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

The Big Green Salad

Flourless Chocolate Cake ($)

Spring Sangria Bar

Vegetable Aioli

Mustard Pork with Mushrooms

Tequila Bar

Berries & Whip

Mushroom Grains Bowl

Tarragon Chicken

Arugula & Pea Salad

Couscous & Clover

Berry Bowl

Spring Pea Bruschetta 

Confetti Shrimp

Green Lasagna

Berry Crisp

Farm Fresh Lettuces with Herbs

Seared Polenta & Mushrooms 

Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream ($)

Chicken Paillard with Arugula Salad ($)

Buttered Radishes

Mushroom Pâté Cracker

Lemony Pasta Fagioli

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Baked Halibut with Radish Pesto ($)

Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Shaved Vegetable Pizza

Lobster & Snap Pea Paella ($)

Sweet Pea Hummus & Crudités

Burrata Bar ($)

Grilled Asparagus & Capers

Green Juice

California Dip & Crudités 

Roasted Mushrooms

Poached Salmon & Spring Peas ($)

Chermoula Shrimp & Preserved Lemon Aioli ($)

Vanilla Berry French Toast Bake ($)

Tahini Ranch Spring Salad

Scallops with Carrot & Asparagus

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Herbed Fingerling Potatoes

Rhubarb Raspberry Coconut Crisp ($)

Zucchini Nuggets

Strawberry Rhubarb Clafoutis

Martini Bar

G & T 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

Burrata Bar

Chermoula Shrimp & Preserved Lemon Aioli

To Start 

Poached Salmon & Spring Peas

Baked Halibut with Radish Pesto

Lobster & Snap Pea Paella

Chicken Paillard with Arugula Salad

Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream

Mushroom Grains

Family Style

Rhubarb Raspberry Coconut Crisp

Vanilla Berry Bread Pudding

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Dessert

Drinks

Quintessential Culinistas Spring 

Sangria Bar

East Coast Seafood Specials

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

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

Dive into this Mediterranean-inspired menu featuring an array of dip-able, swoop-able small plates like our Fattoush Bar and not one but Three Feta Dips.  

Mediterranean Grill

Jewish Classics

Spritz O'Clock

Backyard BBQ

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

Peak Summer Specials

Endless Summer 

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. 

Spring Gluten Free 

Seaside Ceviche 

Amalfi Al Fresco

Calling all tomatoes and peak season herbs (hello, basil); it’s your time to shine. This menu is bound to help you cool off and satisfy your hunger at the same time.

Summer Gluten Free

Rosh Hashanah

Plated Classics

Pizza Party

Picnic Prep

Quintessential Culinistas Fall

Raw Bar

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

The Grand Aioli

Cinq à Sept

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. 

Quintessential Culinistas Spring

To Start

Sweet Pea Hummus & Crudités

Burrata Bar

Family Style

The Big Green Salad

Poached Salmon & Spring Peas

Roasted Mushrooms

Herbed Fingerling Potatoes

Dessert

Rhubarb Raspberry Coconut Crisp

Berries & Whip

Drinks

Spring Sangria Bar

Green Juice

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.