A private chef for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve

Dinner at home for the two nights nobody wants to spend at the stove.

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are the two nights people most want to spend at home with the right people and least want to spend cooking. I cook the dinner in your kitchen, serve it, and clean up, so the host gets to be a guest.

How it works

We settle the menu in early December. Some families want the meal they have always had; some want the opposite. Either is fine, and a family dish from a recipe card is welcome. On the night I arrive two to three hours before you want to sit down, cook, serve course by course or family-style, pack the leftovers, and leave the kitchen cleaner than I found it. Printed menus at every seat.

A December menu

  • Brettljause board: cured meats, alpine cheeses, house pickles
  • Potato latkes with crème fraîche, apple compote, and chives
  • Herb-crusted prime rib with red wine jus, horseradish cream, and duck fat potatoes
  • Chocolate marquise with crème anglaise, sea salt, and candied hazelnuts

For New Year’s Eve, a seven-course tasting menu works well: smaller plates, a longer evening, and the last course lands close to midnight. More menus by season are on the sample menus page.

Pricing and booking

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are priced 25% above my regular rates, like every date from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day. The base rates are $100 per person family-style, $125 plated, and $175 for a tasting menu, plus the holiday premium, with groceries at cost. A server ($250) is required for plated dinners of 13 or more and family-style dinners of 17 or more. Kids twelve and under are $50; under five eat free. Regular rates are on the cost guide. The nights around the holidays, including the Saturdays in December, are regular pricing. I can only be in one kitchen each night, so both dates go early; ask as soon as you know your plans.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has its own page, with the menu and how the day runs.

A dinner as a gift

If the person you are shopping for would rather have an evening than a thing, gift cards are sold through Square in any amount from $100. They arrive by email with a note from you, never expire, and the recipient picks the date.

Questions people ask

How much does a private chef cost for Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve?

Both are priced 25% above my regular rates ($100 per person family-style, $125 plated, $175 tasting menu), plus groceries at cost, with a $650 minimum. Send the date and headcount and I will quote it exactly.

How early should I book a holiday dinner?

As soon as you know your plans. I can only be in one kitchen each night, so Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve go early. The surrounding nights are easier to get and are regular pricing.

Can you cook our family's traditional dishes?

Yes. Send me the recipe or a photo of the card and I will make it the way your family expects it, alongside whatever else is on the menu.