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

Sesame

Beef

Alliums

Gail Simmons

Top Chef

Dana Cowin

Food & Wine

Gwyneth Paltrow

Goop

Tiana Tenet & Jill Donenfeld

Founders

Low Carb

Low Sugar

High Protein

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Low Fat

High Fat

Meatballs Marinara

Crab Summer Rolls 

Breakfast Burritos

Coconut Rice

Pineapple & Persimmons

Berry Bowl

RGC (Roasted Garlic Chicken)

Stinger

Ginger-Chili Acorn Squash

Mikan of the Minds

Bok Choy & Grapefruit

Morning Glories

Tequila Tuk Tuk

Coconut Poached Chicken

Por Pia, Thai Spring Rolls

Ghang Dhang Fak, Thai Curry Squash

Yum Nua Yang, Thai Steak Salad ($)

Pad Kee Mao, Thai Drunken Noodles

Coconut Sticky Rice with Thai Tea Poached Pears

Bass with Yum Sapparod, Bass with Spicy Pineapple Salad

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Zucchini Nuggets

Spritz Bar

Our seasonal and long term chef services are available all over the world. Our roster of chefs are largely based in the New York metro area, the D.C. metro area, and Los Angeles, but many are excited to travel. To find a chef in your area, 

Our Culinista chefs have diverse backgrounds, including nutrition certifications and Michelin-starred restaurant experience. Their degrees are from schools like the Culinary Institute of America and Cornell's elite hospitality program.

Pricing for these services is determined case by case. Please 

Seasonal & Long Term Services

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

Yum Nua Yang, Thai Steak Salad

Family Style

Dessert

Drinks

One Evening in Bangkok 

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

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

Girl Dinner

Surf & Turf

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. 

Taqueria en Casa 

Thanksgiving 

Italian Trattoria 

Quintessential Culinistas Winter 

We handle the cooking so you can come back to the table and find joy in mealtime.

Welcome to The Culinistas®

Private Chefs in Los Angeles

A Culinista® chef for all your culinary needs.

Brunch, cocktail hour, dinner party, or barbecue? We’re here to help.

Need a chef for the summer, a short trip, or a forever position? We’ll get you staffed.

Long Term & Seasonal

Cooking like a Culinista is joyful. Let us show you how.

Our chef services make it possible to connect around a delicious meal, without sacrificing your lifestyle.

Our Philosophy

Press

Press Logos

Our menus are vibrant, seasonal, and infinitely customizable.

Favorites

Our Menus

All Culinista chefs come highly referred and must pass a background check and a cooking interview.

Thoroughly Vetted

Culinista chefs have graduated from top culinary schools and worked in the best restaurants.

Professionally Trained

We handpick the best chefs for you based on their skills and your needs.

Perfectly Paired

Culinista® Chefs

Curbed

Bloomberg

Forbes

Marquee

Fan Mail

Never stress about dinner again.

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal. Our vetted private chefs are available for in-home:

Brunch, cocktail hour, dinner party, or barbecue? We’re here to help. 

Give us your kitchen for a couple hours, and we’ll leave you with meals for the week.

Weekly Meal Prep

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal. We connect you with vetted private chefs for in-home meal prep, gatherings, and seasonal and long term needs. Explore our services. 

No matter the season, there’s a reason to host. We have hundreds of menus for intimate parties and gatherings. Explore a few of our favorites.

Explore our library of seasonal, international, and year-round favorites. 

Homepage menus

Menus for Gathering

Let a Culinista chef handle the cooking this week. We’ll come to your home with groceries and leave your fridge stocked with vibrant meals—and your kitchen spotless.

See what’s new for this week's meal prep.

Homepage Dish Group

Companies logos

Learn the Culinista keys to cooking and hosting @

Let’s cook together

Homepage

We’ll help you find a chef to provide full time, part time, or custom meal prep services to your household.

Long Term Chefs

Headed to the beach for the summer or the mountain in the winter? We’ll find you a chef to match your seasonal needs, from weekly meal prep to nightly dinners.

Seasonal Chefs

Culinista chefs are ready to pack their bags to join you for a special birthday, anniversary trip, or family vacation.

Traveling Chefs

We offer agile chef services—so you can keep living your life, knowing that a delicious and nourishing meal awaits you.