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

Peanuts

Shellfish

Nuts

Gluten

Pork

Sesame

Beef

Alliums

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

This Steakhouse Menu Brings the Sizzle Home 

 and everything is set: the menu, the decor, and the guest list. But, what about dessert? For some, dessert is an afterthought, while others believe in saving the best for last. We believe that it doesn’t have to be sugary, but something to close the meal marks a gathering as special.

How do you pick the right dessert to end your night? Understanding how to pair dessert with the rest of a meal is a skill—but it’s easy to master with a few guidelines in mind. Read on to learn about the five factors to consider when choosing the ideal dessert, so you never have to stress about the final course.

Learn how to make dessert the star of the show at a 

Single Origin

When dishes come from the same culinary traditions, they often share common ingredients, flavor profiles, and cooking techniques. This throughline creates a balanced meal in which each dish complements the others. For example, if you’re serving a French Chicken Paillard as your main course, return to another regional classic for dessert, like our Apricot Tarte Tatin, which showcases all the elegance of French cuisine. Both have a rich undertone, but the Tarte Tatin’s mild flavor profile balances the chicken’s acidity.

Balance

If the main meal is hearty or rich like a meaty stew or creamy pasta, a lighter dessert may be the right choice. If serving a lighter meal like our Za’atar Dusted Salmon with Cucumber Salad, you’ll have room for our creamy, decadent Burnt Basque Cheesecake. Aim for your guests to feel satisfied when they leave and refreshed and healthy when they wake up the next day.

Flavor Throughlines

Citrus, spices, and herbs make for great throughlines to a meal because they play well with dishes that are both savory and sweet. If your meal features citrus in the form of a salad dressing or marinade, tie a bow on it with a similarly bright dessert. If your meal includes warm or spicy flavors like our Spiced Lamb with Couscous, look to a dessert with adjacent flavors like our fluffy Coconut Chai Cake, made with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. The complementary spices are a reminder of the deliciousness you just enjoyed, and a satisfying close to the night.

Kitchen Efficiency

Think like a chef. Whenever they can, chefs create menus with kitchen efficiency in mind; so, if the main dish is a hearty braise that requires the oven to be at a low temperature for a long period of time, accompaniments that use the stovetop or no cooking at all will prevent traffic jams at the range. This technique can be applied in many ways: Pavlova in an oven that can’t be opened? Plan to use the grill for dinner. Two different types of roasted root veggies as sides? Whipped cream and berries for dessert. Another great kitchen efficiency technique is planning a dessert that can be made ahead. Trifle-style desserts, like our Raspberry Tiramisu, is one of these, or cookies, whose dough can be made up to a week before and then portioned in advance, so that you can pop a baking sheet in the oven for 8-10 minutes, then produce a plate of cookies as if by magic.

Sustainability

Chefs are always thinking of ways to use entire ingredients root to flower, rind to seed, or to reuse ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. Even better, they choose dishes because of ingredients from other dishes that they know will need to be used up. Our Vegetable Aioli, for example, uses egg yolks. Avoid waste by whipping the leftover whites into a Flourless Chocolate Cake. Or make use of the whole orange and fold its zest into a Burnt Basque Cheesecake.

Learn the keys to desserts that wow with 

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.

1. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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

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Test: Fun Foods

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 

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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

‘Tis the season of frenzied sales and shopping sprees, but don’t let the stress of gifting distract from the real point of the holidays: to gather with, and give thanks for, the ones you love. While we can’t tell you what to give your Nintendo-loving nephew, we’ve got gift ideas for every type of home cook and host: budding ‘Nistas, armchair mixologists, avid kitchen wizards who think they have it all. Everything on our list, from the stovetop espresso maker to our 

, was carefully selected to make cooking and hosting more fun, creative, and delicious for years to come.

Mill Bin

If building a backyard compost system is beyond you, let Mill do the dirty work. This 

 includes a bin to fill with food waste (weeks' worth of it), which then gets dried and churned into food grounds to get picked up to go back to where it came from: the farm. Or, bring it to your local compost drop-off. Reduce kitchen waste while recycling food? The ultimate gift that gives back.

