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

Cauliflower Steaks with Pomegranate

King Crab Legs with Basil Butter ($)

Brussels & Pancetta

Calabrian Cauliflower

Parsley Pesto Broc & Beans

Chicken Noodle Soup

Mediterranean Squid

Ginger Cranberry Sugar Cookies

Black Bass with Roasted Pepper & Fennel ($)

Blood Orange Cake

Braised Kale Stracciatella

Beet Chips & Dip

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

Pumpkin Bran Bread

Pistachio Roasted Carrots

Mushroom Pot Pie

Chard Dumplings in Tomato Purée

Marinated Anchovy Crostini

Winter Vegetable Cobb

Brussels Sprout & Apple Salad

So-Cal Citrus

Arugula & Pickled Shallots

Olive Oil Poached Halibut ($)

Fettuccine alle Vongole

Shiitake Soup

Fattoush Bar

Sicily Spritz

Sweet Potato Hummus & Cruditès

Shrimp & Zucchini Linguine

Farro al Limone

Think Pink Pasta ($)

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini

Hasselback Butternut Squash

Salmon Salmagundi ($)

Swordfish & Crushed Olives

Deviled Trout with Mustard Greens

Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup

Bagna Cauda & Crudités 

Shaved Celery Salad

Radishes & Rocket

Pistachio & Pine Nut Cookies ($)

Mediterranean Whitefish Spread

Sautéed Shrimp with Tomatoes & Spinach

Spicy Broccoli Rabe & Bok Choy

Martini Bar

Bubbles Bar

Spritz Bar

Weekly service starts at $250. Additional costs include groceries (dependent on size & dish selection), $50 tip, a $15 travel reimbursement for your chef, and tax. Select markets may be priced higher.

Households larger than six people may require more time from a chef, so we price those services on a case by case basis. 

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, 

Certain ingredients in these dishes may make them more costly—and increase your total grocery bill—so we wanted to let you know. 

The standard weekly meal prep service does not include table service. If you'd like a custom service that combines meal prep with table service, please 

, we’ll assign a Culinista chef for your household. we’ll assign a Culinista chef for your household. Each week, you will select the dishes that you’d like to eat from our website. Your Culinista chef will shop for groceries, prep, and cook the dishes in your home, stock your fridge, and leave your kitchen spotless.

We know that everyone eats differently. Our sizes are based on household size, but you should adjust your selection based on household appetites and how many meals per week you desire.

That said, our sizing recommendations are:

If your family is larger than six people, please fill out a 

 and we will provide you with a custom quote.


You can always adjust the size of your service from week to week.

Weekly Meal Prep

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

Sangria Bar

East Coast Seafood Specials

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

Classic Cocktail Hour

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

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

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 

Amalfi Al Fresco

Plated Classics

Pizza Party

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

The Grand Aioli

Cinq à Sept

Ice Cream Social

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. 

Give us your kitchen for 3 hours and get set up for the week.

A sentence about the fact that we have a vast network of chefs to meet all your culinary needs.

Our services also include chefs for gatherings, custom services and cooking classes.