

Having an Italian Dinner Party? Here's What to Serve.

Menu Ideas

How Tos & Inspiration

Gail Simmons

Top Chef

Dana Cowin

Food & Wine

Gwyneth Paltrow

Goop

Chef Aaron

Culinista chef since 2019

Serving Platters & Bowls, corresponding to number of dishes and accompaniments.

Remember small dishes for sauces, dips, and spreads.

Serving Utensils, corresponding to number of dishes.

Remember small utensils for sauces, dips, and spreads.

Tablewares (Tablecloth, Placemats, Napkins)

Dishware (Salad Plates, Dinner Plates, Dessert Plates), corresponding to number of guests and courses.

Flatware, corresponding to number of guests and courses.

Grain-based salads are best if eaten at room temperature, but are also wonderful hot or cold

Meat dishes are prepared medium-rare, poultry dishes are fully cooked through, with sauce on the side

Oven: Transfer meat/poultry/fish and sauce in a covered oven-safe containers or wrapped in aluminum foil @ 375°F for 5-15 minutes depending on desired temperature and doneness

Stove: Reheat sauce over low heat, stirring every 30 seconds until heated to your desired temperature; pour over room temperature meat/poultry/fish

Pasta dishes are prepared al dente and soften in their sauces over time

Pasta dishes are best at room temperature or cold

Stove: Heat in pan over medium heat, adding water as needed so the sauce doesn’t reduce

Microwave: Partially cover the vessel and stir every 30 seconds

Cleaned base greens and salad accoutrements will be packaged separately; toss together in a medium to large bowl and add dressing to taste

Allow sauces, dressings, and vinaigrettes to come to room temperature so they can loosen

Cookies, brownies, bars & scones best eaten at room temperature

Muffins & load breads are best eaten at room temperature or reheated slightly

Slice, spread with butter or coconut oil, and toast butter side down on skillet over medium heat until golden brown

Fruit salads best eaten cold or at room temperature

Glassware (Wine, Cocktail, Rocks, Flutes, etc.)

Hearty vegetable salads are best if eaten at room temperature, but are also wonderful hot or cold

Oven: Transfer into a heatproof vessel @ 350°F until warmed through (5-10 minutes)

Our favorite full set of baking sheets & pans: 

All-Clad Pro-Release Nonstick Bakeware Set

 OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Plastic Cutting Board Set

OXO Good Grips 15-Piece Everyday Kitchen Utensil Set

Make sure the size you order fits in your oven!

All-Clad HA1 Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware Set

Stove Top: Reheat over low heat, stirring every 30 seconds until heated to your desired temperature (4-8 minutes)

Reheating Guide

Before your service, please read these helpful tips:

Empty the dishwasher and clear out the sink before the chef arrives.

Make sure you have olive oil, salt, pepper, tin foil & parchment paper for cooking. Plus, soaps, dish rags, trash bags, and a broom for clean up.

Double check our equipment list below, and make sure your kitchen is stocked.

Confirm that stove burners, oven, broiler, and dishwasher work; if something doesn't work, please let us know in advance.

Make sure someone is home to let in the chef at their scheduled time of arrival or that kitchen is accessible without guidance.

Familiarize your chef with the home (shoe policy, smoke alarms, pets, trash, recycling, wash rooms, etc.)

Leave fridge space for groceries, dishes and/or leftovers.

Communicate with your chef about children and furry friends' kitchen rules.

If your service was exceptional and you'd like to tip above the included 20% gratuity, please do so in cash.

Friendly Reminder for Weekly Meal Prep: Your chef(s) are there to cook for you, not set the table or serve you. 

Marky's Caviar Party

To Start

Oysters on the Half Shell with Caviar

Family

The Culinistas' Wedge with Osetra

Sea Bass with Charred Cucumber & Caviar

Potato Gratin with Trout Roe

Grilled Seasonal Veggies

Dessert

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Drinks

Purely Shirley

Bubbles Bar

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.