Bialetti Moka

Italy may be known for its pasta and pizza, but its coffee is equally deserving of praise. This humble 

 restores every morning’s coffee to the sacred ritual that it should be, simmering cups of fragrant espresso. A midweek coffee that tastes like a slow Sunday? Who wouldn’t want that? Tell your coffee-loving friend to give the brew a little stir before pouring to even out the strength.

The Culinistas' Cooking Class

For the people in your life who seem to have it all figured out, experiences make for the best gifts. Choose from four 

 (Steak Night, Pizza Party, Paella Night, New Dessert Classics) all held in the home kitchen and designed to teach our Culinista keys. Your recipient is in for an evening of fun education—and you’ll be the one to reap the rewards of what’s learned.

Smithey Grill Pan

For the grill-master dad in hibernation: 

If your dad mourns the end of grill season, we hear you. Those coveted char marks are possible year-round with this 

, fit for indoor and outdoor use. Durable and sturdy, this powerhouse of a cooking vessel promises years of deliciously seared food. Set him up with a ribeye in the fridge and you may win Favorite Child of the Year.

Le Creuset Bread Oven

On every baker’s journey is a graveyard of failed bread attempts, but fewer mistakes are made when you have the right tools. Equip the future pastry chef in your life with this reliable and expertly designed 

. A cast iron build permits even heat distribution to yield a browned, crispy crust, while a domed lid promotes steam circulation for a soft, air pocket-filled interior. She’ll soon be crafting bakery-worthy loaves of sourdough, focaccia, and dinner rolls.

Vermicular Oven Pot

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, and soon the minimalist in your life will, too. Built to last, this heirloom piece is responsible for indulgent stews, fork-tender braises, and one-pot meals. We’re not saying it’s the only vessel a home cook needs, but it’s a contender for most essential. Watch it become a staple in his kitchen, and get ready for the meals to come.

Fazeek Coupes

We’re convinced everything tastes better when sipped–or eaten–from a coupe, a.k.a. the glass that means it’s time to party. Your cocktail-loving friend probably has a few on her bar cart already, but here's why she needs 

: designed with a wide surface and a bowl shaped into playful ripples, it marries elegance and fun. Plus, they come in an array of colors, so you can add to the collection year after year.

Olive Oil Jones & Tart Vinegar

For the friend who refuses to buy store-bought salad dressing: 

We believe in making dressings by hand, and 

 making dressing by hand. Always glad to know others fall into our camp. With this duo, your dear salad connoisseur will have a head start on any delicious dressing. This 

 is early-harvested and gets bottled to order, preserving the peppery bitterness lost in most olive oils. Its partner in crime is a small batch, 

, with a unique variety of flavors to choose from (truly, any). Together, they amplify each other’s virtues and nudge every salad from good to great. You may want to include our 

 on the card: Double Oil + Acid + Pinch of Spice.

La Boîte Spice Set

Speaking of spice: The heady spices in this 

 are potent and equipped to handle any and all seasoning needs. It includes every spice a home cook should have in their arsenal: peppercorn blends, salty salt, smoky paprika, sweet and tangy sumac, and more. Consider it a quick ticket to transportative cuisines.

Goldie Home Placemats

For the friend who's constantly hosting: 

A host’s tablescape is never complete, so layer on these 

. Their vibrant, tie-dye pattern strikes the balance between fun and sophistication, while their gray hues stay in the background to let the food do the talking.

The Culinistas' Weekly Meal Prep

A full fridge is always a blessing, but once the baby comes, a stockpile of ready-to-eat meals will be a true saving grace. Anticipate exactly what your BFF needs for the fourth trimester by gifting a 

 who’ll cook nourishing and delicious meals that your friend can eat throughout the week.

What to get your favorite food lovers this year? Glad you asked.

The Culinistas’ Gift Guide for Every Home Cook & Host on Your List

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

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

Summer Gluten Free

To Start

Spicy Shrimp Cocktail

California Dip & Crudités

Family Style

Lamb Chops

Cod with Ratatouille

Squash with Herbs

Summer Garden Risotto

Dessert

Peach & Nectarine Crisp

Watermelon & Strawberry Parfait

Drinks

Summer Sangria Bar

Offsite

Hosting made easy with a Culinista chef.

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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.