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

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

Berry Bowl

RGC (Roasted Garlic Chicken)

Morning Glories

Lemony Pasta Fagioli

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Zucchini Nuggets

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.

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.

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

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

Panzanella Party 

Quintessential Culinistas Spring 

Sangria Bar

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

Classic Cocktail Hour

Summer Farm to Plate

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

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

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

Italian Snacks

Sports Sundays

Backyard BBQ

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

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 

Travel to the most delicious corners of Greece with this menu meant to make you feel like you’re OOO, even when you’re WFH. 

Spring Break on the Mediterranean 

Calling all tomatoes and peak season herbs (hello, basil); it’s your time to shine. This menu is bound to help you cool off and satisfy your hunger at the same time.

Summer Gluten Free

Plated Classics

Pizza Party

This peak-summer brunch showcases the season’s best produce: tender lettuces, all the zucchini, juicy berries. Get it while the bounty lasts. 

Summer Brunch

Spring Vegetarian

No one does comfort food quite like the South. Our version keeps the classics and leaves room for the green stuff too. Banana pudding fans? This one’s for you. 

Southern Comfort 

Spring Plated

Raw Bar

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

Cinq à Sept

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 

Quintessential Culinista Summer

First Signs of Summer 

Italian Trattoria 

Gin, Tonic & Toasts

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

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

Seasonal & Long Term Services

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

Curbed

Bloomberg

Forbes

Marquee

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

Press

Companies logos

Fan Mail

Learn the Culinista keys to cooking and hosting @

Let’s cook together

Homepage

Hosting made easy with a Culinista chef.

Choose your Menu

Share the Details

Sit Back and Relax

How It Works

Our menus are vibrant, seasonal, and infinitely customizable.

Ready to gather?

In Season

Favorites

Grazing

Upcoming

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

Whether you’re hosting your partner or a group of ten, these keys ensure the atmosphere is comfortable and the meal is memorable. With the kitchen under control, 

Always Make a Seating Chart

Take Time to Toast

Follow the 30/60/90 Rule

You’re Never to Old For Games

Party Like a Culinista

Gatherings FAQ

"[Our chef] did an awesome job and was so incredibly efficient. I was totally impressed with his speed, skill and knowledge, and of course he was super friendly and easygoing. Plus, the food is all AMAZING! My daughter gobbled up the zucchini nuggets and turkey bolognese for dinner, we had salmon and broccoli salad, with a little of the lentil and quinoa salad too, and it was delicious. Such a luxury to have all this fresh, beautiful food in the fridge for the week and none of the stress of having had to shop for and cook it on a busy Monday.”

"I believe magic happens when we eat together. Which is why I fell in love with The Culinistas. You can imagine after having been spoiled by decades of eating out for work, I definitely want a break in the cooking schedule from time to time. The recipes are clean, uncomplicated and still interesting."

“I rely on The Culinistas to streamline an integral part of my family’s lives. We’ve had many an engaging conversation, lively discourse and spirited dialogue over Turkey Bolognese, at the dinner table, and I’m convinced we’re better humans because of it.”

Hosting made easy with a Culinista chef.

Choose your Menu

Share the Details

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.