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, 

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

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 Paltrow

Goop

Low Carb

Low Sugar

High Protein

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Low Fat

High Fat

Meatballs Marinara

Think & Drink

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Pears with Currants

The Big Green Salad

King Crab Legs with Basil Butter ($)

Brussels & Pancetta

Potato Gratin

Roasted Beets with Fennel

Hazelnut Cookies

Breakfast Burritos

Sautéed Greens

Little Tomatoes & Orzo

Calabrian Cauliflower

Parsley Pesto Broc & Beans

Mediterranean Squid

Ginger Cranberry Sugar Cookies

Braised Short Ribs

Black Bass with Roasted Pepper & Fennel ($)

Chocolate Torte with Ice Cream

Blood Orange Cake

Steak with Onion Date Sauce

Cauliflower & Quinoa

Green Beans & Collards

Berry Bowl

Watercress Potato Flatbread

RGC (Roasted Garlic Chicken)

Braised Kale Stracciatella

Scallop Toast ($)

Apple Tarte Tatin with Whipped Cream ($)

Think Pinker Salad

Cod & Clam Cioppino (Special Occasion)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Artichoke & Mushroom Salad

Steak Tartare

Salmon Rillettes

Big Brood

Tuna Tapenade

Farm Fresh Lettuces with Herbs

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Coffee Hazelnut Trifle ($)

Concord Torte

White Wine Steamed Clams

Stone Crab Claws with Aioli ($)

Brussels Sprout Caesar

Provence Flatbread

French Onion Soup

Green Beans with Olives

White Ragù Pappardelle

French Lentils

Chard Dumplings in Tomato Purée

Morning Glories

Salmon en Papillote

Chicken Paillard with Arugula Salad ($)

Marinated Anchovy Crostini

Winter Vegetable Cobb

So-Cal Citrus

Arugula & Pickled Shallots

Olive Oil Poached Halibut ($)

Fettuccine alle Vongole

Work Wife

Purely Shirley

Sicily Spritz

Shrimp & Zucchini Linguine

Farro al Limone

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini

Charred Cabbage Gratin

Mushroom Bourguignon

Cassoulet Blanc

Roasted Mushrooms

Bagna Cauda & Crudités 

Shaved Celery Salad

Scarlet Sangria

Radishes & Rocket

Pistachio & Pine Nut Cookies ($)

Lemon Tea Cookies ($)

Mediterranean Whitefish Spread

Grapes & Almonds

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Sautéed Shrimp with Tomatoes & Spinach

Zucchini Nuggets

Spicy Broccoli Rabe & Bok Choy

Martini Bar

G & T Bar

Bubbles Bar

Spritz Bar

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

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

Jewish Classics

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

Plated Classics

Pizza Party

Early fall’s long-awaited produce needs little more than seasoning and slow cooking, and this spread puts the season’s best front and center.

Fall Gluten Free

Quintessential Culinistas Fall

To Start

La Salade Rose

Chicken Paillard with Arugula Salad

Family Style

Apple Tarte Tatin with Whipped Cream

Dessert

Drinks

A Provençal Fall

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