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

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

Meatballs Marinara

Think & Drink

Roasted Eggplant with Pine Nut & Raisins

Greek Salad

Tzatziki Roasted Chicken

Rosewater Apples & Apricots

Sea Bass & Tomatoes ($)

Hummus & Crudités

Locally Caught Fish with Lemon ($)

Greek Salad Skewers

Eggplant with Couscous & Mint

Roasted Carrots & Dates

Tomato Baked Feta & Baguette

Charred Eggplant Dip & Cucumbers

Moroccan Roasted Cauliflower

Santorini Chicken

Blood Orange Cake

Berry Bowl

Ginger Almond Cookies

RGC (Roasted Garlic Chicken)

Lamb Chops ($)

Offsite

Hivemind

Call Her Ginger

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Purples & Greens

White Bean Hummus & Crudités

Morning Glories

Lemony Pasta Fagioli

Spanakopita

Halloumi, Beets & Citrus

Lamb Keftedes with Tzatziki

Fig Frozen Yogurt with Baklava Brittle ($)

Three Feta Dips

Cod with Skordalia ($)

Giouvetsi

Feta in Phyllo

Dill Yogurt Dressed Greens

Olive Oil Poached Halibut ($)

Shiitake Soup

Fattoush Bar

Golden Baked Feta & Baguette

Zucchini with Walnut-Mint Pesto

Roasted Tomato & Labneh Dip

Think Pink Pasta ($)

Hasselback Butternut Squash

Swordfish & Crushed Olives

Deviled Trout with Mustard Greens

Moroccan Chickpeas

Chermoula Shrimp & Preserved Lemon Aioli ($)

Spiced Lamb & Couscous ($)

Moroccan Mint G & T

M’hancha Almond Snake Cake

Eggplant & Chicken Tagine ($)

Eggplant & Cauliflower Tagine

Mediterranean Whitefish Spread

Shrimp Saganaki Meatballs

Harissa Roasted Carrot Soup

Grilled Halloumi & White Beans

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Zucchini Nuggets

Radicchio & Carrots

Honeydew & Kiwi

Martini Bar

G & T 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.

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

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.

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

Meet us by the hearth for a spread designed to keep out the cold. Our Cassoulet Blanc is a thyme-infused chicken stew that’s both rich and inviting. If that doesn’t make you feel cozy, our Bubbles Bar of timeless champagne cocktails certainly will.

Fireside Chat

Fall Plated

Quintessential Culinistas Spring 

Sangria Bar

Chanukah

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

Classic Cocktail Hour

Thanksgiving Sides

Chermoula Shrimp & Preserved Lemon Aioli

To Start

Spiced Lamb & Couscous

Eggplant & Chicken Tagine

Family Style

Dessert

Drinks

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

When you can’t sail the French Riviera, this menu is the next best thing, featuring a tomato-laden Provence Flatbread and Grilled Sardines.  

Fête Française

Our favorite spring dishes unite! Mushroom & Potato Skewers with Basil Yogurt, Mini Dutch Babies, and Goddess Salad with Bacon, just to name a few. 

Spring Brunch

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

Sea Bass & Tomatoes

Cod with Skordalia

Olive Oil Poached Halibut

Locally Caught Fish with Lemon

Lamb Chops

Fig Frozen Yogurt with Baklava Brittle

Citrus Cake

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. 

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.